FOOD ALLERGY: FRUITS AND NUTS DANGER
Both nuts and fruits have a major problem to contend with, despite these cunning strategems. There are a great many other living things that would like to eat them without providing any service in return. These range from small animals, that might nibble away at the fruit without dispersing it, to bacteria and fungi that would rot the nut as it lies in the soil.
A range of chemicals are present to keep these creatures at bay, many of them being selective toxins that affect one type of creature but not another. The ‘poisonous berries’ of many wild plants are poisonous only to mammals -birds relish them, and are of far more use to the plant in dispersal. The chemicals that stop bacteria and fungi from spoiling the fruit or nut are not always so specific. Although their main effect will be on microscopic life-forms, they may have minor untoward effects on larger animals as well – including human beings.
Clearly, there is a massive chemical arsenal in wild food, even in the foods that want to be eaten. In the course of our evolution, we have adapted to the challenge of eating these chemicals.
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