Prompt Cast
The Truth About the Five-Second Rule and the Dirty Secrets of Kitchens
TLDR Contrary to popular belief, the five-second rule is a myth as food can pick up bacteria in as little as five seconds when dropped on various surfaces. Kitchens are actually dirtier than bathrooms, with desks having 100 times more bacteria than kitchen tables and 400 times more bacteria than toilets.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The podcast episode discusses the concept of the five-second rule and the host's changing opinion on eating food off the floor.
04:17
The five-second rule is a sliding scale depending on what type of food is dropped and where it is dropped, with the longer the food is on the floor, the more bacteria it will pick up.
08:49
Researchers at Clemson University found that no matter how short the time, there is a bacterial transfer between 150 and 8,000 bacteria in less than five seconds when food is dropped on various surfaces, such as tile, wood, carpet, and bread and bologna.
12:28
Researchers found that the longer food stays in contact with a surface, the more bacteria it picks up, with carpet having the least transfer but the bacteria surviving the longest on wood, tile, and carpet surfaces.
16:56
Moisture facilitates the transfer of bacteria, so drying your hands after washing them is just as important as washing them, and different hands have different species of bacteria, with women having a higher diversity of bacteria on their hands than men.
20:55
According to the germ guru, viruses can survive the low pH of stomach acid and bacteria can stay alive long enough to reach the intestine, making the five-second rule a fiction; kitchens are actually dirtier than bathrooms, with the area in front of the sink having more bacteria than the trash can and the kitchen sponge being a particularly filthy item.
24:54
Desks have 100 times more bacteria than kitchen tables and 400 times more bacteria than toilets, and wiping down surfaces can reduce bacteria by 99.9 percent.
29:10
Most germs are benign and your body can take care of them, but it only takes a small number of bacteria to make you sick, such as 10 for salmonella and 100 for E. Coli.
33:50
The hosts discuss the upcoming premiere of their TV show and how listeners can watch it on Science Channel or purchase episodes on iTunes. They also share a heartfelt listener mail from a man who credits the podcast for helping him become a better person.
37:45
The hosts invite listeners to share their grossest eating stories and provide ways to contact them, including through social media and email.
Categories:
Society & Culture
