8 Surprising Foods You Should Never Eat Raw

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 48 million Americans suffer from foodborne illness each year. This may be due in part to the raw food movement, which took the world by storm in the 1970s.Advocates of the raw food diet claim that cooking depletes foods of their essential enzymes and nutrients. But this isn’t true across the board. In fact, not cooking certain meats and even vegetables can cause gastrointestinal distress–or in some cases, serious health problems. 

8 Foods you should never eat raw

Cookie dough

If you love sneaking bites of raw cookie dough while baking, you might be taking part in a dangerous habit. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that E. coli, a bacteria often found in wet environments like ground beef, can also thrive in dry foods like baking flour. This discovery led to a recall of over 10 million pounds of flour in 2016 after reports of 56 infections across 24 states. More than 25% of the patients went to the hospital, and one even developed kidney failure–although, thankfully, everyone recovered eventually.Raw eggs in cookie dough can also expose you to salmonella, causing food poisoning. So, bake those treats before enjoying them.Alternatively, you can make egg-free recipes with heat-treated flour like almond or coconut to indulge safely.

Beans

Raw kidney beans are hard, bitter, and unappetizing. But there’s also a major reason to cook them thoroughly: they contain phytohemagglutinin, a protein that’s toxic unless eliminated with heat.Red kidney beans have the highest concentration of phytohemagglutinin of all common foods. Eating just a few raw beans can cause severe gastrointestinal issues within two to three hours. Symptoms include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea 

The more you eat, the worse the symptoms get. So cook all beans properly by boiling them.

Potatoes

Potatoes are one of the few vegetables you can’t eat raw. They contain solanine, a compound that, in large amounts, causes serious health problems. Even slightly green potatoes have higher levels of solanine, since light exposure triggers the production of both chlorophyll (the green color) and solanine as a natural defense mechanism. However, solanine levels can also rise without any visible greening, making it tricky to spot.This toxin also builds up in potatoes with:

• Sprouted eyes
• Physical damage
• Exposure to certain fertilizers

Eating potatoes with large amounts of solanine can lead to symptoms like:

• Stomach pain
• Headaches
• In severe cases, paralysis

So always cook potatoes thoroughly. And if you notice any greening or extreme sprouting, throw them out to be on the safe side.

Olives

Most people probably won’t try eating raw olives straight from the tree, but if you come across any, make sure they’re cooked before enjoying them.While they won’t make you sick, fresh, raw olives are extremely bitter–especially green varieties–due to a compound called oleuropein. Oleuropein not only gives olives their bitterness, but also acts as a natural defense against microorganisms and animals. At very high amounts, this compound can cause liver dysfunction, among other health problems.To make olives edible, manufacturers cure them in salt water, lye, or olive oil to remove the bitterness. So stick to treated, cooked varieties from the grocery store.

Wild mushrooms

Common store-bought mushrooms are fine to eat raw. But certain wild varieties can be difficult to digest. Their cell walls contain chitin, a complex carbohydrate that’s tough for the human body to break down. This means eating them raw can cause gastrointestinal distress.Cooking not only promotes digestibility, but increases nutrient availability, lending to the fungi’s potentially anti-cancer properties. So sautee them before digging in for a healthy veggie side.It’s worth mentioning, however: if you’re planning to forage for wild mushrooms, verify that they’re safe to eat. Certain varieties can be toxic even after cooking, although heat can help neutralize some harmful compounds.

Sprouts

All raw or lightly cooked produce carries a risk of foodborne illness, but with sprouts, it’s even higher.The warm, humid conditions needed for sprouting are ideal for bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria to thrive. Even a small amount of contamination on seeds can multiply rapidly during this process, reaching millions of bacteria per serving.The primary source of contamination is often the seeds themselves, which can harbor pathogens before sprouting begins. Washing sprouts doesn’t always get rid of these bacteria, either.And since these veggies are often eaten raw on salads and sandwiches, harmful microbes aren’t destroyed through heating. So if you’re going to enjoy sprouts, cook them first. If you have young children, a compromised immune system, or are pregnant, avoid them to be safe–even if you grow them yourself. Bacteria can multiply quickly, even in clean spaces.

Pork

Raw steak tartare is a delicacy in many cultures, but pork is a different story. Pigs are more likely than cows to carry parasites like Trichinella spiralis, which can infect humans if ingested in undercooked meat. In recent years, modern farming practices, stricter regulations, and increased awareness have significantly reduced the risk of Trichinella in pork. But the danger hasn’t disappeared entirely. One study found pork is still a major contributor to foodborne diseases, including infections caused by:

• Salmonella
• Campylobacter
• Toxoplasma gondii 
• Tapeworm

Some tapeworms can grow over 12 feet long and live in your intestines for years, producing eggs from their many segments. To protect yourself, make sure any pork you eat is well-done with an internal temperature of 160°F.

Chicken

Like pork, chicken needs to be cooked thoroughly. It often carries harmful bacteria such as Campylobacter and Salmonella when raw, which can cause severe food poisoning. In fact, some experts say approximately 30% of grocery store chicken is contaminated.Bacteria can contaminate chicken at various stages of processing. These pathogens also spread through cross-contamination, transferring from raw chicken packaging to hands, bags, or other foods in the grocery store.The CDC estimates contaminated poultry causes about 1 million illnesses each year in the U.S. Bacteria can even survive on chicken carcasses for up to 10 days in the refrigerator. Consuming undercooked poultry can lead to symptoms such as:

• Chills
• Diarrhea
• Fever

So stay safe; always cook chicken to 165°F, and follow sanitary guidelines when handling.Many raw foods are safe and nutritious, but others can carry serious health risks–or simply taste better cooked. Avoid toxic compounds and harmful bacteria by cooking cookie dough, beans, potatoes, olives, wild mushrooms, sprouts, pork, and chicken before digging in. You’ll be protecting your health, and enjoying every bite, safely.

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