We choose the foods we eat based on what our senses want. However, our senses are not good at picking out toxic foods. If it’s tasty, it’s good, or so our senses think.
Unless you always google everything you eat, you probably don’t think that some foods most people consider normal might have side effects, especially when ingested very frequently.
The foods you’ll see on this list have been found through research to be harmful to our health, especially if taken frequently.
If you’re a huge fan of any of them, it might be time to make some adjustments to your taste.
1. Casu Marzu (rotten cheese)
Casu Marzu which literally means rotten cheese get’s its flavor from live maggots. And it is banned from commercial sale in many countries for good reasons.
To produce Casu marzu, cheese is first allowed to be infested with flies, then it’s stored in a dark hut for about three months. The eggs from the flies then hatch into maggots.
The maggots feed on the cheese and excrete a thick creamy fluid on it. The resulting creamy cheese is then brought out of storage and used to consume bread by those who find it delicious.
But even though the manner of production of this cheese is known by many, it doesn’t stop it from being one of the most loved delicacies on the Italian island of Sardinia.
In fact, some see the maggot infestation of the cheese as the best part of it.
When eating Casu Marzu, first, it is advised that you close your eyes before taking a bite. It’s kind of weird to watch yourself ingest live maggots. Secondly, chew thoroughly to avoid swallowing live maggots, as that will surely lead to a serious health hazard.
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2. Processed meat
An elaborate study was done on 500,000 meat-eaters in the UK, the researchers found that eating 76 g of processed or red meat a day increases your chances of bowel cancer by 20%.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies any meat that has been modified to improve taste or shelf-life as a group 1 carcinogen.
What this means is that a lot of research has confirmed that eating processed meat increases your risk of cancer.
Here’s where the problem is with processed meat.
The Nitrates and nitrites used to increase the shelf life of processed meat get converted to nitrosamines when it gets into your body. And Nitrosemin increases the risk of cancer because it causes damage to the DNA.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should stop eating processed or red meat. But it sure means you should watch your intake.
If you’re used to eating processed meat a lot, find other alternatives like free-range chickens, turkey, or some greens. Learn to mix it up.