10 Common Foods You Should Never Eat Raw
[Introduction] In our daily lives, common foods like vegetables and meat, some of which should not be eaten raw, can otherwise lead to symptoms like vomiting and poisoning. Below is a list of 10 common foods that should not be eaten raw.
One: Never eat fresh daylilies raw.
Fresh daylilies contain colchicine, which forms into colchicine oxide in the human body. It is extremely toxic, and consuming 3-20 milligrams can be fatal.
Two: Never eat raw water chestnuts.
Eating raw water chestnuts often allows the *Fasciolopsis buski* (a type of fluke) to enter the human body and attach to the intestinal mucosa, which can cause intestinal ulcers, diarrhea, or facial swelling.
Three: Never eat raw white sugar.
Mites are often found in white sugar, and eating raw sugar can easily lead to acariasis. Mites are tiny, hairy insects invisible to the naked eye and reproduce quickly in sugar. If mites enter the gastrointestinal tract, they can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, and ulcers. If they enter the lungs, they can cause hemoptysis and asthma. If they enter the urethra, they can cause urinary tract inflammation. Therefore, white sugar should not be eaten raw. It should be heated before consumption (generally, heating to about 70°C for 3 minutes is sufficient).
Four: Never eat raw honey.
When bees make honey, they often collect poisonous pollen. When this poisonous pollen is made into honey, eating raw honey can easily lead to poisoning. Furthermore, honey can easily be contaminated by bacteria during harvesting, transportation, and storage. Therefore, raw honey should not be consumed.
Five: Never eat fresh wood ear mushrooms raw.
Fresh wood ear mushrooms contain porphyrin-like photosensitive substances. Eating them raw can cause phytophotodermatitis, and in severe cases, it can lead to skin itching, edema, and pain.
Six: Never drink raw soy milk.
Soy milk is delicious and nutritious, with a nutritional value no lower than that of milk. However, drinking unboiled soy milk can cause systemic poisoning. This is because raw soy milk contains some harmful components—such as trypsin inhibitors, phenolic compounds, and saponins. Trypsin inhibitors affect the digestion and absorption of protein; phenolic compounds can give soy milk a bitter and fishy taste; saponins irritate the digestive tract, causing vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea, which can destroy red blood cells, produce toxins, and lead to systemic poisoning.
Seven: Never eat raw freshwater fish.
The eggs of *Clonorchis sinensis* (liver flukes) develop into cercariae in snails in rivers and ponds and then parasitize in fish. If you eat raw freshwater fish, the liver flukes will enter the human body and develop into adults, which can cause cholangitis in humans and may even lead to cirrhosis.
Eight: Never eat raw crabs and lobsters.
Raw crabs carry metacercariae of *Paragonimus westermani* (lung flukes) and *Vibrio parahaemolyticus*, while lobsters are intermediate hosts for lung flukes. After eating raw crabs and lobsters, lung flukes enter the human body, causing lung damage. In severe cases, it can lead to intestinal inflammation or intestinal edema and congestion.
Nine: Never eat raw eggs.
The avidin in egg whites binds to biotin in the intestines, hindering the human body's absorption of biotin. Raw eggs also often contain *Salmonella*, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Ten: Never eat raw beans.
Beans include lentils, kidney beans, string beans, sword beans, and green beans. Eating beans can easily cause poisoning because they contain a toxic protein called "lectin," which is most abundant in mature or older beans. Beans should be boiled or heated over high heat for more than 10 minutes to remove this lectin. When stir-frying beans or using them as a filling, they must be thoroughly cooked. Even for cold bean salads, they should be boiled for 10 minutes.