For most foods, the fresher they are, the higher their nutritional value. However, long-term storage can affect a food's taste, color, aroma, and other sensory properties. If spoiled or rotten food is consumed by mistake, it can even lead to food poisoning. However, for some foods, "fresh" does not mean safe. For example, you should not eat the following five foods when they are fresh.
Fresh Milk
Nowadays, some farmers are seen milking cows on the street and selling the milk on the spot, which has become quite popular. However, this seemingly natural practice often carries certain risks because you cannot know the health status of the cow. The milk that comes out of the cow often carries bacteria such as Brucella and tuberculosis bacillus, which can easily cause zoonotic infectious diseases. Therefore, it is recommended that it is safer to buy milk from regular manufacturers at the supermarket.
Fresh Daylilies
Fresh daylilies contain a substance called colchicine. After entering the human body, this substance can have adverse effects and cause poisoning reactions. However, colchicine is water-soluble. Therefore, when eating fresh daylilies, you must first soak them in water or blanch them in boiling water before you can enjoy the delicious meal.
Fresh Pickles
Many people enjoy a small appetizer dish for breakfast, which is often pickled vegetables. Of course, many families also pickle fresh vegetables themselves. It is important to remind everyone here that fresh vegetables contain a certain amount of nitrates. During the pickling process, nitrates are reduced to nitrites, and nitrites have certain carcinogenic properties.
Generally, nitrites in pickles will peak between the 3rd and 14th day of the pickling process. Fortunately, nitrites will slowly break down. Therefore, it is best to eat pickled vegetables after they have been pickled for at least 20 days.
Tender Pork Liver
Pork liver is nutritious and delicious, making it a delicacy on many people's tables. However, when cooking pork liver, people often aim for a "tender" texture by stir-frying it quickly and serving it. This practice is very dangerous because the liver is an important organ for detoxification, and various toxic substances are detoxified through it. In addition, pork liver may harbor certain pathogens or parasite eggs. If not cooked thoroughly, it can potentially harm human health.
Fresh Tea Leaves
Many people who have drunk new tea have experienced the feeling of "tea intoxication." New tea refers to tea leaves that have been picked for less than a month, such as spring tea from the current season. Freshly picked and made spring tea contains active phytochemicals such as tannic acid and alkaloids. Drinking large amounts of it can over-stimulate the human nervous system, accelerate blood circulation, and cause a rapid heart rate and a feeling of palpitation, which is the feeling of tea intoxication.
Therefore, when drinking new tea, it is best to let it sit for a while, allowing some of these phytochemicals to oxidize before drinking.