The Five-Second Rule

If you accidentally drop a chicken nugget onto the floor, do you eat it? “Five-second rule!” is the usual reply, meaning that if you pick it up within five seconds, it’s ok to eat it. Germs and bacteria will not have had time to latch onto that tasty nugget. Science has again spoiled our fun. Researchers at Rutgers University have shown “that bacteria can contaminate food that falls on the floor instantaneously.” Another website (www.kidshea1th.org) made the recommendation about dropped food: “When in doubt, toss it out.” Not all bacteria will make you sick, the article admits, but some have the potential to mightily disrupt your digestive system. Parents would do well to tell their children that the five-second rule is just not true (after they have learned it themselves, of course). Does this principle of contamination only apply to food? How about things we allow into our minds and…