Can pregnant women eat sprouted potatoes?

In fact, we have all had this experience: we bought a bunch of potatoes and brought them home, but before we had time to eat them, the potatoes started to sprout due to environmental and other issues. It would be a pity to throw away the sprouted potatoes, so many friends will remove the sprouted part before cooking. Although this will not cause any impact on the body, can pregnant women eat sprouted potatoes?

Can pregnant women eat sprouted potatoes?

Pregnant women cannot eat sprouted potatoes, and it is not advisable for both pregnant and non-pregnant women to eat sprouted potatoes. Eating sprouted or rotten potatoes can cause poisoning. Potatoes contain a toxin called solanine, which is more concentrated in the sprouting, greening and rotten parts. Some people have determined that the solanine content in each kilogram of potato sprouts can be as high as 5200 mg, which is 60-65 times higher than that in potato cubes.

After solanine is absorbed into the blood, it has a hemolytic effect. It can also paralyze the motor (sports food) and respiratory centers, stimulate the gastric mucosa, and eventually cause death due to paralysis of the respiratory center. In addition, the structure of solanine is similar to human steroid hormones such as androgens, estrogens, progestins and other sex hormones.

If pregnant women eat potatoes containing high amounts of bioalkali for a long time, the bioalkali can be accumulated in their bodies and cause fetal anomalies. Some people have estimated that pregnant women with a certain genetic tendency and sensitivity to bioalkali may give birth to deformed babies if they eat 44.2-252 grams of potatoes. Moreover, the bioalkali content in potatoes cannot be reduced by conventional cooking methods such as soaking, steaming, and boiling. In view of this, it is better for pregnant women not to eat or eat less potatoes.

Some pregnant women like to eat potato chips sold on the market. Although they have been processed at high temperatures and the solanine content will be reduced accordingly, they contain higher levels of oil (oily foods) fat and salt. Eating too much will not only cause obesity, but also induce gestational hypertension (blood pressure food) syndrome and increase the risk of pregnancy, so you can't eat too much.

Precautions for eating potatoes

Potatoes contain solanine, the toxic ingredient of which is solanine (C45H73O15N), also known as potato toxin. The solanine content in immature, purple-skinned potatoes or sprouted potatoes increases to 25-60 mg, or even as high as 430 mg. Therefore, eating large amounts of immature or sprouted potatoes can cause acute poisoning.

Potatoes, especially potatoes, contain a toxic substance called biota. If the human body ingests a large amount of biota, it will cause poisoning, nausea, diarrhea and other reactions. This toxic compound is usually concentrated in the potato skin, so be sure to peel it when eating, especially the skin that has turned green. In addition, sprouted potatoes are more toxic. When eating them, be sure to dig out the sprouts and roots, soak them in clean water, and use high heat when stewing.

If pregnant women frequently eat potatoes with high bioalkali content, the accumulation of bioalkali in the body may cause fetal malformations. Of course, there are considerable individual differences among people, and not everyone will experience abnormalities after eating potatoes, but it is better for pregnant women not to eat or eat less potatoes, especially potatoes that have been stored for a long time or sprouted. This is especially important for women in early pregnancy.

The stems and leaves of the potato plant are poisonous, and even the potatoes themselves are poisonous. If you've ever looked closely at potatoes, you might have noticed that some have a greenish tint, which is due to the toxicity of glycosides.

There have been rare cases of death from potato toxicity, but most have been caused by drinking potato leaf tea or eating green potatoes. The fatal incidents are not sudden. After consuming the drug, the person concerned often becomes weak at first and then falls into a coma. Don't worry about eating green potato chips occasionally, but be sure to throw away any potatoes that have green sprouts or green skin. Don't cook or eat them, and be especially careful not to feed them to children.

Wild potatoes are highly toxic, and solanine poisoning can cause headaches, diarrhea, convulsions, coma, and even death. However, the toxicity of generally cultivated potatoes is very low, and potato poisoning incidents rarely occur. Cultivated potatoes generally contain less than 0.2 mg/g of biota, and poisoning will usually occur only when the content exceeds 200 mg, which is equivalent to eating 1.4 kg of raw potatoes at one time. If potatoes are exposed to light during storage, they will turn green and the toxic substances will increase; the purple eyes of sprouted potatoes will also cause toxic substances to accumulate, making poisoning more likely to occur.