Hey there viewers!
Do you love those kidney beans in your chili? What about the ultimate movie
companion - that buttery tub of popcorn? Or healthier fruits like apples and cherries?
Newsflash! These and many other foods can put you in peril if you’re not careful.
It's not always the weird jiggly things with tentacles.
In today's video, we'll be discussing some deliciously dangerous foods. So listen up.
How dangerous do you think a mushroom can be?
(pause)
This vegan favorite is a perfect addition to pizza and sandwiches.
Mushrooms make your food delicious and healthy. But not all of them.
Varieties like “death cap” and “destroying angels'' are no joke. They top the list of
deadly ones. Over the years we have learned which ones could be potentially hazardous. The poisonous
ones might look exactly like the rest are quite difficult to differentiate. So unless you are
some kind of mushroom expert avoid eating the ones that you might have picked on your hike.
There are about 100 different toxic species. Toxicity symptoms are dose-dependent.
You could get anything from a headache to vomiting from stomach cramps to liver toxicity,
seizures, and even death.
Surprised? Many historical figures including the Roman Emperor Claudius
lost their lives to mushroom poisoning.
So you should stick to the store-bought variety.
Speaking of sticking, any guesses which sticky food demands you to be
cautious? (pause)
We're talking about honey. It's only in cartoons where bears can eat barrels of honey.
We don't know how dangerous it is for Winnie the Pooh but it is definitely dangerous for humans.
Too much honey can put a toxic amount of pyrrolizidine (pie-ro-lie-zee-dean) alkaloids
in your system which could be fatal. Health enthusiasts usually substitute sugar with
honey. You might get a false sense of contentment when you read “all-natural'' written on your honey
bottles. But is it safe? (pause)
Well, the answer is both yes and no. Ayurveda has recognized the medicinal
property of honey for years only if you use it a certain way. As research advanced,
Western medicine found a few chemicals that make it really terrible. One of those is HMF.
It has been shown to cause cancer and is typically found when honey is put through
high temperatures or preserved wrong. Have you been adding dollops of honey to your
hot tea? (pause)
You could be inviting potential hazards to your body. It's best
to let a piping hot beverage sit for a while and then add honey.
If you don't buy your honey from trusted sources the chances of contamination with
heavy metals like Lead, Arsenic, Mercury and Cadmium can wreak havoc in your system.
Honey collected from poisonous flowers can also bring a slew of symptoms like vomiting,
convulsions, headache, and death. That is why if you are doubtful about the jar of
honey at the farmers' market then it's best to pick one from your regular grocery store.
Another food group that healthy ones go nuts about is ...nuts.
Almonds are especially preferred when it comes to healthy snacking. Roasted,
salted, and slivered are the perfect ways to boost recovery after a killer workout.
A handful of these wholesome almonds can be your mid-morning craving-subsider,
a topping for yogurt and oatmeal, and a crunch enhancer to your favorite salad.
Loaded with proteins, nutrients, and fiber this dry nut will never let you down.
But this is not always the case. If you come across a raw almond that is bitter, it's
probably laced with cyanide. Cyanide poisoning can show signs anywhere from mental confusion,
diarrhea, weakness, coma, and literally death.
Pay special attention to your almond syrup. If it isn't prepared well it
can increase the risk of health hazards.
Are you thinking, “ I don't eat almonds as much,
my favorite is cashew?” (pause)
Well then, let us tell you what to avoid. Cashews that you see in the grocery store are actually
seeds. They are sold only after deshelling for a reason. The shell of cashew nuts has the potential
to cause acute toxicity. When the extracts of this shell were fed to experiment rats,
they showed extreme signs of itching, scratching tremors, brain changes,
difficulty breathing, and death. By chance, if you come across the fresh variety of cashews,
remember to get rid of the shell by roasting, steaming, or boiling.
That way you will eliminate anacardic acid, the actual culprit causing all these health issues.
Thinking of picking up some rhubarb for dinner? Listen to
this first. (pause)
Rhubarb has been used as medicine in ancient Chinese culture. Today it's consumed widely
in the UK, Europe, Asia, and the USA. These crimson celery-like stalks blend perfectly
well in pies and sweet dishes. But do you eat the leaves too?
They contain a high amount of oxalic acid which is poisonous. Studies have shown it to cause
kidney damage, involuntary muscle contractions, blood-laden vomiting, and coma. The lethal dose
of oxalic acid is 10 to 25 grams. And for that, you will have to eat lots of rhubarb leaves. But
for all safety purposes, it is best to keep them out of your rhubarb cobblers, pickles or salads.
Do you know what other leaves could be dangerous to eat?
Potato and tomato leaves! Don't go experimenting with tomato leaves
even if they are grown organically in your garden. These leaves contain glycoalkaloids
which are toxic when consumed excessively. It's alright to find a piece of tomato leaf
in your salsa but it's definitely not a replacement for lettuce on your sandwiches.
The same toxic compound is found in potato leaves and stems.
Green potatoes have a higher percentage of glycoalkaloids than regular potatoes. In short,
the green parts of the potato plant are dangerous. This means that fries, mashed potatoes, or chips
are a safe bet. But you should definitely pass on that potato leaf tea even if it sounds exotic.
Studies have shown that these leaves can cause intestinal discomfort, vomiting,
fever, diarrhea, and neurological problems that can lead to death. If you have a potato sitting
for a long time in your pantry, it could spurt out weird green nodules. That can also be dangerous.
Do you buy canned beans?
(pause)
Although store-bought beans are costlier, have too much salt, and may have preservatives, all that
processing is good for one reason. And here’s why… (pause)
Be very cautious when you prepare kidney beans on
your own. Just a handful are enough to get you poisoned.
Lectin is a protein that makes raw undercooked kidney beans so notorious.
This protein is also found in animal products. It is poisonous in large quantities. You can
feel extremely nauseated within a couple of hours after the consumption of raw beans.
Later it may result in vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.
The best way to destroy it is to pre-soak your beans overnight or at least for 5 hours
before cooking. Drain that water and boil in freshwater. If you're making your batch
of chili on a stovetop in a slow cooker then that could be gradually harming your kidneys.
Aim at boiling beans for at least 30 minutes at a very high temperature.
Our list does not end here. More red foods can be dangerous
We are talking about cherries and apples. Some prefer having fresh cherries while others enjoy
frozen, canned, dried, or juiced cherries. While the flesh is yummy, the pits are stone-hard
and contain poisonous chemicals. It's ok if you accidentally gulp one of those. It might be a
choking hazard for children. Or it can probably pass through the digestive system as it is.
Eating 3-4 morello cherry pits or 5-9 red or black cherry pits is enough to cause poisoning.
The kernel of the cherry and other stone fruits like apples, plums, peaches,
apricots, and pears contain a chemical called amygdalin (a-mig-da-lin). If you
chew these seeds and let this chemical come in contact with the rest of the
plant enzymes present in the seed, it gets transformed into hydrogen cyanide.
The cyanide then attacks your brain, heart, and lungs and messes up the oxygen supply.
But enough food , let's look at spices...
Nutmeg is often considered a bizarre doppelganger of cinnamon. Those cookies,
cakes, and pies won’t be as delicious if not for this spice.
This is an aromatic spice that has been used for years. And the modern-day kitchen doesn't
seem to get enough of it either. But if you add many teaspoons of this ground culinary
classic to your eggnog then it is surely going to cause some deleterious effects.
It is a powerful aphrodisiac and according to studies less than even one tablespoon of
ground nutmeg can cause hallucination, palpitations and bring a feeling of
impending doom. So just remember to just dust your sweet and savory dishes with this spice.
I know you've been eager to know the truth about popcorn. So let's dig deep.
Tossing a bag of popcorn in the microwave is so convenient. Whether you're watching
movies or just in a mood for munching, microwave popcorn can put off your hunger pangs. On one side
you will get fiber and minimum fats but on the other side, you may be exposed to lung cancer.
Have you noticed how the popcorn doesn’t stick to the bag it was popped in?
Because the bag is coated with the non-stick coating of PFCs.
You usually see the same coating on your non-stick pans and pizza boxes.
There is a good chance that we might already have this dangerous compound flowing in our blood.
These compounds break down at high temperatures and
turn into per-fluoro-octanoic acid. It's related to kidney and testicular cancer
So always try air popping and using the stovetop for making that delicious tub of popcorn.
Add fresh ingredients like olive oil, oregano, rosemary, and chili flakes.
But don't make it too spicy. Occasionally having one bite of a spicy pepper can be well tolerated
by a body but if you're constantly having spicy food the delicate mucous membrane of your mouth,
intestine and stomach will be irritated. You will feel the
burn and get abdominal cramps if you don't stop.
The toxic effect of spicy foods is due to capsaicin (cap-say-sin). When
it was given to a bunch of mice in a study it caused respiratory paralysis.
It could have similar effects or more gruesome effects on humans.
Remember there is no known antidote to this condition so have it sparingly.
But not all spicy foods are dangerous. Black pepper and
cloves have a sharp flavor but bring a ton of other benefits.
Have I caught your interest? Let's keep the conversation going with a
couple of more videos related to spices, shall we?
Watch 10 surprising health benefits of eating cloves every day or
eating black pepper every day will do this to your body.
Go ahead, click one. Or better yet, watch both, and learn more about how to eat spicy food.
What according to you is the most dangerous food? Let us know in the comments below!