What is nutritious about a potato? Isn't it just a big lump of sugar?!
I have no idea where you would get such an idea.
Now White Bread, THAT is a huge lump of bad, bad sugars.
Answers: Honestly, potatoes are starch. It is rich with potassium and necessary carbohydrates - good carbohydrates, the body needs for energy and the brain.
I have no idea where you would get such an idea.
Now White Bread, THAT is a huge lump of bad, bad sugars.
It also has vitamins, but they're mostly in the peel. But if you don't have a lot of food, a potato is a pretty good meal.
Potatoes contain many of the essential nutrients that the dietary guidelines recommend Americans increase in their diet. Potatoes eaten with the skin provide nearly half of the Daily Value for vitamin C and are one of the best sources of potassium and fiber. One medium-sized potato has 110 calories and provides complex carbohydrates needed to fuel our brains and bodies, giving us the energy we need for a busy lifestyle.
potatoes are the healthiest carbs next to rice
dont eat too much and eat it w/o seasonings
It has carbs, but also protein, Vitamins C, B6 and other vitamins, and minerals like potassium and manganese.
No, they are good
Unfortunately, most people eat potatoes in the form of greasy French fries or potato chips, and even baked potatoes are typically loaded down with fats such as butter, sour cream, melted cheese and bacon bits. Such treatment can make even baked potatoes a potential contributor to a heart attack. But take away the extra fat and deep frying, and a baked potato is an exceptionally healthful low calorie, high fiber food that offers significant protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Our food ranking system qualified potatoes as a very good source of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber.
Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity. Among these important health-promoting compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid, as well as unique tuber storage proteins, such as patatin, which exhibit activity against free radicals.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 57(Kilojoules 237)
% DV**
Total Fat 0.1 g 0%
Sat. Fat 0.0 g 0%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 149 mg 6%
Total Carbs. 12.9 g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1.3 g 5%
Sugars 0.7 g
Protein 1.5 g
Calcium 9.2 mg
Potassium 326.3 mg
Fat 1 cals (1%)
Carbs. 52 cals (88%)
Protein 6 cals (10%)
Calorie Density:
No, it's not. In fact, potatoes with the skins on have as much vitamin C as an orange. They also have lots of potassium and potash, and other nutrients as well. Yes, overindulgence is not a good idea; they're mostly carbohydrates, which as I suspect you know, does convert into glucose in the body - and a person can get good and fat on that!
Think about it: when the potato was introduced into Ireland, it proved so good for people that a great many ate almost nothing else for many years - and the population of Irish folks exploded. Sadly, the most common variety of potato was the Lumper, which is particularly high in water content - and particularly vulnerable to potato blight. When that happened, it's estimated that as few as two million and possibly four million died of starvation. The Great Irish Potato Famine drove millions more from the Emerald Isle to the Americas. That's why so many of us can point, as I can, to Irish ancestors. There are more Americans of Irish descent today than there are Irish living in Ireland. And maybe that's why I loves me potatoes so!
The wonderful potato:
One 5.5 oz potato is 80% water & 20% solids and
has 120 calories.
Total fat 0%
Saturated fat 0%
Cholesterol 0%
Sodium 0%
Potassium 20%
Carbohydrates 9%
Dietary fibre 9%
Sugars 3g
Protein 3g
Healthy carbs.
Starch and sugar are both types of carbohydrate. Starch is the main storage carbohydrate in plants, and it is made from glucose.
Potato is a fairly healthy type of slow acting carbohydrate, but it's still faster acting than wholemeal bread/pasta, brown rice, pulses, etc. There is a theory that fast acting carbs are the main cause of obesity, as they trigger much more insulin release in the body, which is the main regulator of fat storage. So you should try to keep your carbs as slow acting as possible. Boiled potatoes are much slower acting than baked, and new potatoes are slower acting than older potatoes, as the process of longer cooking or aging converts the starch back into sugars.
Still, it's definitely better for you than white bread.
I think a big part of the potato famine was that running out of their main staple food, people just didn't have enough calories to keep them alive.
Also, potatoes don't count towards your 5 daily portions of fruit & veg.