Life's the pits

I recently read an article online about everyday things people consume which might be harmful. According to the article, you would have to eat or drink an abnormal quantity for the items to be fatal, such as 85 full size chocolate bars; 48 teaspoons of salt; 120 cups of coffee or the caffeine equivalent; or the seeds in 20-24 apples. If you think about it, who in their right mind would eat 85 Hershey bars in a day? With that much chocolate in the system, poisoning wouldn’t be the only problem; think Ex-Lax on steroids. While I am certain that the article is correct in its equivalents, it might also give a false sense of security in that most people might think that they are safe by not consuming the specified amount per day.

While it might be difficult to drink 120 cups of coffee, containing 6-10 grams of caffeine daily, especially considering that with many people coffee acts either as a laxative or a water pill. For those needing to stay awake for long periods of time, it is easy to drink three to four 10-15 cup pots of coffee in a 24 hour period (up to 6 grams caffeine). This amount might not be fatal, but it can cause changes in heart rhythm, increased blood pressure, headaches, stomach and intestinal problems, which will make your life miserable. If you are still trying to keep awake and alert, you might want to add a No-Doz (200 mg per tablet), and/or an energy drink (80 mg caffeine). Toxic intakes are now easy. Recommended daily amount is 250 mg caffeine daily or the amount in two and a half 8-ounce cups of coffee daily.

Still think you are safe? Caffeine, like other substances, has a cumulative effect. In plain words, drink only the 3 mugs of coffee daily and the theobromine, a chemical present with the caffeine, can stay in the body and add up over time, causing problems.

It is the same thing with the apple seeds and apricot pits. Cyanide is the chemical present in the apple seeds and pits of apricots, peaches, and plums. Cyanide is most commonly found in rat poison. Got the idea yet? While most folks won’t eat the hard shell around the apricot pit, they might eat the soft center. Yes, laetrile, also found in pits, has been used in cancer treatment. Reliable and reputable human studies are not abundant. While some have shown promise, others have shown the effects of cyanide poisoning. IF it did work, curing anything while poisoning the body is not generally considered good therapy. How can you eat that many apple seeds? Smoothies where EVERYTHING is ground up. Sorry, but Mother Nature did not intend humans to eat every part of every plant. If she had, either the seeds/pits would have been softer or our teeth harder. The point is, if you are going to blend a fruit, blend the skin and the pulp, but not anything else.