Potatoes are one modest vegetable that can be cooked easily and go well with so many other foods. The price is also reasonable but we can all come to a consensus that it is not very healthy. But after all, are potatoes so bad?
Potatoes are considered evil and are accused for being the trouble maker in the dieting world when in fact they help tame hunger for those who are watching their diet. So the burning question is that are they so bad as they are made out to be? Let us uncover this.
Potatoes are rich in protein
Well, you didn’t see this coming! Potatoes are actually laden with protein. When we talk about potatoes, you don’t have a very healthy image coming to your mind. But they do have a decent amount of nutrients including protein. A potato that is medium in size has about 9% of the protein for someone on a 2000 calorie diet.
Should You Eat or No?
Well let’s be honest! Potato based foods like staple fries or potato chips have an ill reputation for being high on calories. But we generally forget about the protein and fiber in potatoes that create a feeling of satiety or fullness [1]. This is because the fiber slacks up glucose release in the blood.
Can We Make it Healthy?
If the traditional way doesn’t entice you any longer, there are a lot of options from which you can choose like air frying potato based items to roasted, baked and boiled dishes. So you need not give up on it completely as there would always be a way to make it healthier.
Breakdown of the Nutrients
The nutritional content in a medium sized potato is as under:
• Calories : 168
• Protein : 5g
• Sugar : 1g
• Fiber : 3g
• Carbohydrates : 38g
• Fat : 0.2g
• Sodium : 11mg
Benefits of Potatoes:
Potatoes are thought to be a comfort food mashed with sour cream and butter or fried in vegetable oil. When made in these ways, it is immensely unhealthy as it can lead to diabetes, weight gain, heart diseases . But when prepared in the right manner, they can be healthy. This is because potatoes have phytonutrients that promote health. Vitamin C present in potatoes serves as an antioxidant. They delay cell damage, help with digestion, improve health of the heart and also prevent cancer.
Potatoes also help in decreasing the blood pressure. Fiber in potatoes lowers cholesterol as it attaches itself to the cholesterol in the blood and after it binds, we excrete it. Potatoes are also rich in potassium [2]. Interestingly, they have more potassium than a banana. Potassium also helps lower blood pressure.
Another surprising one! Potatoes have B6 vitamin which help maintain health of the nervous system. Vitamin B6 helps make important brain chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine. This implies eating potatoes can help ease away symptoms of depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and stress.
Potatoes are full of vitamin C and this essential vitamin helps prevent everything from common cold to scurvy. Potatoes even help control arthritis.
So you have in front of you what this honest-to-goodness vegetable has to offer you. Since you are the best judge, so decide for yourself how to eat this veggie to reap the maximum benefits. More power to you!
