A health professional shared the number one thing she would not touch in any bar or restaurant.
Vicky Derosa (@vicky.derosa) posted her warning to TikTok and received over 65,000 views on the video.
“As a health professional and as someone who’s been studying health for over 40 years, there is one thing that I will never touch in a restaurant. Not in a restaurant, not in a bar, not anywhere unless I have purchased it, unless I have washed it, and unless I have sliced it,” she says.
The untouchable item, she says, is lemon wedges. “Don’t do it,” Derosa adds for emphasis. “Lemon, lime, orange. Don’t do it.”
Why you should avoid restaurant lemons
The health professional goes on to explain, “Citrus is one of the dirtiest things. It has so many toxins.”
Derosa adds that even if the restaurant claims that their citrus is organic, customers should steer clear of them.
“So when you get a glass of water, when you get a drink at a bar, tell them, ‘Please don’t put a lemon slice in it,’” she says.
Derosa says that a better option would be to sprinkle a bit of the juice into a beverage. She emphasizes that restaurant-goers should avoid letting the wedge float in the drink for any length of time.
“Think about having something that’s not washed, not organic, god knows where it’s been sitting, and now all of a sudden it’s sitting in your drink,” she says.
The health professional is correct. Citrus wedges in beverages have a high probability of being covered in germs. In fact, a study found that if improperly stored, lemon and lime garnishes can be a “vehicle for the transmission of foodborne illness.”
Viewers agreed with the health professional
A number of viewers, especially those who had experience working in restaurants, agreed with Derosa’s suggestion.
“It’s like Russian roulette,” one person remarked.
“As a former waitress, I agree,” another said.
“I had salmonella, hospitalized 3 days. CDC’s first question was did I put lemon in my drink at a restaurant,” a third user shared.
But while many agreed with the health professional’s suggestion, some service workers said that there were far worse things for customers to worry about.
“16.5 years serving. Put the thing on the side and only squeeze it in your drink. There’s far worse to worry about,” said one person.
“Wait until you hear about the ice machines,” another said, and explained, “They’re usually not properly maintained and there’s mold growing where the ice forms.”
The same commenter also said, “Most of the time when people get ‘food poisoning‘ in a restaurant it’s from the ice not from the food.”
@vicky.derosa Please NEVER touch this at a restaurant! ❤️ #toxins #holistichealth #eatclean #healthprofessionals #healthcoach #disease #germs ♬ original sound – Vicky Derosa
The Daily Dot reached out to Derosa via Instagram direct message for further information.
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