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Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive. Let's work together to keep the conversation civil. Moulds are microscopic fungi that live on plant or animal matter. Mould grows from tiny spores that float around in the air.
When some of these spores fall onto a piece of damp food, they grow into mould. There are thousands of different kinds of moulds. The mould that grows on lemons looks like a blue-green powder, the one that grows on strawberries is a greyish-white kind-of-fur and a common mould that grows on bread looks like white cottony fuzz at first, which could turn black after a few days.
Sometimes, without even noticing, we consume a mouldy bread, fruit, or cheese slice. After reading this, an image of you eating the aforementioned mouldy items is sure to pop in your mind. Is the image worrying you? Are you wondering what happens if you eat mould? Is it deadly? The short answer to the above-mentioned questions is no, you are probably not going to die from eating mould. You will digest it like any other food.
As long as you have got a relatively healthy immune system, the most you will experience is some nausea or vomiting due to the taste or idea of what you have just eaten. But if you are allergic to mould, it can bring on uncomfortable symptoms including irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat.
Also, although common bread mould isn't especially harmful, there are some dangerous moulds which can be harmful to your health and cause food poisoning. Although it might be tempting to simply tear off the mouldy bits in the interest of not wasting food or money, there is no guarantee you are actually removing the whole fungus by doing so.
The thread-like roots of mould can reach deep into the food, so simply removing the mouldy parts won't help. Thus, it is better to just toss the whole thing out. Simple steps to avoid mould formation include securely covering foods in the fridge with plastic wrap or containers, eating leftovers within four days, and not leaving perishable food out for more than two hours.
Apart from these, you need to keep a check on how much food you eat during the week. If you live alone, there is no point in buying a whole lot of food in one go and throwing it away later because of mould.
A weekly guide to the biggest developments in health, medicine and wellbeing delivered to your inbox. Certainly better than tipping in the bin. As I discovered in last week's episode of Trust Me I'm a Doctor, cooking starchy foods and then cooling them down changes their structure, so they become more resistant to the enzymes in our gut that break carbohydrates down.
So if you eat cold pasta your body will absorb fewer calories, making this a dieter's dream. Although we didn't test it, the same probably happens when you cool and heat other starchy foods like rice. You should never reheat cooked rice that has been left hanging around at room temperature for any length of time, because it can harbour toxins that will give you food poisoning.
But if leftover rice goes straight into the fridge after a meal it will be fine for a couple of days. I often use leftover rice to make egg fried rice. The same applies to potatoes. Cold leftover potatoes, sliced and then lightly fried are a family favourite.
These are a few suggestions as to what you can do to reduce this waste:. Image source, Science Photo Library. So best thrown out. Leftovers from the Magazine. Five expired foods you can still eat September Should you smell food before throwing it away?
January The restaurant that serves up rejected food December Image source, Thinkstock. This is probably too mouldy to be consumed, even toasted. Reducing food waste. And in the rare instance that you do , you'll likely have had to consume large amounts of the stuff. And, c'mon, are you really going to keep licking the fuzz off your food? I didn't think so. If the unlikely occurs, though, and your symptoms include persistent nausea and vomiting , you should definitely call the doctor, Dr.
Bedford says. Typically, he'd just prescribe anti-nausea medication—but if you're really feeling miserable , he might prescribe something to induce vomiting or diarrhea to try to flush out your system. In some cases, people have allergic reactions to certain molds, which can contribute to respiratory issues, says Dr. But don't worry, they're usually temporary and easily treated by your doctor.
Ultimately, though, don't get too freaked out: In his 30 years of practice, Dr. Bedford says he has never seen anyone die or require more intense treatment due to mold though that doesn't mean it's impossible. If you're not too skeeved out by that patch of mold on your eats, you might be tempted to just cut it off and continue eating, but whether or not this is actually a good idea depends on the food.
Since these roots allow toxins if there are any to spread throughout the inside of your food, your best move is to throw out the moldy food in its entirety, regardless of where you see the moldy patch, Dr. Still, mold can't penetrate certain hard cheeses, hard salami, firm fruits, and vegetables as easily as softer foods, the USDA says. That makes these foods easier to save from a fuzzy patch.
For quick reference, these food are generally okay to eat once you cut off any mold:. These foods, meanwhile, should be thrown away if at all moldy:. Also, FYI, toasting your bread will not kill the mold on it, so don't even go there.
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