Toxic food can instantly wreck the human body and can even be fatal. We must be wary of the following foods; eating the wrong ones is equivalent to poisoning yourself.
1. Raw Soy Milk
Deadly Toxin: Saponin
Mechanism of Toxicity: Raw soybeans also contain toxic components. Therefore, consuming soy milk that has not been fully cooked can cause food poisoning. Especially when heated to around 80°C, saponin expands, causing foam to rise and creating a "false boil" phenomenon. In reality, the toxic components like saponin in the soy milk have not been completely destroyed. Drinking this soy milk will cause poisoning, with symptoms typically appearing 0.5 to 1 hour after consumption, mainly manifesting as gastroenteritis.
Detoxification Method: To prevent poisoning from raw soy milk, after the "false boil" occurs during cooking, continue heating to 100°C. Cooked soy milk has no foam.
2. Fresh Wood Ear Mushrooms
Deadly Toxin: Psoralens (phototoxic substances)
Mechanism of Toxicity: Fresh wood ear mushrooms contain a type of psoralen that is sensitive to light. After consumption and exposure to sunlight, it can cause photodermatitis. In severe cases, it can lead to edema of the throat, causing difficulty in breathing.
Detoxification Method: Not to be consumed.
3. Sprouted Potatoes
Deadly Toxin: Solanine
Mechanism of Toxicity: Potatoes are one of the most commonly consumed vegetables, but they contain the toxic component solanine (also known as potato toxin or glycoalkaloid). The entire potato plant contains this toxin, though the concentration varies by part. Mature potatoes contain very little and generally do not cause poisoning. However, the sprouts, flowers, leaves, and the outer skin of the tuber contain higher levels of solanine, with the toxin in the sprout being tens to hundreds of times higher than in the flesh. Immature green potatoes or tubers with black spots from improper storage also contain extremely high levels of toxic substances.
Detoxification Method: To prevent potato poisoning, store potatoes in a cool, dry place to prevent sprouting. When preparing to eat, if you find sprouts or blackish-green skin, it is best not to consume them.
4. Leftovers
Deadly Toxin: Nitrite
Mechanism of Toxicity: Wild vegetables like shepherd's purse and lamb's quarters found in greens contain large amounts of nitrite. If the human body ingests an excessive amount of nitrite, it can oxidize normal hemoglobin into methemoglobin. Furthermore, nitrite can prevent oxygenated hemoglobin from releasing oxygen, leading to tissue hypoxia and poisoning.
Detoxification Method: So, how can you prevent nitrite poisoning? It's actually quite simple: ensure your family eats fresh vegetables. Cooked vegetables should not be kept warm for too long. Pickled vegetables should be washed only after being cured for at least one month before consumption.
5. Fava Beans (Broad Beans)
Deadly Toxin: Vicine
Mechanism of Toxicity: Fava bean seeds contain vicine. After a person consumes this substance, it can cause acute hemolytic anemia (favism). Improper cooking of fresh fava beans, especially during the spring and summer, often leads to poisoning. Symptoms generally appear 4 to 24 hours after eating raw fava beans.
Detoxification Method: To prevent fava bean poisoning, it is best not to eat fresh, tender fava beans, and they must be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
6. Daylilies (Fresh)
Deadly Toxin: Colchicine
Mechanism of Toxicity: Daylilies, also known as golden needles, are a beloved dish. However, they contain colchicine. After ingestion, colchicine is oxidized in the body to form dihydrocolchicine, which is a highly toxic substance that can harm the gastrointestinal and urinary systems, posing a serious threat to health. An adult can be poisoned by consuming just 50-100 grams of fresh daylilies at one time.
Detoxification Method: To prevent poisoning from fresh daylilies, you can briefly boil them in boiling water, then soak them in clean water to remove most of the water-soluble colchicine. Alternatively, you can cook the fresh daylilies thoroughly before preparing them for the meal.
7. Bluish-Purple Seaweed
Deadly Toxin: Cyclic peptides
Mechanism of Toxicity: If seaweed turns a bluish-purple after being soaked, it indicates that it was contaminated with the toxic substance cyclic peptides while growing in the sea.
Detoxification Method: These toxins cannot be neutralized by cooking and the seaweed should not be consumed.