Certain foods are toxic or can make you sick if eaten raw. You should always cook these eight foods in particular before eating them.
Although raw food is considered healthy, it should only be prepared from certain foods. Otherwise, there is a risk of poisoning.
You should always eat these eight foods cooked, never raw.
Sprouts
Sprouts are natural products, which makes them more susceptible to germs. Manufacturers, therefore, usually print the warning on the packaging: “Not suitable for raw consumption.”
Tip for all sprout lovers: they taste best blanched. But even then, you should wash them thoroughly before preparing them.
Eggplant
Just like potatoes, aubergines also produce weak neurotoxin solanine. In small amounts, solanine does not have serious consequences.
However, if you eat a lot of raw aubergines, it can lead to headaches, gastrointestinal problems, and nausea to the point of vomiting.
Therefore, the Nutrition advises against the consumption of raw aubergines and states that solanine has drastic consequences.
Therefore, always prepare aubergines as pan or oven vegetables.
Green Beans
Green beans(such as French beans or runner beans) contain a toxic protein compound called phasin. The consequences of this can be symptoms such as nausea, headaches, vomiting, and diarrhea. Those who consume large amounts of raw green beans can even die from the poisoning.
Therefore, it is essential to always boil beans in boiling water for at least ten minutes to destroy the toxic protein.
Be sure to throw away the water used afterward because it can contain large amounts of phasing.
Rhubarb
Raw Rhubarb Is also not recommended. The reason is oxalic acid, which causes an unpleasant feeling on the teeth and can lead to gastrointestinal problems.
The substance is mainly contained in rhubarb’s leaves and green stem parts.
Cooked rhubarb contains only little oxalic acid, making it harmless in average amounts.
Black Elderberries
When preparing black elderberries, the following applies: “Elderberries must be heated to over 80 degrees for a short time to render the sambunigrin and other indigestible substances harmless,” says nutrition expert Susanne Moritz from the Bavarian consumer advice center.
Why are these measures necessary at all? The healthy berries also contain the toxin sambunigrin, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and chills.
Eggs
Because raw eggs contain salmonella, they are considered “high-risk foods.” The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment emphasizes that diseases caused by raw eggs have “decreased significantly” in recent years.
If you want to be on the safe side, you should still not eat them raw.
Incidentally, poisoning with salmonella is widespread in summer because the germs like it are warm. Other products that contain raw eggs, such as mayonnaise, are also potentially contaminated.
Chicken Meat
Poultry meat must be heated through before eating. On the one hand, this is due to salmonella, which could cause poisoning, but food infections with so-called Campylobacter germs occur much more frequently.
Even small numbers of rod-shaped bacteria can lead to foodborne infections. Symptoms such as fever, nausea, and diarrhea may occur.
Therefore, sufficient cooking is essential: According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, food is considered safe if the temperature inside is at least 70 degrees Celsius for two minutes.
Raw Dough Or Flour
Anyone who nibbles on the dough sometimes suffers from diarrhea and stomach cramps afterward – even if it is a vegan recipe. It’s not the eggs to blame, but flour: it could contain pathogenic germs.
Contamination can occur when animals defecate on the grain, thereby passing on pathogens. The germs migrate to the baking sheet if the grain is ground into flour.
Therefore, the trend food cookie dough – i.e., raw cookie dough – should only be consumed with caution. However, if you buy ready-made cookie dough, you don’t usually have to worry: most manufacturers use heat-treated flour.