Really toxic foods. You will come across them in the store and in the park

Safe food handling and preparation is essential to ensuring human health. There are a few common ingredients that can make a huge mess if handled poorly. See which ones to watch out for.

rhubarb

The popular vegetable is often eaten in jams and cakes. However, she has a dark side. The leaves, which should not be used in baking or cooking, contain oxalic acid. Consuming large amounts of oxalic acid can be fatal. However, in this case, you would have to eat a pound of leaves to die of poisoning.

Consuming small amounts in improperly prepared foods can cause a number of unpleasant symptoms, such as burning in the mouth and throat, nausea, diarrhea, eye pain, and difficulty breathing. Oxalic acid also causes kidney stones. Therefore, it is not recommended for rhubarb to be consumed by young children and pregnant women. Also, the time that rhubarb is harvested is limited. Over time, the oxalic acid content in the petioles increases, so it is recommended to use rhubarb only until the end of June.

Byzanka

This popular berry is used in jams, cakes, wine, teas, juices, and nutritional supplements. Elderberries are considered safe as long as they are fully ripe and thoroughly cooked. However, elderberry leaves, twigs, and seeds contain lethal levels of the cyanide-producing glycoside. If the elderberry is not fully ripened or not properly drained when it is being processed, it can cause nausea, vomiting, and severe diarrhea.

If the glycoside is consumed in large amounts, it can cause seizures, coma, or even death. However, you would have to drink up to five cups of elderberry juice to be at risk. One cup of improperly prepared elderberry can cause serious health complications.

Dragon breath

For a long time, many believed that the Carolina Reaper was the hottest pepper in the world, clocking in at 1.6 million calories on the Scoville scale. But then Dragon’s Breath appeared on the market and raised the level to 2.48M. How crazy is this attraction? To give you an idea, habanero peppers contain 350,000 calories and jalapeno peppers only 8,000. This dragon pepper burns dangerously and can completely block the airway and cause anaphylactic shock.

Peanuts

For a healthy individual, peanuts pose no danger as long as you don’t eat them. But sensitivity is no joke. Some individuals are even bothered by the peanut dust in the air. Nuts can cause breathing problems, swelling, low blood pressure, fainting, and dizziness.

cashew

Speaking of nuts, raw cashews can cause problems even for those without allergies. Roasted foods available in stores contain a dangerous chemical called urushiol remover. Raw cashews — which are actually the seeds of a tropical tree fruit — contain the same chemical you’d find in poison ivy. The toxic substance causes a rash and swelling. It can be fatal if swallowed.

Red beans

Legumes, especially beans, are rich in vegetable protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. In their raw or uncooked form, they are also rich in phytohemagglutinin, a toxic type of lectin. Phytohemagglutinin is very dangerous for the human body. It can damage the intestinal wall and prevent proper absorption of nutrients. Symptoms of poisoning include diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and headache. Dried red kidney beans must be cooked properly so that they do not contain lectins.

Always soak beans in water for a few hours before eating, then boil them gently to keep them intact. They should never be boiled for less than 10 minutes in water that does not reach a temperature of 100°C. Therefore, it is not recommended to cook raw beans in a slow cooker, as they take a long time to cook below their boiling point.

source: Food Safety