Is It Safe To Eat Raw Squash?
When it comes to feeding your family, you want to make sure that you are giving them the best of the best. This means healthy and nutrient-rich foods that will help them grow strong and stay healthy. But it can be hard to keep up with what is safe to feed your family and what isn’t. Especially when it comes to raw fruits and vegetables. So, today we are here to talk about whether or not raw squash is safe for your family to consume.
Generally Speaking: Is Raw Squash Sage?
Squash is a great source of vitamins and minerals. It is also low in calories and fat. Raw squash is typically OK to eat but there are a few risks associated with eating raw squash.
First of all, most foods are safer when cooked. Almost harmful bacteria or mold will be destroyed when cooking something, so you take a lot of rare, but potentially harmful things out of the picture when cooking through a food item.
The second risk is that raw squash may contain toxins that can be harmful if consumed in large quantities. This will depend largely on the type of squash.
The third risk is that raw squash may be hard to digest if not properly cooked. Again, this will depend largely on the type of squash in question.
Types Of Squash You Can Eat Raw
Squash generally fall into two categories: hard and soft.
Winter Squash
Hard squash are generally harvested in the fall. They are sometimes called “winter squash.” They are, as their name suggests, hard with waxy exteriors. They store well and need a thorough cooking to be eaten. Some of these squash types include acorn, butternut, delicata, and kabocha squash.
If you have a little bit of raw squash by accident it is safe, but it’s not something you should eat. It’ll be astringent to the taste and hard to digest.
Summer Squash
The other type is the soft or “summer” squash. These are the type of squash that you might find in a vegetable platter with some ranch dressing or dip and that you can eat raw in normal quantities.
Summer squash include…
- Zucchini
- Summer squash (basically a long, yellow squash)
- Crookneck
- Chayote
- Zephyr
Of these, you’d typically find the zucchini and yellow summer squash eaten raw, perhaps cubed into a salad, shredded with a salad dressing, or in sticks on a crudités platter
Safe Or Not?
The answer to whether raw squash is safe to eat or not is, “It depends.”
Overall, most raw squash is safe for most people to eat in small quantities, but you don’t want to do it. Other squashes are great raw and can be consumed in normal quantities, just like you would any other vegetable.
Either way, there are a few risks associated with consuming raw squash. It is important to wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw squash and to cook it properly before eating it. If you have any concerns, please consult your doctor or a registered dietitian.