Can you eat raw potatoes? This question is not only in the room with raw food followers. Concerned parents and pet owners are also concerned about the culinary problem. This guide explains the problem of uncooked potatoes in detail and in a comprehensible way. Read here under which circumstances the consumption of potatoes is unhealthy for humans and animals.

Potatoes should not be eaten raw

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Eat raw potatoes?
  3. What consequences?
  4. Raw potatoes who?
  5. Healthy preparation tips
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • Raw potatoes are indigestible and poisonous in large quantities.
    • Young children, pregnant women and sensitive seniors should not eat raw potatoes.
    • Consuming raw potatoes can have consequences such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever through to impaired consciousness.

    Can you eat raw potatoes?

    Raw, the potato is anything but a great tuber. A bite into the uncooked pulp treats the palate with a mealy taste. A high proportion of starch not only spoils the culinary pleasure, but also makes raw potatoes difficult to digest. Starch is an organic compound and, as a natural reserve, is essential for the growth of potatoes.

    The second spoilsport for the carefree consumption of raw potatoes is noticeable through a bitter taste. Anyone who ignores the warning signal and eats more raw tubers has to pay the price with health problems. A significant content of toxic glycoalkaloids, primarily solanine, is responsible for the bitter taste buds. Especially in unpeeled and uncooked potatoes there is a high concentration of toxic ingredients.

    Boiling raw potatoes in boiling hot water converts indigestible starches into digestible carbohydrates and reduces solanine levels to a tolerable minimum.

    What are the consequences of eating raw potatoes?

    Eating raw potatoes can cause stomach pain, nausea, and more

    The dose makes the poison in raw potatoes. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) devoted itself to the topic in detail in 2022, after a nationwide case of illness occurred in 2015 in a family with several generations. Until then, a value of 200 mg solanine per kg raw potatoes was considered harmless. The experts reduced this value to 100 mg glycoalkaloid content per kg fresh weight. Depending on the storage time, this value for unpeeled, raw potatoes is already reached at less than one kilogram, from which health risks can be expected. For a small child or a pregnant woman, these consequences can already occur after eating a single raw, unpeeled potato:

    • Sore throat as a burning, scratching stimulus
    • stomach pain
    • nausea
    • Vomit
    • diarrhea
    • fever
    • disturbances of consciousness
    • heart and circulatory problems

    In their statement of April 23, 2022-2023, the experts from the BfR expressly draw attention to the fact that this damage to health can be prevented with simple, uncomplicated precautions. Potatoes should always be stored in a cool, dry and dark place. Green, dried and germinating tubers are sorted out and disposed of. Peeling and cooking is the healthiest form of preparation. If consumers still want to eat potatoes with their skins on, preference should be given to young, undamaged potatoes. Small children should generally not eat unpeeled potatoes, regardless of whether the potatoes are raw or cooked.

    digression

    Half raw potatoes - unhealthy or not?

    If you don't pay attention once, the cooked potatoes are half raw on the table. The numerous pleas against raw consumption raise the question: eat half-raw potatoes or throw them away? At this point, the all-clear can be given on the basis of decades of experience of knowledgeable housewives. If potatoes are only half cooked, questionable ingredients have already been reduced to a harmless level. In this state, the potatoes are not unhealthy or associated with any health consequences.

    Who is allowed to eat raw potatoes and who is not?

    Young children should never eat raw potatoes

    Packed with floury starch and bitter alkaloids, raw potatoes are not a star-quality treat for the palate. Nevertheless, raw consumption only has unpleasant health consequences above a threshold value. Experts see the non-specific symptoms as problematic, which suggest a high number of unreported cases and indicate a significantly lower limit value. These fears narrow the circle of people who can eat raw potatoes. The following table summarizes who is allowed to eat raw potatoes and who should generally avoid it for reasons of caution:

    allowed (in small quantities) taboo (basically)
    healthy adult small child
    School child from 12 years pregnant women
    dogs
    cats
    Rabbits
    dwarf hamster
    Guinea pig
    Budgies & Co.

    If a curious toddler on an expedition through the kitchen ever gets their hands on a piece of raw potato and puts it in their mouth, there is no need to worry. As a meal, raw potatoes should not be on the table for young children and preschoolers. Dogs, cats, and rodents are usually instinctively warned against eating foods contaminated with solanine. This natural warning mechanism is sometimes lost in pets, so it is advisable not to offer uncooked and unpeeled potatoes and to keep them out of reach of your pets.

    tips

    Green potatoes are not on the table in the family household. The green botanical itself is not dangerous but acts as an alarm signal for high levels of toxic solanine. Green potato skins in particular contain up to 1070 mg solanine per kg, which is of particular concern for children and the elderly.

    Prepare potatoes in an exemplary manner - tips & tricks

    Potatoes should be thoroughly cleaned or peeled before cooking

    Potatoes are a treat, provided you don't eat the tubers raw. The following tips & tricks would like to inspire you to prepare healthy potato dishes for young and old in an exemplary manner:

    • Ideally, peel and wash the potatoes
    • Discard tubers with green spots, multiple sprouts and a shriveled appearance
    • Prepare jacket potatoes or baked potatoes from fresh, undamaged young potatoes

    For cooking, the potatoes or potato pieces should be approximately the same size. This circumstance ensures that all tubers are cooked through at the same time. Potatoes cooked to perfection can be easily pierced with a fork. Pour off the potato water and let the steam escape with the lid open. Please do not use the cooking water to prepare other dishes because solanine residues have accumulated in it.

    frequently asked Questions

    Can you eat raw potatoes?

    A healthy adult is allowed to eat raw potatoes in small amounts. Anyone who can rely on a vital constitution and robust resistance can tolerate a small dose of toxic solanine without serious consequences. Raw potatoes have no place on the plate for small children, pregnant women and sensitive seniors. This recommendation is based on current knowledge and as a precautionary measure.

    How many raw potatoes can you eat?

    For a long time, a value of 200 mg glycoalkaloids per kg fresh weight was considered safe for the consumption of raw potatoes. This value corresponds to a quantity of 3 to 5 kg of potatoes, depending on quality, variety and storage time. Then a family fell ill in 2015 after raw, unpeeled potatoes were prepared and eaten in different ways. Studies revealed that those affected consumed potatoes with a toxin content of 236 mg solanine per kg. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment then revised the value to 100 mg per kg fresh weight. This corresponds to about 1.5 to 2.5 kg of raw potatoes that a healthy adult can eat before the first symptoms of poisoning appear.

    Can dogs eat raw potatoes?

    No, never feed your dog raw potatoes. Uncooked potatoes are not only indigestible for your four-legged friend, they are also poisonous. Even the consumption of small amounts has fatal consequences, such as nausea, vomiting and severe cramps. This is not contradicted by the fact that you occasionally add a boiled potato to the menu.

    Is Toxic Solanine Destroyed When Cooking Potatoes?

    Solanine does not break down during normal cooking of potatoes. The toxin is water-soluble only at very high temperatures. However, most of the glycoalkaloid is washed out into the boiling water. For this reason, it is recommended to always throw away potato water and not use it for the preparation of soups or sauces.

    Is the solanine content the same in all potatoes?

    In terms of concentration, there are major differences in potatoes. Potatoes and other nightshades produce more solanine under stressful conditions. These include bad weather, attacks by pests, diseases and mechanical damage to the skin during harvest. Significantly higher solanine concentrations occur under the influence of light at the storage site, in green areas and in sprouts than in the center of the nodule. The selected variety also has an influence on the solanine content. A raw, unpeeled historic potato can contain up to 100 mg per kg fresh weight. Modern varieties usually contain a sparing 7 to 10 mg per kg.

    Occasionally I like to eat raw potatoes and want to keep the solanine content low. Should it be a single large potato or several small tubers?

    We asked the German Society for Nutrition in Bonn whether the tuber size had an impact on the concentration of solanine it contained. In fact, by choosing a large potato, you can reduce the amount of alkaloids you ingest when eating them raw. The ratio of skin surface to volume is more favorable in large potatoes than in small specimens because most of the solanine is in and under the skin,

    tips

    Not only raw, unpeeled potatoes are contaminated with toxic solanine. Other nightshades use glycoalkaloids to ward off predators, pests, and disease. These include aubergines, which are also not suitable for the raw food plate. Furthermore, you should not eat green tomatoes, but let them ripen before eating.

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Vegetable garden