Beware: Deadly Outcomes from 12 Killer Foods

There are some foods that are seemingly harmless, but can actually make you very sick, and even kill you, if too much is ingested. Here’s a list of 12 of the most deadly foods around. Some foods are extremely rare in the U.S., while others you probably eat quite often in very small amounts.

Take a look at our top 12 list and/or watch the included video from WatchMojo to add some entertainment to the story. The video does a nice job of showing how the food was previously and humorously used in a movie at some point or another (you may recognize some and chuckle all over again).

picnic foods

Killer Foods

Top 12 Killer Foods

Take 11 minutes (no ads) and watch this entertaining video which includes facts about killer foods, how to avoid the toxins within these killer foods and movie clips that mimic actual food poisonings from these killer foods.

Spoiler Alert: We put the list of top 12 killer foods (a re-cap so you don’t need to take notes) in the next section. So, don’t read on until after you’ve watched this factual and humorous video.


Top 12 Killer Foods

Killer Food List

Here’s a re-cap of the top 12 killer foods:

  1. Potatoes – specifically, green potatoes. Consuming about three green potatoes is enough to be fatally poisoned. See our link on green potatoes for more information.

  2. Almonds – specifically, bitter almonds. It’s sweet almonds that are sold in stores, which have a very low toxin level. Almonds have been going through a heat treatment and pasteurization process in the U.S. since 2007.

  3. Fish – specifically, Pufferfish or Blowfish. Called fugu in Japan, chefs train for years in order to legally prepare the fish.

  4. Elderberries – eating uncooked elderberries is basically the same as ingesting cyanide!

  5. Mushrooms – specifically, wild mushrooms. Don’t go digging in the forest, just stick to the ones sold in stores to be safe.

  6. Sannakji – which is live Octopus, a popular snack in Korea. The suction cups, still moving even if you chop the tentacles, can stick to your espophagus on the way down and actually choke you to death.

  7. Ackee – a popular fruit in Jamaica. Eating the wrong part of this fruit is deadly.
  8. Ghost pepper – consuming too much of the worlds hottest pepper can definitely kill you. It’s more than 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce!

  9. Eggs – specifically, raw eggs. This is a rare, but real, danger. See our link on salmonella for more information.

  10. Taro – specifically, raw taro. Make sure to fully cook this vegetable before ingestion and you’ll be fine.

  11. Rhubarb – specifically, the rhubarb leaves. The red stems are good, but the green leaves contain poison and will make you sick. Eating several pounds of rhubarb leaves can even kill you.

  12. Nutmeg – a sprinkle of nutmeg in your eggnog is all well and good, but large doses of this amphetamine compound can be lethal.

Killer Foods

Additional Info

Another item worth mentioning are the seeds and pits of some very common fruits. With the popularity of smoothies, this is worth a mention. Apple seeds and Cherry pits are two more foods that you want to avoid.

Spoiled foods can also be killer foods, so be sure to always read the “how to tell if xxx has gone bad” sections of EatByDate whenever you’re looking up a food in question. It’s far more important to know how to tell if a food has spoiled or gone bad than if the best before date has passed.

After watching the video, cruise through the comments underneath the video for a chuckle or two if you’ve got the time.

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.

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