Consuming undercooked poultry can be an unsettling experience If you’ve accidentally eaten some raw turkey, you may be wondering what steps to take next and how to reduce your risk of foodborne illness Don’t panic – this guide explains what to expect if you’ve eaten raw turkey and what you should do.
Understanding the Risks of Eating Raw Turkey
Raw or undercooked turkey may contain harmful bacteria like salmonella, campylobacter and E coli These pathogens can lead to food poisoning if ingested. Common symptoms include
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Abdominal cramps and pain
- Fever and chills
- Dehydration
For most people, turkey food poisoning will go away on its own within 3-7 days. But certain groups have higher complication risks:
- Older adults
- Pregnant women
- Young children
- Those with weakened immune systems
In rare cases, severe dehydration or kidney failure is possible. Seek medical care immediately if symptoms are severe or don’t improve.
What To Do Right After Consuming Raw Turkey
If you just ate some undercooked turkey, take these steps immediately:
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Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water to avoid spreading bacteria.
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Assess the amount eaten – more raw turkey means higher risk. Even a small bite warrants caution.
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Discard any remaining raw turkey to prevent others from accidental consumption.
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Note the time the turkey was eaten. Symptoms typically start 8-48 hours after exposure.
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Document any symptoms over the next 1-3 days.
Being proactive helps identify illness onset and determine if medical care is required.
How to Reduce Your Risk of Food Poisoning
Once it’s in your system, focus on reducing the chance of a severe reaction:
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Drink plenty of fluids like water, broth, or electrolyte drinks. Preventing dehydration is crucial.
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Get lots of rest to allow your body to direct energy towards fighting infection.
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Stick to bland foods like bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Avoid dairy, spices and oils.
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Consider OTC anti-diarrheal and anti-nausea medications for symptom relief.
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If symptoms don’t improve within 24-48 hours or worsen, call your doctor. Those with compromised immunity should seek care immediately.
When to Seek Emergency Medical Care
In some cases, turkey food poisoning can become life-threatening. Get emergency care if you have:
- Blood in stool or vomit
- Inability to keep liquids down for 8+ hours
- High fever over 101°F
- Signs of dehydration like extreme thirst, dark urine, little urination
- Neurological symptoms like blurred vision or muscle weakness
These can signal a severe infection requiring prompt medical treatment. Don’t try to wait it out – seek help if any of these symptoms develop.
Understanding the Long-Term Risks
For most healthy people, the effects will go away within a week. However, some pathogens may linger:
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Salmonella can be present in stool for weeks after symptoms end. Practice good hygiene to prevent spread.
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Some salmonella cases cause reactive arthritis lasting months or years.
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Those with weakened immunity may develop chronic reactive complications.
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Bacteria passed to a fetus can lead to premature birth, stillbirth or birth defects.
While food poisoning often resolves quickly, certain risks can extend beyond the initial illness. Contact your doctor if any long-term issues occur.
Can I Take Steps to Prevent Infection?
Once consumed, the best approach is damage control. However, some home remedies may potentially help:
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Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice can increase stomach acidity to kill pathogens.
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Load up on probiotics and yogurt to possibly “crowd out” bad bacteria.
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Eat foods high in immune-boosting vitamin C, zinc and magnesium.
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Colloidal silver has antimicrobial properties but can also kill good gut bacteria.
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Activated charcoal may help prevent toxin absorption if taken 2 hours after exposure.
These aren’t guaranteed preventatives, but they could potentially minimize symptoms. Monitor your health regardless.
Is Leftover Cooked Turkey Safe?
Discard any remaining raw turkey after possible contamination. But leftover fully cooked turkey touching the undercooked meat may be safe if it maintained temperature and didn’t mix juices. When in doubt, throw it out. Don’t risk re-exposure.
How to Prevent This in the Future
This experience may have you rethinking poultry handling. Follow these food safety tips:
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Use a food thermometer and cook turkey to 165°F.
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Avoid cross-contamination with separate cutting boards/utensils for raw poultry.
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Wash hands and surfaces thoroughly after handling raw turkey.
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Refrigerate or freeze raw turkey promptly.
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Only thaw turkey in the fridge, cold water or microwave.
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Only marinate cooked turkey, not raw.
Proper guidelines can provide peace of mind when preparing turkey next time.
What I Learned From This Experience
Dealing with the aftermath of eating raw turkey can be worrying and unpleasant. But it provides an important reminder to always treat food safety with diligence when handling raw meat. If you’ve eaten undercooked turkey, take steps to reduce illness risks, monitor your health carefully, and contact a doctor if symptoms develop or don’t improve. While an uncomfortable experience, it’s one you can certainly learn from.
Key Takeaways
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Eating raw turkey can lead to foodborne illness. Seek medical care if symptoms are severe.
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Take immediate steps like washing hands and monitoring time of consumption.
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Prevent dehydration, rest, avoid dairy/spices and take OTC medications to relieve symptoms.
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Seek emergency care for blood, high fever, dehydration or neurological symptoms.
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Discard remaining raw turkey, but cooked turkey may be safe if no cross-contamination occurred.
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Improve poultry handling, cooking and hygiene practices to stay healthy going forward.
Signs That Turkey Has Gone Bad
If you know how long food will last and how to tell if turkey has gone bad, you can avoid eating spoiled meat. You can identify spoiled turkey by checking the texture, appearance, and smell. Though you should never taste spoiled food, flavor is another key indicator of spoilage.
- Surface that feels slimy or sticky: If the turkey feels slimy or sticky when you touch it, bacteria have started to grow on the meat’s surface.
- Color changes, like gray or green spots—Changes in the turkey’s skin color can mean that bacteria are growing or it’s going bad.
- Strong, unpleasant smell—If the turkey has a strong, unpleasant smell, it has probably gone bad.
- Musty or sour smell—A musty or sour smell can also mean that the turkey has gone bad.
- Sour, bitter, or rancid taste—If you taste the turkey and it tastes sour, bitter, or rancid, spit it out right away and throw away the rest of the meat.
- You should be extra careful not to eat the turkey if it tastes off. If it does, you could get food poisoning.
How Long Can Turkey Sit Out?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that turkey shouldn’t be left out at room temperature for more than two hours. This rule is for all kinds of turkey, like whole turkeys, turkey slices, turkey cold cuts, and ground turkey. When temperatures are above 90 °F, the time limit is just one hour. These time limits apply to both raw and cooked turkey.
If turkey is left out for longer than the suggested time, it should be thrown away to avoid getting food poisoning. It’s easy to forget how long turkey has been sitting out during the holidays when everyone is making a lot of food. Be mindful of the time and ensure your turkey is refrigerated or consumed within a safe time frame.
If you want to thaw a frozen turkey, put it in the fridge for a few days instead of leaving it out at room temperature. If you leave a frozen turkey on the counter to thaw, the outside can get to temperatures in the “danger zone” (40–140 °F), but the inside will stay frozen. This creates an ideal environment for bacteria to multiply rapidly, increasing the risk of food poisoning.
Watch me Gobble down Raw Turkey. Delicious!
FAQ
What happens if you accidentally eat raw turkey?
How long after eating undercooked turkey would you be sick?
What do I do if I accidentally ate raw meat?
How to prevent food poisoning from consuming raw turkey?
The best way to prevent food poisoning from consuming raw or undercooked turkey is by practicing safe food handling and cooking practices. Ensure that all poultry is cooked thoroughly before consumption and avoid cross-contamination by using separate cutting boards and utensils for raw poultry.
What are the health benefits of ground turkey?
Ground turkey has multiple benefits. It is a good source of minerals, and B vitamins, rich in proteins, low in fat and it is lower in calories than common turkey.
What if I accidentally ate raw or undercooked Turkey?
If you accidentally ate raw or undercooked turkey, there are some steps you should follow: If possible, remove any remaining pieces of uncooked meat from your mouth. Rinse your mouth with water. If you experience any symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea within a few hours after consuming the meat, seek medical attention immediately.
What happens if you eat raw turkey?
Eating raw or undercooked turkey can lead to food poisoning as it may contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella or Campylobacter. If you suspect that you have eaten raw turkey, take the following steps: 1. Don’t Panic It’s common to feel anxious or worried about your health after consuming raw turkey, but try not to panic.
Is it safe to eat raw turkey?
If the temperature of the internal part of the turkey has reached at least 165°F (74°C), then it should be safe to eat. However, if there are still parts that appear to be undercooked or raw, then it is best not to consume them. What Happens If You Accidentally Eat A Piece Of Raw Meat?
What happens if you cook raw turkey without cleaning it?
If you cook raw turkey on the same surface as other foods without cleaning it properly, you run the risk of cross-contamination. This means that bacteria from raw poultry could spread to other foods and cause food poisoning.