In our lives, some vegetables are cooked, some are eaten raw, and some can be eaten either way. However, some vegetables can affect our health when eaten raw, and in severe cases, they can even pose a threat to our lives. So, let's talk about which vegetables should absolutely never be eaten raw?
1. Shepherd's Purse
Deadly Toxin: Nitrite
Deadly Mechanism: Wild vegetables such as shepherd's purse and goosefoot contain large amounts of nitrite. If the human body ingests excessive nitrite, it can oxidize the normal hemoglobin in the body into methemoglobin. In addition, nitrite can prevent oxyhemoglobin from releasing oxygen, causing tissue hypoxia and poisoning.
Detoxification Method: How to prevent nitrite poisoning? It's actually very simple. Make sure your family eats fresh vegetables. Cooked vegetables should not be kept for too long. Pickled vegetables should be washed only after being pickled for a month before they can be eaten.
2. Cassava
Deadly Toxin: Linamarin
Deadly Mechanism: Although cassava roots are rich in starch, all parts of the plant, including roots, stems, and leaves, contain toxic substances, and the fresh roots are more toxic. Therefore, attention must be paid when eating cassava roots. The toxic substance in cassava is linamarin. Eating raw or undercooked cassava or drinking its soup can cause poisoning. The reason is that linamarin or linamarase is hydrolyzed by gastric acid to produce free hydrogen cyanide, causing poisoning in the human body. A person can be poisoned by eating 150-300 grams of raw cassava, which can even be fatal.
Detoxification Method: To prevent cassava poisoning, you can peel the cassava before eating and soak the flesh in water to dissolve the cyanogenic glycosides. Generally, soaking for about 6 days can remove 70% of the cyanogenic glycosides, and then it can be eaten after being heated and cooked.
3. Kidney Beans
Deadly Toxin: Saponin
Deadly Mechanism: If kidney beans are not cooked thoroughly, the saponin in the beans will strongly irritate the digestive tract. Moreover, the beans contain a lectin that has a blood-clotting effect. In addition, kidney beans also contain nitrite and trypsin, which can irritate the human stomach and intestines, causing food poisoning and symptoms of gastroenteritis.
Detoxification Method: To prevent kidney bean poisoning, be sure to cook them thoroughly.
The above introduces vegetables that should not be eaten raw in our daily lives, and also explains the adverse effects of eating these vegetables raw and the remedial measures if they are accidentally consumed.