are raw eggplants toxic?

[wisslewj]

i was wanting to make some raw baba ganoush but i have raed that eggplants are toxic if not cooked. Is this true? Supposedly there is a toxin called solium (or something like that) that only goes away when cooked. As I have no desire to cook the food can someone tell me if this is true. Has anyone eaten raw eggplant with no negative affects?

Thanks,
Jeff

[Spectatrix]

I believe you're referring to solanine? I googled a bit and it looks like eggplant contains 60-110 ppm of solanine, whereas tomatoes contain about 50. Chances are, if you don't react badly to tomatoes, you probably won't react badly to raw eggplant either.

0.01 oz is considered a toxic level of solanine for a 200 lb person, which is approximately 283 mg. Even assuming a high concentration (110 ppm, or 11 mg per 100 g of eggplant) of solanine in eggplant, you'd have to eat over 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) of eggplant in a day to reach that level.

[wisslewj]

thanx spect,

That was it, solanine. So, since it is toxic, is it even worth eating it and risking it? I guess what i mean is, is there any health benefit to eating raw eggplant that outweighs the risk of consuing something toxic?

thanks alot,
jeff

[Rawkinlocs]

I don't know the science behind the alleged toxins in eggplant, but I can tell you (to answer the other portion of your question) is that many here consume eggplant without cooking. There are recipes for eggplant "bacon", eggplant tacos, eggplant pizza and I've made marinated terriyaki eggplant and no bad effects with me or reported by anyone else.

[Spectatrix]

Its toxicity isn't anything that a healthy body shouldn't be able to handle, especially if you're just having a portion of baba ganoush. Whether or not we're aware of it, many foods have SOME kind of toxin in them. Even just talking specifically about solanine, it's in tomatoes, potatoes, and many varieties of peppers in addition to eggplant.

Eggplant is a good source of fiber and antioxidants, in addition to potassium, manganese, and several of the B vitamins.

[THX-1138]

All foods contain toxins when raw, some of which are neutralized when cooked.

[wisslewj]

Thanks guys for your help.....heres hopin i dont kill my wife and me lol :P

THX,

I have another question for you.....I thought, besides enzymes and nutrients, raw food was better because it was non toxic, unlike the cooked stuff. From my understanding, cooked food raises the luekecytes (white blood cells) in the blood as would a toxin. If raw food is toxic as well to some level, would not then raw food do that as well? (i read that raw food did not do that) And hence, what would be the benefit of a 100% raw diet. It would almost seem that it would be far better to cook some of the healthy but more toxic foods if both cooked and uncooked are toxic?

Jeff

[gatorgrrl]

I eat eggplant all the time. My mom last year planted her whole garden in eggplants because she loved them soooo much. Well we were eating eggplant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner till we all grew tired of them and then we started giving them away. This year we planted one plant. I ate them way more then average and so did my family and know of us had any bad effects. I don't care what you read, I do not believe that edible vegetables or fruits are toxic uncooked.

[Spectatrix]

I don't care what you read, I do not believe that edible vegetables or fruits are toxic uncooked.
The key word here is "edible"... where do you draw the line? Yes, there are foods that will outright kill you if you eat a small serving, but why is it so hard to believe that other foods contain toxins? All members of the nightshade family (including tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum peppers, and potatoes) contain alkaloids such as the afforementioned solanine. Cyanide compounds are present in members of the rose family, including apricots, apples, bitter almonds, and cherries. Etc., etc.

[Mildred_Sugar]

Whenever I eat raw eggplant I always soak it in salted water for 6 hours, drain it (pressing out remaining water) and then marinate it in lemon juice & seasonings. Might this help neutralize whatever small amounts of natural toxins might occur in eggplant? (I'm naturally drawn to do this just to extract the bitter taste of raw eggplant)

[Brianna]

I eat raw eggplant with no adverse affects. When I was eating a whole lot of it, it did stain my teeth black though (even though I peeled it).

[gatorgrrl]

The key word here is "edible"... where do you draw the line? Yes, there are foods that will outright kill you if you eat a small serving, but why is it so hard to believe that other foods contain toxins? All members of the nightshade family (including tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum peppers, and potatoes) contain alkaloids such as the afforementioned solanine. Cyanide compounds are present in members of the rose family, including apricots, apples, bitter almonds, and cherries. Etc., etc.

I draw the line at if it's uncooked, edible, I like it, doesn't cause me any side effects after eating it, then it's ok for me. I eat everything in the nightshade family although I have health practictioners tell me not too. I enjoy them and I don't feel bad when I eat them. I don't eat many potatoes, mainly because I'm not crazy about them raw. I go with how my body feels. Now eggplant is not on the top of my list of foods, but peppers, tomatoes, almonds, and apples are very much enjoyed by me.

[Svadhyaya]

Is this toxin the reason that macrobiotic people shun the eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes and such??

[greeninlosangeles]

I think natural occuring plant toxins is small amounts do not harm us, because our bodies are made to handle them, cooking your food creates new kind of toxins which body can not get rid of properly.