How Useful Is The Potato In The Diet?
The potato is an excellent food that provides important nutrients. However, the method of preparation is decisive.
Do you want to know what benefits the potato will bring us if we include it in our regular diet? Is it true that it doesn’t contain essential nutrients for the body? Or can it make us fat if we eat it frequently?
It could very well be that you have these or other prejudices about this food. Here we explain everything about the potato and the benefits it offers for your health.
Myths about the potato
First, let’s take a closer look at various myths about the potato. One of the most common ones is that this tuber is fat because it is high in carbohydrates. However, you should know that potatoes contain complex carbohydrates, which reduce the risk of blood sugar spikes and improve bowel function by providing fiber.
The potato is not only healthy, it is also useful in our daily diet. In fact, if you cook properly, the potato can help you lose weight.
Learn the Truth About The Diet’s Benefits Of The Potato
The potato is a herbaceous plant that belongs to the nightshade family. There are countless myths about this tuber, including that it barely contains essential nutrients.
But here you can see that 100 g of a potato provides the following percentage of the recommended daily amount of these minerals and vitamins:
- Magnesium (6%)
- Calcium (1%)
- Phosphorus (8%)
- Iron (14%)
- Potassium (9%)
- Vitamin B1 (6%), B2 (2%), B3 (7%), B6 (19%)
- Vitamin C (33%)
The key lies in the preparation
100 g of a potato contains only 15 g of carbohydrates! This is a very small amount compared to other foods like lentils (48 g), pasta (70 g), chickpeas (49 g), brown rice (81 g), beans (41 g) and bread (47 g).
Nevertheless, it is legitimate to ask why potatoes make you fat when they contain so few carbohydrates. The problem is not with the potatoes, but with the method of preparation. Look out for these numbers: 100 grams of raw potatoes provide 73 calories, baked potatoes provide 100 calories, and steamed or cooked potatoes only 75 calories.
In contrast, 100 grams of pre-fried frozen potatoes contain 270 calories, while the same amount of french fries contains 290 calories and bagged french fries contains 538 calories.
The respective cooking method changes the nutritional value of the potato dramatically. When potatoes are fried, some of the water they contain evaporates and is replaced with oil. The more oil the potatoes absorb, the more calories they contain.
The potato in a healthy diet
In a healthy diet, the benefits of the potato can be many. As we’ve seen before, it provides essential nutrients, fiber, and complex carbohydrates that improve our health. A positive influence on the intestinal flora, a low rise in blood sugar and a high vitamin content are just some of the benefits of potatoes.
Therefore, it is more than recommended to include this food in a healthy diet. It is very important that you consider the type of preparation. It is best to avoid fried potatoes.
Enjoy this delicious food in many different ways. As the main component of a dish or as a side dish, the potato is a fundamental part of our diet. If in doubt, you can consult a nutritionist who can provide you with further valuable information on this topic.
