Have you heard of the five second rule for food? It’s the one that means if you drop something on the floor as long as it doesn’t stay there for more than five seconds it’s germ free and still ok to eat. Or is it?
It depends on the surface that you drop the food onto and the type of food you’ve dropped. Some foods start attracting germs the moment they hit the floor. The amount of moisture inj the food, the type of surface and the amount of time the food is left there can all play a part in determining how long it is before contamination starts.
Four surfaces were tested; stainless steel, ceramic tiles,wood and carpet, and four different foods: water melon, bread,buttered bread and a chewy sweet. They were all left on the surfaces for varying lengths of time. The slice of water melon was completely contaminated at five seconds and the chewy sweet had hardly any contamination.
The general rule of thumb is to use your common sense, unlike Genghis Khan, who told his troops that food was safe to eat even if it had been left on the ground for five hours! The conclusion of the research was two seconds is safe, but if it’s longer, beware.
Another urban myth is that you lose brain cells as you get older and there’s nothing you can do about it. There’s plenty you can do as new research is revealing. Brain cells are able to regenerate. The rate of regeneration varies widely in each of us, but you should be aiming for optimum cell renewal which will allow you to feel physically and mentally fit well into your older years.
Sorry to have to keep repeating myself here, but the answer is a good healthy diet and plenty of exercise. Old age doesn’t have to mean loss of brain function.