Do you try to maintain a healthy diet and avoid junk food? Even if you keep your fridge stocked with nutritious items, you’d be shocked by the number of foods out there that can kill you! Most of these foods are fine when eaten as intended, but they can be lethal when you start munching on things like seeds and stems or eating them raw. Here are the top 20 foods that can kill you if you’re not careful.
1. Raw eggs
Although some dishes do include raw eggs, there’s a reason they tell you not to eat cookie dough. They can give you salmonella when you consume them raw.
2. Lima beans
Inside lima beans is the toxin linamarin. When they’re not properly cooked, they can be dangerous to your health. Always cook them well and drain the water.
3. Certain stone fruits
Peaches, plums, and apricots have pits that are poisonous, so don’t nibble on the hard part in the middle—stick to the juicy part only!
4. Nutmeg
Consuming too much of this spice can result in myristicin poisoning, which can cause symptoms such as hallucinations, anxiety, fainting, and vomiting.
5. Cinnamon
There was a cinnamon challenge on the internet where people were dared to eat spoonfuls of the substance, but the American Association of Poison Control Center issued a warning that if this spice gets in the lungs, it can lead to death.
6. Mushrooms
When cooked properly, many mushrooms are safe to consume. When shiitake mushrooms aren’t cooked well enough, they can lead to intense body rashes, and other mushrooms, like the death cap, can kill you instantly.
7. Apple seeds
The seeds in apples have amygdalin, which is a mix of cyanide and sugar that turns into hydrogen cyanide when digested. In small amounts, it’s ok, but if you eat many seeds, issues can arise.
8. Potatoes
Eat them boiled, baked, or in a mash, and they’re fine. But eating green potatoes or drinking tea made of potato leaves is deadly, as this food has poisonous leaves and hands.
9. Raw meat
Just like raw eggs, raw meat can give you salmonella. For those with vulnerable immune systems, it can even kill them, so cook your meat properly!
10. Shellfish
If you’re not allergic to shellfish, all is well. If you are, you can go into anaphylactic shock, have trouble breathing due to a swollen throat, and die without an EpiPen.
11. Bitter almonds
Although almonds are usually roasted, raw almonds, aka bitter almonds, have cyanide before they’re treated and cooked. Just 5 to 10 raw bitter almonds can kill a person, but fortunately, the US only sells sweet almonds.
12. Tomatoes
If you consume the stems and leaves of tomatoes, watch out! They contain a poison called glycoalkaloid, which can wreak havoc on the body. Stick to the red parts only!
13. Rhubarb
Rhubarb makes quite a delicious dessert, but consuming the leaves can lead to respiratory problems and, in serious cases, death.
14. Pufferfish
Travel to some countries, and you’ll find pufferfish, or “fugu,” which is a delicacy. However, if you don’t prepare it perfectly, you risk death, as pufferfish is one of the most poisonous species in history.
15. Cherries
Lurking within cherry seeds is a poison known as hydrogen cyanide.
16. Peanuts
Peanut allergies are extremely common, and if you consume one, it can lead to anaphylaxis, like shellfish, closing up the throat.
17. Cassava root
This vegetable, popular in South American and African cuisine, contains limerin, similar to lima beans. If you eat it without properly drying, baking, and soaking the cassava, it can be harmful to you.
18. Unpasteurized honey
All honey is harmless, right? Wrong! If it’s not pasteurized, it can poison people with grayanotoxin, which can cause weakness, dizziness, and even vomiting. In babies, grayanotoxin is lethal.
19. Octopus
There’s no harm in cooked octopus, but people in some parts of the world like eating it alive. If you do this, the suckers on the tentacles may become stuck in your throat, potentially causing asphyxiation.
20. Castor oil
The castor bean plant, the source of this oil, contains a poison known as ricin. Despite the laxative effects of castor oil and its use in beauty products, consuming just eight beans from the plant can be fatal!
