Pssst! There are killers in my kitchen. Actually, they're in yours too.
Believe it or not, many of the "healthy" foods that we eat on a daily basis have the potential to make us very sick, or in some case, kill us. I don't know about you, but dying just doesn't sound healthy to me.
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So if you want to avoid getting violently ill or accidentally poisoning your guests, I suggest you take a close look at this list of the 10 most dangerous "health" foods out there!
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Raw honey
Mami may swear by the soothing properties of honey, but the raw stuff may actually make you sick. Just one tablespoon of raw honey may lead to bouts of dizziness, excessive sweating, and vomiting. Just stick to the kind that comes in a plastic bear.
Bitter almonds
Aw, nuts! Like fruit pits, bitter almonds contain hydrogen cyanide. Eating just a handful can prove fatal for children and quite problematic for adults. But have no fear! Sweet almonds are still good for you.
Tomatoes
Unripe green tomatoes can give you bubble guts, as can the stems and leaves of red tomatoes.
Potatoes
Oh, no! Not potatoes! Apparently the leaves and stems found on potatoes may contain glycoalkaloids, which may cause diarrhea, headaches, confusion or even lead to coma or death. But don’t freak out just yet. Poisoning from potatoes occurs very rarely. Want to avoid death by potato? Avoid greenish spuds.
Nutmeg
Eating one whole nutmeg can possibly lead to a something called “nutmeg psychosis." In other words, nutmeg can make you feel like you’re tripping out or hallucinating. That sounds kind of scary.
Fruit pits
Cherry pits, peach pits, and even apricot pits contain a dangerous kind of hydrogen cyanide called prussic acid. You know, like the stuff found in rat poison. Ain’t that the pits?
Tuna
Fish is generally healthy, but tuna has a tendency to absorb high levels of mercury. When ingested, mercury may travel through the kidneys and even the brain, and has been known to cause disorientation and sensory impairment. No wonder doctors advise that pregnant women avoid eating tuna at all costs. However, if you’re not pregnant and really like tuna, you should consider at least limiting your tuna consumption just to be on the safe side. Here’s a handy-dandy tuna calculator to help you figure out just how much you can eat per week.
Cassava
This South American root vegetable contains high levels of cyanide. The only way to safely eat cassava is to boil it thoroughly. Sounds like a plan I can stand by.
Blood clams
If the name alone doesn't scare you off, perhaps the fact that you can potentially contract hepatitis, thyphoid, or dysentery from this nautical delicacy will. I think I’ll pass.
Raw cashews
Those raw cashews that you love so much aren’t really raw at all. They’ve been steamed to remove a dangerous chemical called urushiol, which is related to poison ivy. If ingested in large amounts, cashews can actually prove deadly. That’s just nuts.
