We need food to live. Nothing new there! But what most of us
are unaware of is that some of the fruits and vegetables and other foods that
we eat everyday are toxic and dangerous.
And no, I’m not talking about the chemicals and pesticides
that most of our foods are laced with these days. These are poisonous or
harmful by design, not accident. If stored or prepared incorrectly, or if the
wrong part is eaten or too much of it eaten, they can cause great harm and even
death.
While most of the food items on the dangerous list are
exotic stuff which you’re unlikely to encounter in the normal course of your
life, a few of them are surprisingly common. I’ve listed some below. Read on if
you don’t believe me……………..
POTATOES
Let’s start with this favourite root vegetable. Who doesn’t
love potatoes? It’s so versatile and tastes good prepared just about any way
you choose. You’ll find it in every kitchen.
Ordinarily, this staple crop is harmless. But beware - it
can become toxic and deadly!
Potatoes and other members of the Nightshade family
naturally contain solanine. Solanine has natural fungicidal and pesticidal
properties (an obvious natural defence) and, in potatoes, develops when exposed
to light. Once they begin sprouting or green patches appear, you may want to
think twice before eating. Even after cooking, solanine is fairly potent and
can cause nausea, indigestion, diarrhoea, and vomiting, as well as cardiac
problems and dizziness. Hallucinations, paralysis, fever, hypothermia and death
have also been reported as symptoms of more severe cases.
Remember to store your potatoes in a cool, dark place
TOMATO
Who would have thought that there would be a harmful element
to this beautiful red fruit (yes, it’s a fruit), right?
RED KIDNEY BEANS
Red kidney beans, or khollar as we know it, contain the
toxin phytohaemagglutinin, a sugar based protein (glycoprotein) which is found
in many types of beans. But some of the highest concentrations of this toxin
are found in red kidney beans.
This toxin is killed if red kidney beans are cooked at a
high enough temperature and for the right length of time. Experts also say the
beans must be soaked for at least 8 hours beforehand. If they are cooked for
shorter periods of time or at lower temperatures, such as those in slow
cookers, then this will be insufficient to kill this toxin. Undercooked red
kidney beans are more toxic than raw kidney beans.
Symptoms of red kidney beans poisoning include severe nausea
and vomiting, which in most cases clear up in a few hours. However, in labs,
rats given a diet with only 1 percent raw kidney beans died in just two weeks.
These beans, mainly grown in the eastern part of our state, have
become very popular these days. Though there’s very little chance of the beans
being undercooked in our traditional way of cooking it, it would be wise to
keep the above fact in mind and to make others aware of it too.
CASSAVA
We know it as tapioca and the root particularly is quite
popular among us. The cassava plant is now the world's third largest source of
low cost carbohydrates especially for populations in the humid tropics. It
originated in Brazil , and it
is now brought to the world, especially to the African continent and all parts
of Southeast Asia as well as many parts in the US . It is the principal source of
nutrition for about 600 million people or even more around the world. Cassava
roots are very rich in starch, and contain significant amounts of protein,
minerals, vitamins A, B and C.
Yes, cassava, or tapioca, is an important edible plant, but
you should know that it could be poisonous if not prepared correctly.
The toxin in cassava is called ‘linamarin’. It is chemically
similar to sugar but with a CN ion attached. When eaten raw, the human
digestive system will convert this to cyanide poison. Just a few pieces of
cassava roots contain a fatal dose of poison.
In Africa , where cassava
has become a major part of subsistence diets, many poor people suffer from a
chronic and crippling form of cyanide poisoning known as konzo.
The bitter kinds of cassava are more poisonous than the
sweet varieties.
FRUIT SEEDS
CHERRIES: Cherry seeds contain cyanide. Swallowing a
whole pit or two won't do a lot of damage, but when the seeds of cherries are
crushed, chewed, or even slightly injured, they produce prussic acid (hydrogen
cyanide). Next time you are eating cherries, remember not to suck on or chew
the pip.
And it’s not only cherries – peach, plum and pears,
which are known as stone fruits, all have toxic seeds (cyanide).
Did you know that every year, a handful of deaths (in
children and adults) are attributed to an over-indulgence in fruit pits? Stay
away from those seeds!
APPLES: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Yeah,
we’ve all heard that. But like stone fruits mentioned above, apple seeds
contain that pesky compound - cyanogenic glycosides - which, through an
enzymatic process, turns into cyanide. While the seeds of an apple or two won't
cause you any harm, there have been known deaths as a result of over-eating……..yikes!
Our body can detoxify small quantities of cyanide compounds
but more than a few can cause symptoms of mild poisoning such as headache,
dizziness, confusion, anxiety, and vomiting. Larger doses can lead to
difficulty breathing, increased blood pressure and heart rate, and kidney
failure.
MONKEY BRAINS
Eww! Monkey brains? To someone like me who does not even
like the meat, eating monkey brains is unthinkable. But we all know that would
not be the typical reaction of most Nagas. Game meat is a delicacy that’s
craved and much sought after. Oh, excuse me, not only the meat but any part of
any and all wild animals that may or may not be legally acquired.
But if you’re so inclined to chow down on primate brains,
beware. The danger comes from an illness called Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease, which can lurk inside a monkey’s skull. This disease, which is similar
to Mad Cow disease, will turn your own brain to goo, and cause death.
RAW HONEY
There is much said about the healing powers of raw honey, the
straight-out-of-the-hive kind. We too use the raw stuff for all kinds of
ailments. But we should be aware that there are serious potential side effects
to ingesting raw honey, such as allergic reaction, intoxication and food
poisoning.
Raw honey is a potential source of botulism spores,
according to the US National Institutes of Health. Symptoms of food poisoning
from botulism include stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and fever. If
you experience any of these symptoms after consuming raw honey, you should go
to a doctor. In adults, these symptoms are generally initially more
uncomfortable than dangerous, but can become life-threatening if they are left
untreated. In babies, whose immune systems are still weak, botulism is very
serious and should be treated immediately. The NIH recommends that babies under
one year old never be given honey.
TUNA
We don’t get fresh tuna here, but canned tuna is widely used
and even frozen tuna have become quite popular.
The danger in tuna is the mercury that the fish absorbs. Pollution
releases mercury into the air, and as it accumulates in the ocean, fish absorb
it from the waters and their mercury stores build up. When you eat certain
kinds of fish - especially big, fatty fish like tuna - mercury can build up in
your bloodstream over time, too. It has been recommended that children and
pregnant women do not consume tuna at all.
Mercury is a neurotoxin. Mercury exposure at high levels can
harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. High levels of
methylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and young children may harm
the developing nervous system, making the child less able to think and learn.
Of course, you have to eat a lot of high-mercury fish for that
to happen, but it’s good to know, isn’t it? By the way, some species of Mackerel, another common
canned fish here, are also said to be highly polluted.
These are just a few of the foods common to us all, but there
are many more. It certainly makes sense to equip ourselves with better knowledge
of the food we feed our bodies.
SOURCES