Today we are going to discuss 8 foods you should never eat raw. What's the grossest food you've ever eaten? One time when I was a kid, I was over at my grandparent's house and my grandfather made me eat most of the actual animals. While it was pretty unpleasant, at least it was cooked properly. If it was raw, it could have been a much different story.
There are foods that just don't taste good when uncooked. Let's talk about it. How about our potatoes? What about wild mushrooms? Are raw hotdogs really that bad?
8 Foods you should never eat raw
Wait, can some of these foods actually kill you? We're talking all that and more.
Hotdogs
There's sometimes nothing better than a dog fresh off the grill. If you're a meat lover, that is, just make sure that when you bite into the hot dog, it's cooked.
Eating raw hot dogs is terrible for you. Now I know what you're thinking. Aren't hot dogs bad for you in general? Well, for the most part, yes. When you eat a hot dog, you haven't exactly hit the nutrient jackpot.
But a hotdog can be contaminated with a type of bacteria. Known as Listeria, which can only be killed when the dog is reheated. What you need to do is heat up the dog until it's fully hot. If you're unable to reheat the dog for any reason, throw it out. Better safe than sorry. Now, it's been said that because hot dogs come pre-cooked. You can eat them right out of the package.
Due to this, many have come to believe the whole don't eat hot dogs raw thing is a bunch of hype. Well, that's actually a misconception that several health organizations have debunked, so don't believe it. I know many of us have probably tried a raw hot dog just to see what it tasted like, but avoid it from here on out. You don't want to get yourself sick. Besides, they just taste gross.
That reminds me. What's your favorite type of hotdog? What do you like about it? Sound off in the comments section and start a conversation with our bestie community.
Milk
Wait, but how is milk raw? What does that mean exactly? Now, I'm not talking about gross sour milk that's been in your fridge longer than it should be. I mean, milk fresh from a cow. When milk is first extracted on a farm, it needs to go through a process like everything else.
In this case, that process is pasteurization. Pasteurization is when foods both packaged and unpackaged are put through heat less than 212 degrees Fahrenheit. It's done to rid the product of any harmful organisms. This way, you're making the milk safe to drink while also extending its shelf life. If milk goes unpasteurized, the drinker can become exposed to harmful bacteria such as E.
Coli and salmonella. No joke. That's happened in the past. Between 1993 and 2012. There were over 127 outbreaks linked to raw milk products. This resulted in almost 20 illnesses.
These products include things like ice cream cheese and yogurt. The harmful particles that come from raw milk can be especially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems. This goes for sick people as well as the elderly. But how do we keep track of our milk? Most of us consume something dairy-related every day.
The problem is that unless the label tells you so, you don't know for sure. If it's pasteurized, you have to put your faith in the dairy companies. Those are actually fairly reliable, so you're in luck.
Eggplant
Be honest. How often do you really have eggplant? Well, if you happen to eat it on the regular, just know it isn't good to have raw munching on an uncooked eggplant can expose you to something called solanine. This is a toxin found in several foods that grow from the ground. Solanine can be poisonous.
You need to be particularly careful with eggplants that were harvested earlier than usual. These are the ones most likely to hold solanine, but other than that, you would have to eat quite a bit of raw eggplant in order to become poisoned. On top of the toxins, you can also experience an allergic reaction from eggplants. So just make sure you have no allergies before consuming.
Wild Mushrooms
Mushrooms have a ton of fantastic health benefits. They fight against cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, but eating them fresh after plucking is bad news for your health. They needed to be heated in order to work. When mushrooms are properly heated. They are able to release all of their nutrients. When they are consumed raw. You have a higher chance of being infected with tazarotene. Carotene is a toxin found in mushrooms.
It's known to have carcinogenic effects. Increasing your risk of cancer. In a study done all the way back in the 90s, rats were exposed to guerratine. It turns out that their bladders were damaged by carcinogens. To make things worse, further research showed that the rat's cells had mutated, increasing their chances of cancer. So do yourself a favor and avoid uncooked wild mushrooms.
Aside from the toxins, uncooked mushrooms are really difficult to digest. Good luck to your stomach. Before we continue, are you looking to change your diet around? Then you should definitely avoid these foods.
Potatoes
People love potatoes. Just our French fried consumption alone says so. The thing is that potatoes need to be cooked in order to get the benefits. Not to mention enjoy the taste a whole lot more. Eating potatoes raw does damage your gastrointestinal tract. These are the organs that help your body digest food.
As a result, the potatoes will cause you to bloat big time. This is all thanks to the potato starches. They can't be digested. Because they haven't been properly cooked, and that's not all. If you're going to have uncooked potatoes lying around, you need to make sure they're dry. Remember Solanine from a moment ago?
Well, if raw potatoes become wet and are left sitting. They can turn green. It is here solanine develops. At this point, you may as well throw potatoes out. Eating a green spotted potato can only leave you sick from food poisoning. Just have some patience and heat up your potatoes.
You'll be saving yourself a ton of time in the bathroom. What? Just saying.
Bitter Almonds
It's great to eat an almond from time to time. You often find yourself reaching for more. Regular almonds come in two varieties, sweet and bitter. While both are possible to eat, you do not want to have bitter almonds raw.
But why? Short answer. They can be deadly. Raw bitter almonds contain something called prostatic acid. This is the combination of hydrogen cyanide and water.
It creates a poison known as cyanide. Man, oh, man. Are the symptoms terrifying? People who have eaten bad bitter almonds are known to have trouble breathing. Your immune system can also shut down.
According to studies, eating less than 50 raw bitter almonds can kill a fully grown adult. Keep in mind that raw bitter almonds are kind of hard to come by. Unrefined nuts are illegal to sell in the United States. To avoid these troubles, all you need to do is Cook your bitter almonds. They lose their toxicity this way. Unfortunately, bitter almonds aren't the only foods with this cyanogenic effect. Here is another
Lima beans
I love some Lima beans. The only problem is that they need to be cooked. When Lima beans are eaten raw, they too will release hydrogen cyanide.
This can put your life at risk. The good thing is that Lima beans in the United States are required to have low cyanide levels. So the chances of getting poisoned are quite low, to begin with. But just to be on the safe side, take my advice and Cook those Lima beans. It only takes about ten minutes. Not to mention, they'll taste better. Come to think of it, who eats Lima beans raw
Kidney beans
We don't mean to start a trend here, but kidney beans also shouldn't be eaten raw. When cooked, kidney beans are really healthy, they can help you lose weight, control your blood pressure, and fight against cancer development. But when you eat kidney beans raw, you can hurt your stomach. Uncooked kidney beans release toxins into your system. These toxins stir up trouble in your gastrointestinal tract. As a result, you can experience food poisoning.
Eating just four to five uncooked kidney beans can lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. This happens between one to 3 hours after digestion. But as usual, cooking these beans can kill off the toxins. Kidney beans are among the most delicious beans you could ever Cook. Don't lose out by being lazy and eating them raw.