Everyone’s had that moment when they were sitting down to a homemade breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast, only to realize — just in time (or maybe too late) — that the underside of your perfectly buttered and jammed toast has a slight blue-ish tint.
Your piece of bread has mold on it and, upon further investigation, it has enveloped the entire loaf. So, what do you do? Do you eat around it or pitch the slice of toast? What the heck happens if you eat mold, anyway? We’ve been told our entire lives not to eat it, but why?
First thing’s first, what is mold? According to Healthline, mold is a type of fungus that forms multicellular, thread-like structures. It produces spores that give it its color, which is typically green, white, black or grey, though even if it’s just visible on the surface, roots may lie deep in the food.
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Mold can produce toxic chemicals called mycotoxins, which can cause disease and even death. But this depends on the amount consumed, the length of exposure and the age and health of the individual. Potential adverse health effects of consuming mold include vomiting and diarrhea, as well as acute liver disease. Long-term low levels of mycotoxins can suppress the immune system and may even cause cancer, Healthline reports.
And some types of mold could irritate your respiratory system; in significant concentrations, that could result in shock, hemorrhaging or necrosis.
Molds, or microscopic fungi, creep up on plant and animal products after being transported by air, water or insects. They can be dangerous, but usually aren’t.
According to Women’s Health, if you eat mold you probably won’t die. Heck, you might even be able to digest it normally — if your immune system is in good shape, that is.
Plus, there are even foods that are meant to have a little mold, including dry-cured country hams and cheeses such as blue, Gorgonzola, Brie, and Camembert — and they’re totally safe to eat, according to the USDA.
Eating, or cutting, around the mold on bread, cheese or vegetables is a position everyone has been in a time or two, but is this seemingly risky judgment call as risky as it seems? Mold can spread invisibly, after all.
According to Women’s Health, there are foods that are totally fine to eat once you cut out the moldy patch, including: hard cheese, hard salami, firm fruits and vegetables. The ones you should definitely get rid of after a mold sighting? Soft cheeses, soft fruits, baked goods, beans, nuts, yogurt, jams and meat.
To prevent mold, the USDA suggests cleaning the inside of the refrigerator every few months with a baking soda solution, taking care to scrub visible mold (which is usually black) on rubber casings. They also suggest keeping all dish cloths, towels, sponges, and mops clean and fresh — a musty smell means they’re spreading mold around. And, if you are in control of this, the agency suggests keeping the humidity level in the house below 40 percent.
Source: Phillyvoice.com
