You have to be careful with these raw fruits and vegetables

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Anyone who eats consciously has known for a long time that raw food can be very healthy. However, not all types of fruit and vegetables are suitable for eating uncooked, some of them are even poisonous. In the gallery you will find out which foods you should definitely cook before eating.

Of course, it’s handy to puree all kinds of vegetables and try out the craziest smoothie variations. But not everything that can be pureed should be eaten raw. With some vegetables, this could even be harmful to the body.

Zucchini yes, eggplant no – a neurotoxin makes the difference

While zucchini can also be nibbled raw, you shouldn’t do that with eggplants. They belong to the nightshade family and contain the toxin solanine, a weak neurotoxin. In order to feel severe symptoms of poisoning, you would have to eat several raw eggplants, but solanine is still not entirely without it…

In modern eggplant cultures, the amount of toxins is relatively small. However, the proportion of solanine is higher directly at the base of the stem and in unripe aubergines. Consequences of solanine poisoning can be headaches, gastrointestinal problems and vomiting. So leave the raw eggplant out of salads and smoothies. In any case, you will quickly discover that raw aubergines taste unpleasantly bitter.

Potatoes and tomatoes are also part of the nightshade family. Of course, hardly anyone would think of eating potatoes raw. Tomatoes, on the other hand, are very often eaten raw – that’s perfectly fine as long as the tomatoes are ripe.

Solanine, nitrates and oxalic acid – problematic toxins, but the amount matters

If tomatoes are unripe, you can easily tell by their green color. The only exception: there is one variety that is green even when ripe. When unripe, tomatoes contain solanine, which can be toxic. Of course, the same applies here: it’s the quantity that counts. If you eat a single unripe tomato, you probably won’t get sick. However, it is better to save yourself a complete tomato salad made from unripe fruit.

Potatoes also contain solanine, especially under the skin and in green and sprouting areas. That’s one reason not to eat potatoes raw. Another is that the starch it contains is difficult to digest uncooked and tastes bitter. If potatoes germinate very quickly, you should not eat them even when they are cooked.

Be careful with spinach too. Although it is often eaten raw, older petioles, outer leaves and ribs can have high nitrate levels. The body converts nitrate into cancer-causing nitrite. This is of particular concern for babies and small children.

Spinach also contains oxalic acid. In large quantities, this can lead to calcium deficiency and kidney stones. However, young leaves contain hardly any oxalic acid, so they can be eaten raw without hesitation. It is better to remove or boil leaves with yellow spots or colored spots, as well as older leaves with large veins. Chard also contains the most oxalic acid when it is raw and should only be consumed in moderation.

Stomach complaints, chills and diarrhea – these symptoms have it all

It is also better to boil rhubarb before consuming it – it also contains oxalic acid. While some like nibbling on a stalk of raw rhubarb and sugar – and it won’t poison you right away – the tart vegetable just tastes so much better cooked.

Beans and other legumes are very healthy – but only if they are prepared properly. No matter which legume you want to eat, cooking is essential. Because the poison phasin is contained in the raw state. Green beans in particular contain a lot of the lectin mixture that can ensure that the red blood cells can stick together. In the worst case, consumption can even be fatal.

You should also stay away from black elderberries if they are raw. They contain the toxin sambunigrin, which can release hydrocyanic acid. Eating large amounts of raw elderberries puts you at risk of vomiting, stomach upset, chills, and diarrhea.

We all know that toadstools are harmful. But certain edible mushrooms are also toxic when raw, including pearl mushroom, honey fungus, red cap, chestnut and boletus. You don’t have to worry about breeding champions, you can eat them raw without hesitation.

From Teleschau