What Foods Shouldn’t You Eat Raw?

There are some plant-based foods that you probably (or in some cases, definitely)

should not eat raw.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms, especially portobellos, contain high concentrations of a substance called agaritine, which has been shown to cause cancer in mice. While that doesn’t necessarily predict cancer in humans, going easy on raw mushrooms might be a reasonable decision. Fortunately, cooking and even storing them in the refrigerator for a couple of days can significantly break down agaritine. In addition, some people can develop a nasty rash, called flagellate dermatitis, after eating raw or undercooked shiitake mushrooms. If you need more incentive to cook your shiitakes, let me just share a description of the rash from a dermatology website: “It is characterized by pruritic, erythematous, linear streaks that resemble whiplash marks.” I’ll take mine steamed or sauteed, thank you very much!

Kidney Beans

Another plant food to avoid eating raw is the innocuous-looking kidney bean. Raw or undercooked red kidney beans, and to a lesser extent white kidney and broad beans, are toxic until fully cooked. Apparently, one of the culprits is a lectin called phytohaemagglutinin, which I’m guessing has never been played in a game of Scrabble. You’ll know you’ve gotten kidney bean poisoning because, within three hours of consuming an undercooked or raw bean, you’ll feel extreme nausea, which will quickly be followed by severe vomiting. Next comes the diarrhea and abdominal pains. Are you with me? Stay away from raw kidney beans.

Contaminated Food

Some plant foods should be cooked not because they’re problematic in and of themselves, but because of how they’ve been grown and harvested. There have been several recent outbreaks of food poisoning linked to raw spinach and other greens fertilized with manure that hadn’t been properly aged and still contained live pathogens. Tomatoes have also been a source of salmonella poisoning, becoming contaminated either by the water from sprinklers in the fields, or water used to wash them during processing.

Tempeh

Tempeh, a favorite plant-based food made of fermented soybeans, can be a growth medium for microorganisms other than the ones used to culture the tempeh itself. It should be cooked at a high enough temperature, and for long enough, to make it safe for human consumption.

Potatoes

You should also cook your potatoes to avoid glycoalkaloids like solanine and chaconine, which are toxic to humans in large quantities. Potatoes are especially toxic when they turn green, so make sure to cut away any green areas or where eyes have formed.

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