Yams(Orange)

rawrabbit

Is it safe to eat raw yams(orange)? I read on the internet that some varieties can be toxic and cooking them removes the toxcitiy.

vegirl

I don't think you can eat them raw. Check out this wikipedia, loads of info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)

rawrabbit

Thank you so much for the information on sweet potatoes. I did eat approximately 1/2 of a raw sweet potato. http://blog.nutritiondata.com/ndblog/2009/03/is-it-okay-to-e.html I also found this link which basically states as other have said. It is not a great idea to eat raw sweet potatoes.

Answer: Raw sweet potatoes contain a chemical called trypsin inhibitor, which inhibits the activity of an enzyme that your body needs to digest protein. The trypsin inhibitor in sweet potatoes is almost entirely inactivated when you cook them. For that reason, eating large quantities of raw sweet potatoes on a regular basis might not be such a great idea. But small amounts of raw sweet potato (such as shredding a bit on top of a salad or eating a few raw sweet potato chips as a snack) probably will not cause any big problems. Sweet potatoes (raw or cooked) are a great source of beta-carotene, which is a fat soluble vitamin. Eating them with something that contains a bit of fat will enhance your ability to absorb this nutrient.