Can you eat sweet potatoes raw and with their peel? Is it poisonous?

Compared to potatoes, you can eat sweet potatoes raw without any problems. Even the peel is edible, as the tuber does not contain any toxins or bitter substances that would make it inedible. The plant even has a multitude of healthy ingredients that have a positive effect on the human body:

• Potassium
• Antioxidantien: Anthocyane, Carotinoide
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Fiber
• Minerals: calcium, iron, zinc
• strength

The high amount of vitamins, antioxidants and potassium ensures that raw sweet potatoes are significantly healthier than cooked ones. A large part of the ingredients is completely destroyed by heating in the saucepan or oven and can therefore no longer be used by the body. That is a shame, because the tuber has a great effect as a raw vegetable:

• regulates blood sugar levels
• relieve stress
• reduce the risk of heart attacks
• reduce the risk of strokes
• the fluid balance is effectively regulated
• the immune system is strengthened
• has an anti-inflammatory effect

As you can see, sweet potatoes are beneficial to humans. Since, according to the CSPI (Center for Science in Public Interest in Washington DC), they have the highest nutritional content of all vegetables in their raw state, they are the ideal basis for a healthy diet. The only disadvantage of the tuber is the oxalic acid it contains, which would speak against consumption as raw food.

Eating sweet potatoes raw: important information

As you can see, the only problem with consuming sweet potatoes raw is the oxalic acid they contain, which can only be destroyed by prolonged cooking, frying or baking. However, you do not have to forego the consumption of the tuber, because there are a few ways in which you can prevent the oxalic acid from being deposited in the body and causing unpleasant ailments such as kidney stones. The consumption of foods that contain a lot of calcium has proven to be particularly effective:

• Dairy products, especially cheese
• Berry
• Broccoli
• Sesame seeds or products made from sesame seeds
• Almonds
• Sojaprodukte
• Figs
• Rice milk
• Hafermilch
• Olives
• Walnuts
• Mineral water

The reason: Oxalic acid binds perfectly with calcium and is then excreted through the intestine. For example, if you suffer from a lack of calcium, the oxalic acid can no longer be transported out of the body via the intestine and this means that the oxalates are deposited in the kidneys and the blood, which in turn leads to kidney stones and general complaints. This means that you should eat sweet potatoes as a raw vegetable in combination with other foods. Two other methods also help to reduce the amount of oxalic acid in the body:

• soak in water
• eat little

You can easily eat small amounts of raw potatoes with little to worry about. The content in the sweet potato can also be reduced through moisture. To do this, proceed as follows:

• Wash the sweet potato thoroughly
• Cut out putrid spots
• cut in half
• Soak in a water bath for at least 30 minutes
• Rinse and dry off after the water bath

Although this method significantly reduces the aroma, part of the substance is removed via the soaking water. For this reason, you will need to wash the sweet kIpomoea batatas afterwards to remove any excess acid. Soaking also ensures that the potatoes are easier to digest and can be chewed without any problems. Sometimes the tuber is a little hard. People with kidney stones should eat as little raw sweet potatoes as possible or cook them beforehand. So you play it safe.

Conclusion
If you want to experience sweet potatoes in a different way, you can simply wash off the tuber vegetables, cut out rotten spots and eat them in a variety of raw food dishes with or without the peel. When consuming it, be careful not to eat too many potatoes over a short period of time in order to keep the oxalic acid content low.