Is It Safe To Eat Potatoes That Have Sprouts

Potato lovers should avoid eating spuds with sprouts.

There's always concern over potato sprouts and whether the potatoes they belong to are safe to eat following their growth. Is this myth or reality? It's a fair question, but while some may believe these sprouts are relatively harmless, potato lovers would be advised to avoid eating such spuds.

Significance

The existence of sprouts on your potatoes is more than a cosmetic change. Sprouts and the firmness of a potato have great significance regarding the advisability of eating the spud. Sprouts mean the starch within the potatoes has been converted into sugar. Check the firmness of the potato to determine whether it's safe to eat. If the spud is soft, it has lost most of its nutrients and is no longer safe to eat.

Considerations

If the potato is green or has a green tint, it has been subject to an unfortunate amount of light exposure. This excessive exposure changes the skin tone of the potato because of the formation of alkaloid solamin. Removal of any and all green skin before eating is recommended because this skin is toxic.

Misconceptions

Despite the fact that soft and/or wrinkled potatoes are not safe to eat, not all spuds with sprouts should be discarded. If the potato has sprouts, you should still check the firmness level. As mentioned, a soft potato is no good and should be thrown away, but a potato that is not wrinkled and has maintained its firmness should still have a majority of its nutrients. Under these conditions, it is good to eat.

Prevention/Solution

There are three ways to prevent potato sprouts. Don't store the potato in a humid area. Moisture will ensure that sprouts grow. Potatoes also should be stored where air can flow freely to some degree. Finally, temperature should be closely monitored--anything much higher than 50 degrees may lead to the formation of potato sprouts.

Warning

Eating bad (green) potatoes or their sprouts is not life-threatening, but, as members of the nightshade family, potatoes under these conditions are mildly poisonous. While effects are not severe, eating green parts of a potato or eating a potato while raw can cause an upset stomach and digestive problems. Severity is always dependent on the amount of the potato consumed and how much of the potato was bad (green or raw).

Tags: potato sprouts, avoid eating, firmness potato, potato green, should still, sprouts should