If you’re looking for a little more dare devil in your daily diet, than this is the post for you. Hey, maybe you’re already a dare devil and you don’t even know it. In fact, many everyday foods are potentially quite hazardous to your health. Don’t believe me? Well, believe it or not, even apples can send you to the hospital. Apple seeds actually contain cyanide, which can cause stomach agitation and vomiting. Okay, in reality there’s very little risk unless the seeds are pulverized or chewed up and even then you’d need to eat a ton for it to be fatal.
So, you’re not the type to chew on apple seeds all day? Well, there are other common foods that could have deadly effects.
Cherries : Like apples, cherry pits contain a type of hydrogen cyanide called prussic acid.
Rhubarb : Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, which cause kidney stones. Though it’ll take 11 pounds of leaves to be fatal, much less can make you seriously ill.
Nutmeg
: Nutmeg is actually a hallucinogenic. Yes, you can trip on it, but it’s said that eating just 0.2 oz of nutmeg could lead to convulsions, and 0.3 oz could lead to seizures. Eating one whole will supposedly lead to a type of “nutmeg psychosis”, which includes a sense of impending doom.
Potatoes : Glycoalkaloids can be found in the leaves, stems, and sprouts of potatoes. Eating glycoalkaloids will lead to cramping, diarrhea, confused headaches, or even coma and death. It’s said that just 3 to 6 mg per kilogram of body weight could be fatal. Avoid potatoes with a greenish tinge.
Almonds : There are two variations of almonds, sweet almonds and bitter almonds. The bitter ones supposedly contain relatively large amounts of hydrogen cyanide. It’s said that even eating just 7 – 10 raw bitter almonds can cause problems for adults, and could be fatal for children.
Honey : If it doesn’t go through the pasteurization process in which harmful toxins are killed, unpasteurized honey often contains grayanotoxin, which can lead to dizziness, weakness, excessive sweating, nausea, and vomiting that lasts for 24 hours.
Tomatoes : The stems and leaves of tomatoes contain alkali poisons that can cause stomach agitation. Unripe green tomatoes have been said to have the same effect. You would need to consume vast quantities for it to be fatal. Not exactly high-risk, but you might avoid eating tomato leaves.
Tuna : The danger in tuna is the mercury that the fish absorbs. Once in your body, mercury will either pass through your kidneys, or travel to your brain and supposedly drive you insane. The FDA recommends children and pregnant women do not consume tuna at all. While it’s unlikely that eating a massive amount of tuna in one sitting will kill you, it’s a good idea to monitor your weekly intake.
Cassava
: If not prepared correctly, or eaten raw, it turns into hydrogen cyanide.
There are two variations: bitter and sweet. The sweet variety is 50 times less harmful, packing only 20 mg of cyanide per kg of fresh root. Still, twice is supposedly enough to kill a cow.
Cashews : Raw cashews you might find in a supermarket are not actually raw, as they’ve been steamed to remove the urushiol, a chemical also found in poison ivy. This chemical can cause the same effect as poison ivy, or poison oak.
Elderberries : These berries are often used in jams, jellies, and wines. Their leaves, twigs, and seeds contain cyanide-producing glycoside. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and coma are the symptoms to look forward to. Suffice it to say, hope your herbal tea was prepared correctly, and that whoever made your jam or wine strained the fruit. Also, never eat them unripe.
-bryan
Read more about this in an article at the Daily Meal
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