Housewives, Beware! These Vegetables Must Be Cooked Thoroughly
Some vegetables we commonly eat in our daily lives actually pose a deadly threat. Beyond the common issue of pesticides, there are even more frightening dangers! If some vegetables are eaten raw, they can produce toxins that are as potent as arsenic, and in severe cases, they can endanger human life. How much do you know about these hidden killers?
1. Shepherd's Purse
Deadly Toxin: Nitrite
Deadly Mechanism:
Wild vegetables like shepherd's purse and lamb's quarters contain large amounts of nitrite. If excessive nitrite is ingested, it can oxidize the body's normal hemoglobin into methemoglobin. Furthermore, nitrite can prevent oxyhemoglobin from releasing oxygen, leading to tissue hypoxia and poisoning in humans.
Detoxification Method:
How can nitrite poisoning be prevented? It's actually quite simple: ensure your family eats fresh vegetables, and do not store cooked vegetables for too long. Pickled vegetables should be washed and consumed only after being pickled for at least one month.
2. Kidney Beans
Deadly Toxin: Saponin
Deadly Mechanism:
If kidney beans are not cooked thoroughly, the saponin in them can severely irritate the digestive tract. Additionally, the beans contain a凝血素 (coagulation factor) that has a blood-clotting effect.
Furthermore, kidney beans also contain nitrite and trypsin, which can irritate the human stomach and intestines, leading to food poisoning and symptoms of gastroenteritis.
Detoxification Method:
To prevent kidney bean poisoning, be sure to cook them thoroughly until they are completely soft.
3. Cassava
Deadly Toxin: Linamarin
Deadly Mechanism:
Although cassava roots are rich in starch, all parts of the plant, including the roots, stems, and leaves, contain toxic substances, with fresh roots being particularly toxic. Therefore, caution is necessary when consuming cassava roots. The toxic substance in cassava is linamarin. Ingesting raw or undercooked cassava or its broth can cause poisoning. This is because linamarin or linamarase is hydrolyzed by stomach acid to produce free hydrocyanic acid, leading to poisoning in the human body. A person can be poisoned by consuming 150-300 grams of raw cassava, which can even be fatal.
Detoxification Method:
To prevent cassava poisoning, peel the cassava and soak the flesh in water to dissolve the cyanogenic glycosides. Soaking for about 6 days can remove about 70% of the cyanogenic glycosides, and after thorough cooking, it can be safely eaten.
4. Broad Beans
Deadly Toxin: Vicine
Deadly Mechanism:
Broad bean seeds contain vicine. After consumption, this substance can cause acute hemolytic anemia (favism). Poisoning often occurs when eating fresh broad beans in spring and summer if they are not cooked properly. Symptoms typically appear 4-24 hours after eating raw broad beans.
Detoxification Method:
To prevent broad bean poisoning, it is best not to eat fresh, tender broad beans, and they must be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
5. Daylilies
Deadly Toxin: Colchicine
Deadly Mechanism:
Daylilies, also known as golden needles, are a popular dish. However, they contain colchicine. After colchicine is ingested, it is oxidized in the human body to form colchicine oxide, which is a highly toxic substance that can damage the gastrointestinal and urinary systems, posing a serious threat to health. An adult can be poisoned by consuming 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 and eating them.
6. Sprouting Potatoes
Deadly Toxin: Solanine
Deadly Mechanism:
Potatoes are a common vegetable on household tables, but they contain a toxic component called solanine (also known as potato toxin or glycoalkaloid). The entire potato plant contains this toxin, though the levels vary. 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 contain extremely high levels of this toxic substance.
Detoxification Method:
To prevent potato poisoning, store potatoes in a cool, dry place to prevent sprouting. When preparing to eat, if you find that the potato has sprouted or the flesh is black-green, it is best not to consume it.
Image Source: Quanjing