Here Are 8 Foods That You'd Be Better Off Not Consuming!

The number one source of food poisoning is undercooked meat. Raw meats can contain Salmonella, E.coli, Campylobacter, and Yersinia. Thoroughly cooking your meat will eradicate this bacteria, but you can never tell if your meat is properly cooked just by looking at it. You should always use a meat thermometer and cook food to a safe internal temperature.

2. Leftover Meat

Just because you cooked it properly once, doesn’t mean that it’s safe to eat after it has been relegated to leftovers. Any leftovers should be refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower within 2 hours of preparation. Large cuts of meat should be divided into smaller quantities so that they’ll cool fast enough to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Raw milk can contain harmful bacteria that can make you really sick. This can include Campylobacter, E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Although listeriosis (the infection caused by Listeria) is rare, pregnant women are less capable of fighting it, meaning it can be more deadly for them. Furthermore, it can be harmful to the unborn baby as well. Older adults and those with a compromised immune are also at a greater risk.

Therefore, it’s best to drink pasteurized milk. Those at a greater risk should take the extra precaution of not eating any dairy products made from unpasteurized milk – raw cheeses, for example.

4. Raw Eggs

Eggs can contain Salmonella even if they look clean and are uncracked. To avoid getting sick, cook the eggs until the yolks and whites are firm. Foods that contain eggs should be cooked thoroughly. Keep your eggs at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, and don’t eat raw cookie dough or cake batter.

5. Canned Foods

6. Raw Sprouts

Sprouts are grown in wet, warm conditions, making them an ideal breeding ground for germs such as E.coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. You can kill these bacteria by thoroughly cooking your sprouts. So, if you love sprouts, you should think about cooking them rather than serving them raw on your sandwiches and salads.

8. Unwashed Fruits and Vegetables

Eating fresh produce provides important health benefits, but raw fruits and vegetables can sometimes contain E.coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Contamination can occur anytime from the farm right to the table, including via cross-contamination in your own kitchen. Therefore, always wash your produce carefully.

This is also true for those fruits with peels. This is because you’re either touching the peel with your fingers or cutting through the peel, thereby cross-contaminating the flesh with germs from the peel.