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These Foods Are Not Good For You in Their Raw State

Many foods that most of us have at home are actually toxic – especially when raw. Here are seven toxic foods we still eat regularly.

bitter almonds

Almonds are a popular baking ingredient that packs a punch: Even five to ten raw bitter almonds can lead to fatal poisoning in children. This is because the amygdalin contained in the almonds is converted into toxic hydrocyanic acid in our body. Bitter almonds are usually only available in pharmacies, but it can happen that one of them is accidentally mixed with sweet almonds* in the supermarket. The problem: the almonds are visually indistinguishable.

But the all-clear is sound, because the poisonous bitter almonds don’t get their name by accident. And their bitter taste usually prevents you from eating more than one of them.

potatoes

Potatoes are actually a poisonous food. The reason for this is the solanine contained in the tubers. Solanine serves to kill rotting pathogens and thus protect the plant. The good thing is that most of the solanine is destroyed when the potatoes are cooked, making them safe for us. However, potatoes with green spots or sprouts should no longer be eaten, as this is where a particularly large amount of solanine is formed
Symptoms of poisoning with solanine range from headaches, vomiting, diarrhea or sore throats to severe poisoning that can be fatal. Older potatoes should therefore always be peeled.

cashew nuts

Cashew nuts are a popular and particularly healthy snack. But they are also poisonous in their original – uncooked – form, because they contain urushiol, a poison that can trigger strong reactions just by touching them. Fortunately, the poison is destroyed by heating, so the mostly roasted cashew nuts* from the supermarket are harmless.

By the way: The cashew nuts are often counted among the nuts. From a botanical point of view, however, they are not nuts at all, but the kernels of the cashew apple.

rhubarb

Rhubarb can also be poisonous. Because rhubarb contains the toxic oxalic acid, most of it in the leaves. If these are removed, the danger is manageable. In general, the more acidic the rhubarb, the more poisonous it is.

Green beans

Green beans actually sound very harmless and healthy. However, these are raw (just like almonds) only very limited edible. They also contain a toxin that is destroyed by heat: lectin phaseolin. In children, eating more than six green beans, for example from the garden, can lead to severe poisoning and even death. So be sure to enjoy the protein bombs cooked!

kidney beans

Kidney beans are also poisonous when raw. They contain the toxin phytohaemagglutinin, which is only destroyed by cooking. Caution: When cooking kidney beans, make sure that the water is really boiling and not just heated, otherwise there is a risk of poisoning and gastrointestinal problems.

manioc

When raw, manioc contains cyanide – i.e. hydrocyanic acid! And it’s highly toxic. That’s why you should never eat cassava raw. The cassava root comes from South America, but is now eaten all over the world. They can be peeled and chopped up, boiled in salted water and mashed – the result is a slightly sweet mashed potato. Manioc (also called “yuca”) also scores with many nutrients and vitamins, such as vitamin K. At the same time, the tuber is rich in starch – and calories.
Externally, cassava resembles a sweet potato, but has absolutely nothing to do with it.

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Food

Nutrition Check: You Should Not Combine These Foods

Not all foods can also be optimally combined with each other: While some food combinations have a healthy effect on our body, others should be avoided.

Combinations you should avoid

The first combination to avoid is white bread with jam. What is a popular breakfast for many should be avoided in the future: the bread contains many simple carbohydrates. If you eat this in combination with jam, your blood sugar level will rise briefly and then quickly drop again. The result is a feeling of ravenous hunger due to a lack of satiety and lack of strength. Alternatives for breakfast are needed: for example, choose wholemeal bread with a spread, a healthy porridge or yoghurt with fresh fruit.

If you eat a dish with lentils, you should avoid drinking red wine with it. The reason for this is that the tannins contained in red wine inhibit iron absorption. However, iron is important for our body; plant-based iron is very important, especially if you are vegan or vegetarian. If, for example, you choose lemon juice or another drink containing vitamin C instead of red wine, iron absorption can even be promoted.

The combination of salad and a fat-free dressing should also be avoided. The reason: Fat-free dressing prevents the body from absorbing the vitamins ideally. There is an inhibited absorption of vitamins, since many plant foods such as carrots need the fat in order to be able to be absorbed by the body. So a better idea is to add a few drops of an oil to the salad, for example.

Other food combinations to avoid

Another very popular combination is black tea with milk. Black tea is best known for containing anti-inflammatory antioxidants. However, if you add milk to the tea, the antioxidants are bound by the milk proteins and cannot be absorbed by the body. The calcium contained in the milk can also only be poorly absorbed by the body due to the caffeine in the tea. If you want to avoid this effect, you could, for example, add some lemon juice to the tea for better absorption of the antioxidants.

With a view to health, burgers and beer should ideally not be combined. Because even if the taste is perhaps very convincing, this can lead to small fat deposits over a long period of time. The reason for this: The body first starts to break down the alcohol and only then with the fat reduction. If you want to avoid the risk of unnecessary fat deposits on your hips, you should rather reach for a glass of water with the burger.

Another combination to avoid is alcohol with caffeine. Even if the caffeine often seems to be good after a night of heavy drinking, it ensures that the effects of the alcohol cannot be properly perceived. If you’re at a party, it’s better to have tea or water the day after.

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Cooking Tips

To Peel Potatoes or Not? It’s Really Easy With This Trick

Some say potatoes should be peeled, others advise against it. We reveal what’s really true and show a trick you can use to peel potatoes in a flash.

You can conjure up many delicious dishes from potatoes: baked potatoes, potato gratin or simple boiled potatoes. The tuber is versatile, tasty and healthy. When preparing the potatoes, many people ask themselves: should I rather peel the potatoes or can I eat them with the skin on?

Toxins in the potato peel

In addition to nutrients and roughage, the potato peel also contains toxic glycoalkaloids: a-solanine and a-chaconine. These toxins occur naturally in the potato. They are mainly concentrated in the skin and in the germ. Inside the potato, on the other hand, there are significantly fewer toxins.

Glycoalkaloids are heat stable but water soluble. This means: High temperatures do not affect the toxins. If, on the other hand, you cook the potatoes in boiling water, the substances are removed from the skin.

Our commercially available potato varieties naturally do not contain any concentrations of these toxic substances that are harmful to health. The actual content of these substances is additionally influenced by several factors:
Unripe potatoes contain more toxins than ripe potatoes
Damage (e.g. during transport) and light favor the formation of toxins
If potatoes are stored too warm or too cold, more toxins are also formed
So if your potatoes are ripe, undamaged and stored properly, you don’t have to worry about the glycoalkaloids.

Potato peel protects the nutrients and flavors

Potatoes contain a lot of vitamins B and C. However, some of these vitamins are lost during cooking. The potato skin acts as a barrier when cooking: If you cook your potatoes with the skin, fewer flavors and nutrients are released into the water. This means that more of these valuable substances remain in the potato.

To peel or not to peel potatoes?

Although there is a significant amount of glycoalkaloids in the skin, you don’t necessarily have to peel potatoes. The Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection confirms that potatoes can be eaten with their skins without hesitation as long as they are of “normal quality”.

If you still want to peel the potatoes, we recommend that you only peel them after cooking. In this way, the potatoes retain as many nutrients and flavors as possible. Make sure, however, that you use the potatoes soon after cooking so that you don’t lose any more flavor and nutrients unnecessarily.

Green spots are an indication of increased levels of toxins. Therefore, cut out the green areas generously. Very green potatoes should be discarded entirely.

Trick: peeling potatoes made easy

You can easily peel potatoes with the following instructions:
Wash the potatoes and score the skin all over with a sharp knife.
Boil the potatoes until they are done. Make sure that the potatoes are not overcooked, otherwise they may fall apart when you peel them.
Place the cooked potatoes in ice water and chill for at least 10 seconds.
You can then simply peel off the peel either with your fingers or with a knife.
You can actually peel potatoes quite easily using this method. However, this isn’t magic either, and the peel won’t always come off “in one go”. Especially if the potato is a bit misshapen or has small “spots”, you will definitely have to touch up some areas.

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Food

Eating a Kiwi With Its Skin on: Recommended, But Not Always

Most kiwis are peeled or spooned. You can also eat kiwis with the skin on and benefit from the most valuable nutrients. We explain what you should pay attention to.

Eat the kiwi peel too – it takes a little getting used to at first

Eating kiwis with the skin on is very healthy. Wash the kiwi well, remove the stalk and then cut into strips or cubes. The taste of the peel is a bit peculiar, but it complements the sweet flesh of the kiwi very well. The rough, hairy structure of the kiwi skin in particular might take some getting used to at first. Just try it a few times – and you’ll quickly get used to the special consistency. For starters, you can also try the golden kiwis, which have a noticeably thinner and smoother skin.

Tip: If you puree the kiwi with the peel in a smoothie, you will hardly notice the difference.
Important: When buying, you should make sure that you choose organically grown kiwis. In conventional cultivation, chemicals such as pesticides are often used, which are then mainly found on the skin. In this case, it’s best not to eat the peel. To be on the safe side, you should also wash organic kiwifruit thoroughly beforehand.

Eat the kiwi with the skin on – that’s why it’s so healthy

Kiwis are rich in vitamin C, vitamin K and vitamin A, and also provide potassium and magnesium. As with most fruits, most of the nutrients are just under the skin. If you peel or spoon out kiwis, you often miss out on some of these important vitamins and trace elements.

In addition, the peel itself is rich in antioxidants and provides additional fiber.
For these reasons, it is generally highly recommended to eat kiwis with the skin on: This way you get the full health boost that this tasty and healthy fruit provides.

Kiwi without pangs of conscience – avoid long transport routes

Therefore, when shopping, you should pay more attention to the country of origin of the delicious fruit in order to minimize your ecological footprint. In Europe, France, Italy, Spain and Greece are among the most important producers. In these countries, the kiwi is in season from September. During the summer months, however, you should better avoid kiwis – then they usually come from the southern hemisphere.

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Food

Eating Eggplant Raw: Why it is Not Recommended

“You shouldn’t eat aubergines raw” is a piece of advice many have heard. We explain what’s behind it and whether you really shouldn’t eat aubergines raw.

Eat aubergines raw – yes or no?

The aubergine belongs to the nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes and potatoes. Eggplants produce the toxin solanine, a weak neurotoxin. In small amounts, solanine usually has no noticeable consequences. But if you eat a lot of raw eggplant, the solanine can lead to headaches, gastrointestinal problems and vomiting. According to the German Society for Nutrition, even more serious health consequences are possible.

Since the proportion of bitter substances at the base of the aubergine and in unripe aubergines is higher, many doctors warn against eating raw aubergines. Nowadays, however, aubergines themselves are hardly toxic even when they are raw, since the toxins only occur in extremely small doses in modern cultivations.

Raw eggplants don’t taste good

In principle, it is possible to eat ripe aubergines raw. Nevertheless, it is not recommended because the raw vegetables taste very bitter and are not tasty.

Despite modern breeding, you should make sure that your eggplant is really ripe before you eat it. This is how you minimize the toxins. You can recognize the inedible parts by the green color – just like with potatoes and tomatoes.

You can see whether an aubergine is ripe by these characteristics:
the skin is smooth and shiny,
the peel is easy to dent and the flesh underneath is relatively soft,
the flesh is white on the inside and not green.
To draw the bitter juices out of the eggplant, it’s often recommended to soak the raw eggplant in salted water and pat dry before baking/roasting. In terms of health, this is no longer necessary thanks to modern breeding. But it’s still worth it, because the eggplant absorbs less fat and is healthier.

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Food

Media Warn: “Avocados Are Not Vegan”

Vegans like to eat avocados. Because the healthy superfood is a delicious substitute for animal foods. Strictly speaking, the avocado is not vegan at all – at least that is what the British television broadcaster BBC claims.

“Which of these foods can you eat as a strict vegan?” presenter Sandi Toksvig asks her contestants on the latest episode of BBC quiz show “QI”. Almonds, avocados, kiwis, a pumpkin and a melon are shown on a screen. The surprising answer: “None.”

Although the food does not consist of animal products, animals are exploited for their cultivation, according to the moderator. Just like honey production, avocado cultivation uses bees in an unnatural way. “The fruits depend on the bees, which are transported long distances across the country by truck,” says Toksvig on the show.

Animals are exploited to grow avocados

The method is called “migratory beekeeping”, in which the bees swarm out to pollinate the fields, then put them back in boxes and transport them to the next cultivation area. The same applies to cucumbers, broccoli, cherries and lettuce.

In fact, when it comes to honey, animal rights activists argue just like the BBC show: According to the animal welfare organization Peta, bees for the honey industry are “victims of unnatural living conditions, genetic manipulation and stressful transport.”

The difference, however, is that honey is produced directly by the bees. When growing avocados (and growing many other fruits and vegetables), the bees are only responsible for pollinating the plants.

Pollination is actually a natural process. On large fields and plantations, however, there are not enough bees to fertilize an entire plantation. The bees are therefore placed artificially on the fields.

So are avocados, almonds & co. vegan?

Media such as Bild.de, bento or Focus online are picking up the story and warning vegans about the allegedly non-vegan types of fruit and vegetables. But what is the truth of the claim?

Ultimately, whether avocados and other fruits and vegetables are vegan depends on how you define veganism. The organization The Vegan Society, for example, contradicts the interpretation of the program “QI”. “Vegans avoid using animals as much as possible,” spokeswoman Dominika Piasecka told the online magazine Plant Based News.

It is clear that in agriculture animals are often harmed indirectly. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to avoid this at the moment, the spokeswoman said. “Vegans go a long way in reducing animal suffering. We welcome any changes in farming practices that support this.”

Avocados: Not only problematic for animals

Apart from that, the avocado is also a not unproblematic food for other reasons. In Germany, for example, the fruit is mainly imported from Peru, Chile, Mexico and South Africa. It covers a correspondingly long transport route in refrigerated containers, which causes emissions twice over and has a negative impact on the ecological balance of the fruit.

In Mexico in particular, environmental organizations also complain that forests are being cleared illegally to make way for avocado fields.

And avocados need enormous amounts of water: an avocado tree needs around 50 liters of water per day, which is already scarce in the rather hot, dry growing areas. Estimates assume that almost 1,000 liters of water are used for one kilo of avocados – that’s often only three pieces.

So whether the avocado is vegan or not is a matter of definition. The fact is: the fruit is not exactly sustainable. If you still don’t want to do without avocados, you should opt for organically grown fruit and also choose avocados from Spain or Israel, because the transport routes are shorter here.

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Food

Glucose: Why it’s Not as Healthy as We Think

Without dextrose, also called glucose, we could not live. Here you can find out why you should still only take it in moderation.

Have you ever eaten glucose before an exam or before exercising to get more energy? In fact, glucose is the body’s primary source of energy. Every cell needs glucose to work and survive – according to the health portal netdoktor.de, your brain alone uses over 100 grams per day.

This is how glucose gets into our body

When you eat a glucose candy, the sugar immediately enters your bloodstream through your digestive tract. There, the hormone insulin ensures that the glucose is distributed to the cells of your body. If there is anything left after that, your body stores the glucose in the form of glycogen. In the liver, he can store the glycogen for a few hours and access it again when needed.

In order to supply your body with glucose, you do not have to eat it in its pure form. According to netdoktor.de, your body can produce glucose from other carbohydrates, proteins and possibly also from fatty acids. For example, glucose is a building block of normal table sugar (sucrose) and lactose. The substance is also found in more complex carbohydrates, such as those found in whole grains. When you chew carbohydrate foods, your body is already making glucose.

If you are healthy, you can hardly eat too little glucose. The only important thing is in which form you take the glucose.

Better to let the body produce glucose

When you eat a glucose candy, the glucose enters your body the fastest way. Your body doesn’t have to make them from other carbohydrates first. Your blood sugar level rises quickly and your cells get energy.

Once the glucose has been redistributed, it’s no longer in the blood—meaning your blood sugar levels go down as fast as they went up. Your body now needs new energy – and you get hungry. If you constantly give in to this feeling of hunger, it can lead to you consuming too many calories over a long period of time.

The so-called “glycemic index” (GI) shows you how quickly your blood sugar level rises and falls as a result of a food. Pure glucose has the highest glycemic index: 100. It is much lower in whole grains, dairy products and most fruits. Your body must first produce glucose from these foods. That’s why your blood sugar level rises more slowly and less strongly – and also falls more slowly again. So you are full longer.

Fast Glucose: Are High GI Foods Unhealthy?

It has not yet been proven whether foods with a high glycemic index actually increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and other diseases. In addition, the glycemic index is not a fixed quantity: if you combine foods with a high glycemic index with fats or proteins, these ensure that your body absorbs glucose more slowly.

Ultimately, you should eat whole, varied meals rather than isolated stuff. In this way you stay full longer and not only supply your body with glucose, but also with many other important nutrients and roughage.

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Food

Carmine: Why The Dye is Not Vegetarian

Carmine red is in lipsticks, candy or lemonade. However, the red dye is not suitable for vegetarians. We’ll explain why.

What is carmine and where is it used?

Carmine is a dye widely used in the cosmetics and food industries. It gives a rich red color to numerous products. You can find it on the list of ingredients under the designation E120. Carmine is often also listed as “true carmine”, carminic acid, carmine, cochineal or cochineal.

Many of the following products are often colored with crimson:
lipsticks
eyeshadow
shampoo
Toothpaste with red content
Sweets
lemonades and soft drinks
milkshakes
fruit yoghurt
Ready-to-eat desserts
Canned cherries and red fruit jelly
Cake frosting and cake decoration
cured meats
The problem: Real carmine is made from dead lice. Countless small animals die for the dye. This is not only cruel, but can also lead to health problems for us humans.

Why carmine is not vegetarian

Carmine red is obtained from the dye of female scale insects. Depending on the process, the subspecies cochineal scale or nopal scale, the Indian lacquer scale or the Polish and Armenian cochineal are used. The tiny insects naturally produce the red acid to protect themselves from predators.

More problems from Carmine

In addition to the fact that carmine red is not vegetarian, the dye can also become dangerous for humans.

The consumption of carmine can lead to serious allergic reactions: skin rashes, breathing difficulties, headaches and nausea up to a life-threatening anaphylactic shock can be the result. Asthmatics should also avoid products with crimson as much as possible.

Alternatives to Carmine

Killing countless animals for purely visual reasons is senseless and cruel. In order not to further support the production of crimson, you can take a closer look at the list of ingredients for red-colored products.

Many manufacturers are now using plant-based or synthetic alternatives to carmine. The number E124 indicates synthetic carmine. Red dye can also be obtained naturally from alkenna roots or from beetroot juice.

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Food

Eat The Kernels: You Should Not Throw Away These Fruit Seeds

You can easily eat the pits from many fruits, even some varieties that you might not expect to eat. We’ll show you which seeds you can eat – and how healthy they can even be.

For most people, throwing away the pits of watermelons or apples is quite normal. You can also eat them and not only minimize leftovers, but also benefit from the valuable ingredients.

Eat the kernels too: Concern about the hydrocyanic acid

Again and again we are warned against eating the seeds of certain fruits. The so-called amygdalin is particularly important. Amygdalin becomes toxic hydrocyanic acid in the body and is found primarily in the seeds of the following types of fruit:
Apple
apricot
avocado
pear
date
cherry
mango
nectarine
peach
plum
In fact, hydrocyanic acid can lead to poisoning and even death. Nevertheless, you don’t have to worry about it if you want to eat fruit stones more often in the future. In most cases, in order to poison yourself, you would have to ingest extremely large amounts of seeds: for example, it would take over 200 apple seeds to become poisoned. You can find more information on the amygdalin content of these types of fruit in a study by the University of Leeds.

We usually don’t eat the large pits of cherries, nectarines or plums anyway. But even here you would have to eat several of them at once – and grind them first because you would simply excrete them without chewing.

Grape seeds – rich in antioxidants

Many customers prefer seedless grapes. The kernels of all things contain valuable nutrients.

From a health point of view, the flavonoids contained are particularly interesting. These are among the secondary plant substances and have an antioxidant effect in the body: They protect our cells by binding free radicals, can reduce inflammation and strengthen the immune system.

Many scientific studies deal with the medical potential of grape seed extract, such as a Turkish study from 2018. Of course, the ingredients in the bare seeds are much less concentrated than in the extract. Nevertheless, it is worth not throwing away the grape seeds, but to chew them up and eat them.

Eat apple seeds – not poisonous, but healthy

As mentioned, apple seeds contain a certain amount of amygdalin. But you don’t have to worry about prussic acid poisoning.

You can confidently eat the entire core, which also contains valuable nutrients. The kernels contain additional fiber and some phytochemicals.

By the way: As with most kernels, apple seeds are simply excreted if you swallow them whole. If you want to benefit from the nutrients, you have to chew the seeds thoroughly.

Pears: eat the cores too

The situation with pears is very similar to that of apples: There is also a small amount of amygdalin in the seeds, but you don’t need to worry about that.

Instead, you can easily eat the already small seeds. There are also antioxidants in the form of secondary plant substances.

Watermelon: eat the seeds

Watermelon seeds are rich in magnesium, iron, folic acid and unsaturated fatty acids. They also contain vitamin A, vitamin C and proteins. Therefore, these seeds are too good to throw away.

You can simply eat the watermelon seeds raw. It is important here again that you chew them up properly. This is the only way your body can access the valuable ingredients. In addition, unchewed watermelon seeds are said to be difficult to digest.

Alternatively, you can also prepare a delicious snack from the kernels by first drying them and then roasting them in a pan or in the oven with a little oil and salt – not only a delicious snack for in between, but also as an ingredient for soups or baked goods use.

Citrus seeds are edible

Whether lemon, orange or grapefruit: You can also eat the seeds of citrus fruits. They also contain secondary plant substances and fiber.

Lemon seeds are said to contain traces of salicylic acid. This is the main active ingredient in aspirin. It is doubtful to what extent you can benefit from the pain-relieving effect of a few lemon seeds.

Eat the avocado stone or not?

Avocados are hyped as a superfood. The creamy fruit contains a lot of unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. The core, on the other hand, usually ends up in the garbage or on the compost. That’s doubly a pity: On the one hand, it also contains plenty of nutrients from which we can benefit in terms of health. On the other hand, avocados have such a bad ecological balance due to transport routes, cultivation conditions and water requirements that we should at least use the whole fruit.

While some praise the stone as a miracle cure because of the healthy nutrients, there are also dissenting voices: Because the avocado stone also contains the bitter substance persine, which can be deadly in larger quantities. Again, the dose makes the poison: eating an entire avocado seed at once would not be a good idea. A small piece could in turn have positive effects, such as preventing cardiovascular diseases or stimulating the metabolism.

The best way to eat the kernel is to grate it finely with a kitchen grater and mix the pieces into your muesli, salad or smoothie. You can also use them to make tea.

Eat papaya seeds – against parasites in the intestine

The papaya is another tropical fruit that, at best, can be imported from southern Europe. The many black seeds in the middle of the fruit are usually thrown away in this country. In tropical countries, on the other hand, it is common to eat them to prevent or fight parasites in the intestine.

This effect is due to the enzyme papain, of which the seeds contain plenty. This specifically attacks parasite eggs by converting their proteins. This was scientifically proven in a pilot study.

In addition, papaya seeds are particularly rich in antioxidants, which – as already mentioned – are beneficial to our health in many ways.

In terms of taste, the seeds are more reminiscent of black pepper than of a sweet fruit with their sharpness. It may take a little getting used to at first, but in combination with the pulp they produce an interesting taste. But take it slow and don’t eat all the seeds at once – that could overwhelm your taste buds and your digestion. A few seeds will do for starters.

You can also dry and grind the seeds and use them as a pepper substitute.

Some also swear by swallowing the papaya seeds whole. Due to the fiber layer that encases the slippery kernels, they should slide through the intestines and clean them like swollen psyllium husks. However, there are no studies on this so far.

Since papaya has traveled such a long distance, the general rule is: Eat it seldom, and then eat it organically.

Eat the seeds too: Everyone does it with these fruits and vegetables

There are numerous types of fruit whose seeds we all eat – simply because they are so small that they can hardly be sorted out. These include, among other things:
Berries, for example raspberries, blueberries, strawberries
figs
kiwis
The same applies to some types of vegetables, such as:
cucumbers
eggplants
tomatoes
zucchini
But it is also perfectly normal and healthy to eat the kernels of nuts and so-called stone fruits. Because here the core is what we understand and consume as a nut:
hazelnut
walnut
macadamia nut
chestnuts
Hemp seed (also called hemp nut)
almonds
brazil nut
pecan
pistachios
cashew nuts
Passion fruit and pomegranates are another special case: the edible part consists almost exclusively of seeds. Only the shell is not edible here.

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Lifestyle

Health Hazard: Which Foods do Not Belong on The Grill

Summertime is barbecue time – but many people make fundamental mistakes. Anyone who puts the wrong food on the grill or uses inappropriate utensils is harmful to their health. You shouldn’t grill this.

1. Marinated grilled food directly on the grid

One of the biggest health risks when barbecuing: when fat from the food drips onto the embers, so-called “polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons” (PAHs) can form. The substances rise through the smoke, and anyone standing near the grill can inhale them. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, PAHs have a carcinogenic effect.

This means that marinated vegetables, meat or cheese in particular should not be placed directly on the grill to prevent the marinade from dripping off. Use a grill tray instead – ideally a reusable tray. Single-use products only create unnecessary waste.

By the way: If it still happens that liquid drips down and smoke develops, you should put the food aside until the smoke subsides.

2. Acidic or salty foods on aluminum

If you use an aluminum grill tray, however, you have to be careful again: If aluminum comes into contact with acids or salts, a chemical reaction will take place. Aluminum ions dissolve and can migrate to the food.

Healthy people usually excrete the aluminum through their kidneys – but it can also happen that the light metal accumulates in their bodies.

To avoid this, acidic and salty foods in particular should not come into contact with aluminum. So when grilling, don’t put cheese, salted or marinated meats, and vegetables in an aluminum tray or wrap them in aluminum foil. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the same applies to tomatoes. Instead, use a stainless steel grill pan or vegetable leaves.

3. The wrong fat

Would you like to grill corn on the cob? Make sure you don’t butter it until after – butter doesn’t belong on the grill. It has a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, which cannot tolerate the high grilling temperatures. The result: butter on the cob – or any other food to be grilled – oxidizes and forms heavy smoke. The same goes for margarine and corn oil.

4. Cured and smoked meats

It doesn’t matter whether it’s directly on the grill or in a bowl: What doesn’t belong on the grill at all is cured or smoked meat. These include, for example, Viennese sausages, ham, bockwurst, meat sausage and bacon. These meat products are made using nitrite curing salt – a mixture of table salt and potassium or sodium nitrite.

5. Cheap meat

Apart from the health hazard, there is another point to consider when barbecuing: cheap meat should also be taboo. Steak, grilled sausages or meat skewers for a few euros are produced under extremely questionable conditions. The animals live in a confined space, stand in their faeces and never see sunlight in their lives. They have no opportunities to occupy themselves – the animals often injure each other. Crates, piglet castration without anesthetic and tail docking are still common in industrial mass operations.

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