6 Food Items You Should Never Eat Raw. 

Hey there ! What’s the grossest food you’ve ever eaten? There are some foods that just don’t taste good when uncooked. Eating some raw veggies is beneficial but not every food item are meant to be eaten raw. 

In this article I will talk about 6 Food Items You should Never Eat Raw. I will also tell you how these food items can be proved harmful for your health when consumed uncooked.

How bad are potatoes? How about wild mushrooms? Wait, can some of these foods actually kill you? We’re talking all that and more, continue reading.

So here are 6 food items you should never eat raw. 

1. Milk 

Wait, but how is milk raw? What does that mean exactly? No, 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 non-packaged, are put through heat less than 212 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s done to rid the product of any harmful organisms. This way, you are 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! It’s happened in the past. Between 1993 and 2012, there were over 127 outbreaks linked to raw milk products. This resulted in almost 2000 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, who are actually fairly reliable. So you’re in luck.

2. Eggplant 

Be honest, how often do you really have eggplant? Well if you happen to eat it on the regular, just know that 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 eggplant. So just make sure you have no allergies to them before consuming.

3. Wild Mushrooms 

 

Sure 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 need 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 agaritine. 

Agaritine is a toxin found in mushrooms. It is known to have carcinogenic effects, increasing your risk of cancer. 

In a study done all the way back in the 90’s, rats were exposed to agaratine. It turns out that their bladders were damaged by the carcinogens. To make things worse, further research showed that the rats’ 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.

4. Potatoes

People love potatoes. Just our french fry consumption alone saysso. 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 to 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’s 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 the 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.

5. 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 prussic acid. This is a combination of hydrogen cyanide and water. It creates a poison known as cyanide. 

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. 

To avoid these troubles, all you need to do is cook your bitter almonds. They lose their toxicity this way. 

6. Kidney Beans 

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 4-5 uncooked kidney beans can lead to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. This happens between 1-3 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. 

Have you ever eaten Raw Foods? Were any of them listed in this article ? Let me know in the comments.

|6 Food Items You Should Never Eat Raw|