Potatoes can't be eaten until they are cooked. The main reasons are as follows:

1, potatoes must be cooked because they are rich in starch, otherwise the starch grains will not break and the human body cannot digest them.

2. Raw potatoes contain a toxic protein, called hemagglutinin, which can agglutinate red blood cells. When eating undercooked potatoes, it often causes symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. When potatoes are cooked by heating, toxic protein will lose its activity and will not affect health.

3. Only when the starch in potatoes is completely gelatinized can the starch be turned into glucose, and the human digestive tract can be 100% absorbed. If it is not gelatinized or gelatinized incompletely, people's intestines can't absorb ungelatinized starch, but harmful bacteria in the intestines will use this starch to reproduce, and harmful gases and toxins will be produced in the process of bacterial proliferation, which will cause diarrhea, abdominal pain and other symptoms.

: the nutritional way to eat potatoes

1, the bigger the block, the more nutritious it is.

In the cooking process, the more complete the potato, the less its nutritional loss. In other words, the nutrition of shredded potatoes is lower than that of potato chips, and the nutrition of potato chips is lower than that of potato pieces. Therefore, the integrity of potatoes should be ensured as much as possible during processing, and the less the cross section, the less the loss of water-soluble vitamins (such as B vitamins and vitamin C).

2. Steamed food is ideal.

Steamed potatoes are the most ideal cooking method. Studies show that the loss of nutrients such as vitamin C, polyphenol phytochemicals and protein is very small after steaming potatoes, and the retention rate is over 80%. Carbohydrates, minerals and dietary fiber are basically not lost, and starch particles can be fully gelatinized, which makes it easier to be digested and decomposed in the body and reduces the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.

Source of reference Source: People's Daily Online-Can potatoes be eaten raw? These three types of vegetables are not suitable for eating raw.