2. The last thing I ate must have made me sick.

It is understandable to blame food poisoning on the last meal you ate, and this may be the case. But the food that caused your illness may have been eaten days before your symptoms appeared. Different bugs cause symptoms to start at different times after eating the contaminated food. You should consider all the foods eaten over the three days before symptoms first appeared.

3. Food that’s “off” will smell.

Most food-poisoning bacteria and their toxins don’t obligingly warn you of their presence with a particularly bad smell or taste. The “off” smell of putrefaction is usually due to relatively harmless bacteria, and food which seems normal in appearance, taste and smell can have enough harmful pathogens to make you ill. If in doubt, toss it out.

4. If you are vegan, you are unlikely to get food poisoning.

Even though meats, seafood, poultry, eggs and dairy are the leading causes of food poisoning, vegans are not off the hook.

Plants and plant-based foods can become contaminated as easily as any other food if they come into contact with bacteria found in soil, unclean surfaces or equipment, or food handlers who are sick or have dirty hands.

Contaminated bean sprouts, for instance, have been linked to outbreaks of E. coli infection. Raw rice can contain bacteria called Bacillus cereus that survives cooking. If rice is unrefrigerated for more than two hours after cooking, the bacteria can multiply and make you sick.

5. Refrigeration will kill off bacteria.

Refrigeration is important for slowing down the growth of bacteria, but it doesn’t kill it.

Cool hot food until it has stopped steaming before putting it in the fridge. Don’t leave food to go cold completely as slower cooling allows bacteria to grow. And make sure you eat or freeze leftovers within two to three days of cooking.