5 Health Benefits of Potatoes
Did you know that consuming potatoes can help you power up, whether it’s your immune system or mind?
Potatoes—loaded with potassium, magnesium and other key nutrients—can help your body with muscle repair and overall health. That’s why elite athletes have them before and after workouts for stamina and increased performance.
Whether you’re looking for a snack to fuel up or some mashed potatoes to go with your main course, potatoes can provide several health benefits to help boost performance.
Nutritional Facts about Potatoes
A medium-sized potato provides around 100 calories. It is also rich in vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, vitamin B6 and various other minerals. A 100 gram serving is slightly more than half a medium-sized potato.
Potatoes also provide niacin, choline and zinc. There are different varieties of potatoes providing different nutrients.
Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant that helps prevent cell damage and cancer. Fibre in potatoes helps maintain a healthy digestive system and circulation
Benefits of Consuming Potatoes
1) Rich in antioxidant
Potatoes are a good source of antioxidant chemicals called flavonoids, carotenoids and phenolic acids. These chemicals work by neutralising potentially damaging molecules called free radicals.
Free radicals can cause damage in the body, which increases the risks of developing chronic diseases. Purple potatoes contain three to four times more antioxidants than white potatoes, so they may be more effective in neutralising free radicals.
2) Improves blood sugar level
Potatoes contain a unique starch called resistant starch. It is not broken down or absorbed completely by the body, but instead it passes to the large intestine, where it provides nutrition to your gut's beneficial bacteria.
This starch has been related to a variety of health benefits, including reduced insulin resistance, which improves blood sugar control.
3) Improves Digestive Health
Potatoes include resistant starch, which can help with digestion. When resistant starch reaches the large intestine, it feeds the good bacteria there. It is digested and converted into short-chain fatty acids by these bacteria.
Potato-resistant starch is largely metabolised into short-chain fatty acid butyrate, which is the gut bacteria's preferred food source.
Butyrate has been shown in trials to decrease colon inflammation, boost colon defence and reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
4) Gluten-Free
Potatoes contain resistant starch, a particular type of starch that's beneficial for people with gluten sensitivity. Potatoes are naturally gluten-free, so they won't cause unpleasant side effects for people on a gluten-free diet.
Many common potato recipes are not gluten-free, such as those made with cream of potato soup or ingredients like flour or bread crumbs. If you have celiac disease or a sensitivity to gluten that isn't celiac disease, be sure to read the entire ingredient list before having a meal that includes potatoes.
5) Versatile
Potatoes are not only nutrient-dense but are also delicious and versatile. They can be boiled, baked, or steamed for various flavours and textures..
If you fry potatoes in a lot of oil, the calorie content will skyrocket. However, if you bake potatoes with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of rosemary, you can save on calories without sacrificing any nutrition. Don't peel the potatoes because the skin contains most of their nutrients.
How to Incorporate Potatoes in Your Diet?
Potatoes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including sweet potatoes. There are white, red, yellow and blue versions, as well as a variety of possibilities in each colour.
Here are some suggestions how you can incorporate potatoes in your diet:
• Use starchy potatoes, such as russets, for baking.
• Yukon gold potatoes are good for roasting, mashing or baking.
• Waxy potatoes, such as red, young or fingerling potatoes, hold their shape better in potato salad.
Choose potatoes that are firm, unbruised and smooth and spherical in shape. Any potatoes that show signs of deterioration, such as wet or dry rot, as well as any roots or potatoes with a greenish hue, should be avoided.
To avoid bacterial growth, purchase potatoes that are unpackaged and unwashed. The protective covering on the skins of potatoes is removed when they are washed early.
Bottom Line
If you feel comfortable having potatoes, you're likely to get many benefits from them.
They may help your blood sugar, heart and immune systems function better, and they appear to be linked with a reduced risk of age-related diseases.
Considering how readily available they are, it's a shame that potatoes got a bad rap sometimes.
There are plenty of reasons to enjoy potatoes as part of your diet. They merge the functionality and versatility of an entire meal without taking up a lot of space. It's difficult to eat just one potato, too. There's real value to potatoes, as well as convenience, for home cooks who are always looking for something new to enjoy during meals.
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