The Original Post
for more than a year, I’ve been getting stomach cramps and diarrhea whenever I cook and eat at home.
Initially I thought it’s the rice cooker. Maybe I didn’t clean it properly. I’ve tried using soap, vinegar and diluted bleach, but nope still getting diarrhea.
Okay so I thought it’s the rice cooker itself. So I swapped the rice cooker 8 times throughout last year, each time using a different brand. (EDIT yes I know this sounds a bit crazy but I was running out of ideas after trying things mentioned below!!) But nope still getting diarrhea.
And then I thought it must be the way I cooked and prepared food in the kitchen. So I cleaned every surface and corner of the kitchen. But nope still getting diarrhea.
And then I thought it must be some sort of food intolerance. So I stopped eating gluten, spicy food, coffee, milk, etc. But nope still getting diarrhea.
And then I thought it must be my cat! He spents a lot of time in the litter box and must have stepped on poop. So I gave him a bath and try to avoid being close to him. But nope still getting diarrhea.
And then I thought it must be something in the room , some kind of dust, particles or something. So I bought an air filter and turned it on 24/7. But nope still getting diarrhea.
I saw the doctor multiple times complaining about this issue, but she just told me to add more fiber.
A month ago I discovered whenever I stopped eating rice. Things seem to get better…but if it’s not the rice cooker, then what is it?
Turns out it was the rice. The uncooked rice must have gotten wet somehow. Wetting uncooked rice activates Bacillus cereus spores, which produces toxins that cannot be killed during the cooking process.
So I bought a new bag of rice yesterday, and cooked and ate it yesterday and today. I can confirm I don’t have diarrhea anymore.
So whilst suffering from severe diarrhea for almost a year, I’ve still managed to work, train for marathons and managed to stay alive.
TLDR: I had diarrhea almost everyday for more than a year and unable to discover the root cause until now; it was due to bacteria toxin from wetted uncooked rice.
EDIT: I am Asian and rice is our main carbs. But I only ate it around 2-3 times per week.
What Reddit Said
Redditors were absolutely baffled by OP’s troubleshooting approach. The top comment perfectly captured everyone’s disbelief: how do you buy eight different rice cookers without once suspecting the actual rice? Moreover, commenters were puzzled about the timeline logistics.
However, many users were genuinely impressed by OP’s dedication to solving the mystery. In fact, several praised his persistence in working and even training for marathons while dealing with daily stomach issues. The scientific explanation about Bacillus cereus spores also educated many readers.
The Verdict
The overwhelming consensus: this is both the most dedicated and most obvious oversight in troubleshooting history. OP’s year-long battle with stomach problems from contaminated rice became an instant classic of missing the forest for the trees. This belongs in the hall of fame for medical mysteries with surprisingly simple solutions.
Original post from r/tifu (2,695 upvotes, 329 comments)