Can I eat green potatoes? Why are green potatoes dangerous?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Potatoes are the second most popular product in the kitchen after bread. He is like a lifesaver when you need to quickly and satisfyingly feed your family. Agree that potatoes are eaten with appetite both in the form of fried pieces and in the form of airy mashed potatoes. Potato dishes are simply innumerable. But are you always sure about the quality of raw materials? What to do if green potatoes are caught in the total mass of root crops during cleaning? Is it safe to eat these tubers? Consider what to do in this case. Can I eat green potatoes and dishes from them?

Peter's Culinary Innovations

It turns out that potatoes were introduced into the diet of a simple man in the street by a special decree of the king. In the middle of the 17th century, Peter I brought a new product from Holland. But the unfamiliar vegetable did not immediately appeal to the people. There were numerous riots in connection with mass poisonings. What happened, because people simply ate parts of the plant that were completely unsuitable for this - berries and sprouts. In addition, they did not know whether green potatoes can be eaten and how dangerous they can be to he alth. As a result of non-compliance with the rulesstorage, spoilage of fruits occurred. Only over time, all the secrets were unraveled, and people learned to put them into practice. And already in the 18th century, potatoes became the “second bread”. Nowadays, it is simply impossible to do without this vegetable in the kitchen.

What is the danger of green potatoes?

Exposing fruits for a long time in open sunlight, and even at room temperature, leads to irreversible consequences. Why are potatoes green? The peel (tuber surface) begins to change color, the vegetable becomes lethargic. In this form, potatoes are completely unsuitable for eating. The point is to increase the concentration of the substance solanine (melongen). This compound is found in all vegetables of the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, etc.). And the higher the degree of maturity of the fetus, the lower the concentration of the hazardous substance. Safe level - no more than 20 mg of solanine per 100 g of product. Usually, potatoes contain no more than 2-10 g of it. But under the influence of diffused or direct sunlight, its level increases many times.

Symptoms of tuber poisoning with greens

What symptoms can signal the presence of a hazardous substance? How to understand that green potatoes are poisonous? First of all, it is the presence of a bitter aftertaste. In addition, there may be a sore throat, discomfort when swallowing, lethargy, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea. In severe cases (in the presence of 200-400 mg of corned beef per 100 g of the product - this is a one-timeeating more than a kilogram of green potatoes with unpeeled skins) there are fainting, convulsions, impaired kidney function and cardiovascular abnormalities. If the concentration exceeds 500 mg, death is possible. It is especially dangerous to eat low-quality raw materials for children and the elderly. Weak immunity, gastrointestinal diseases can become concomitant risk factors and provoke serious poisoning. What measures should be taken in emergency situations? First steps: gastric lavage with potassium permanganate or activated charcoal solution. Therefore, in the case of being in the total mass of root crops with a greenish color, you need to either carefully cut them off, or (which is the safest thing) throw them away.

Can I eat green potatoes?

But it turns out that not only fruits "with green" are dangerous when consumed. Long-term storage provokes an increase in the concentration of corned beef in potatoes. In late spring, old tubers tend to become covered with "eyes". Such raw materials cannot be categorically used for cooking. If the potato still has a slightly different skin color, then it should be thrown away. After all, the concentration of a hazardous substance in it will reach 200-250 mg per 100 g of product. Such a vegetable is especially dangerous for:

- pregnant women;

- children;

- the elderly;

- people with various diseases.

Heat treatment (cooking) can slightly "extinguish" the danger by reducing the concentration of corned beef. Such impactexplained by the transition to the solution. Too young potatoes are also not entirely harmless. That is why the first harvest often has a bitter taste. Already closer to autumn, you can stock up on high-quality, ripened vegetables, the content of substances in which is fully consistent with the norm. So, we figured out whether it is possible to eat green potatoes. But, oddly enough, in small doses, solanine can have quite a beneficial effect. Let's take a closer look at this issue.

The healing effect of solanine

Everything should be in moderation. Raw potato juice can even be used as a medicine, but only when the concentration of solanine in it is minimal. This condition can be met only with the selection of high-quality raw materials. Green potatoes are definitely rejected. Take tubers without damage, normal color and wash thoroughly. Then grate on a fine grater and squeeze the juice through several layers of gauze. You can't store this drink. Use only freshly squeezed potato juice for treatment. It is useful for gastritis, ulcers (including the duodenum), colds, hypertension, joint diseases. Drink juice 1/3 cup half an hour before meals 3 times a day. As a raw material, it is best to take root crops grown at home without the use of fertilizers.

Unusable fruits are ideal material for planting

So why are green potatoes, despite their dangerous properties, especially loved by gardeners? It turns out that duringthe presence of tubers for some time in a room at a moderately warm temperature, along with a change in the color of the peel, strong sprouts are laid. The “hatched” potato, falling into the ground, instantly gains strength and quickly grows, forming an abundantly fruiting (with proper care) plant. This is how the cycle happens when one small ball of starch yields several fresh clusters of "second bread".

Follow the rules for storing vegetables and be he althy!