“ Potatoes have been vilified over the past few years because they ‘re high in carbs and they besides raise your blood sugar cursorily, ” says 80 Twenty Nutrition fall through Christy Brissette, RD. “ then a distribute of diets and nutrition experts give the advice to avoid eating white, starchy foods because of that lineage sugar billow. ” But despite that, Brissette is not anti-spud. And neither is Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, host of Well+Good ‘s newly video series You vs Food. hera ‘s why both nutritionists say that the base potato is a worthy accession to anyone ‘s diet.
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TBH, potatoes have a pretty stellar nutritional profile
Potatoes have it going on in the nutriment department. “ Because they ‘re a vegetable—and not, say, a nutrient-void processed food—they come with a batch of benefits, ” Brissette says. Need proof ? One large, sensitive potato besides has nine grams of roughage, 1502 magnesium of potassium ( three times deoxyadenosine monophosphate much as what you ‘d get in a banana ! ) and 34 magnesium of vitamin C. “ People do n’t tend to think of potatoes as vitamin C-rich sources because they ‘re not citrusy fruits, but they actually are an amaze source, ” Brissette says. “ You get 45 percentage of your daily consumption, which is pretty impressive. ” Beckerman says you ‘ll besides find magnesium, vitamin B6, phosphorus, niacin, and folate in your everyday white potatoes.
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here ‘s what you get in one large, blank, raw potato, according to the department of agriculture :
- Calories: 255
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Fiber: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Sugar: 4 g
No matter the variety of potato, they’re generally pretty good for you
There are several unlike varieties of what we consider to be potatoes. Beckerman breaks it down :
- White potato: Your classic, standard potato. They’re a root crop, Beckerman says, and are great for frying and mashing.
- Russet potato: Similar to a white potato, Beckerman says, except they’re higher in starch.
- Sweet Potato: They’re a type of tuber, and are packed with vitamin A. And as the name implies, they’re sweeter in taste compared to other forms of potatoes. They’re also high in iron and vitamin C.
- Yams: NOT the same thing as sweet potatoes, Beckerman says! They’re slightly higher in calories and taste less sweet than sweet potatoes, but have more fiber and potassium.
Hold on, but what about the carbs?
even with these benefits, a lot of people distillery get caught up on carbs. “ One cup of carbs—about the size of your fist—at a meal paired with protein, healthy fatten, and vegetables is actually part of a healthy diet, ” Brissette maintains. “ The trouble is when you go to a restaurant and get a bake potato the size of your question or consume a whole plate entire of fries because then it ‘s bigger than the serving size. ” Stick to a more moderate serving size of potatoes and you should be well to go. And yes, potatoes are high on the glycemic exponent ( meaning that it can have a hard impact on blood boodle ), but she says that can actually work in your favor, like after a exercise. “ When you want to refuel, that immediate hit of energy can help, ” she says. Post-run hashbrowns, anyone ?
The healthiest way to cook potatoes
Of run, how you make your potatoes and what you serve them with matters, besides. Brissette says the skin is a beneficial generator of fiber and potassium, so you ‘re getting more nutrients if you bake or roast your potatoes, versus peeling them and making mashed potatoes. Beckerman agrees. “ The skin is where the character and lots of that nutritional good of the potato live, ” she says. ( Just give your shoot a good scrub first. ) “ besides, if you add a tablespoon of healthy fat —like butter, olive oil, or avocado oil—that will lead to a slower unblock of the carbohydrate and will help the vitamins be better absorbed, ” Brissette says. You should besides make certain your plate is balanced with protein and fats, adds Beckerman, to avoid a full carb bomb. ( If you need some ideas on how to cook your potatoes, here ‘s how to eat fresh potatoes for every single meal. ) so, yes, potatoes actually are healthy—as long as they ‘re eaten in moderation ( like, you know, basically everything else ). If you do n’t like them, or they do n’t fit in with your current eating plan, that ‘s wholly fine. But if you do enjoy a dependable baked potato with sourness cream every now and then, do n’t let the haters scare you off.
The article was primitively published on December 15, 2018. It was updated on April 2, 2019. Now that you know where potatoes stand, get the low-down on if rice and olives are healthy.