What’s your favorite food? Though it goes without saying, humans have a very diverse diet full of all kinds of different foods. While there are all kinds of delicious meals out there, there are also tons of foods that can do damage to you if you’re not careful. If you’re not careful, and if you happen to be allergic, some foods can even kill you! Still, the more you know, the more you can watch out for yourself. With that in mind, here is a list of 50 foods that can be deadly.
Although some fresh nutmeg can be a helpful spice in certain dishes, it also has some unusual effects you may not have heard of. For one thing, fresh nutmeg in higher doses can cause minor convulsions or even hallucinogenic effects. Higher doses beyond that can lead to temporary psychosis and even death.
Although actual apricots may taste delicious on their own, it’s pretty tough to buy these things in a non-genetically modified version that actually includes seeds. That’s because apricot seeds are actually quite poisonous, containing a chemical called amygdalin, which converts in the body to cyanide. Needless to say, that’s not something that humans take well to!
The actual fruit of the cherry is delicious, of course, but much like apricots, the pits in the middle of these little red sweets are actually pretty poisonous. As it turns out, the middle of a cherry seed has enough cyanide in it to kill a human adult. Fortunately, swallowing one of these pits on accident probably won’t harm you—just try to avoid chewing or breaking them up.
Potatoes are delicious and can be used in all kinds of different recipes. Still, it’s important to make sure to use only fresh potatoes that haven’t gone bad or that aren’t under-ripe. Any potatoes that are too green may contain the chemical solanine, which can make you vomit and could even lead to cardiac arrest.
Have you noticed a pattern yet? Once again, apples are good to eat and provide all kinds of beneficial nutrients—but their seeds can be dangerous to humans. Each apple seed contains some cyanide, and about 200 of them is enough to kill you! Fortunately, just eating one or two seeds shouldn’t do you too much harm (though we don’t recommend it).
Once they’re processed or cooked, elderberries can be very healthy and beneficial for our diet. On the other hand, eating raw elderberries can make you ill because of the glycosides they contain. In case you hadn’t guessed, those chemicals turn into cyanide when they’re digested.
For those who don’t know, castor beans are used to make castor oil. Though the oil doesn’t taste particularly good, it can be helpful when you’re feeling ill. On the other hand, raw castor beans can be used to make ricin—and just one bean can yield enough poison to kill someone.
Though tomatoes are another abundant kitchen ingredient, they can actually hurt your stomach just like all the rest of this list. That is, if you eat the stems or the leaves—these contain glycoalkaloids. Although they won’t kill you, they will give you some serious stomach cramps.
Though the commercial almonds that we get in the store are safe to eat (and are a good source of protein and healthy fat), bitter almonds found in the wild can be particularly dangerous. That’s because the bitter ones contain chemicals that break down into cyanide in our bodies—if you must eat wild, bitter almonds, cook them first to break down the chemicals.
Like many other kinds of beans, eating these things raw is a bad idea. That’s because they contain
phytohaemagglutinin, a toxin that isn’t fatal but can cause stomach aches. Fortunately, cooking the beans eliminates this risk.
Just like the other beans that we’ve mentioned so far on this list, raw lima beans have cyanide in them. Once again, cooking them by boiling them for 10 minutes or so is enough to break down these harmful chemicals.
Though yucca has become a pretty popular root vegetable alternative, yucca needs to be prepared properly so that it isn’t poisonous. As it turns out, raw yucca has glycosides that can poison or kill humans. To get rid of it, the yucca needs to be dried and cooked before it is consumed.
Although rhubarb is a uniquely sweet and delicious vegetable that tastes more like a fruit, it also has a component that can be a little bit dangerous. As it turns out, the green, leafy part of the rhubarb is poisonous as it contains oxalic acid. Though a few leaves are not enough to kill you, they will definitely leave you nauseous and vomiting.
Though hot dogs are not “poisonous” as such, they’re certainly not particularly good for you. With that aside, though, hot dogs are one of the deadliest foods for little children. As it turns out, hot dogs are one of the biggest choking hazards for little kids.
Of all the foods on this list, mushrooms are one of the most diversely dangerous. While there are plenty of safe mushrooms for sale at the grocery store that we can eat, many wild mushrooms can cause nausea, vomiting, kidney failure and even death.
16. Octopus (or Sannakji)
Though eating calamari is not going to do much to you, the specific Korean dish of sannakji can be pretty dangerous. For those who don’t know, it’s a delicacy consisting of recently-live octopus cut into little pieces. Still, when you eat it, these pieces can sometimes still be “alive,” and the suction cups can stick to your throat, causing you to choke.
Of all the many dangerous dishes out there in the world, fugu may be one of the most notorious. For anyone who doesn’t know, fugu is a Japanese-style puffer fish dish, though these fish contain the extremely dangerous
tetrodotoxin. The poison can paralyze and asphyxiate humans, so the dish can only be prepared by specially licensed chefs.
Though peanuts are perfectly fine for most people, peanuts are also one of the most common allergies that people have—and these allergies are often very serious. For those who are allergic, even slight contact with a peanut or peanut product can cause serious asphyxiation.
In the same vein as peanuts, shellfish is a delicious delicacy for those who can eat it… and a dangerous food item for those who can’t. The effect is because of a specific protein in shellfish that allergic people react to as a poison, causing swelling, asphyxiation and other serious effects.
Though the occasional bite of steak tartare may be enticing, the truth is that raw meat can actually be quite dangerous to humans. That’s because these commercially-produced meats can often contain salmonella, a bacteria that can lead to all kinds of serious health issues.
Just like raw meat, we sometimes consume a little bit of raw egg either in a protein smoothie or maybe even in cookie dough. Still, raw eggs are also a common place where salmonella bacteria like to hang out.
Though ackee is a relatively rare and specialized fruit in the United States, these exotic little berries can be dangerous. That’s because if they’re not allowed to ripen fully, they can contain serious poisons that can kill humans. For those reasons, raw ackee is illegal to import to the United States (though canned ackee is ok).
Though honey tastes sweet and delicious unlike anything else, raw and unpasteurized honey also contains alkaloid chemicals which can cause headaches, vomiting and even death in some cases. Fortunately, proper pasteurization does away with these problems.
Though tuna is a great source of protein and fatty acids, commercial tuna also often contains high levels of mercury, which can be seriously poisonous. When it gets in your system, it can cause hives, itching, swelling, high blood pressure and other negative health effects.
As delicious as these little nuts may be once they’re prepared, raw cashews are quite dangerous. On the one hand, they often contain urushiol, the same chemical that poison ivy has. They also carry anacardic acid, another chemical that can burn your skin or poison you. Fortunately, cooking these nuts can get rid of these bad effects.
Even though these sprouts are healthy and offer all kinds of nutrients, they’re also notorious carriers of e. coli. Because they’re often under-cooked or eaten raw, any contaminated beans often deliver the harmful bacteria unharmed to the human digestive tract.
No matter how trendy a product like raw milk might be, unpasteurized dairy products like raw milk carry a pretty high risk for things like listeria and e. coli. Children definitely shouldn’t drink this beverage, and adults should probably think twice as well.
Though spicy peppers are delicious and can liven up all kinds of dishes, all of these contain a chemical called capsaicin. While it’s not particularly dangerous in small doses, it’s also the chemical present in pepper spray, and can make the lungs constrict in larger doses.
Much like raw milk, raw cheese is unpasteurized and includes popular brands and varieties such as Camembert. Still, these cheeses aren’t imported to the United States because they’re so liable to hold deadly bacteria.
30. Microwaveable Popcorn
Though popcorn itself is one thing, the healthiest way to prepare popcorn is definitely the old-fashioned way. That’s because the inside of popcorn bags contain harmful chemicals. When these bags break down, they can release perfluorooctanoic acid, which has been linked to prostate and liver cancer.
Though margarine may not be outright poisonous, it tends to be very high in hydrogenated oils or “trans fats.” Though it’s mostly common knowledge by now, trans fats have been linked to all kinds of health issues like heart disease and cancer.
Much like raw meat, processed meat also comes with its own host of risk factors. As it turns out, many processed meats contain nitrates and nitrites, both of which are pretty clearly linked to colon cancer.
Though cinnamon is a safe spice to use in moderation portions, the recently viral “cinnamon challenge” illuminated one of the more dangerous aspects of the spice. That’s because ingesting too much cinnamon too quickly can cause someone to inhale it, which can in turn cause lung irritation or even lung collapse in serious cases.
Like some of the other fruits on this list, mangoes often contain urushiol in the sap, skin, stems and leaves. Touching these parts of the mango can cause some serious irritations and swelling. Though it may not be as much of an issue when they’re ready to eat, this is something to be aware of out in the wild.
Although Chinese star anise is often used to spice all kinds of different dishes, the Japanese variety is much more deadly. That’s because these spices contain anisatin, a neurotoxic compound that can cause all kinds of serious health issues.
36. Whole Wheat or Rye Bread
Though there’s plenty of good to be said about whole grains, these foods also contain phytic acid. This acid is also notorious for absorbing other helpful nutrients that humans need, things like zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron. Because of that, these foods can actually rob us of nutrients.
Although kale has been notoriously promoted as a very healthy food, it turns out that it also contains goitrogens, a chemical that blocks iodine uptake and can wreak havoc on your kidneys over time. Although a little bit of kale won’t hurt, too much of it in an imbalanced diet can cause problems.
Although broccoli has a generally great reputation as a healthy, cruciferous vegetable, it may not be great for your thyroids. That’s because broccoli has a special class of goitrogens called thiocyanates. For those who don’t know, these chemicals can lead to the development of hypothroidism.
Though these can be great in stir-frys and other dishes, bamboo shoots need to be prepared properly or else they can also be poisonous. That’s because when they’re raw, they contain chemicals that break down in the body to become cyanide. Fortunately, all the canned varieties have already been properly processed.
Although there’s all kinds of different sodas out there, almost all of them contain phosphoric acid—and that’s definitely not good. That’s because phosphoric acid is known to cause bone disease, heart disease and high blood pressure as well. Though it goes without saying that soda is bad for you, this is just more proof.
Potato chips may be delicious, but they also contain acrylamide. For those who don’t know, acrylamide is a carcinogen that’s also used in the production of papers, dyes and plastics. Though everybody knew chips were unhealthy, knowing this paints them in a different light.
42. Artificial Sweeteners
Though people are often tempted to use artificial sweeteners to save on calories, these chemicals often contain aspartame and sucralose, which tend to lead towards diabetes. Aspartame, in particular, has been known to cause headaches and other health problems.
More generally, eating canned foods can also lead to some significant health issues. That’s because the inside of many cans are coated with bisphenol A, or BPA. With that said, BPA has been known to interfere with the body’s hormonal system, among other issues.
Though plenty of people have fun going out with their friends and drinking, alcohol is known to cause all manner of health problems. Because it converts in the body to
acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen.
Last but not least, grilling meat actually leads to some complications of its own. The charred parts of food contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are a known carcinogenic substance. As it turns out, this grilling affects othe foods as well.
Though it goes without saying, picking healthy foods to eat can be notoriously challenging. Still, there’s a range of foods that are outright poisonous in the wrong circumstances, and others that are carcinogenic. Though we’re not forcing anybody to change their lifestyle, it’s always good to have a little more information about the food that we put in our bodies.
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