It Was Probably Something You Ate: A Practical Guide to Avoiding and Surviving Food-borne Illness [Mass Market Paperback]

Nichols Fox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

From the preeminent journalist and authority on contaminated food, a one-of-a-kind guide for safeguarding against food hazards.

Slight fever. Nausea. A rumbling in the stomach. Diarrhea. What you might think is the flu was probably something you ate. Food-borne illness afflicts 81,000,000 Americans each year, killing 9,000 annually, and yet too many people ignore the fatal hazards lurking in our markets, restaurants, and kitchens.

Now food-pathogen expert Nicols Fox offers a useful, informative guide to preventing, diagnosing, and surviving a food-borne illness. Far more serious than a slight discomfort in the abdomen, food-based pathogens can have long-term physical consequences, leaving victims with lifelong impairment of the digestive system and damage to the lungs, ears, kidneys, brain, and heart. Fox surveys the complicated terrain of food-borne disease, profiling common and uncommon pathogens such as Salmonella, hepatitis A, E. coli, Campylobacter, and Cyclospora. She also outlines practical advice for dealing with common symptoms and illness-prevention techniques for the home and restaurants. Combining the real stories of victims of food-borne illness with the most up-to-date information about emerging food-borne pathogens, It Was Probably Something You Ate is a sourcebook you may not be able to live without.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Illness from foodborne pathogens is common, striking millions of people and killing thousands annually. So argues investigative journalist Fox, whose previous book Spoiled: The Dangerous Truth About a Food Chain Gone Haywire (LJ 7/97) looked at ecological reasons for this widespread problem. This new work follows up with practical advice on how to avoid and recover from food poisoning as well as detailed information on specific pathogens. Fox also discusses cultural, technological, and institutional reasons for the recent surge in foodborne illnesses and suggests ways in which consumers might spark institutional change to make our food supply safer. This readable, balanced, and extensively researched work is a distinguished contribution to the small but growing literature of consumer sourcebooks on this issue. For public and academic librariesANoemie Maxwell Vassilakis, Seattle Midwifery Sch.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140277994
• ISBN-13: 978-0140277999
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,316,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wake-up call regarding the food contamination problem, September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: It Was Probably Something You Ate: A Practical Guide to Avoiding and Surviving Food-borne Illness (Mass Market Paperback)

Most Americans are aware that spoiled food can make a person ill; but after reading this book by Nicols Fox, I now take meticulous care in the kitchen. Disposable cutting boards, plenty of soap and hot water; clean knives to cut vegetables, etc. are all some of the changes I have made. everyone MUST read this book!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read It and Avoid Trouble!, July 13, 1999

By 

David Kleist - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Was Probably Something You Ate: A Practical Guide to Avoiding and Surviving Food-borne Illness (Mass Market Paperback)

What you don't know really can (and probably does!) hurt you!! Nicols Fox here provides a timely and sobering look at the problems facing all of us in today's global food market. Although you probably won't remember all the scientific names of the microscopic beasties which may ruin your day/week/month/year, you WILL walk away with some pragmatic ways to minimize the number of times per year food makes you sick. EVERYONE WHO EATS FOOD IN AMERICA SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!!! IN OTHER WORDS, BUY IT, read it, and heed it!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Probably Something You Should Read, April 13, 2007

By 

Rebeccah Ruby (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Was Probably Something You Ate: A Practical Guide to Avoiding and Surviving Food-borne Illness (Mass Market Paperback)

I have followed the contamination of our food supply with interest, but nothing puts it in perspective like Ms. Fox's book. There is so much more food-borne illness that goes unreported that it's a miracle you haven't already gotten sick from something you ate, unless you have.

Her reporting is meticulous and runs the gamut from meat packers to academic reports. I rank this book right up there with "Diet for a New America" and "Fast Food Nation." As soon as I finished reading this book, I read "Spoiled - Why Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It," also by Ms. Fox.

There is enough irrefutable factual information in these books to put you off most mass-produced food forever. Fortunately, the author also includes information on how to avoid food-borne illnesses and what to do if you think you have come in contact with a food-borne illness. She has opened my eyes to the hazards of our age, and equipped me to protect myself against them. For this, and for a very readable book, I thank her.