A 64-year-old woman in Bozeman, USA, died a slow and painful death after eating morels at a sushi restaurant, according to her husband. The mushrooms, which also grow in the Netherlands, are poisonous if you do not heat them properly. Morels are not the only poisonous foods that you should pay close attention to.
According to the National Poison Information Center (NVIC), almost 500 people came into contact with poisonous food in 2022. “The foods are very diverse, ranging from vegetables and fruit to spices,” according to the NVIC.
Aldert Gutter of the Dutch Mycological Association (NMV) sees several incidents with poisonous foods every year. Although morels grow in the Netherlands and can therefore be poisonous, Gutter has not yet seen any accidents with the mushroom. “In our country, wild harvesters are apparently well aware of the fact that they have to be heated.”
Deadly ending
But can you tell if a mushroom is poisonous? Gutter claims not. “You just have to know them. Poisoning is always the result of too little knowledge.” According to the NMV, poisonings in the Netherlands mainly occur among people from abroad who thought they had found species they knew from their own country. Also with fatal consequences every year.
Maartje Boot from the Nutrition Center also warns against mushrooms. The poisonous species are barely distinguishable from the edible ones, even for experts. “Every year many people end up in hospital due to poisoning caused by self-picked mushrooms.” Eating poisonous mushrooms can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and in very serious cases even death.
Cherry stones
Other foods that cause poisoning relatively often are stone fruit stones such as cherries and apricots. “That can lead to cyanide poisoning,” says Boot. Although the pulp is not poisonous, you should be careful with the seeds. For example, there are people who put the whole cherry in the blender, for example as an ingredient for a smoothie. “The seeds of apples and pears also contain these plant toxins, but in smaller quantities.”
Other foods that cause poisoning relatively often are table salt, vinegar and baking soda. According to the NVIC, if you use too much of this, it can quickly lead to vomiting and nausea. At very high doses it can lead to low blood pressure, swelling of the brain and even coma.
Heat vegetables well
You also have to be careful with different vegetables. For example, legumes, green beans and kidney beans must first be heated thoroughly before you can eat them. “Ingestion of just a few raw beans can lead to abdominal pain, nausea, severe vomiting and severe diarrhea,” according to the NVIC.
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