12 Food Dangers for Kitties

They reach high counter tops in one leap, scare huge dogs with one fierce hiss, and pounce on small rodents in one second. Their antics make us think of them as super-felines, but they are not immune to many dangers lurking in our kitchens. 

They charm us with their bright eyes and beg us to share our delicacies with them....but mostly we should resist. Many harmless-looking foods can create major problems for our beloved cats. 

This is a list of some common human foods that can harm cats.

1. Onions, garlic, and related root vegetables contain substances that can destroy feline red blood cells and cause Heinz body anemia.

2. Raw green tomatoes and potatoes contain bitter alkaloids that can cause serious lower gastrointestinal symptoms. Tomato and potato leaves and stems also contain large amounts of these harmful alkaloids.

3. Chocolate contains theobromine, which is a central nervous system and cardiovascular system stimulant, and can cause vomiting and even death. Some animals are attracted to chocolate because of the sweetness, but we need to protect them from their desire...for their own good!

4. Grapes and raisins have mostly been documented as toxic for dogs, however they are also most likely harmful for cats. Little research has been done on grape toxicity in cats, but the ASPCA recommends avoiding them for both cats and dogs.

5. Xylitol, a common sweetener in candy, can cause lethargy, liver failure, and loss of coordination in cats.

6. Fat scraps from meat can cause pancreatitis in cats, and bones can cause choking.

7. Raw eggs can contain salmonella and E. coli which make cats sick. They also contain avidin, an enzyme that interferes with the absorption of biotin, a B vitamin that is needed for healthy skin and fur.

8. Raw fish and meat can also contain salmonella and E. coli, which make cats sick. Raw fish contains an enzyme that destroys the B vitamin thiamine. Lack of thiamine causes convulsions and even comas.

9. Coffee and tea contain caffeine which makes cats restless and in large quantities can be fatal to cats.

10. Tuna can be addictive for cats. If it is available, cats will eat only tuna and suffer from malnutrition.

11. Dog food as an only food source for cats will also lead to malnutrition because it does not contain the correct nutrition for cats.

12. Milk is well tolerated by kittens, but many adult cats are lactose intolerant. Adults can get most of their nutrition from food and should avoid milk.

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Cassava: A Lesson in Human Ingenuity!

Sometimes it amazes me that certain plants have become food! Cassava, for example, has been domesticated for 8-10,000 years. But cassava contains cyanogenic glucosides which become hydrogen cyanide. The cyanide combines with hemoglobin making it unable to carry oxygen to tissues.

Cassava was most likely first domesticated by people near the southern border of Brazil, however early evidence of its use in Central America has also been found.

Portuguese explorers found people using cassava as a staple when they visited South America. As the explorers participated in the slave trade, they introduced the crop to Africa in about 1550. From the slave trading stations near the mouth of the Congo River, cassava soon spread to all of central Africa. The Portuguese also spread cassava to East Africa, Madagascar, India, Ceylon, Malaya, and Indonesia by the 1700s.

image from blog.terramadre.org/index.php/kubrick/2006/09/P10/

The people found using cassava in South America were the Tupinamba. They processed the tubers into meal and bread using techniques similar to those still used today. These techniques remove the dangers from cyanogenic glucosides.

But how did the people figure this out? Human ingenuity? We may never know, but we can use their preparation techniques to protect ourselves from the dangers.

Peeling the tuber is the first line of defense because most of the cyanogenic glucosides are found in the tuber skin. Pulping the tuber is another method of detoxifying the cassava. In pulping, the peeled tuber is grated and crushed, pressing most of the water and toxins out of the pulp. Boiling can also remove the toxicity.

Cassava varies in bitterness depending on growing conditions and the genetics of the individual plant. Higher contents of cyanogenic glucosides correspond to more bitter tasting cassavas.

Amounts of cyanogenic glucosides in cassava are:
–Sweet Cassava 40-130ppm
–Non-Bitter Cassava 30-180ppm
–Bitter Cassava 80-412ppm
–Very Bitter Cassava 280-490ppm
where ppm is parts per million and concentrations less than 50 ppm are considered safe.


Most cassava tubers sold in grocery stores in the United States is sweet cassava. Bitter cassava is often processed into flour, with the toxins removed during processing. However, in some tropical nations some people eat bitter cassava if they have no other food. These people can suffer neurological disorders and other problems if they do not prepare the cassava properly. Over 500 million people in the world depend on cassava as their main calorie source.


More information about cassava can be found at
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/cassava.htm and

http://quazen.com/recreation/food/how-garri-is-produced-from-cassava/2/#ixzz13W64kAfb

Plant Alkaloids: Dangers to your Health?

Plants in the nightshade family include many of our most common foods. They developed bitter-tasting alkaloids as protection from being eaten. Alkaloids can be poisonous at high concentrations and alter animal metabolism at low concentrations. Alkaloids can harm nerve-muscle, joint, and digestive functions.


Nightshades belong to the scientific order called Polemoniales, the scientific family called Solanaceae and include 

• potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), 
• tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum), 
• many species of sweet and hot peppers (all species of Capsicum, including Capsicum annum),  
• eggplant (Solanum melongena), 
• tomatillos (Physallis ixocapra), 
• garden huckleberry (Solanum melanocerasum), 
• tamarillos (Cyphomandra betacea), 
• pepinos (Solanum muricatum), 
• naranjillas (Solanum quitoense), 
• Pimentos (also called pimientos) (Capsicum annum)
• paprika, cayenne, and Tabasco sauce.

Green parts of potato plants such as the stems, leaves, and eye sprouts contain alkaloids. It is a good idea to peel potatoes to remove green a possible green layer below the skin. New potato species cannot be sold as food if they have alkaloid concentrations greater than 20 mg per 100 grams of potato. 


To keep alkaloid levels low, store potatoes in dark areas and do not eat any green parts of the potatoes. If the potatoes taste bitter, they probably contain large alkaloid concentrations. For more information go to
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/steroid.html,

In a New York Times article, Harold McGee discussed the toxicity of tomatoes. Europeans initially considered tomato plants and fruits toxic when they were first introduced from the Americas, however the ripe fruits are now highly admired. 


The alkaloid in tomatoes that could be harmful is called tomatin, however there is very little confirmed evidence to support the popular belief that it is harmful. Even tomato leaves, which are widely considered harmful, would only harm a person if ingested in large quantities. Green tomatoes contain large quantities of tomatin, but when they are pickled or fried, they may actually help reduce buildup of cholesterol. For more information you can find the article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/dining/29curi.html.


Cooking only lowers alkaloid content of nightshade foods by about 40-50%, so highly sensitive individuals may want to avoid them altogether, while non-sensitive individuals may be able to eat these foods, especially in cooked form, without problem. 

"Nightshade" is actually the common name used to describe over 2,800 species of plants, many with very different properties and constituents. To give you an idea of the diversity associated with this group of plants, consider the fact that tobacco, morning glory, potato, and tomato are all classified as nightshades.

Nightshades are also famous as drugs. The best-known of these nightshades include mandrake (Mandragora officinum), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and belladonna, also called deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna).


More information about the health effects of food alkaloids can be found at

• http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62 and
• http://www.embracinghealthblog.com/k-is-for-kale/.

Practical tips for avoiding excessive intake of potato alkaloids

• Store potatoes no longer than 1-3 weeks in a cool, dry, dark place. Light increases alkaloid formation. 
• Wash all potatoes before cooking so you can see the green areas, if any.
• Thoroughly cut out all green areas, especially green areas on the peel, before cooking. After cooking, discard the potato if it tastes bitter.
• Do not buy potatoes that have been waxed, or apply wax to potatoes yourself. Waxes do not help reduce greening and can increase potato decay by cutting down on gas exchange in and out of the potato.

9 Plant Substances That Can be Dangerous to Eat

Some plants that we eat contain harmful substances if the wrong parts are eaten, or the right parts are eaten at the wrong time in their life cycle. This post will contain an overview of these substances and future posts will contain more details.

1. Alkaloids
 Alkaloids are bitter tasting substances that evolved in plants about the same time that mammals emerged. For this reason, alkaloids are thought to be part of a plant's protective mechanism against being eaten by a mammal.Commonly eaten plants of the nightshade family, such as potatoes and tomatoes, contain alkaloids. Green potatoes and potato sprouts contain dangerously high levels of alkaloids and should not be eaten. Alkaloids in large doses are poisonous

and in small doses alter the metabolism of mammals.The metabolism alteration may be the reason that nicotine and caffeine are so compelling for people.

2. Cyanogens 

These molecules also warn animals of their dangers through a bitter taste. However, they produce hydrogen cyanide which damages the enzymes that animals use to generate energy. Foods containing cyanogens can be made safe by open boiling, leaching in water, and fermentation. These foods include manioc, bamboo shoots, and some kinds of lima beans. The seeds of citrus, pome fruits, and stone fruits also generate cyanide.

3. Oxalates

These are salts of oxalic acid and waste products of plant metabolism. Soluble oxalates can combine with calcium to form painful kidney stones. In very large amounts, oxalic acid is corrosive and can be fatal. Oxalates are found in small amounts in spinach, chard, beets, amaranth, and rhubarb. 

4. Hydrazines 

These are compounds found in fairly large quantities in white mushrooms that we eat. They have been found to cause liver problems and cancer in mice, but not rats, and it is still unknown whether they cause problems in humans. It is probably wise to avoid eating large amounts of mushrooms.

5. Psoralens

These compounds can damage DNA and cause skin inflammations. They occur in some vegetables that have been handled poorly. They are found in celery, celery root, parsley, and parsnips that have become stressed by near-freezing temperatures, intense lights, or mold infections. The best precaution to take against these compounds is to buy these vegetables only when they appear to be very fresh.

6. Protease Inhibitors and Lectins

These compounds interfere with digestion. Protease inhibitors block the actions of protein digesting enzymes. Lectins bind to intestinal cells so that the cells cannot absorb nutrients. Lectins can also enter the bloodstream and bind red blood cells together. These compounds are found mostly in soy, kidney, and lima beans, however they can be inactivated by boiling for a long time. To avoid these compounds, do not eat raw or undercooked beans. Symptoms of exposure are similar to food poisoning symptoms.

7. Flavor Chemicals

These are generally eaten in small quantities, but can cause problems when eaten in large quantities. They include Safrole, an ingredient that was used in traditional root beers, but is no longer used. It causes DNA damage and was banned in 1960. Ingestion of large amounts of Mtyristicin, the major flavor compound in nutmeg, can cause intoxication and hallucinations when ingested in large amounts. Glycyrrhizin, a component of true licorice root can induce high blood pressure. Licorice candy today is made from artificial flavoring, not true licorice root. Coumarin is found in sweet clover, lavendar and tonka beans (a vanilla-like flavoring), and interferes with blood clotting.

8. Bracken-Fern Toxins

Bracken ferns contain toxins that can cause blood disorders and cancer in animals that graze on them. It is best to eat fiddleheads of other types of ferns such as ostrich ferns (Matteuccia species). Safety of eating ferns has not been the subject of extensive research, so it is not known for sure whether it is harmful in humans. The best approach may be to eat fiddleheads of bracken ferns in small quantities.

9. Toxic Amino Acids

Alfalfa sprouts and jack beans contain large amounts of Canavanine, a protein that interferes with some cell functions and has been associated with Lupus. Fava beans contain vicine and convicine which cause an blood cell destroying anemia in susceptible people.

16 Food Dangers for Doggies

 These are my two dogs, Duncan (top) and Casey (bottom). They have brought incredible joy into my life! I knew that chocolate was harmful for them...but I was unaware that many other foods could be harmful also. When they use their charms to request samples of what we are eating at the table, I'm likely to relent. But I could have easily given them some of the foods on this list. So I'm going to pass the information on to you.

1. Avocado contains a substance called persin, a highly toxic substance for dogs and other animals. It can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Person can be found in the leaves, seeds, and bark of the avocado.
2. Alcohol has the same effects on dogs as humans, however smaller amounts can be harmful.
3. Onions can destroy dog's red blood cells causing anemia. It can also make them vomit, lethargic, and restless and have diarrhea.
4. Coffee, Tea, and Caffeine can be fatal to dogs in large quantities. Symptoms include restlessness, heart palpitations, muscle tremors, fits, and bleeding.
5. Grapes and Raisins can cause kidney failure and small quantities can make dogs lethargic, depressed, or hyperactive.
6. Milk and other Dairy Products can give dogs digestive upsets.
7. Nuts and food with nuts can be fatal. As few as 6 raw or cooked Macadamia Nuts can be fatal. Nuts can cause muscle tremors, rapid heartbeat, weakness, paralysis, and fever.
8. Candy, gum, toothpaste, baked goods and diet foods baked with Xylitol can cause extreme imbalance in blood sugar level and can cause vomiting, lethargy, loss of coordination, and liver failure.
9. Chocolate contains a toxic substance called theobromine that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, thirst, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures, and even death.
10. Fat trimmings and bones can cause pancreatitis.
11. Persimmon seeds can cause inflammation of the small intestines resulting in obstruction.
12. Peach and plum pits can cause cyanide poisoning.
13. Raw meat and fish can cause food poisoning. Also, fish sometimes contain a parasite that can kill a dog within two weeks.
14. Salt in high quantities can cause excessive thirst and urination that could lead to sodium ion poisoning.
15. Raw eggs contain an enzyme that interferes with absorption of a B-vitamin and can also contain salmonella and E. coli.
16. Yeast dough swells in a dog's belly and causes pain. Also when fermentation occurs alcohol is produced that can cause alcohol poisoning.

There is an ASPCA animal poison control center that you can reach at 888-426-4435 if you suspect your dog has eaten anything dangerous.