Quick Answer
Generally, cooked potatoes are considered healthier and safer to eat than raw potatoes. Cooking helps break down complex starches into more digestible forms and kills any bacteria or pathogens that may be present. However, potatoes do contain some nutrients that can be diminished by cooking, so enjoying them raw on occasion can provide nutritional benefits as well. Moderation and variety are key when incorporating both raw and cooked potatoes into a healthy diet.
Nutritional Differences Between Raw and Cooked Potatoes
Raw and cooked potatoes differ in a few key nutrients:
Vitamin C
Raw potatoes contain significantly more vitamin C than cooked potatoes. One medium raw potato (150g) provides over 20mg of vitamin C, while a medium cooked potato provides under 5mg (1).
Vitamin C is highly sensitive to heat and oxidizes rapidly during cooking. Up to 60% of vitamin C can be lost when potatoes are boiled (2).
Resistant Starch
Raw potatoes contain resistant starch, a type of carb that resists digestion and acts more like fiber in the body. Cooked potatoes have less resistant starch as the heat gelatinizes the starch granules (3).
However, cooled cooked potatoes develop resistant starch crystals as they sit. This is why potato salad can have a higher resistant starch content than hot boiled potatoes.
Glycoalkaloids
All potatoes contain glycoalkaloids, which can be toxic in high amounts. Cooking helps reduce glycoalkaloids by up to 80% (4).
So raw potatoes have a greater potential risk of glycoalkaloid poisoning, though cases are very rare. Peeling potatoes can remove up to 90% of glycoalkaloids (5).
Digestibility
The starch in raw potatoes resists digestion, leading to discomfort like bloating and gas in some people. Cooking potatoes significantly improves the digestibility of the starch.
So cooked potatoes provide more digestible calories and net carbs than the same amount eaten raw.
Nutrients Unaffected by Cooking
Many nutrients are present in equal amounts in raw and cooked potatoes. These include (6):
– Vitamin B6
– Potassium
– Magnesium
– Manganese
– Phosphorus
Overall, raw potatoes contain more vitamin C, resistant starch, and glycoalkaloids compared to cooked. Cooked potatoes are higher in digestible starch and have reduced antinutrients and toxins.
Health Benefits of Raw Potatoes
Here are some of the top health benefits associated specifically with raw potato consumption:
Higher vitamin C intake
The vitamin C in raw potatoes aids immune function, promotes collagen formation, and acts as a powerful antioxidant. Just one medium raw potato (150g) fulfills over 30% of the RDI for vitamin C (7).
Eating potatoes raw preserves much more of this heat-sensitive vitamin compared to cooking.
More resistant starch
Resistant starch passes undigested through the small intestine and feeds beneficial gut bacteria in the large intestine. This improves digestive health and may lower inflammation and insulin resistance (8).
Substituting cooked potatoes for raw can increase resistant starch intake dramatically. One study found 4 times more resistant starch in raw potatoes vs baked (9).
Potential weight management benefits
Some evidence suggests the resistant starch in raw potatoes may support weight loss and maintenance.
Resistant starch blunts postprandial glucose spikes, increases satiety, and favors fat burning over fat storage (10). These effects could aid weight management, though more human research is needed.
Lower glycemic index
The glycemic index (GI) measures how rapidly foods spike blood sugar.
Raw potatoes have a GI of 58, while boiled potatoes have a GI of 78 and mashed potatoes a GI of 88 (11).
The resistant starch and intact cellular structure of raw potatoes leads to a slower, smaller rise in blood sugar compared to cooked potatoes. This helps control glycemic response.
More potassium
Potatoes are well known as a high potassium food.
Potassium supports blood pressure, cardiovascular health, and proper fluid balance in the body. Though cooking doesn’t majorly deplete potassium levels, raw potatoes are able to retain more of this nutrient.
Health Benefits of Cooked Potatoes
While raw potatoes come with some advantages, cooked potatoes also shine in many ways:
Improved digestibility of starch
The starch locked within raw potato cells can be challenging for digestion. Cooking ruptures cell walls and gelatinizes the starch, making digestibility near 100% (12).
For people with digestive issues like IBS, cooked potatoes are often better tolerated due to their higher starch digestibility.
Inactivation of toxins and anti-nutrients
Cooking destroys heat-sensitive glycoalkaloids present in all potato varieties. It also degrades protease inhibitors and phytic acid, two antinutrients in potatoes.
This makes the overall nutritional profile of cooked potatoes more bioavailable and less likely to cause side effects like nausea or stomach upset.
Higher cooked carb and calorie availability
The resistant starch content of cooked potatoes is much lower than raw, meaning more total digestible carbs and calories.
One study found participants absorbed over 130 fewer calories from a cooked potato compared to the same potato eaten raw (13).
For highly active individuals or growing children, obtaining fully available calories and carbs from cooked potatoes can be advantageous.
Lower acrylamide formation
Acrylamide is a potentially toxic compound formed when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures. Boiling, steaming, or microwaving helps limit acrylamide in potatoes compared to frying or roasting (14).
Still, acrylamide risks are small at dietary potato intake levels for most people.
Enhanced absorption of antioxidants
Raw potatoes contain chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant compound.
Interestingly, some research shows cooking can substantially increase chlorogenic acid bioavailability from potatoes (15).
This means the antioxidant benefits of chlorogenic acid are enhanced in cooked potatoes vs raw.
Increased availability of minerals
Cooking helps liberate minerals from potatoes’ fibrous cell walls, increasing the absorption of iron, zinc, copper and magnesium (16, 17).
One study found iron absorption from potatoes increased by over 5x with cooking compared to raw (18).
Overall, cooking improves the digestibility and absorption of potato antioxidants and minerals.
Downsides of Raw Potatoes
Here are some of the downsides of eating potatoes raw that should be considered:
Digestive discomfort
Raw potato starch can be difficult to break down and cause unpleasant symptoms like bloating, gas, and diarrhea in some people.
Individual sensitivity varies, but cooking potatoes almost always improves tolerance.
Higher glycoalkaloid content
All potatoes contain some amounts of the toxic glycoalkaloids solanine and chaconine. Cooking reduces glycoalkaloid content by up to 80% (19).
Peeling also removes a major portion of these compounds in potatoes, whether raw or cooked. Very high intakes from unpeeled raw potatoes could potentially cause poisoning.
Higher resistant starch content
While resistant starch has benefits, it can exacerbate digestive problems like IBS or Crohn’s disease in some people. The high resistant starch in raw potatoes may be more likely to cause issues than cooked.
Higher carbohydrate content
The total carb content of potatoes doesn’t change with cooking, but the digestible carb portion increases as resistant starch is lost.
Someone monitoring carbohydrate intake for health or weight management may do better sticking to cooked potatoes to account for their higher available carb levels.
Food safety issues
Raw potatoes may harbor dangerous bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria, which are killed with cooking (20).
Eating raw potatoes also increases risk of exposure to pesticides residue. If choosing to eat raw, organic potatoes are recommended.
Overall, people with digestive problems, autoimmune conditions, or increased susceptibility to foodborne illness may want to avoid raw potatoes.
Downsides of Cooked Potatoes
Cooking potatoes also comes with several disadvantages:
Lower vitamin C content
Boiling potatoes can leach out over 60% of their vitamin C content into the cooking water (21). Steaming, microwaving, or baking helps retain more vitamin C.
Still, all cooking methods will result in some degree of vitamin C loss compared to raw potatoes.
Lower resistant starch content
Resistant starch is highest in raw potatoes and decreases with cooking as the starch gelatinizes. This starch fraction has benefits for digestion, weight management, and stabilizing blood sugar.
Cooking and then cooling potatoes increases resistant starch to some degree. But cooked potatoes won’t reach the resistant starch content of raw.
Potential formation of acrylamide
Frying or roasting potatoes at high heat can lead to acrylamide formation, a carcinogenic and neurotoxic compound (22).
Boiling, microwaving, and steaming limit acrylamide production and are healthier cooking methods.
Loss of probiotics on the peel
Studies show the outer peel of potatoes harbors many beneficial bacteria species. One study found peeling potatoes reduced total bacteria counts by up to 90% (23).
Leaving the peel on can retain more of the raw potato’s natural probiotic microbes, which get destroyed with cooking.
The largest disadvantages to cooked potatoes are the loss of heat-sensitive nutrients like vitamin C, probiotic bacteria, and resistant starch.
How to Make Raw Potatoes Safer and More Digestible
If you want to work raw potatoes into your diet, there are tips to reduce risks and improve tolerability:
– Peel potatoes to remove 90% of glycoalkaloids
– Soak potatoes in water for 1-4 hours to draw out some anti-nutrients
– Shred or grate raw potatoes and let sit for 30 mins to increase digestibility
– Start with small portions of raw potato like 2-3 tbsps to assess tolerance
– Choose organic varieties to minimize pesticide residues
Modifying preparation methods can allow those interested in raw food diets or maximizing nutrients to still enjoy potatoes safely.
How to Retain Nutrients When Cooking Potatoes
To get the most out of cooked potatoes, here are some evidence-based tips:
Leave the peel on
Much of potatoes’ fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants are concentrated in the peel. Leaving it on boosts nutritional value.
Bake, microwave, or steam
These moist heat methods retain more nutrients than boiling, which can cause a major vitamin C loss.
Don’t overcook
The longer potatoes cook, the more nutrients are lost. Check doneness with a fork rather than waiting for complete softening.
Let cooked potatoes cool
Letting cooked potatoes briefly cool raises resistant starch levels as the starches crystallize.
Pair with other produce
Serve cooked potatoes with vitamin C-rich sides like citrus, bell peppers, or dark leafy greens to compensate for losses from cooking.
With smart preparation methods, cooked potatoes can still retain a wealth of nutrition and health benefits.
The Bottom Line
In most cases, properly cooked potatoes are the healthier and safer choice over raw. However, raw potatoes confer some unique benefits from nutrients like vitamin C and resistant starch.
The majority of people tolerate cooked potatoes better and absorb their nutrition more effectively. Raw potato starch and antinutrients also pose concerns.
That said, enjoying potatoes both raw and cooked as part of an overall varied diet can maximize your health and nutrient intake.
For raw potato prep safety tips, digestive health, foodborne illness risks, weight management, or other concerns, the benefits of cooked potatoes likely outweigh raw. But the nutrition of potatoes is robust enough for most people to enjoy moderate amounts prepared either way.
In summary:
- Raw potatoes contain more vitamin C, resistant starch, and antinutrients/toxins. Cooking lowers these compounds but improves digestibility and nutrient absorption.
- The higher resistant starch and intact structure of raw potatoes gives them a lower glycemic index.
- Cooking destroys bacteria and pathogens that could cause illness from raw potatoes.
- Preparation tips like peeling, soaking, and cooling can optimize the nutrition from both raw and cooked potatoes.
- For optimal health, enjoy potatoes prepared both with and without heat as part of an overall varied diet.