From floor to fork: Is 5-second rule real?
When your favorite food collides with the floor, it looks like a heartbreak immediately. Then the rule of five-second pounces like a savior. But should you really trust it?
You are craving your favorite takeout throughout the week. Finally, food comes, and as soon as you are about that first bite, it slips and the land on the floor, and your heart sinks faster than food. It has broken a heart like someone else.
Then there is that familiar small sound in your head: if you hold it within five seconds, it is still safe to eat. And in the same way, comes back to Hope, attracts you to take risks. After all, who did not hear about the 5-second rule?
We all have, and let’s be honest, most of us have tilted the hygiene rules at least once. But here is the real question: does this rule actually get caught, or are we just giving ourselves relaxed with a myth?
What is the rule?
The 5-second rule is a popular belief that if the food falls on the floor, and you lift it within five seconds, it is still safe to eat. The idea is that bacteria or germs do not have enough time to move to your food in that small window.
Edwina Raj, head of services, clinical nutrition and dietary, aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru, shared that its exact origin is not clear, it probably comes from chronic things about food security. People continue to follow it as it sounds like a harmless excuse to avoid wasting food, and it looks less risky to an accidental fall.
What does science say?
Dr. According to Neha Mishra, consultant, infectious diseases, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, despite the popular belief, no food falls on the ground should be consumed, even if he is raised early, because bacteria can immediately move on contact and contaminate the food.
Even Raj feels that the 5-second rule is more than a myth than a fact: “The study suggests that bacteria can stick to food, it immediately touches a dirty surface, not after delay. The number of germs transferred depends on the type and surface of the food.”
Experts proceed to explain that wet or sticky foods raise more bacteria than dried people, and dirty floors are more shifted than clean people.
Even surface types of cases, carpets or tiles. While lifting the food quickly, it can reduce the number of germs slightly, it does not make it completely safe.
Raj says, “The longer the food remains on the floor, the more germs are collected. Even a few seconds can make a difference, but the contamination may begin immediately,” Raj says.
This food rule gives a false sense of protection, and eating dropped food can still cause a risk of food -borne disease.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the fallen food, some items are relatively more secure than others, but no one is completely risk free. Dry, rigid foods such as biscuits, chips, or candy raise less bacteria.
On the other hand, moist or smooth foods, watermelons, butted bread, or daily meats, attract bacteria in quick and large amounts, making them risky.
However, some foods should be considered a strict no-go. Moist, destructive items, especially raw fruits, meats, or anything can be contaminated almost immediately by harmful, harmful bacteria.
However, Dr. Mishra feels that there are really no safe bets. “If the food falls on a floor, especially in places where people walk or in public areas, it should not be eaten,” she shares.
Psychology behind rules
The 5-second rule is not only about germs; It is also about our brain. We hate food wasting and find excuses to take a small risk.
Ahmedabad -based psychiatrist Dr. Sarathak Dave tells us that in our culture, wasting food is considered wrong, not just because we give importance to it, but because we respect every bit of it. By each bite, we miss those people who do not have enough and make us grateful for the food we receive. Perhaps that’s why when a piece of food falls, many of us quickly turn into five-second rules. It is not really about being careless; We have deep respect for food.
Originally, people do not like to waste food, so they make very few rules to feel better about eating something that fell. It also gives them a sense of control, as if the food is still safe if they work rapidly.
Should you choose?
According to Raj, it is better not to follow the 5-second rule, as science suggests that food can be contaminated as soon as the floor touches the floor.
No matter how clean your floor looks, it is still full of shoes, pets and dust germs. If the food falls, it can lift the bacteria faster. Dried snacks may look safe, but there is really no guarantee. The more we hate food, the better it is to dig the 5-second rule and find smart ways to cut the garbage.
Even Dr. Mishra also does not believe in this food rule. She says, “As a doctor, I don’t believe in the five-second rule. My advice is simple: If the food falls on the ground, throw it away.”
