7 food products we didn’t know are actually toxic

Who knew these food products are actually toxic?

When we’re feeling peckish, we want to eat as much as possible as soon as possible. Often, we just grab a bag of crisps or make ourselves a nice sandwich with lettuce and tomato. We don’t always think about what we eat, but it might be smart to start doing that from now on…

You can’t just eat these food products willy nilly.

Mushrooms

There are a lot of different mushrooms out there and you have probably been told as a child that you can’t eat all of them. The red one with white spots, for example, is definitely inedible. But there are many more toxic types of mushroom. The mushrooms you can find in the supermarket are safe, but if you head out into nature to look for mushrooms you have to be very careful.

Rhubarb

When we make rhubarb compote, we cut off the leaves and that is just as well. You can eat the stalk perfectly fine, but rhubarb leaves are definitely toxic.

Tomatoes

You don’t need to ban tomatoes from your life altogether. In fact, the tomato itself isn’t toxic, but the stalk and the leaves contain a toxin that can cause cramps and intense stomach pain. So, always remove the little crown from the tomato before eating it.

Almonds

We eat a ton of almonds without thinking about it, but there’s something to be looking out for. Make sure you always only eat treated almonds.

Cherries

We love cherries, but those stones in the middle of them can make them a little tedious to eat. Never simply swallow the stones, though! They contain a substance called hydrogen cyanide and we’re not meant to ingest that. The same goes for the stones and seeds of apricots, apples, prunes and pears.

Potatoes

Did you know potatoes grow on a toxic plant? The plant is toxic, but luckily potato poisoning is very rare. However, eating a green potato can be very dangerous, so you should always just throw those away.

Pufferfish

Eating a pufferfish is very dangerous. This fish has an aggressive poison in its skin and organs. You should never underestimate this poison because if eaten, it could paralyse or even kill a human being. The fish can only be served by a Japanese chef that has taken a special exam.