Marla Ahlgrimm On Food Safety For Women With Autoimmune Disorders

The majority of autoimmune disorders are experienced by women, says Marla Ahlgrimm. But, while we often focus on treatments, far too little attention is given to the important topic of food safety for people with a weakened immune system. 

 

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, food safety is simply the act of ensuring that the food we consume is not contaminated with parasites, viruses, or bacteria. You can think of food safety as what prevents food poisoning. Reducing foodborne illnesses is essential in people with autoimmune disorders, cancer, diabetes, and other immediate health concerns. 

Food should be cooked to its proper temperature. For ground meats, including pork, beef, and lamb, a temperature of 160° is considered safe. All poultry, pork, and leftovers with meat (casseroles, taco filling, etc.) should reach an internal temperature of 165°, says Marla Ahlgrimm. Seafood requires a slightly lower internal temperature of around 145°. 

 

Marla Ahlgrimm also explains that older people, particularly women aged 65 and older, must pay special attention to the safety of the food they eat. This is because at this stage the digestive system doesn’t push food through as quickly, meaning more time for germs to grow and spread. Further, the stomach may not produce enough acid to adequately kill off bacteria and other toxins. 

 

Of special concern to women with diabetes is that this condition can cause the immune system issues in recognizing viruses and bacteria. A person with diabetes will likely have a delayed response to these toxins. Diabetes is also responsible for damaging certain cells that are necessary in producing stomach acid. 

Those being treated for an autoimmune disorder, such as inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, or multiple sclerosis, will also need to take special care in preparing any type of food. Immunosuppression therapy, which reduces these diseases' ability to attack the body, also makes it harder for an immune system to fight off an infection. 

 

Ultimately, Marla Ahlgrimm says that food safety is important to everyone. But, individuals with special circumstances, such as autoimmune disorders, diabetes, AIDS, or those who have had organ transplants, will need to be hyper diligent when putting any type of food on their plate. While a case of food poisoning may not cause significant or long-term harm to an overall healthy individual, people in these at-risk categories may not recover so easily.