In article . com,
writes:
| On 1 Aug, 05:54, "John Vanini" wrote:
| I'd be grateful for any advice, please.
| http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_055b.html is quite good on the
| subject.
|
| I just remove the green bits, fairly agressively, myself.

I chased this up a while back, and here is a (not totally reliable,
but based on real research papers) summary:

As that says, potatoes go green when exposed to light, and accumulate
a much larger amount of the toxic alkaloid solanine in the green bits.
However, that is strongly associated with bitterness and so, if they
don't taste bitter, there isn't much. Even 'ungreen' potatoes contain
small amounts of solanin.

In small quantities, the only people who are in any danger from solanin
are women in the first trimester of pregnancy - solanin is somewhat
teratogenic. However, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is an antidote to
solanin, and there is enough in most ungreen potatoes to counteract
it. So the risk is so low as to be not worth worrying about.

It seems likely (though not proven) that the birth defect problems
caused to the Irish in the 19th centuries were not actually due to
blight creating a teratogen, but to it destroying the ascorbic acid
and thus (in a people whose main source of it was potatoes) causing
the solanin to have that effect.

So all girls and women between 6 and 60 should keep up their vitamin C
intake, just in case, and cut away all green or blighted parts or
avoid such potatoes.

But, as I said, that is merely my understanding from the papers that
I read. I am no expert.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.