A question was posted in the Recipes Forum, which is not working at the moment so I thought why not post the question again and my response to it here..

nintendo1889 Wrote:
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> Can I eat sweet potatoes, or any potato for that
> matter, raw? From googling I see that they have a
> trypsin inhibitor which stops protein digestion.
> If it's not a good thing to do, can they be
> sprouted? Any information or links would be
> appreciated, as I'm aiming to be 100% raw.

Yes, yes, yes and no.. keep in mind sweet potatoes are a separate species than "Irish" potatoes.

sweet potatoes are good raw.. [www.nutritiondata.com]

sweet potato leaves are also edible raw.. [www.nutritiondata.com]

"Irish" potatoes are good raw.. [www.nutritiondata.com]

"Irish" potato sprouts and leaves (any green skins as well) contain solanine, toxic when in large amounts. (The deer graze on my potato plants every year).. go figure

..potato starch in its cellular matrix can be very difficult to digest raw.. significant fermentation in the gut is possible so go easy!.. at least till you know your tolerances.

I have had plenty of sweet potaotes and white ones over the years raw .
But I had always cut the so called sprouts off.
Sweet potatoes are more palatable raw as for the irish potatoes some taste great others are not so good.

It is a lot easier and tastier to eat bananas in place of raw potatoes.

Cherimoya,

Love Peace and Happiness,