Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Jonathan Raymond on 14/11/2010 19:30:04
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Jonathan Raymond asked the Naked Scientists:
Dear Naked science,
I have been living with a Muslim house mate now for over a month, and some interesting questions have come up.
My house mate asserts that blood is unhealthy; but as a man who enjoys black pudding and the occasional rare steak I was wondering exactly how much truth is in this claim? How much damage to my health might I be doing with my eating of these delicious substances?
Much thanks,
Yours Faithfully,
Jonathan Raymond.
What do you think?
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There is nothing in blood that would be bad for you. I think that just about every animal tissue, as long as you pay attention to "everything in moderation," would be nutritious. Because of the iron in hemoglobin, a blood product might be a source of a natural iron supplement, such as for some women who are anemic. Flavor may be the primary limitation. As I am from the US I have always wondered what black pudding, blood sausage, or kidney pie for another tissue, tastes like.
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"My house mate asserts that blood is unhealthy"
And, since he has put forward that hypothesis, it falls to him to provide evidence for it.
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If the blood or bloody meat wasn't cooked sufficiently it could be a source of infection.
Mix three parts liquid blood to one part milk (or equal parts blood and sour milk). Cook over low heat, stirring often, for twenty to thirty minutes. The mixture should thicken like scrambled eggs.
http://www.congocookbook.com/other_recipes/cow_blood.html
yummy [xx(]
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It's interesting that many Americans like their steak virtually uncooked, sitting in a pool of warm blood. But ask them to try a nice piece of fully cooked black pudding, and they immediately ask for a boak poke [:)]
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If the blood or bloody meat wasn't cooked sufficiently it could be a source of infection.
Mix three parts liquid blood to one part milk (or equal parts blood and sour milk). Cook over low heat, stirring often, for twenty to thirty minutes. The mixture should thicken like scrambled eggs.
http://www.congocookbook.com/other_recipes/cow_blood.html
yummy [xx(]
Any improperly cooked product is a potential source of infection.
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"My house mate asserts that blood is unhealthy"
And, since he has put forward that hypothesis, it falls to him to provide evidence for it.
Quite true, he just talked about it as if it was obvious, offering nothing much. Guess it's something he's been taught because of his religion. Is nice to be able to get a straight answer though :)
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Its a religious thing with Muslims, just the same as eating the flesh of the pig is to them and to Jews.
Obviously, as BC has said, uncooked or undercooked blood, offal and flesh, can be a problem if the animal was carrying anything unpleasant, like a tape worm or something to that effect. But in most of the western world, animal hygiene is at a very high standard, so I have no problem with stuffing a nice 'blue' steak down my throat.
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I've heard it's something to do with increased risk of anaerobic bacteria, which are apparently more dangerous/deadly than their aerobic counterparts, living in blood.
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That's odd. I thought cooking killed aerobic and anaerobic bugs.
In any event, I think plenty of people get killed by both classes, for example MRSA isn't troubled by oxygen.
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The tissues inside of a body are normally "sterile".
So, that in mind, if it is fresh, there wouldn't be any difference between a pint of blood and a good steak.
I would avoid human blood though, too much risk of disease transmission.
One of the differences between Hamburger and Steak is that everything inside a hamburger is mixed up. So, if there happened to be bacteria on the outside, it is now on the inside too.
So, if you are cooking "rare" food. You'll singe the edges of a steak and kill most of the bacteria. But, the bacteria in a hamburger could survive in the middle.
The same would be true with blood.
There are probably more antibodies in the blood than other tissues. But, it shouldn't be a significant problem.
I'm sure it would be a rich source of Iron :)