There are foods that are good for us, there are foods that we know are bad. Some look deceiving, tricking us into thinking that it’s healthy when it is actually the opposite.
But, there are foods that are quite deadly. As in, you have a chance of dying when you eat these. Be careful, as some of the foods are probably in your own kitchen. Fortunately, we have compiled a list of the 10 deadly foods that you probably have in your kitchen.
It’s good that we have some sense whenever we eat fruit as it is important to remove the seeds. Apple seeds, along with cherry seeds, as well as peach and apricot pits, are deadly. Their seeds contain a kind of hydrogen cyanide called prussic acid. Poisonous seeds indeed, so make sure you take the pits out of your slices and throw them away.
If you have rhubarb growing in your yard, you may be tempted to make a nice dessert with them. That is fine, but make sure you never consume the leaves. Rhubarb leaves have oxalic acid, which can give you kidney stones. Eat a few leaves and you will get really sick, but eat about 11 of these and, well, you know what happens.
Nutmeg is actually a hallucinogenic. Yes, you can trip on it, but it’s said that eating just 0.2 oz of nutmeg could lead to convulsions, and 0.3 oz could lead to seizures. Eating one whole will supposedly lead to a type of “nutmeg psychosis,” which includes a sense of impending doom.
Glycoalkaloids, also found in nightshade, can be found in the leaves, stems, and sprouts of potatoes. It can also build up in the potato if it’s left too long, especially in the light. Eating glycoalkaloids will lead to cramping, diarrhea, confused headaches, or even coma and death. It’s said that just 3 to 6 mg per kilogram of body weight could be fatal. Avoid potatoes with a greenish tinge.
There are two variations of almonds, sweet almonds and bitter almonds. The bitter ones supposedly contain relatively large amounts of hydrogen cyanide. It’s said that even eating just 7 – 10 raw bitter almonds can cause problems for adults, and could be fatal for children.
Because it doesn’t go through the pasteurization process in which harmful toxins are killed, unpasteurized honey often contains grayanotoxin. That can lead to dizziness, weakness, excessive sweating, nausea, and vomiting that last for 24 hours. Typically just one tablespoon of concentrated grayanotoxin can cause the symptoms above. Consuming multiple tablespoons would be a bad idea.
The stems and leaves of tomatoes contain alkali poisons that can cause stomach agitation. Unripe green tomatoes have been said to have the same effect. You would need to consume vast quantities for it to be fatal. Not exactly high-risk, but you might avoid eating tomato leaves.
The danger in tuna is the mercury that the fish absorbs. Once in your body, mercury will either pass through your kidneys, or travel to your brain and supposedly drive you insane. The FDA recommends children and pregnant women do not consume tuna at all. While it’s unlikely that eating a massive amount of tuna in one sitting will kill you, it’s a good idea to monitor your weekly intake.
The leaves and roots of cassava are surprisingly rich in cyanide. By this point, we may as well wish cyanide were the most delicious, sumptuous substance on the planet if we had to die to enjoy a bite… there is not much in the way of flavor, though. Cassava is a tropical vegetable originally from South America, but has gained popularity in Africa, particularly for its juice, which can be fermented to produce a drink called piwarry.
Raw cashews you might find in a supermarket are not actually raw, as they’ve been steamed to remove the urushiol, a chemical also found in poison ivy. This chemical can cause the same effect as poison ivy, or poison oak. High levels of urushiol can supposedly prove fatal. People who are allergic to poison ivy are likely to have a fatal allergic reaction to eating actual raw cashews.
