You can cook food in many ways, and that includes the stove, grill, toaster oven, microwave, oven, or even over firewood.
Yes, that is the classic way to do it, but hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
However, sometimes people do not cook food. Some foods do not have to be cooked, so all you have to do is to prepare them.
Then you have foods that can be cooked, but people may eat raw. One of these foods includes potatoes.
In this article, we will go over if it is possible to eat raw potatoes, if there are any benefits or risks, and how you can do it safely.
By the end, you will figure out everything you need to know about eating raw potatoes!
Contents
Is It Possible To Eat Raw Potatoes?
We will jump right into the crux of the article with our main question, and the answer leans on the side of no.
Usually, when people think of potatoes, they think of mashed, French fries, potato chips, or some type of food that involves cooking the potatoes in some form or another.
Potatoes in raw form are not the usual way people eat this vegetable.
Now it is possible to eat uncooked potatoes, and some people do eat them uncooked.
It is not the most common food people eat raw, but you might come across people once or twice in your life that does enjoy eating this starchy food raw.
Still, just because you can eat raw potatoes does not mean you should do so.
What Are the Risks of Eating Raw Potatoes?
The first thing we need to discuss is the risks that come with eating raw potatoes. Are there some benefits?
Yes, there are a few benefits, but you need to understand the risks before eating certain raw foods. Always best to decide between being completely informed!
We have found that the following risks are associated with eating raw potatoes. They are listed below.
- One thing raw potatoes are full of is resistant starch, which your body is unable to digest or absorb. It can have some health benefits but can also cause more gas in the body, leading to bloating and upset stomachs.
- Raw potatoes have lectin, which is an anti-nutrient. This one is pretty self-explanatory. It is also found in cooked potatoes, but by cooking them, you lower the risk significantly.
- Glycoalkaloids are also something in raw potatoes. It causes issues like nausea and diarrhea. Like with lectin, these are also found in cooked potatoes, but by cooking them, you lower the risk significantly.
- Finally, raw potatoes can have toxic compounds or contaminants that you can get rid of through cooking.
These are the main risks associated with eating raw potatoes. Despite this, there are a few benefits that can be found.
What Are the Benefits of Eating Raw Potatoes?
While there are several risks that we found when eating raw potatoes, there are also some benefits.
Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Well, let us look at all the good things that come along with eating raw potatoes and then revisit that important question.
The following are the benefits of eating raw potatoes:
- The resistant starch can cause gut issues, but it also has such benefits as lowering blood sugar levels, suppressing inflammation in the colon, lowering the risk of colon cancer, and helping with insulin sensitivity. If you are losing weight, it has the added benefit of making you feel full.
- Raw potatoes are chock full of vitamin C, which tends to be lost during the cooking process. Also, there are lower calories and carbs in raw potatoes, which cooked potatoes tend to have a lot of.
So, let us revisit that question. Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Not exactly.
There are more risks than benefits, but if you feel that the benefits do indeed outweigh the risks, there are ways you can ensure that your raw potatoes are the safest they can be before you decide to put them into your body.
How Can You Safely Eat Raw Potatoes?
If you are in a camp that wants to consume the potato in its raw and natural form, then this section is for you.
There are a few simple ways you can make sure the raw potato you are going to eat is at its healthiest. You can do this by following the suggestions below.
- Always, always, always make sure your raw potato is washed properly and thoroughly. This should be a given when you are handling raw veggies and fruits because you never know what bacteria is lingering on there that is visible to the naked eye.
- Consider peeling the potato, which further ensures that there will be no bacteria.
- If the potato has turned green, it’s best to avoid it. It’ll make you pretty sick if you eat one that is green.
- Finally, always safely store your raw potatoes, and don’t leave them lying around too long.
Some of these safety suggestions are pretty obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people might forget to do something as simple as washing the raw veggie or fruit. By following these steps, you aren’t eliminating your risk of falling ill when eating raw potatoes, but it does lower it.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it, all your food lovers out there! We have answered the age-old question of whether it’s possible to eat raw potatoes.
You shouldn’t eat raw potatoes because there are more risks than benefits associated with eating this vegetable raw.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t some benefits, and if you do decide to eat raw potatoes, we offered some safety tips to follow so you don’t have to put your health at a higher risk.
Still, one of the safest and most delicious ways to consume potatoes is by cooking them. Unsure of how to cook them? Well, look up some recipes.
There are tons of them out there, and one will appeal to you!
You might also be interested in the following:
- Can You Eat Raw Corn?
- Can You Eat Raw Tofu?
- Can You Eat Raw Onion?
- Can You Eat Raw Mushrooms?
- Can You Eat Raw Sweet Potato?
- Can You Eat Raw Zucchini?
I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.