These 10 health benefits of potatoes weren’t always known. But had they been, this vegetable may not have had such a rocky start with the French.
Until the 18th century, the French believed potatoes to be disgusting and poisonous. That was until an agronomist named Parmentier convinced them of their safety and nutritional benefits.
Tasting Is Believing
It didn’t happen overnight, but one story tells how he used reverse psychology to change their opinion about this crop.
During the day, he posted guards around the fields, giving the impression that something of value was being protected. However, at night, he left the fields unguarded in the hope that the food would be taken.
His plan worked. Every night, thieves would sneak into the fields and leave with sacks of these earth-covered tubers.
While acceptance of the potato has had its ups and down. Those on a strict low-carbohydrate diet may still avoid them. But we’ll see that many of the health concerns surrounding this beauty have to do more with the ingredients used in their preparation than the vegetable itself.
In this post, we’ll discuss their nutrients, health benefits, and the best storage methods to maintain prolonged freshness.
10 Health Benefits of Potatoes
1. Support Brain Health
Potatoes are rich in essential vitamins and minerals, including B1, B6, and C, as well as magnesium, potassium, and iron. These are known to improve brain function.
Specifically, vitamin B6 supports brain health by aiding the production of neurotransmitters.
2. Boost Heart Health
When prepared without harmful oils and cholesterol-heavy ingredients, potatoes can boost heart health. How? By helping to lower cholesterol levels, reducing inflammation, and improving blood flow.
Cooking them with highly processed omega-6-dominant vegetable and seed oils can make potatoes a threat to the heart. But we can still enjoy them accompanied by healthy fats like ghee, coconut oil, avocado oil, extra-virgin olive oil, and rendered animal fats like bacon drippings.
Polyphenols and Magnesium
Polyphenols, the same antioxidant found in coffee, are found in potatoes. This antioxidant can support heart health, blood sugar control, and help with inflammation.
Potatoes also contain a moderate amount of magnesium, which helps prevent heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.
3. Promote Digestion
Potatoes are a good source of fiber, which helps aid digestion. The resistant starch in potatoes acts as a prebiotic and supports a healthy gut microbiome.
Cold potatoes, found in specific potato salad recipes, for example, digest more slowly than hot ones. But who can resist mashed potatoes or potatoes in a hot and nourishing soup?
4. Boost Immune System
When we think of vitamin C, oranges and grapefruit, maybe even broccoli come to mind. But did you know that potatoes are also rich in vitamin C, which contributes to a stronger immune system?
A diet rich in vitamin C has also been linked to a lower risk of cancer, cataracts, and heart disease.
5. Aid Weight Management
#5 in the 10 health benefits of potatoes is that they support can our weight management efforts. They are filling and their fiber helps keep us feeling full longer, so we tend to eat less.
They are also low in calories, have zero fat and cholesterol, and are sodium-free. While not an excellent source of protein, potatoes do contain about 3 grams per serving.
6. Support Bone Health
Potatoes are a good source of potassium, calcium, and phosphorus, which are essential for bone health.
How much potassium? One potato has twice the potassium of a banana, a food that people often eat to boost their potassium levels.
7. Gluten-Free
And they are gluten-free in their harvested state.
By harvested state, I mean as they come straight from the ground. Once processed by various means, they may no longer remain gluten-free. As always, check the label.
8. Supports Good Blood Pressure
I mentioned that potatoes are high in potassium. A health benefit is that potatoes support good blood pressure. They do this because the potassium helps the body flush out sodium.
9. Steady, Long-Lasting Energy
Another health benefit of potatoes is that their carbohydrates provide a much-needed energy source for the body and brain. As the fiber slows absorption, potatoes can supply steady, long-lasting energy.
10. Aid Restful Sleep
Potatoes can also help ensure restful sleep. That’s because they contain tryptophan, which is not classified as a sedative, but can have sedative effects. In addition, the potassium in potatoes can act as a muscle relaxant.
A Potato for Breakfast?
Potatoes are 80% water and low in calories. In fact, the average potato is only about 100 calories.
I heard about potatoes being a nearly perfect food many years ago. For a time, I enjoyed a potato for breakfast every morning. It was more palatable as a breakfast food than you might imagine.
Miracle of the Harvest
Growing up, our family had an underground cellar where we stored our newly harvested potatoes and home-canned vegetables. I remember the smell of fresh dirt as the potatoes were dug from the ground.
We used our hands to rake through the mounds of dirt and potatoes unearthed by the shovels. Next, we collected the spuds in dusty baskets and carried them to the cellar. The task left us tired and grimy, but I remember trotting up and down the stairs and somehow feeling important.
Incidentally, we also sought protection in this cellar when tornadoes threatened our area. We lived on the periphery of tornado alley, making it imperative to stay on high alert in bad weather.
Storage Tips for Prolonged Freshness
Here are a few tips on storing potatoes for prolonged freshness.
The same storage idea works in our houses. Potatoes can stay fresh for as long as 3 months when stored in a cool, dark place.
Two other shelf-life extenders include storing your potatoes away from onions and saving the washing until just before cooking.
Now Considered Paleo-Friendly by Most
Although once avoided by those following the Paleo diet, most now consider potatoes to be a Paleo-friendly food.
This starchy vegetable is loved by many around the world. This post on the 10 health benefits of the potato, highlights their nutritional content and reminds us that they don’t need to be avoided. And for all of us potato lovers, that’s a reason to celebrate!
(Remember, Paleo is not a one-size-fits-all approach. A food that adversely affects one person may be perfectly fine for another. But the way to determine how your body reacts to certain foods is to eat a strict Paleo diet for at least a month. Then slowly reintroduce one food at a time.)
