Eating sweet potatoes raw? Can you eat the bowl too?

Due to its nutritional value and aroma, the sweet potato is one of the most popular tubers in your own garden and on your plate. Ipomoea batatas is used as an ingredient in a wide variety of dishes and can be prepared in a number of different ways. Many nutrients are lost when heated, and for this reason many wonder whether it is possible to eat the sweet potato raw. The question arises just as often as to whether the peel is edible.

Eat sweet potatoes raw

You do not have to worry. Despite the name, sweet potatoes can be eaten raw without hesitation. Above all, the ingredients provide information, from which it can be seen that the tubers do not contain any toxins:

• Vitamins A, C, E
• Antioxidants: carotenoids, anthocyanins
• potassium
• Fiber
• Minerals: calcium, iron, zinc
• strength

As you can see, the plants do not produce the poisonous solanine that is found in numerous species of the nightshade family (. Solanaceae) can be found. Potatoes (bot. Solanum tuberosum) and tomatoes (bot. Solanum lycopersicum) are among the best-known representatives who have the substance. Because of the name, many people assume that sweet potatoes also contain solanine, but the tubers are only distantly related to potatoes.

Sweet potatoes belong to the genus of morning glory (bot. Ipomoea) within the bindweed family (bot. Convolvulaceae), which in turn belongs to the order of the nightshade-like (bot. Solanales) belong. Solanine is not developed within the entire family. Even better: the ingredients of the tubers have a much more effective effect on your body when consumed raw:

• stress relieving
• Blood sugar level is regulated
• optimized fluid balance
• strengthened immune system
• anti-inflammatory effect
• Heart attack risk is reduced
• The risk of a stroke is reduced

When you boil, fry or bake the potatoes, a large part of the ingredients are lost due to the heat. So if you eat the tubers raw, you can make ideal use of them. The characteristic taste changes only slightly, because raw sweet potatoes taste a little fresher and less sweet.

tip: Modern cultivated varieties of Ipomoea batatas contain extremely small amounts of hydrogen cyanide, which are not harmful even in the raw state. If you plant an old variety from South America instead, you have to reckon with significantly higher hydrocyanic acid values.

Oxalic acid problem

The only downside to a raw sweet potato is the oxalic acid it contains. Ipomoea batatas contains high amounts of the dicarboxylic acid and for this reason you should pay attention to at least one of the following three points when consuming it:

• consume small amounts
• Decrease oxalic acid
• suitable accompanying food

If you don't want to get too much oxalic acid, just eat less raw sweet potato. Oxalic acid can only cause side effects from large amounts or from regular consumption. To reduce the effect, eat suitable foods that reduce acidity. Calcium-containing foods are suitable for this, as the acid binds the minerals. Higher amounts of calcium do not have a negative effect on the body. The following foods are recommended:

• Dairy products (cheese is particularly effective)
• broccoli
• Berry
• Almonds
• sesame
• soy
• Rice and oat milk
• Figs
• Olives
• Walnuts

Even classic mineral water can help against oxalic acid. The third option is to soak the washed and halved sweet potatoes. To do this, they first have to be freed of putrid spots and then placed in a water bath. They remain in this for at least 30 minutes before they are used. Finally, wash and dry the tubers again. You can now eat the sweet potato raw without the oxalic acid immediately becoming overwhelming. These methods are particularly useful in preventing the formation of kidney stones, which are typical of too much oxalic acid.

Note: After the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in Washington D.C. the batat is considered to be the healthiest vegetable in the world. Despite the oxalic acid, the amount of ingredients is so high that consumption when heated is less recommended than the raw tuber.

Eat the sweet potato with the skin on

Did you know that you can even leave the peel on and save yourself peeling? Not only the flesh can be eaten raw, the skin is also one of the edible parts of the Ipomoea batatas. So you can eat the sweet potato with the skin on without hesitation. It provides you with other ingredients that are not contained in the pulp:

• Caiapo
• Fiber
• high vitamin content

The material Caiapo should be mentioned here. This is an ingredient that occurs exclusively in the sweet potato peel and is a form of glycoprotein. The substance has anti-diabetic properties and should therefore be able to have a positive effect on the diet of those affected. However, researchers do not agree on whether the substance can be used medicinally. In addition to the anti-diabetic properties, the following effects are said to have been found when taking Caiapo:

• antihypertensive
• regulates high cholesterol levels

The consumption of the raw peel is not for everyone as it tastes a little bitterer than the aromatic pulp. In order to be able to enjoy them, you have to pay attention to a few points so that the taste is not negatively affected:

• Buy organic sweet potatoes
• clean with a vegetable brush
• cut out bad places

Organically grown sweet potatoes should always be used if you want to eat the peel raw. This means that you do not ingest any poisonous pesticides that could harm you in the long term. Since sweet potatoes, like other tubers, store most of the chemicals in their skins, these are easily passed on to the organism. As an alternative, use sweet potatoes from your own cultivation.

Note: People with a sensitive stomach or chronic digestive problems should only consume raw sweet potato peels in moderation, as they can be quite heavy. Because of the high amount of fiber, some of the sweet potato pods can be difficult to digest, which can lead to gas or stomach pain.