Even foods that seem healthy can pose a serious risk to your health, a food scientist has warned.
The expert, who posts on TikTok under the username @hydroxide, spoke to the Daily Mail the four common and seemingly healthy products that she avoids consuming due to the hidden dangers associated with them.
She started with burgers that are pink in the middle, explaining that she always orders them well done.
‘Burgers are ground meat, not whole muscle cuts (like steak),’ she explained to the Daily Mail.
‘This means that if there is foodborne illness like E. coli in the ground meat to begin with, the more it gets mixed, the more likely the bacteria will spread,’ she continued.
Her next piece of advice was to avoid raw sprouts.
‘A lot of people ask me, “What if I grow sprouts at home? Does that make them safer?” And unfortunately, the answer is no,’ she shared.
‘When sprouts are grown, they can become contaminated at the seed-level – so before they even “sprout,”‘ the food scientist explained.
A food scientist who posts on TikTok under the username @hydroxide told the Daily Mail that you should always order burgers well done (stock image)
Her next piece of advice was to avoid raw sprouts, explaining sprouts have a rough exterior that makes the bacteria stick like glue to their structure (stock image)
According to the content creator, sprouts have a rough exterior that makes the bacteria stick like glue to their structure.
While oysters are a beloved treat for many, the scientist also warned people not to eat them raw.
‘The only food safety check that raw oysters have to go through is to check if the harvest waters that they’re from are safe to fish from,’ she shared.
‘Oysters are filter feeders, and there’s a lot of [waste] in the ocean, so if the oceans aren’t very clean or is too warm, you could get Norovirus, Vibrio, or Salmonella.’
The expert pointed out that just less than a week ago, a group of people got sick with Salmonella from raw oysters.
‘To me, it’s just not worth it,’ she quipped.
The other main food the scientist avoids is raw milk, which she describes as ‘one of the most dangerous foods you can eat.’
‘Especially with bird flu on the rise,’ she added.
!['Oysters are filter feeders, and there's a lot of [waste] in the ocean, so if the oceans aren't very clean or is too warm, you could get [sick],' the expert shared (stock image)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/12/30/21/105116335-15423087-_Oysters_are_filter_feeders_and_there_s_a_lot_of_doodoo_in_the_o-a-17_1767128900579.jpg)
‘Oysters are filter feeders, and there’s a lot of [waste] in the ocean, so if the oceans aren’t very clean or is too warm, you could get [sick],’ the expert shared (stock image)
The other main food the scientist avoids is raw milk, which she describes as, ‘one of the most dangerous foods you can eat’ (stock image)
‘Raw milk can give you kidney disease from E. coli, cause you to miscarry from Listeria or just get you really sick from Salmonella, Tuberculosis and a host of other dangerous pathogens.’
She continued: ‘We’ve advanced pasteurization technology so much that the milk only needs to be heated for a few seconds to kill all dangerous bacteria and retain all the good stuff in milk. It’s just heat, not chemicals.’
Last week, Seattle-based attorney Bill Marler told The Washington Post he has a list of foods he no longer eats due to the illnesses associated with them.
He said he avoids bagged salads, fruit cups or trays, deli meats, ready-to-eat meals and raw sprouts, which are often served on sandwiches, salads and wraps.
According to Marler, the items have been repeatedly tied to cross-contamination and major Listeria, E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks.
