Eating Raw Foods is Scary

Very few of us will aware that toxins, fungus, mold, yeast, and pleomorphic bacteria ( can be a spherical, rod-shaped, or spiral-shaped bacteria) is found present in most of the raw foods. Therefore, not all foods can be eaten raw. Precautions should be taken against these foods as their toxicological properties have been documented to cause specific diseases and the growth of the specific organ lesions in both humans and animals. And if these raw foods are eaten raw, they will never be ingested properly by our digestive system. Below are some of the listed foods that you should avoid eating raw.

Do Not Eat Raw Fish

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Do not eat raw fish as it has a high possibility of being infected by a type of parasitic worm called Clonorchiasis (Chinese liver fluke or Opisthorchiasis). This snail-looking worm may result in human infection if the infected fish are eaten by humans themselves. This infection is scary as it may spread to the bile ducts in the liver and to the gallbladder.

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When clonorchiasis enters the human body, it will lead our body to cholangitis, an indicative of the inflammation of any portion of the bile ducts which carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and intestine. The progress of this cholangitis can lead to pain, jaudice (yellow skin), and fever. In some severe cases, it is a consequence of cirrhosis (chronic liver disease), characterizing anatomically by widespread nodules in the liver combined with fibrosis which might later interfere the blood flow through the liver. This makes the liver having problem to carry out essential functions, such as manufacturing vital nutrients, purrifying the blood and detoxifying harmful substances. The recent clinical reports show that people who like to eat raw fish, have 50% higher possibility to have cirrhosis developed in their early ages.

Do Not Eat Raw Crab, Prawn or Lobster (may also include other seafoods)

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Do not eat raw or undercooked crabs, prawns and lobsters. Raw crabs are the carrier for a parasitic worm (trematode) with the most common being called Paragonimus westermani, while raw prawns and lobsters are the intermediate host for this scary worm. People who consumed either raw crabs, prawns, lobsters or any other seafoods, may have a consequence called Paragonimiasis. It is a food-borne parasitic infection primarily caused by the lung fluke, which has known to infect about 22 million people worldwide.

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When Paragonimus westermani penetrates into human body, this parasite excysts in the deodenum, and then it penetrates via the intestinal wall into the peritoneal cavity. Later, it will crawl through the abdominal wall and diaphragm into the lungs, where it is excited enough to encapsulate and develop into adults. It can also reach to other organs and tissues like the brain and striated muscles, in which its infection can persist to as long as 20 years in humans as documented in some academic studies. It is also documented that the penetration of Paragonimus westermani into human body can cause lung injury that might have progressed to a stage of a chronic intestinal inflammation, or intestinal edema.

The acute symptoms may be marked by an abdorminal pain, cough, fever, urticaria(hives), eosinophilia (an elevated level of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell), diarrhea, pulmonary abnormalities, and hepatosplenomegaly (enlargement of the liver and spleen). As for the chronic phase, the symptoms include chest radiographic abnormalities, expectoration of discolored sputum, severe cough, and hemoptysis (spitting up blood).

According to the latest statistics, more than 4,000 persons have injuries in their lungs, 3,000 persons have inflammation in their intestinal tracts and more than 2,000 persons have suffered with intestinal edema worldwide due to their main diets on raw crabs, prawns or lobsters.

Do Not Eat Raw Water Chestnuts

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Scientists have discovered that the raw water chestnuts are home for a parasitic worm called Fasciolopsiasis buski. This worm is commonly found in the aquatic plants. According to Lankester (1857), this is the largest intestinal fluke of humans, measuring up to 7.5cm in length. Fasciolopsiasis buski results in food-borne infection in humans.

Though most of its infections are asymptomatic, its heavier infections may lead to an intestinal obstruction, abdominal pain, ascites (the condition of pathologic fluid accumulation within the abdominal cavity), anasarca (massive enlargement of organs, skins, or other body parts), and fever. The scientific journals reported that its adult worm can attach to and ulcerate the mucosa of the proximal small bowel, and thus causing abdominal pain, signs of malabsorption (the difficulty of digestion or absorption of food nutrient across the gastrointestinal tract), facial swelling, and diarrhea.

Do Not Eat Raw Eggs

Photo credit: Dave Ng

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The raw egg white or albumen contains a Glycoprotein called “avidin” which can hinder any biological reactions that occurred in human body. This in turns will interfere the absorption of biotin (water-soluble B-complex vitamin), causing us to suffer from a biotin deficiency. Raw eggs may also have the possibility of being colonized with fungus and contaminated with mycotoxins (compounds that are produced by molds). Besides that, raw egg is infected with Salmonella. Its symptoms are always marked by an abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. The elderly, children, and people with cancer, HIV, or other diseases may be a high risk group of the Salmonella infections.

Do Not Eat Raw Daylily

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Daylily is an edible, needle-looking yellow flower that is usually used in Chinese cuisine, particularly in hot and sour soup (a traditional Asian culinary), moo shu pork (a dish from the northern China, originally from Shandong), Luohan zhai (a vegetarian dish which is traditionally served for the Buddhist monks) and daylily soup.

The raw daylily contains a substance called colchicine which is a highly poisonous natural product. When colchicine enters the human body, it can cause serious toxicological effects. A consumption of 3 to 20mg of raw daylily at a time can be fatal and life-threatening.

Do Not Eat Raw Sugar

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The sugar here includes white sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, barley malt, honey maple syrup, sucrose, rice syrup and etc. is not suitable to be taken raw. This is because the intake of either of them can promote the growth of fungus, mold, yeast, pleomorphic bacteris while suppressing the immune system response for over 5 hours. Therefore, the raw sugar is not the most appropriate choice to be added as the sweetener in your drinks.

Many reports have shown that the white sugar is more likely to be contaminated with mites. For you information, mites breed very fast in the sugar. If the mites enter the gastrointestinal tract, it will definitely cause hemoptysis (spitting of blood that originated in the lungs or bronchial tubes) and asthma, or might have indulged the existing inflammation and respiratory problems. If by accidentaly, these mites penetrate into the lungs, they may cause blood spliting, ulceration, and swelling as well. And if they enter the urethra, they can cause the unrinary tract inflammation. Therefore, before consuming the white sugar, it is always better to heat it to around 70 degree celsisus for about 3 minutes.

Do Not Eat Raw Beans

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Beans here include kidney beans, jack beans, lentils, and any other related beans. Raw beans are found to have contained a toxic protein called “lectin”, and it is found to be more abundant in a mature bean. More details on bean can be obtained here.

Do Not Eat Raw Potato

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The raw potato that you consumed might have colonized with fungus or contaminated with mycotoxins.

Do Not Eat Raw Animal Meats

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Animal meat and poultry which includes lamb, chicken, turkey, beef and etc. may have contaminated with the fungi called Aspergillus ochraceus. Aspergillus ochraceus produces the mycotoxin Ochratoxin A which is found to be harmful to our health. Many academic studies have shown a close link between Aspergillus ochraceus and various types of cancers.

Raw pig meat including sausage, bacon, salami, and ham are full of colonized fungal and contain the fungi Aspergillus ochraceus which is associated with many different documented cancers.

Do Not Eat Raw Fungus

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The intake of a raw fungus can cause dermatitis, a medical term that describes an inflammation of the skin. In severe cases, the sufferer will have a chronic skin itching, edema (an observable swelling in certain parts of the body) and other related skin disorders.

Other Vegetables that Cannot be Eaten Raw

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Honey fungus, a type of mushroom, that is not suitable to be eaten raw due to its allergic reactions. Many mushrooms are also found not suitable to be eaten raw as they contain trace amounts of toxins that could be hard to be broken down by our digestive system when they are eaten raw.

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Raw olives contain an inedible bitter substance called oleuropein which might not be good for digestion.

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Raw eggplant contains the toxin called solamine, and its fruit has been documented for high toxins.

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Rhubarb needs to be properly cooked before consuming. It contains the oxalic acid particularly in its leaves and stems if eaten raw, which might harm our health.

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A burdock root or gobo in Japanese is toxic if eaten raw, and thus it needs to be cooked well instead of eating raw.

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Raw high fiber leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach are strictly not to be eaten raw as they contain few amounts of bioavailable nutrients. These complex fibers are too hard for our digestive sytstem to break down into simpler form unless you chew each bite for about 50 times. Eating too much raw spinach can cause calcium deficiency. Apparently, spinach is not the most appropriate diet for people who have arthritis, gallbladder or kidney problems, either, as the oxalic acid can exacerbate their existing health problems. More information on spinach can be obtained here.

Do Not Consume Raw Soy Milk

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The consumption of raw or uncooked soy milk can cause a food poisoning. This is because the raw soy milk contains harmful ingredients such as antitrypsin, phenolic compounds and saponin. Antitrypsin can interfere the digestion and absorption of protein; phenolic compounds give a bitter taste while saponin can stimulate the digestive tract, and thus causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. When these conditions occurred, not only the red blood cells or hemoglobin will be destroyed, but also it stimulates the secretion of toxins and it will eventually lead to a severe food poisoning.

Final Remark:

This article is based upon the clinical and scientific facts that have been documented in the academic documentations. Therefore, its facts should not be suspicious or doubt.