Can Water Chestnuts Be Eaten Raw? A Detailed Guide to Consumption During Pregnancy and Shelling Methods

The water chestnut is one of the most common plants in our daily life. When young and tender, it can be eaten raw as a fruit; when fully ripe, the fruit can be eaten cooked or processed into water chestnut flour; air-dried to make dried water chestnuts, it can be stored to extend the supply period; the leaves can be used as green feed or green manure. So can water chestnuts be eaten raw? Can pregnant women eat water chestnuts? How do you shell raw water chestnuts? How do you shell cooked water chestnuts? What are the dietary taboos of water chestnuts?

I. Can water chestnuts be eaten raw?

Water chestnuts can be eaten raw.

The water chestnut is wrapped in a thick outer shell. The flesh inside the shell is crisp and tender, containing a large amount of water and starch. Like sweet potato, it can be eaten raw, and some sugars are even produced when it is chewed. Not only can it be eaten raw, it also has a faintly sweet taste.

The water chestnut is the fruit of an aquatic plant (called water chestnut), so water chestnuts grow in water. Some people who do not know what a water chestnut is may confuse it with aquatic fruits such as lotus root and lotus seeds, but in fact the water chestnut, lotus root and lotus seeds are not the same thing. However, like lotus root and lotus seeds, the water chestnut can be eaten raw.

II. Can pregnant women eat water chestnuts?

Pregnant women can eat water chestnuts.

Water chestnuts, chestnuts and lotus root are known as the “three treasures of autumn”. Their surface comes in many colors, including the common black, as well as green, red and purple.

1. The main components of water chestnuts are carbohydrates, cellulose and protein. In addition, they also contain trace elements such as VB, VC, iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. These are all nutrients essential to the human body.

2. Water chestnuts are rich in carbohydrates and protein. Expectant mothers who eat water chestnuts can increase their physical strength and also strengthen the spleen and stomach. The dietary fiber in water chestnuts can promote digestion and prevent constipation. Although young and tender water chestnuts can be eaten raw as a fruit, expectant mothers are not advised to eat them directly. This is because water chestnuts may carry Fasciolopsis buski (giant intestinal fluke), which after being eaten raw parasitizes in the human small intestine, causing digestive tract diseases, anemia, developmental disorders and so on, which is harmful to the health of the expectant mother and the fetus.

3. Trace elements such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium in water chestnuts can promote the fetal skeletal growth and physical development. Water chestnuts contain niacin, which can protect the development of the fetal nervous system. Expectant mothers who eat water chestnuts can also help the body detoxify and give the fetus smoother skin.

Although pregnant women can gain many benefits from eating water chestnuts, water chestnuts are cold in nature, and eating too many will let cold energy enter the internal organs and cause gastrointestinal discomfort in pregnant women, so it is not recommended to eat too many.

III. How do you shell raw water chestnuts?

1. Method one: Wash the raw water chestnuts with clean water, cut off the bottom and both sides with a knife, then place both hands on the two horns of the water chestnut and pry with force, while pressing hard with the thumb placed on the indented part of the water chestnut. In this way the shell and flesh can be separated without damaging the shape.

1. Method two: Wash the raw water chestnuts with clean water, place them on a cutting board and cut along the longer diagonal with a knife, then push the shell of the water chestnut toward the flesh; the shell flips outward and the snow-white water chestnut flesh comes out. The water chestnut shelled this way looks like a golden ingot, which is very appealing.

IV. How do you shell cooked water chestnuts?

1. Step one: When boiling water chestnuts, first boil them until 70 percent cooked, then rinse them once with cool boiled water, dry them, and then boil them until cooked. This makes shelling much easier.

2. Step two: Cut off the two horns of the cooked water chestnut with a knife, then cut the water chestnut open along its center line, and use chopsticks to push from one horn toward the other; the water chestnut flesh will come out.

V. Dietary taboos of water chestnuts

1. Indigestion: Eating too many water chestnuts greatly increases the digestive burden on the intestines, leading to symptoms such as indigestion, abdominal pain and diarrhea. It may also cause disordered gastric acid secretion, leading to nausea and vomiting.

2. Elevated blood sugar: The sugar content of water chestnuts is relatively high. Eating too many very easily leads to high blood sugar in the elderly, which in turn increases the incidence of dizziness and headache and brings great negative effects on health.

3. Causing obesity: The starch content of water chestnuts is extremely high, comparable to that of staple foods in daily life. If eaten in excess and not broken down in time, it may lead to obesity, thus seriously affecting one's external appearance.