Why is solanine poisoning dangerous? Green tomatoes are the healthiest

Tomato - everyone's favorite vegetable crop, a real storehouse of useful substances. It is often included in many diets and is used to combat overweight. IN ancient times this vegetable was considered poisonous, but, as a result of various studies, many positive properties of tomatoes have now been discovered. Despite the widespread consumption of tomatoes, there are still discussions about its toxicity. The same applies to green tomatoes.

Beneficial properties of green tomatoes

The composition of tomatoes is very diverse and includes a number of vitamins and minerals that contribute to the excellent functioning of the human body. Eating tomatoes will help prevent the development of heart attacks, the occurrence of cancer cells and changes in DNA structure. The main role in this is played by the substance lycopene, characteristic of tomato cells, which, among other things, determines its bright color.

Another constituent component, serotonin, will ensure the presence good mood due to the normalization of nervous processes in the brain. Greatest benefit will have consumption of tomatoes along with vegetable oil. Green tomatoes are no exception to this.

Negative effects of green tomatoes

The main negative side of tomatoes is their allergenicity. Therefore, people who have food allergies should consume minimum quantity this vegetable. People suffering from arthritis, gout, or kidney and cardiovascular diseases should also not eat tomatoes, especially pickled, salted or canned.

If you have the above diseases, then bright vegetables should be treated with caution. special attention so that this does not lead to negative consequences.

Nutritionists also advise not to eat tomatoes with meat, eggs, fish and bread. For safety reasons, it is worth taking a break of several hours between taking these products.

A simple recipe for cooking green tomatoes

Winter salad from green tomatoes

3 kg green tomatoes

1 kg onion

1 kg carrots

1 kg bell pepper

Hot pepper to taste

Brine:

350 gr. sunflower oil

300 gr. Sahara

100 gr. salt

100 ml. 9% vinegar

First you need to chop the vegetables, put everything in a non-oxidizing container, then thoroughly mix everything with sugar, vinegar, oil and salt. Then let it sit for 6-8 hours until they release the juice. After this, you need to cook them for about 30 minutes. And put the finished salad into jars.

Green tomatoes - benefits and harm

Like any plant product, tomatoes can be eaten in moderation so as not to “earn” allergic reactions. In addition, tomatoes have a number of compositional features that also need to be taken into account when consumed fresh or prepared.

Benefiting from it

Tomatoes contain a whole “set” of vitamins and minerals that are important for the functioning of the body, so you can certainly eat them. Lycopene is a great “enemy” of cancer cells and an important “friend” of the heart. Serotonin is a brain assistant and the “engine” of a good mood. Quercetin is a naturally occurring antibiotic. Tomatidine is a muscle activator and prevents muscle atrophy. Iodine, iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus also “coexist” in tomatoes.

Unripe tomato fruits increase tone, relieve fatigue and reduce the risk of injury.

Taking into account the harm

In front of everyone beneficial properties tomatoes can be eaten with some reservations. It is important to consider that tomatoes are a nightshade crop. This means that all unripe fruits, as well as stems and leaves, contain the toxic substance solanine. It's like natural protection, protects tomatoes from mold fungi. At the same time, this glycoside has a negative effect on red blood cells, disrupting the function of blood transfer of oxygen through the tissues of the body. Signs of poisoning: nausea, headaches, weakness, drowsiness and breathing problems. In this case, you can cleanse your stomach activated carbon or a solution of potassium permanganate of minimal concentration.

For a person in poor health, 5-10 pieces of green fruits are enough to cause poisoning, but if you double the consumption, you can achieve death or even death. best case scenario- the need for blood transfusion.

To eat green tomatoes without harm to the body, it is necessary to remove solanine. There are two ways to do this: Blanch the tomatoes or pour the fruits picked from the bushes with salt water for several hours. Then the water is changed and this is done several times. Not only the solanine goes away, but also some bitterness, after which the tomatoes can be eaten.

Unripe fruits contain up to 11 mg of nitrates per 100 g of weight. This large enough amount can block the ability of oxygen to carry hemoglobin and interfere with the liver's ability to neutralize toxins. Therefore, before cooking, unripe tomatoes must be doused with boiling water three times in order to sharply reduce the amount of nitrates.

Not everyone can eat fruits with a high amount of organic acids. Therefore, unripe tomatoes are not suitable for patients with gallstone disease.

Methods for preparing green tomatoes

There are many ways to prepare green tomatoes. The most accessible of them, after which the vegetable can be eaten without fear:

Fermentation. It is carried out after preliminary blanching three times. All harmful substances are destroyed.
Pickling or salting. Stuffed with garlic, herbs and hot pepper. Perfect as a snack with alcohol.
Caviar. You can add garlic, horseradish, carrots to vegetables, tomato paste and kernels walnuts.
Jam. Small tomatoes are filled with a mixture of raisins and walnuts. Boil with sugar syrup added to water and chopped orange slices. The jam can be eaten without fear; it will taste like peach.

It’s also worth trying to experiment with different canning and stewing recipes.

Green tomatoes prepared in any way:

Not recommended There is those who have diseased kidneys, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure.
Limited use - pregnant women, nursing mothers, elderly people, small children.
Minimum quantity you can eat patients with joint problems.

Doctors involved in dietary nutrition do not recommend simultaneous consumption of tomatoes with eggs, meat, fish or bread.

Ultimately, it is worth saying clearly that green tomatoes are proper preparation All healthy people can eat it, receiving great benefits and pleasure from it. The consumption of unripe tomatoes is limited only to those who have serious medical problems. Therefore, eat them for your health, taking into account the principle of “moderation and accuracy.”

Potatoes are not a native crop to Europe. At one time, Christopher Columbus brought it from America. There is also a legend that initially people did not know that they needed to eat ripened tubers. Instead, they ate the leaves and were often victims of poisoning.

Potatoes became notorious because it was believed that after intoxication the patient began to experience hallucinations. Identical symptoms were observed with improper consumption of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. All these familiar to modern man vegetables belong to the nightshade category. They are united by a common property - they contain the poison solanine. Due to inexperience, many people have often fallen victim to solanine poisoning in the past.

Studied features of solanine

It has been proven that solanine is distributed unevenly in different representatives of the nightshade family. The highest concentration is found in potato berries and green tubers that have already sprouted. But ordinary potatoes, which people eat daily, contain minimal amounts of poison.

Initially, potatoes and tomatoes were not classified as agricultural crops in Europe. They were planted as decorative elements garden Florists used their flowers to create seasonal bouquets.

Through trial and error, it was found that solanine poisoning can be avoided if you follow the recommended diet. After ordinary people showed how to properly eat such a useful product in all respects, poisoning almost disappeared.

glucose,
solanoidin.

The structure of the poison resembles crystals that are almost insoluble in water. But in alcohol, dissolution occurs almost instantly. Solanine is an integral part of the entire nightshade family and is found in large doses in:

potatoes,
unripe tomatoes,
ripe eggplants.

Moreover, in the third case, a significant dose of poison can be detected only in the peel.

Despite this, it is not recommended to neglect eggplants and other listed vegetables in the seasonal diet. If the potatoes are properly ripened and stored according to standards for no more than three months, then they are considered safe for consumption. And after six months of storage in the cellar, the dose of poison gradually increases.

Approximate content of hazardous substance in different parts potato looks like this:

unripe tubers – up to 1%;
flowers – up to 0.7%;
peel – up to 0.06%;
sprouts – up to 0.5%;
tops – up to 0.25%;
ripe tuber – up to 0.007%.

In the course of numerous studies, scientists have come to the conclusion that several factors can affect the poison content in green potatoes:

variety,
climate,
weather.

The amount of alkaloid can increase significantly if the tuber is constantly exposed to direct influences. ultraviolet rays, or experienced a significant drop in temperature. Nematode damage and root rotting also negatively affect the content of hazardous substances.

IN spring period Potatoes begin to “exacerbate”. This is due to the fact that preparations for the growing season begin in February. To prevent the vegetable from spoiling, nature provided it with a mechanism for solanine synthesis. It is responsible for stimulating the metabolic process, which guarantees the germination of sprouts.

In spring, the amount of poison in tubers increases approximately five times. It was experimentally established that the longer the sprout of the tuber, the more dangerous the product itself.

The concentration of solanine in eggplants is slightly different. The most dangerous area here is the peel. And the pulp contains only about 0.03%. You can feel the poison of corned beef here due to its characteristic bitter taste. To determine how much substance there is in a particular fruit, you need to cut it. The browner the cut is, the more poison it contains.

Solanine can even be found in green tomatoes, which many people like to eat salted. Here the maximum concentration of poison is no more than 0.008%. As the tomato ripens, the danger decreases. A ripened vegetable no longer poses any threat to humans.

Where to look for solanine?

In addition to the above-mentioned crops, poison can be found in other products familiar to European people. We are talking about:

tobacco,
nightshade,
bay leaf,
dope,
henbane.

The last two plants are famous for their poisoning abilities. completely poisonous. Seeds are especially dangerous.

But while people have heard about henbane since childhood, many are hearing about the dangers of vegetables for the first time. To avoid the consequences of severe intoxication, you need to be very careful when choosing vegetables when purchasing.

Besides his negative impact effect on the body, solanine is widely used in medicine. Doctors use two main properties of this poison:

insecticidal,
fungicidal.

Among gardeners, the insecticidal property of the nightshade family has received positive reviews. Using an infusion of potato tops, gardeners get rid of aphids on the site.

But corned beef is generally not found in carrots, since it belongs to the Umbelliferae family. But experienced gardeners they warn that if the root crop is left on the surface for a long time in bright light, it begins to turn green. To avoid this, it is recommended to hill up the future harvest.

The body's elimination mechanism

The main problem that solanine poses is its ability to inhibit nervous system. In addition, it upsets the digestive tract and has a destructive effect on red blood cells. If you take urine for analysis during the period of intoxication, the result will definitely show a high amount of protein. This will only confirm the hypothesis about the derivation large number red blood cells that have already died.

The kidneys and skin are seriously affected. This is especially clear if the patient receives intoxication on a regular basis.

Another negative aspect of poison is the ability to accumulate in the body. This means that even after eating an extremely dangerous dose of solanine in foods, it will not make itself felt instantly. Most likely, it will simply manifest itself gradually. This will be expressed in the exacerbation of various joint diseases.

In the approved nutrition menu for cancer patients, potatoes are kept to a minimum. The reason for this is solanine and its complicity in. But even if a person is completely healthy and neglects the advice of nutritional culture, he can earn himself black bile.

Signs of solanine intoxication

If ingested, symptoms of poisoning will immediately affect the gastrointestinal tract. This will be expressed in the following signs:

nausea,
vomit,
loose stools,
bitterness in the mouth,
sore throat
pain in the abdomen.

If poisoning occurs after eating nightshade, the substance will begin to enter the blood within a couple of hours after the meal. The following organ and tissue systems begin to suffer:

cardiovascular,
nervous,
respiratory,
urinary.

The patient has problems with a normal breathing rhythm, as well as weakness and headache.

At the same time, a decrease in urine output is recorded, and protein is detected in the urine itself.

If the poisoning is severe, the patient will experience a rapid drop in blood pressure and a slowdown in heart rate. Due to the fact that a person's red blood cells begin to break down, he experiences uncontrollable muscle twitching. Later it turns into real convulsions. If nothing is done at this stage, the poisoned person will face paralysis or even death.

First aid to the victim

After the ambulance is called, you can begin providing first aid:

Remove the substance from the digestive system. For this, a standard gastric lavage procedure is used. You need to give the patient about two liters of slightly warm, pre-boiled water and induce vomiting artificially. If possible, the victim is given an enema. It is also filled with warm boiled water in an amount of no more than two liters. It is lightly salted beforehand.
Make a wrap. To get rid of the solanine that still remains in the blood, you will need a wet sheet. It is used to wrap the poisoned person.
Reception of sorbents. Usually by this stage the ambulance has already arrived and the patient is treated in a hospital setting. Here he is prescribed glucose drips, as well as sorbents recommended in such cases.

How to avoid becoming a victim of poisoning?

It is much easier to carry out a number of preventive measures to avoid intoxication than to spend money on treatment later.

Methods for preventing poisoning include the following points:

Avoid eating sprouted potatoes.
If green spots appear on the tubers, cut them deeply.
Store winter supplies correctly. Before sending the potatoes to the cellar, they should be thoroughly dried. Optimal conditions storage humidity is no higher than 90% and the temperature is around 3 degrees Celsius.
Peel the eggplants.
Use green tomatoes exclusively as a marinade. In this case, acetic acid will act as a poison neutralizer.

In conclusion, remember that solanine can be destroyed by heat treatment only when the heating temperature exceeds 250 degrees. This means that frying or even boiling at home will not destroy the poison.

Can all tomatoes be eaten without harm to health and how to win back the tomato crop from late blight, said Leonid Mishin, candidate biological sciences"Scientific and Production Center for Potato Growing, Fruit Growing and Vegetable Growing" NAS RB

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Green tomatoes boost immunity

I don’t grow tomatoes myself, but I constantly buy them at the market. I try to take homemade ones. However, I noticed that some fruits have yellow spots. Is it possible to eat these tomatoes? Also, tell me, are tomatoes affected by late blight harmful? And what do they look like?

Irina, Minsk.

Yellowish spots can have different origins. Most often they are formed when sun rays concentrate in water droplets on the fruit and thereby cause sunburn. The second reason: plants may lack phosphorus. There are also yellowish spots (on unripe fruits they are dark green) near the stalk itself. But these are the tomatoes that have a brighter taste. This indicates that they were grown at home, and not in a greenhouse, where tomatoes with storability genes are often grown (the fruits are stored for a long time, their presentation does not deteriorate). This phenomenon is a varietal trait. But tomatoes that ripen evenly taste bland.

In addition, yellow spots on fruits may be the result of a plant being infected by a virus that is not dangerous to humans.

The sign of late blight is completely different: there will be wet spots on the tomato fruits, stains of dark purple and purple are clearly visible under the skin. gray. In principle, if such fruits are trimmed, the remaining parts can be used in food. Another thing is that tomatoes infected with late blight will be tasteless.

True, some scientists write that slightly rotten tomatoes should not be eaten, but there is no scientific confirmation of this.

BY THE WAY

Now we need to especially carefully monitor tomatoes, especially during sudden changes in weather. If you don’t want to take risks, then remove large tomatoes while they are still green and leave them to ripen. Some of the fruits can be marinated with garlic and cloves. Thanks to cloves, tomatoes turn out just like in old Soviet recipes. Cloves give a pleasant, pungent taste, one piece per jar will be enough. In addition, green tomatoes are also useful: they contain a substance that increases human immunity.

Why did the tomatoes become curly?

Tomatoes have 4 stems on one shoot. I have been planting this variety from my own seeds for several years, but this is the first time this has happened with these tomatoes. There are three varieties in the garden, and only one of them has this problem. Tell me, what could it be?

Valentina Iosifovna, Minsk.

This question can only be answered accurately by seeing the plants. Offhand, I can imagine three options: firstly, it could be a viral infection. It is characterized by bushiness (the plant becomes shaggy, many stems grow from the stepsons). The second reason: the variety could be pollinated with another variety that produces many stepsons. Under normal conditions, plants do not cross-pollinate, but bumblebees can carry pollen. It happens that a bumblebee cross-pollinates a plant, but in the first year this will not be noticeable - you collect seeds from such plants and save them until next year. In the first year, similar tomatoes will grow, and only in the second year will splitting begin.

The third reason lies in excessive feeding. If you apply more unevenly nitrogen fertilizers, then the plant will produce more shoots.

What drug will save you from late blight in a greenhouse?

Tomatoes in open ground I already removed it so as not to damage the late blight, but I still left it in the greenhouse. True, I’m afraid that this misfortune will not reach them there either. Tell me what drug can be used to protect tomatoes in a greenhouse from late blight, taking into account the fact that they will soon be eaten.

Tamara Vasilievna, Brest region.

When the fruits are ripening, you can use Bordeaux mixture, Azofos (not to be confused with the fertilizer with the same name!) and Kuprosat (copper sulfate). These are non-systemic drugs, they don’t hit the plant as much, but they protect it until the first good rainfall. U Bordeaux mixture and "Kuprosat" the waiting period is 4 days in open and protected ground, for "Azofos" - 3 days in protected ground.

NOTE

Even if you have contributed everything necessary fertilizers Even when planting plants, this does not mean that they do not need further nutrition. After all, it also happens that during the growth process it may be necessary to add additional nutrients. To understand what exactly the plant lacks, the external signs that we have collected for you in this table for convenience are enough.

Role in the plant

Symptoms of deficiency

Symptoms of excess

Responsible for the growth of leaves and stems.

Shredding of leaves and stems, pale green color, slow growth.

Excessive growth, curling and falling of leaves, instability to diseases and pests.

Promotes flowering and fruit formation.

However, it should be taken into account that unripe representatives of the nightshade family, including tomatoes, contain solanine. The presence of this poison suggests that the harm of green tomatoes is not imaginary.

Why are green tomatoes harmful?

If the norm of solanine per 100 grams of product is exceeded, green tomatoes become dangerous to humans. They can cause serious food poisoning. In rare cases, death can occur.

In order not to experience certain ailments associated with weakness, drowsiness, difficulty breathing, nausea and headache, it is recommended to consume unripe fruits in compliance with safety precautions. In more severe cases, a decrease in the number of red blood cells in the blood or impaired kidney function may occur.

First of all, they should not be used as food for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Children and the elderly are also at risk. Other lovers of this product who do not suffer from allergies caused by solanine can use it without forgetting about safety measures.

To minimize the harm to green fruits, that is, the amount of solanine in the fruits is reduced to normal, it is recommended to heat treat them, that is, blanch them for several minutes in several waters. Boiling water removes excess solanine. The toxic substance is released into the water, making the tomatoes safe to eat. After this procedure, green tomatoes can be used as food without the risk of poisoning.

Harmful properties of green tomatoes

If trouble happens, that is, the victim has noticed symptoms of solanine poisoning, it is necessary to urgently take measures to lavage the stomach. For this purpose, a suspension of activated carbon or a solution of potassium permanganate is traditionally used. At the same time, it is recommended to call doctors who will carry out the necessary procedures at a professional level. In case of severe poisoning, self-medication without the help of qualified specialists is not recommended.

At the same time, we should not forget that in small quantities solanine contained in unripe tomatoes is even beneficial. It prevents the occurrence of heart attacks, reduces the risk of cancer cells, the presence large quantity vitamins and minerals contribute to the overall improvement of the body. The main thing is not to allow the solanine content to exceed the norm. Only in this case, green tomatoes, prepared for future use, will bring maximum pleasure at the winter table, when fresh vegetables reach our table in limited quantities.

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