Potatoes: Once and For All, Are America's Favorite Vegetables Good for You or Not?
by www.SixWise.com
Potatoes are one of the top crops grown throughout the world,
and they're certainly a favorite right here in the United
States. In fact, potatoes are America's favorite vegetable,
and they are harvested somewhere in the United States during
every single month of the year.
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Potato consumption in the United States increased 30
percent from 1977 to 1995.
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Americans love potatoes. We each eat about 126 pounds of
them every year -- a hefty amount when you consider that we
only eat 30 pounds of lettuce and 4.5 pounds of broccoli in
the same time-span. Interestingly, though, despite their popularity
there is an ongoing debate as to whether they are good for
you or not.
Potatoes are "As Bad as Sugar"
At the heart of the argument against potatoes is their high
level of carbohydrates. They were avoided like the plague
during the very recent low-carb craze, with Atkins' dieters
and others swearing they were one of the worst foods you could
eat.
Harvard's head nutritionist, Walter Willett, M.D., agreed.
"White potatoes are like white sugar and white bread,"
he said. Not only do they cause a spike in blood sugar, but
they can raise levels of harmful triglycerides and lower HDL
(good) cholesterol. Willett maintains that this increases
the risk of heart attack, particularly in people with insulin
resistance.
Two Harvard studies also found that eating a lot of potatoes
increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Further,
while most vegetables reduce the risk of cancer, potatoes
do not appear to have this effect.
Willett says that potatoes should be treated like candy and
desserts and eaten only sparingly.
Most Potatoes Eaten are Fried
Eating a plain baked potato is one thing. It is in this form,
or, perhaps, roasted, mashed, boiled or steamed, that a case
for a healthy potato can be made.
When potatoes come in their processed form -- French fries,
potatoes chips, tater tots, hash brown patties -- no one claims
they are good for you. But it is in this processed form that
the majority of potatoes are consumed. In fact, from 1977
to 1995 Americans increased their potato consumption by 30
percent -- mostly in the form of French fries and potato chips.
What is so unhealthy about fried potato chips and French
fries?
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They contain artery-clogging trans fats.
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They contain acrylamide, a cancer-causing substance.
While the EPA safe limit for acrylamide in drinking water
is 0.5 parts per billion (ppb), a small order of fries
contains 400 ppb!
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They are cooked in vegetables oils that may be rancid,
thereby producing large amounts of free radicals in the
body.
A Heart-Healthy, Antioxidant-Rich Comfort Food
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Potential health benefits only come from fresh or minimally
processed potatoes ... not from French fries or potato
chips.
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Many believe that potatoes have gotten a bad rap -- that
they're actually quite healthy (as long as they're not fried
or processed).
Potatoes are a good source of:
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Vitamin C
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Vitamin B6
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Copper
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Potassium
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Manganese
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Dietary fiber
Further, potatoes contain a variety of antioxidants,
including:
It has also been discovered that potatoes contain newly identified
compounds that lower blood pressure called "kukoamines."
The compounds, discovered by UK scientists at the Institute
for Food Research (IFR), were previously only thought to exist
in Lycium chinense, an exotic herbal plant.
"Potatoes have been cultivated for thousands of years,
and we thought traditional crops were pretty well understood,"
said IFR food scientist Dr. Fred Mellon, "but this surprise
finding shows that even the most familiar of foods might conceal
a hoard of health-promoting chemicals."
How to Best Bake a Potato
It certainly looks like the potato will continue to be a
mainstay of the American diet for some time. To best bake
a potato, so as to retain the maximum number of nutrients,
we recommend the following recipe:
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Scrub the potato under cold running water using a vegetable
brush.
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Remove any eyes or deep bruises with a paring knife.
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Leave the peel on -- it contains a load of healthy
fiber.
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Pierce the potato several times on either side. This
will allow steam to escape and keep the potato from bursting.
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Do not wrap the potato in foil; some believe that aluminum
foil may transfer toxins to food. Also, the foil will
trap moisture, causing the potato to be steamed rather
than baked.
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Place potatoes in a 400°F oven.
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Bake for 45-60 minutes. Potatoes are done when they give
slightly after squeezing.
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