Two 'High-Risk' Foods Experts Agree We Should Avoid Eating

A woman sharing the two common food items she avoids, warning viewers they "will not like her advice," has gone viral, attracting 6.7 million views on TikTok The woman, who uses the social media tag @hyroxide, told viewers to avoid raw sprouts and burger patties cooked rarer than well-done. Her video amassed 629,200 likes. First on the hit list: raw sprouts. These are seeds that germinate and grow into young plants, often consumed raw in salads or sandwiches. "I will occasionally eat them, but they are a very very very high-risk food," she said in the video.

She compared foodborne bacteria to "friends on Spring break," explaining that bacteria thrive in hot and moist environments. Since sprouts are grown in such conditions, they become breeding grounds for bacteria. "Unless you're blanching them or cooking them into submission," she explained, the sprouts could pose dangers. Newsweek asked @hyroxide for comment. Mitzi Baum, CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness, echoed this concern in a statement to Newsweek. "I avoid sprouts on sandwiches and salads due to the numerous outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with them—over 50 in 20 years," she said. Second on Hyroxide's list of foods to avoid: any kind of burger cooked on the rarer side. Burger patties are typically made from ground beef, which poses a unique risk. If a small piece of meat contaminated with bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella is ground, the bacteria can spread throughout the entire batch. "If there's like a little piece of meat down there that has E. coli on it, salmonella, whatever it is, you are basically taking that and distributing it everywhere in that ground meat," she said. Newsweek reached out to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for comment about the dangers of ingesting raw sprouts and rare burgers. Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, a food scientist, food engineer, and food industry consultant, elaborated on the risks for Newsweek. "Both the ground beef and the raw sprouts are a serious problem with food safety, for the reasons the food scientist stated. "The sprouting process can be done incorrectly by the manufacturer and lead to contamination by microorganisms. Additionally, if the raw beef has been handled incorrectly by the meat processor, bacteria from the cow's other body parts may contaminate the meat. So cooking the burger rare may not kill off all the pathogens," he explained. Dr. Le also advised against consuming raw milk, which is milk that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. According to the FDA, raw milk can harbor dangerous pathogens, posing a significant health risk, particularly for those with weakened immune systems. "The level of pathogenic bacteria in raw milk is a high risk to those with a compromised immune system and can make even healthy individuals quite ill," he explained. TikTok users managed to find humor in the advice. "She didn't say chicken nuggets and fries with a big fat Diet Coke," joked Daniela. Others from different cultures weighed in with mixed reactions. "As a Vietnamese person we love bean sprouts as much as the bacteria does. Considering the lack of recalls on bean sprouts I'm gonna say it's safe or we're strong," said one user. Another Vietnamese user disagreed. "Vietnamese here: guys please always make sure to ask your pho restaurant to blanch the bean sprouts/veggies for you. We Vietnamese ask that all the time and the restaurant staff will do it for you," they wrote. "In Indonesia we eat raw sprouts all the time. I've been eating it my whole life and never had any bad experience with it. Are we immune to the bacteria?" wondered another viewer. Food scientists also joined the discussion. "I am also a food scientist and I also don't eat raw sprouts or supermarket sandwiches," said Amy. Do you have any viral videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.