POTATO, BEHIND ITS DELICIOUS TASTE

We may be so familiar with potato, or in Latin name called Solanum tuberosum. Although many people believe that the origin of this kind of vegetable is from Andes plateau in the US, potato can now grow and be found almost everywhere in this earth.  In the form of fries, potato even is much popular in today’s fast-food restaurants. However, few people know what is behind the delicious taste of potato.

As other kinds of vegetable, potato contains many elements, which some are good for people’s health and some others are bad.  Based on many researches, potato is good to control sugar in our blood, to prevent us from hypertension, to slow down the growth of cancer, and to beautify our skin. On the contrary, if treated improperly, potato is so dangerous since it can become a toxic.

Potato is always not good for our health because this vegetable contains an element called alkoaloid solanin. This element normally exists when potato is harvested earlier before time or if kept in a long period in open air. The existence of alkoaloid solanin can be seen from its color. If the greenish color reaches its flesh, it means potato is in a state of containing very high alkoaloid solanin, which can cause diarrhea if cooked and eaten. Even, for a pregnant woman, alkoaloid solanin is so risky for the health of her baby.

To reduce the amount of alkoaloid solanin element in potato, we can keep it in a cold place, like in a refrigerator, which is always on. Thus, never let our electricity cuts off for a long time when we have potato in the keeping-media unless we have to bear the risk of alkoaloid solanin inside the potato.  As being healthy means we have be careful in choosing daily food, preventing such a toxic enter our body is good natural way to follow. 

SPINACH IS SO POISONOUS, HOW COME?

Are you a vegetarian? If yes, Indonesia may be your heaven for this matter. As a tropical country, Indonesia offers various kinds of vegetable. Its wide fertile farmland gives you not only forest, but also vegetables, including Popeye’s most favorite one, spinach.

As you know, spinach contains various kinds and great amount of nutrient. Therefore, many people, perhaps including Popeye the Sailorman, call spinach as King of Vegetable. However, do you know that spinach is also so poisonous?

According to some researches, spinach contains iron, named Fe2 + (ferro). This kind of element will be oxidized if contacted with O2 (oxigent) and becomes Fe3+ (ferri). F33+ is a toxic!

Now, are you afraid to eat spinach? What about Popeye, will he put his complaint on me? Do not worry; I will give tips to consume this vegetable safely:

1.      Do not warm it; try to eat up your spinach soup once.

2.      Immediately cook the spinach after picked, never wait until more than 5 hours to cook it or too long kept in refrigerator.

3.      Do not cook spinach using aluminum pan since it will react with the iron in the vegetable.

Well, those are some points we have to consider when consuming spinach. Of course we do not want that king of vegetable become king of deadly weapon for our health. Happy exploring nature secrets of Indonesia.