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The advice to avoid bitter almonds as a snack may seem superfluous, as whole bitter almonds taste just as bad as the name suggests. But Richard Bjerselius, a toxicologist with the National Food Administration, points out that especially children may have the stupid idea of chewing whole bitter almonds if parents forget them.
– We had not formulated it so clearly before, but the common sense of the most reliable people. Now we say: don’t eat bitter almonds as a snack, but it’s okay to eat them in cakes, says Bjerselius, who has updated the guidelines after a recent review of the research.
About 2,500 plants, including several common foods like bitter almonds, contain cyanogenic glycosides that can form the toxic substance hydrogen cyanide when chewed, crushed, or ground.
– Too high doses may cause cramps, vomiting, shortness of breath and nausea. If you ingest too much hydrogen cyanide, shortness of breath can be life threatening, says Bjerselius.
Whole flax seeds are, as before, marked in green: adults should not eat more than one or two tablespoons a day, and children should only eat them as part of other products such as muesli, bread and porridge.
Unlike before Get approval for crushed and ground flax seeds if they are heated along with liquid, but no more than a tablespoon a day for adults. However, children should completely avoid crushed and ground flax seeds.
– With this scientific review, we see that it is possible to ingest a small amount of ground flaxseed. Some of the hydrogen cyanide evaporates if you prepare them into a liquid and heat them. The same applies to other foods with cyanogenic glycosides, says Bjerselius.
The National Food Administration does not regular updates of advice and recommendations. The hydrogen cyanide food update is partly about the emergence of poisoning due to the vegetarian trend.
– We see that there is a risk that the consumption of this type of food increases with the tendency to eat more and more plant-based. Then you need to be aware of the risks of naturally toxin-containing plants, says Bjerselius.
One of the newest arrivals The food in Swedish grocery stores is cassava, which is common in tropical countries. The National Food Administration is now getting serious about it and completely advises against eating the root or leaves in raw form.
– In Sweden, we do not have the tradition of eating cassava. It is mainly in other parts of the world where cassava is used for cooking, and in those countries the risks are known. It is possible to eat cassava after cooking, but it is important to be careful and follow the instructions. Cassava can contain high levels of cyanogenic glycosides, says Bjerselius.
The National Food Administration encourages consumers to ask at the store how it should be cooked and whether it is sweet or sour because the bitter variety contains more cyanogenic glycosides and is therefore more difficult to cook to remove toxins.
