Because of their unfavorable reputation as a nutritional staple strong in carbohydrates, potatoes were not particularly well-liked for a very long time. According to recent scientific findings, potatoes shouldn’t be avoided. Instead, they should be welcomed as a rich source of vitamins B6, B, and C, as well as minerals like calcium, zinc, and phosphorus. Potatoes also include the glycoprotein patatin. These lipolytic enzymes can enhance overall health by reducing excessive blood pressure and functioning as effective antioxidants.
We consume more than 65 pounds (30 kg) of it per person-year, making it one of the most popular vegetables in Europe and the rest of the world.
Originally from South America, the potato is a perennial plant with strong medicinal potential and a long list of health advantages.
The Advantages Of Potatoes For Health
The potato is regarded as a nourishing food that adds to a balanced diet thanks to its high levels of fiber, potassium, magnesium, and carbs. It has a significant amount of vitamins and minerals that promote the wellness of our bodies.
• When boiled in water, potatoes are high in potassium and act as a diuretic, therefore people with heart conditions should eat more of them.
• The potato is the king of our winter veggies because it retains significant quantities of vitamin C when baked. It has been utilized for its ability to prevent scurvy (scurvy is a disease that is due to a shortage of vitamin C in nutrition).
• Steamed potatoes are a great go-to food for sports fans because they provide sustained energy and because the potassium and magnesium they contain help muscles contract.
• Despite what many people prefer to believe, potatoes are a dietary food that may be included in a hypocaloric (low-calorie) diet and provides nutrition without adding fat. Unless, of course, you eat them as hash browns and French fries!
Potatoes also relieve stomach aches. Knowing that raw potato juice will relieve your discomfort and speed the healing of your gastric ulcers will be helpful if you have them. This is because potato juice decreases stomach acid.
• Some naturopathic doctors advise applying raw potatoes topically to heal minor burns, migraines, backaches, and joint pain.
Potato Cultivation For Health Reasons
Although they require sunlight, potatoes don’t fare well in extremely hot climates. They will flourish in humus-rich, light soil. The best soil for a garden is one that is rich, well-drained, and has a pH that is neutral for cooking. They are more susceptible to illnesses in soil that is chalky or limestone.
Even though the top 30 cultivars account for more than 90% of production, there are more than 120 different potato varieties. Size, shape, harvesting period, and firm or mealy flesh are features that set one potato apart from another.
Pink-flesh potato cultivars may have the best flavor, but they yield less than yellow-flesh ones do.
Tips To Choose Best Potatoes
Potatoes are always eaten cooked, whether they’re steamed, boiled, baked, mashed, or in salads. The best potatoes for steaming are those that are still fresh and little when they are picked. Choose more mature harvests if you want to succeed at preparing your mashed potatoes, soups, and oven baked potatoes.
The best potatoes for fries are “Charlotte,” “Samba,” or “Bintje,” which have flesh that is solid and dense. The health advantages of potatoes increase with their flesh color; cultivars with blue, purple, yellow, or red flesh are particularly intriguing due to their extraordinarily high antioxidant output.
Nutritional Value
75 calories/3.5 ounces (100 g). Numerous health benefits are provided by the high magnesium, fiber, and potassium content of potatoes. They also have significant levels of vitamin E, B1, B6, C, and starch. One of the finest sources of complex carbs is potatoes since they are easily transformed by the body without undergoing the typical storage phase in fatty cells that refined sugar does.
