Foods you should never eat raw

Foods you should never eat rawAshima Sharda Mahindra, Times Now Digital

Potatoes

Stick to cooked potatoes. These starchy things contain toxic compounds called glycoalkaloids that can mess up your digestive system Credit: Times Network

Lima beans

These legumes contain a compound called linamarin, which turns into cyanide. Fortunately, cooking lima beans makes them safe to eat Credit: Times Network

Kidney beans

Eating just four or five of these raw can really hurt you. Red kidney beans contain lectins, which can cause severe gastrointestinal distress. These are destroyed during the cooking process Credit: Times Network

Wild mushrooms

While most mushrooms you will find in the supermarket are safe to eat raw, it's not advisable to eat wild mushrooms without cooking them. Also, mushrooms taste a lot better when cooked! Credit: Times Network

Meat

Poultry, pork, and ground beef in particular should always be safely cooked, otherwise you risk food poisoning caused by bacteria such as campylobacter, clostridium perfringens, and salmonella Credit: Times Network

Eggplant

Eggplant of brinjal is loaded with solanine which restricts the absorption of calcium. Solanine poisoning leads to a number of neurological and gastrointestinal problems the symptoms of which include nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and cramping Credit: Times Network

Eggs

Never eat raw eggs because of potential contamination from Salmonella bacteria. For the the bacteria to be killed, the egg needs to be cooked to a safe temperature before consuming Credit: Times Network

Sprouts

No matter how healthy they are, sprouts are harmful if consumed raw because of pathogenic bacteria that get into the seeds, even before they grow Credit: Times Network

Bitter almonds

While eating almonds, you may once or twice encounter a few which are bitter in taste. These are loaded with cyanide and not safe to eat at all Credit: Times Network

Raw honey

Even though honey has immense health benefits, eating it in its raw form is not advised, as it contains spores of a toxin called Clostridium botulinum which can harm pregnant women and children Credit: Times Network