She’s A Food Scientist Talking About The Foods She Would Never Eat Due To Safety Concerns
Have you ever wondered if there are certain foods you should avoid eating, not necessarily because of their nutritional value but because of safety?
I’m not trying to ‘yuck anyone’s yum,’ but there are some food items out there that are riskier to eat than others, and we should be educated on those foods.
One woman named Jen (@jenlovesfood), a food scientist, recently went viral on TikTok after sharing a handful of foods she avoids eating due to safety issues, and her list may surprise you.
In the intro of her video, which has received over 1.2 million likes on TikTok, Jen talks about how she’s qualified to talk about these foods and their safety hazards because she is a food scientist who works in the food and dietary supplement industry as a safety and product development consultant.
Therefore, Jen is a good source to have!
The first food Jen mentions she avoids eating is raw oysters.
“I am so sorry to the girly pop that ate 48 oysters on her first date,” Jen says in her video.
“I know how much you love them, but I have good reason.”
Jen explains that if you were to eat a contaminated raw oyster, you could contract vibriosis, a bacterial illness that brings on all sorts of horrible symptoms like vomiting, fever, cramping, chills, etc. Jen also says she personally prefers grilled and cooked oysters and believes eating them raw is not worth the risk.
Scanrail – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Plus, with that recent vibriosis outbreak from New York oysters this last summer, holding off on eating them raw can’t hurt.
The second food Jen lists is very interesting, and a big bummer for those who love an iconic fall treat: candied apples.
“I’m not trying to be a hater; I love a good fall-themed treat, but let me explain why,” says Jen.
“There is a pathogen called Listeria monocytogenes that is naturally occurring in the soil, and there are many points of contamination during the harvesting process of apples where the apples can be contaminated with this.”
So why are candied apples specifically dangerous? Because when the wooden stick you use to hold the candied apple punctures the bottom of the apple, it can push that dangerous bacteria from the outside of the apple into its inner center.
Then, once the Listeria bacteria is in there, it has access to food, so it grows and grows, making you more likely to get sick when you eat the apple. Jen also points out that Listeria is especially dangerous for pregnant women, as it can cause major damage to unborn babies.
The third food on Jen’s list is quinoa. However, it’s not actually dangerous. Jen simply can’t stand it and thinks it tastes like dirt. But if you love it, keep eating it!
The fourth food Jen mentions is raw milk. It’s the one item on her list she genuinely believes not a single person should ever be consuming.
“Nobody should be drinking this,” says Jen.
“Absolutely nobody. Please stop listening to these TikTok influencers. They say that it contains ‘beneficial bacteria.’ Um, baby, it just contains bacteria in general. It is literally unpasteurized. [When] drinking raw milk, there’s a huge risk of having a pathogenic contamination like E. Coli and salmonella, which cows are natural carriers of, by the way.”
Jen debunks the idea that raw cow’s milk contains bacteria that are good for your gut by pointing out that all the dangerous and bad bacteria in unpasteurized milk out-compete the good ones you have.
Finally, the final food on Jen’s do-not-eat list is alfalfa sprouts.
While the teeny little sprouts may seem harmless, their damp and wet growing environment makes them risky.
“Sprouts are grown by being soaked in water,” explains Jen.
“Now, this type of environment that they’re grown in is super, super conducive to bacterial growth, specifically Salmonella, E. Coli, Listeria…just not the good ones. There are so many other veggies that I enjoy.”
That is the last of Jen’s food list! At the end of her video, Jen acknowledges that a few of the things she listed are food items people really enjoy but encourages her viewers to “eat at their own discretion.”
However, she emphasizes one last time that raw milk is the one thing she truly believes should never be consumed.
Are any of your favorite foods on this list?
@jenlovesfood 5 foods I would not eat as a food scientist ?????? #foodscientist #fyp #foodsafety #guthealth
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