Potatoes are grown in more than 100 countries around the world, most of all in China, USA, India, Russia and Ukraine. Despite its popularity, this vegetable is considered not the healthiest and even dangerous product for our body. However, maybe this is just a stereotype that has arisen thanks to chips and fast food?
The potato was brought to Europe from South America, where you can still find some of its wild varieties. Potatoes were first consumed in the area of present-day Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BC. By the way, cats were domesticated around the same time.
Potato skins are rich in potassium, which is essential for heart health. In addition to this trace element, this vegetable contains a little phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, sodium, iron and zinc.
Potatoes have a decent dose of vitamin C (roughly 45% of the daily value in one), but most of it breaks down when heated. It is most useful to eat jacket potatoes. Unlike many other carbohydrate-rich side dishes, boiled potatoes keep you satiated for a long time, which means you eat less and can lose weight faster. In addition, potatoes contain a lot of fiber, which is indispensable for digestion. It also helps to relieve skin problems, depression and stress.
The problem is that potatoes have a fairly high glycemic index. That is, it increases the level of blood sugar, and this in the long term can lead to weight gain. And we also give in to the heat when we cook deep-fried or just fried potatoes, or pour them with cheese sauce, mayonnaise or sour cream. We are generally silent about chips – they contain practically nothing from natural potatoes. But there are many additives that make it so difficult to stop when you open the pack. So it is better to give up this joy altogether, so as not to gain excess weight, advises
All because of the same glycemic index, people with diabetes need to be very careful with potatoes. They are advised to eat it a little and not hot, it is better to cool it.
Well, the most dangerous potato is the green one. Solanine (a poisonous glycoalkaloid) gives this color to the peel, the level of which does not decrease even during cooking. But do not panic: it is unlikely that something bad will happen to you if you eat only one green potato.
In 2016, Andrew Taylor from Melbourne decided on an unusual experiment. He ate only one potato – it gave him 99 percent of all calories, and the remaining percent he got from spices, herbs, sauces, garlic, soy milk, etc.
In addition, Andrew wanted to become active, lose weight and overcome his food addiction. He tried to treat food as fuel for the body, not as a reward or comfort. Before starting the experiment, he consulted a doctor. They decided that they would stop the experiment if Andrew felt unwell.
The results of the experiment were encouraging: all vital signs were normal, and the level of sugar and cholesterol in the blood decreased. After 9 months, Andrew lost 55 kilograms, and a year later – all 60.
Despite his personal success, scientists have not shown much enthusiasm for such a diet, which has very low nutritional value. The body does not receive vitamins A, E, K, as well as calcium and selenium. Potatoes are low in protein and fatty acids, which are essential for the immune system, increase muscle mass, and healthy skin, hair and nails.
Alexey Kalinchev, endocrinologist, nutritionist, nutritionist:
“To eat or not to eat potatoes every day – it fundamentally depends on your type of constitution and the tasks you face. There are two extreme types of constitution: ecto- and endomorphs. Ectomorph is skinny and weak, endomorph is strong, powerful and, alas, often fat. Ectomorphs can usually eat potatoes in any reasonable amount; endomorphs should not even sniff. Naturally, the cooking method is also important. Food fried in oil is bad for everyone – anything. For ectomorphs, I would recommend boiled or baked potatoes, combined with olive oil or butter, or with protein foods.
As for the nutritional value, one cannot seriously talk about any special benefits of potatoes in the modern world. Purely historically, it was called Russian citrus fruits, because it contained small amounts of vitamin C and saved from vitamin deficiency in winter. But in our time, this source of vitamin C cannot even be considered theoretically. At the same time, potatoes are well tolerated and do not cause digestive disorders. So I recommend for regular use to everyone who needs to gain weight and who is actively involved in sports. “