{"id":10922,"date":"2025-05-07T14:20:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T14:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/?p=10922"},"modified":"2025-05-07T14:20:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T14:20:11","slug":"does-eating-out-often-increase-your-odds-of-getting-sick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/health-insurance\/does-eating-out-often-increase-your-odds-of-getting-sick\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Eating Out Often Increase Your Odds of Getting Sick?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many people have gone out to eat at a favorite restaurant only to come down with an upset stomach hours later. But does eating out cause illness, and should you be concerned? Many factors can impact food safety, and those factors are often out of your control when you go to a sit-down restaurant or even grab a burger in the drive-thru.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with having good <\/span>health insurance<\/span><\/a>, eating well is one of the best ways to reduce the chance of getting sick. If you love to eat out, it\u2019s important to know whether your dietary habits could put your health at risk. This guide breaks down what you need to know about restaurant safety and your health.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Delight and Dilemma of Eating Out<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eating out is an enjoyable pastime for many people. Going to a favorite restaurant is a go-to activity for celebrating a birthday, having a date night, or getting together with friends. In fact, <\/span>29% of Americans<\/span><\/a> eat out at least once a week, making restaurant food a dietary staple for many people. Going to a restaurant is convenient and fun and takes the stress away from planning, shopping for, preparing and cleaning up after a meal. But is eating out unhealthy due to hygiene? Could it also introduce unexpected risks?<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some studies show that eating out could actually <\/span>increase your risk<\/span><\/a> of foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning. That could lead to increased <\/span>health insurance claims<\/span><\/a> and doctors\u2019 bills. However, it can be hard to know how the actual risk of eating out compares to cooking at home.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People may be more likely to report sickness if they believe it came from a restaurant. Think about it: home chefs aren\u2019t running to the CDC to report their own home cooking. However, if someone gets food poisoning from a popular establishment, they could make a report to prevent a potential public health hazard. Foodborne illness symptoms can also take time to show up, so it can be hard to pinpoint whether your tummy troubles came from that lunch buffet or your own kitchen experiments.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless, you could still be taking on some extra risk when you eat out. After all, someone else is preparing your food behind closed doors. Restaurants have to adhere to health and safety regulations, but they also prepare meals in bulk all day long; it can be easy for potential issues to slip through the cracks.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unearthing the Truth About Restaurant Hygiene<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to professional kitchens, hygiene can be hit or miss. On paper, restaurants have to adhere to the FDA\u2019s Food Code, and health inspectors could drop by at any time to investigate compliance. People who work with food often have to take courses to educate themselves on handling food safety.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In theory, this should make restaurants even safer and cleaner than your average home kitchen. Unfortunately, not all restaurants actually uphold these guidelines all the time. As a result, there are several issues that could end up making you sick:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n