Green potato

Potato is the most popular and favorite product in our country. Neither a festive feast, nor an ordinary family dinner can do stewed, fried, mashed potatoes or in uniform without it. Everyone likes this vegetable, but few people know that not every root crop can be eaten. Green potatoes are a huge danger to human health.

Green potato

Brief information

The story of how the vegetable got to our table is well known to many. was imported from Holland during the time of Peter I, but fell in love with the Slavic not immediately to the people, however, after many years, he became a real favorite, both among ordinary housewives and professional chefs.

Today there are many varied and very tasty recipes in which this vegetable is the main ingredient. the root crop has a number of useful properties that are widely used in traditional medicine and cosmetology. It is also used as livestock feed. The fact that even books have been written about him also speaks of universal love for potatoes. So children’s writer Valery Kastryuchin repeatedly mentions this root crop in his works.

Few people know that, despite its complete harmlessness, this vegetable can cause significant harm to human health. So for eating green potatoes are not suitable.How dangerous is it? So much so that it can cause quite severe poisoning, as well as lead to the development of other equally dangerous diseases.

Causes of color change

In order to understand how the vegetable can be harmful to health, you need to figure out why the potato turns green. With prolonged exposure to sunlight and improper storage, the root crop, as a rule, loses its elasticity, acquires a very unpleasant aftertaste, and the peel changes color.

This occurs due to an increase in the concentration of the toxic substance solanine in it. Is green potato dangerous? Absolutely!

What is solanine?

In fact, this substance is intended to protect plants from the appearance and development of harmful microorganisms and insects. The highest concentration of corned beef is found in the peel and pulp of the tuber. The same toxin is present in vegetables such as tomato, pepper, and blue ones.

In small doses – from 2 to 10 g, the substance is not harmful to human health. However, under the influence of various factors, the concentration of toxin increases, which makes the vegetable not only unsuitable, but also harmful for consumption. Why is this happening? In fact, there are several reasons that affect the production of corned beef.

1. Potatoes of this color can grow in the garden when the planting procedure for sprouted tubers and the rules for caring for seedlings have been violated.Most likely, the root crop was planted so poorly that the plant could only spoil greened fruits. By the way, any kind of root crop can become stained and covered with a green shade.
2. Tuber injuries caused by digging and transporting adversely affect the condition of tubers.
3. Increases the concentration of harmful toxin and an excess of fertilizers, which during the growing season, the plant was fed.
4. The tubers can turn green if their storage conditions were violated. For example, the boxes in the vegetable storehouse were located in a place unprotected from sunlight.
5. Washed root crops instantly change their color. Young potatoes are also intoxicated.

The highest level of toxin is observed during plant growth. During ripening, it decreases and again begins to increase in tubers after prolonged storage in a cellar or vegetable store. Green potatoes are poisonous. This statement is true! In the 70-80s of the twentieth century, doctors recorded a large number of cases when not a single family poisoned with a green fruit. It is especially harmful to eat a product for a long time, since solanine is not excreted from the body, but accumulate in the blood. If a person concentrates more than 200 mg of toxin, this leads to severe poisoning of the whole organism.

Prevention

Proper storage will avoid the problem

The only way to prevent greening is not to violate storage conditions, temperature and humidity conditions, to monitor its integrity. When buying, carefully study the tubers. Since even in supermarkets, shops and markets can be sold tubers in which the concentration of corned beef exceeds the permissible dose. You should not buy damaged, sluggish or frozen vegetables.

It is equally important to observe the rules of storage at home. It is best to use a cellar or basement for these purposes – a cool, dry and darkened place. Consider this nuance, tubers must be stored in dense and opaque bags, and nets and open boxes for this is not the best option.

Temperature plays a huge role. It must be balanced. Since the refrigerator is cold, and the kitchen or hallway is warm, these places are also not ideal for storing vegetables. If you don’t have a suitable place to store root crops at home, get exactly as much as you can eat in the next 2-3 days.

Effect on the body

When choosing a vegetable for in the market, in the store or in the cellar and meeting tubers that have changed color, we often don’t know what to decide: throw them away or clean and cook?Let’s see if you can eat green potatoes.

The greatest amount of harmful substance is contained in the peel of the root crop. However, even cutting it off, we will not get rid of the toxin. Since almost half of the 50% corned beef will remain in the pulp. Inactive in the fight against this substance are methods such as boiling and boiling. Even a fried and stewed green root vegetable remains harmful to the human body.

It turns out that green potatoes are dangerous to health because they cause the following malfunctions in the body:

• vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions;
• fever and intoxication of the body;
• disruption of the gastrointestinal tract;
• malfunctions of the nervous, respiratory and cardiovascular systems;
• death is possible.

What to take action

What should be done when the poisoning has already occurred? If a person ate green potatoes, and he became ill, it is necessary to immediately provide first aid. When the symptoms of poisoning are minimal and manifest as vomiting and diarrhea, first of all, you should rinse your stomach and take absorbents (for example, activated charcoal, Smecta, Atoxil). If the victim has convulsions, fainting, fever – urgently call an ambulance. Especially if it is a child or an elderly person. Otherwise, the consequences can be very serious.

Remember, even if you heat the tubers during cooking or want to cut off the damaged areas, this will not save them from the toxin. In order not to endanger your life, only healthy root vegetables should be eaten, and green ones should be thrown into the garbage and in no case should be eaten.

Procurement Tips

Choosing a vegetable that will be well stored, will not deteriorate and will not change color, expert advice will help.

1. Pay attention to the appearance. The tubers should be dry and firm, with smooth skin. Soft, sprouted and green can’t be eaten.
2. If there are a lot of holes, sores and grooves on root crops, it means that they are damaged by pests.
3. Potatoes are not always huge – plus. This may be a sign that the plant has been overabundant in fertilizer.
4. Before you buy a vegetable, be sure to smell it, and then ask the seller to cut the fruit. An unpleasant persistent smell is a bad sign. Note that tubers should not be too soft.

To summarize

Remember, greens on potatoes are very dangerous for your health. Heat treatment and peeling of eyes and eyes will not help you get rid of the toxin. Solonin can cause a person not only poisoning, but also more serious health problems associated with diseases of the digestive tract and cardiovascular system.

The only sure way to protect yourself is not to eat green tubers.Store vegetables properly and do not get damaged fruits.