Health Benefits and Nutrition of Potatoes

In This Article “Health Benefits and Nutrition of Potatoes“Potatoes can also have positive effects on your digestion.  They may also benefit your gut health.

While french fries and potato skins are readily known to be high in fat and calories, this starchy vegetable has zero fat or cholesterol and is low in sodium. 

They are not harmful to health: if cooked properly potatoes can be tasty, healthy and filling.

Besides starch, potatoes are also known to contain vitamins, minerals and fiber. They are also very rich in vitamin C which is known as an antioxidant vitamin.Potatoes were a life saving food in early days because scurvy vitamin C was present in it. One of the other valuable riches of potatoes is potassium that plays a role as heart, muscles, and nerves electrolyte. Potato skin is very rich in fiber which assists a lot in digestion.Potatoes are a starchy, tuber vegetable, and are an important food in many homes all over the world.

They are a subterranean bulb that is developed on the stems of the Solanum.  Potatoes are inexpensive, raise no difficulty in production and contain several nutrients.

Health Benefits and Nutrition of Potatoes

Types of Potatoes

According to the findings a high number of Americans reported that they consume potatoes more than any other vegetable. According to the consumption records of 2019, the American citizens consumed on average 49.4 pounds of potatoes. The root vegetable is lowly complicated and is incorporated in many meals all the year round.Plus there are numerous varieties of potatoes, but they’re categorized into three basic types: You will come across the following types of potatoes, starchy, waxy and all-purpose.

Starchy

These potatoes are starchy, low moisture, and have high skin thickness.They are floppy when cooked so are best eaten baked or fried. It will make very good potato chips, cakes or even hash browns. They’re perfect for mashing potatoes, but the problem with them is that if overused, the texture will rebel on you.

Examples are; King Edward, russet and sweet types.

Waxy

Waxy potatoes are lower in starch content than starchy potatoes, they contain more moisture and sugar. They are also typically not as large and have a skin that feels kind of like wax. And the flesh is creamier; therefore, they are best when boiled, roasted or sliced for use in casseroles, soups and potato salads. They’re not good for mashing.

They include red bliss, French fingerlings, and chieftain.

Health Benefits and Nutrition of Potatoes

All-Purpose

These potatoes are mostly classified as mealy and are somewhere between starchy and waxy. They contain more moisture per fresh weight than starchy potatoes, but they are able to withstand boiling water. You can bake them, shallow fry them, or even stew them, and they can be used for soups and stews. We also can use them to prepare mashed potatoes, however, they will not yield the same fluffy texture as starchy potatoes do. 

They are Yukon gold, white potatoes, as well as purple potatoes.

Benefits of Potatoes

Plenty of fiber is retained in potatoes which means you will not feel hungry frequently. Fiber too can help prevent heart diseases since it will be able to regulate your cholesterol and blood sugar level.  Potatoes also contain antioxidants compounds that prevent diseases, and vitamins that ensure the body carries out its function.

Digestive health

There is a way you can boost its resistant starch, and this is by cooking your potatoes a day before then refrigerating them. You can also reheat them before you eat.As with soluble fiber, the resistant starch present in potatoes works as a prebiotic, chemicals that are beneficial for the bacteria in your belly. It also can be used to alleviate or cure constipation and irritable bowel syndrome as insoluble fiber does.

Disease prevention

The vegetable includes antioxidants that help to halt other molecules from attacking the body’s cells. Cereals and Foods with powerful antioxidant components such as Vitamin A and C found in fruits and vegetables may reduce risks to heart diseases and cancers. Redskins potatoes have a lot of antioxidants, that’s why it is advisable to incorporate red, purple potatoes and so on. The more color intensity, the higher the concentration of antioxidants. Furthermore, some of the potato skin contains at least 12 times the antioxidant level of the pulp. 

Lower blood pressure

Baked potato skin contains high amounts of potassium and magnesium. If you take a little potassium daily, your body stores sodium, and when there is too much sodium, the blood pressure goes up. It is good for blood pressure, which in turn shields the heart and prevents the chances of a stroke occurrence.

Potato Nutrition

 300 micro-grams folic acid RDA which is 76% of the total RDA, and 25 milligrams vitamin C (more than 25% of the recommended daily value (RDA) of vitamin C).

Approximately 1/10th of milligram of vitamin B6 (100% of RDA) 95 grams of potassium, which is approximately 1,640 milligrams, which is about fourfold more than in a medium banana. Potatoes also contain a quantity of calcium, magnesium and fol-ate. 

Things to watch out for

If you love extra cheese, sour cream, and butter on top of the baked potatoes, then portion it right to avoid taking a lot of it. Or use lower fat but higher protein garnishes such as cottage cheese, homemade chili, black beans, corn or salsa etc.

Like most processed foods, french fries contain 3-4 times the calories and fat compared with the potato used in making them. Potato chips, tater tots, and hash browns are also generally fried in oil also. Broiling, stewing and baking is less damaging and can be very useful as it also helps to produce good meals.

Green Potatoes

If you have ever left potatoes on the counter for a couple of days, and returned to find them green, then you understand what I mean. somewhat green, are they safe to consume or not?

Solanine 

Chaconine

Whenever potatoes are taken close to light sources, then chlorophyll and glycoalkaloids increase at a very alarmingly high rate. The green of a potato skin is produced by chlorophyll, which is not toxic, but it is a sign that the levels of the toxic glycoalkaloids are also increasing. 

Health Benefits and Nutrition of Potatoes

Bow safe is it to consume green potatoes.?

Green potatoes may not be bad. There are glycoalkaloids, the highest concentration of which is detected in the skin, “eyes”, and sprouts; thus, if you peel these off, you can significantly lower the content of toxic glycoalkaloids. It is a little different if your potato is green in more than just a few spots, as the toxins will not dissolve when cooked. 

And importantly, you should not give children green potatoes on the table. This solanine could cause irritation to your stomach. But it has been proved to cause severe ones in children such as fever, low blood pressure, neurological disorders although they are very few.

 Vomiting

Abdominal pain

Diarrhea

Headache

Flushed skin 

Confusion

Fever 

Potatoes can be bought in grocery stores throughout the year. They should always be washed, and preferably scalded, before being used for food preparation. If possible, make sure that you use the skins on the vegetables as they add the most flavor and nutrients.

What leads to the formation of unhealthy potatoes?

Overall, potatoes become less healthy when they are buried in toppings such as cheese, sour cream and bacon. Because potatoes are versatile and you know what constitutes a serving, they can offer comfort and fullness with any type of food.

So why eat potatoes?

But, over and above the cost-savings, many nutritional values of potatoes are both known and unseen.They are rich in energy, fiber and vitamins and minerals too. To obtain all the nutrients all types of potatoes should be consumed.