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Can't resist sneaking a taste of raw cookie dough while you're baking some delicious cookies? Don't worry, you're not the only one who does! While eating raw cookie dough may be an inevitable part of baking, health experts want you to know that it's one of the worst things that you can put in your body. In fact, it's so bad that it could even make you sick! Here's why you should leave the batter in the bowl next time you're baking cookies:
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1. It can make you very, very sick
Jenny Scott, a senior advisor in FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, says that you should avoid eating raw dough in all forms, especially when it comes to raw cookie dough. This is due to the flour used in the batter, which can contain bacteria that cause disease.
2. You can get E. coli from raw cookie dough
The flour used to make the dough can contain harmful strains of E. coli, according to the FDA, resulting in symptoms of diarrhea and abdominal cramps. “Flour is derived from a grain that comes directly from the field and typically is not treated to kill bacteria,” says Leslie Smoot, Ph.D., a senior advisor with the FDA’s Office of Food Safety.
3. It can also cause kidney failure, too!
These harmful strains of E. coli can also cause severe illnesses like hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure, which is common in children under the age of 5, older adults, and those with a weakened immune system.
4. This can also happen just by touching the dough
You can become ill from handling raw cookie dough, too! Make sure that you've washed your hands thoroughly after you're done baking and that you've carefully cleaned the tools you used to make it.
5. You can also get Salmonella from raw cookie dough
Raw eggs are used to make cookie dough and can cause Salmonella if consumed before they're cooked. Symptoms of the infection include diarrhea, fever, chills, and abdominal pain.
6. It's a sneaky way to eat more calories
Just because the dough isn't cooked yet doesn't mean that it doesn't contain any calories. According to MyFitnessPal, one 1-inch ball of Pillsbury Cookie Dough contains 130 calories. Consuming this and the cookies once they're baked can add more calories to your dessert than intended.
7. ... and sodium, too!
There are 90 mg of sodium in one 1-inch ball of Pillsbury Cookie Dough, according to MyFitnessPal. If you indulge in the dough and the cookies you eat after they're done, you could be looking at 180-360 mg of sodium -- depending on how many cookies you eat!
