8 Bad Pieces of Health Advice You Should Definitely Ignore
Food is safe to eat if you pick it up from the floor in 5 seconds or less
How many times have you dropped something you were about to eat on the floor and still considered retrieving and eating it? If you answer is a few times, you would be among the 87 percent who adheres to the five-second rule, would eat grounded goodies or have already done it.
If your answer is never, then you are among those who adhere to common sense and don’t want to jeopardize their health no matter how delicious the food. Most health experts also advise against eating food on the floor even if you picked it up within the popular deadline of 5 seconds, as it can carry a risk of collecting bacteria from the surface it touches. According to a study published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, the longer the food stays on the floor, the more bacteria clings to it.
