Dealing with the questions why the child eats raw potatoes and is it harmful
There are so many different dishes prepared from potatoes that you rarely want to eat them raw. Adults consider raw tubers inedible, but children quite often eat them with pleasure. In such a situation, parents have a question whether it is harmful to the body and why the child developed the habit of eating raw potatoes. We will understand this further.
The content of the article
Composition and properties of raw potatoes
The tubers are 80% starch, a quarter water and about 2% protein. Less than 1% of the composition is occupied by fats. Potatoes also contain a lot of nutrients: calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus. In addition, tubers contain vitamins C, D, E, K and group B.
Important! Raw potatoes are not very pleasant to the taste, but they have more elements useful for the body than thermally processed ones.
Benefit and harm
Potatoes are good for those who suffer from high acidity of the stomach... It improves metabolism in the body, removes salts, toxins and excess fluid. Potatoes are especially recommended for children suffering from constipation or prone to colds.
The harm of potatoes is that they contain simple carbohydrates and are quite high in calories. It is not recommended to give it to children prone to overweight. Eating tubers several times a day can lead to digestive and gastrointestinal problems.
Why does a child eat raw potatoes
Young children are actively teething, the nervous system and bone tissue develop. Not always ordinary baby food provides the right amount of building material for a growing organism. The child eats potatoes intuitively - just makes up for the lack of nutrients. Since potatoes are usually stored in the public domain, it is easy for a baby to get to them.
Children actively eat raw potatoes with a lack of calcium and magnesium in the body. If you monitor your child's diet and give him all the vitamins he needs, chances are he won't eat raw potatoes.
Eating potatoes can be a sign of:
- bowel problems;
- colds;
- inflammatory processes in the body.
Exactly potatoes help fight these problems... The child does not know this, but his instinct tells him which product to choose.
Can a child eat it
While eating raw tubers seems strange to adults, there is nothing wrong with it. You can safely allow your child to eat your favorite treat if you follow some rules.
Which raw potatoes can be eaten and which not
The potatoes are washed thoroughly. Otherwise, there is a risk of contracting E.coli or salmonella. Rodents can run around the tubers in the storage, which also transmit infections. Before giving the baby potatoes, it is advisable not only to wash it, but also to remove the peel.
For raw consumption, take whole tubers without a green tint. When exposed to light, they begin to secrete the poisonous substance solanine. In young children, the body is weak, and they will be poisoned by such potatoes. It is also worth giving up eating frozen potatoes, since its effect on the child's body has not yet been studied.
Important! If potatoes have sprouts, rot spots and other defects, they are edible only after heat treatment. In no case should you cut out flaws and give this tuber to your baby. At best, you will get off with stool problems, and at worst, this will lead to severe food poisoning.
Contraindications to use
Limit the use of raw potatoes for diseases of the kidneys, liver and pancreas. If your baby is prone to allergic reactions, raw tubers are given to him with caution, starting with a small amount. If swelling, itching, rash, or red spots appear, they are immediately excluded from the diet.
The opinion of pediatricians
Some pediatricians believe that a large number of starch not too useful for toddlers. They also urge to consider the risk of infection when eating raw tubers. Others are sure that in small quantities, raw potatoes are healthy, since they completely retain all the nutrients.
The well-known children's doctor Yevgeny Komarovsky argues that there is no need to interfere with the child's intuitive choice of food that will help him get the substances the body needs. There is some truth in this, so you should not completely forbid your baby to eat raw potatoes.
It is interesting:
Raw and boiled potatoes as feed for guinea pigs, hamsters and livestock.
Conclusion
If you notice that your child has begun to eat raw potatoes, do not panic and scold him for this. It is much better to control the quality of the product, at the same time adding dishes with a high content of magnesium and calcium to the diet. It is useful to show the child to the pediatrician and to consult about the daily menu. The right approach will help you adjust your diet and avoid the risks associated with eating raw potatoes.