1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You: The Ultimate Bathroom Reader (8 page)

Dahlia Rideout, “Ten Dangerous & Deadly Foods,” Divine Caroline,
www.divinecaroline.com
.

Ian Shaw, Is it Safe to Eat?: Enjoy Eating and Minimize Food Risks (Springer, 2005), 127.

33

FACT :
Apricot, cherry, and peach pits contain
cyanogenetic glycosides, which release cyanide
. It would take a huge dose to kill you, but there have been reports of children in Turkey suffering from apricot seed poisoning.
In case you needed another reason not to eat a peach pit. Imagine passing that thing.

Dahlia Rideout, “Ten Dangerous & Deadly Foods,” Divine Caroline,
www.divinecaroline.com
.

Y.H. Hui, R. A. Smith, and David G. Spoerke, Plant Toxicants, 2nd ed. (Marcel Dekker, 2001), 47.

34

FACT :
Chocolate contains the alkaloid theobromine, which in
high doses can be toxic
to humans, and in even small amounts can kill dogs, parrots, horses, and cats.
This means that despite its name, the Kit-Kat candy bar is not a recommended snack for your kittycat.

I wonder how many cats have died because of this confusion.

Dahlia Rideout, “Ten Dangerous & Deadly Foods,” Divine Caroline,
www.divinecaroline.com
.

Lewis R. Goldfrank and others, Goldfrank’s Toxicologic Emergencies, 8th ed. (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006), 993.

35

FACT :
If not processed properly, tapioca can be toxic; it is made from cassava root, which contains a natural
cyanide-like compound
called linamarin.

If the plant is properly dried, soaked, and baked, however, the linamarin is rendered harmless and safe for consumption.
Soaked and Baked—two of my college roommates.

Dahlia Rideout, “Ten Dangerous & Deadly Foods,” Divine Caroline,
www.divinecaroline.com
.

Rudolph Ballentine, Diet & Nutrition: A Holistic Approach (Himalayan Institute Press, 1982), 389.

FACT :
Bluefin tuna is popular at sushi bars, but it contains
high amounts of mercury
. Mercury poisoning can cause fatigue, memory loss, and numbness in extremities; recent studies also suggest that mercury can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Do not confuse mercury poisoning with Freddie Mercury poisoning, which causes buck teeth, stage theatrics, uncontrollable porn-mustache growth, and a desire to dress like Cap’n Crunch.

36

Aaron Casson Trenor, Sustainable Sushi: A Guide to Saving the Oceans One Bite at a Time (North Atlantic Books, 2009), 14.

“High Mercury Levels Are Found in Tuna Sushi,” New York Times, January 23, 2008,
www.nytimes.com
.

37

FACT :
The well-known poison
arsenic is approved by the FDA
as an additive to poultry feed and given to at least 70 percent of chickens raised for consumption in the United States. Arsenic has been linked to cancer, birth defects, diabetes, and death.
Worse, arsenic has almost no taste. They could at least use cyanide, which is every bit as lethal but has the flavor of delicious almonds. And who doesn’t love almond chicken?

“Feeding Arsenic to Poultry: Is this Good Medicine?” Going Green: A Resource Kit for Pollution Prevention in Health Care, Health Care Without Harm,