Potato and Nutritional Value

The potato has a remarkable history. It has been baker, boiled, steamed and mashed, use as a diet food and loved by diabetics. It has also been blamed for causing leprosy and mass emigration, and its flowers have decorated royal coat lapels and crockery.

One of the main reasons for the popularity of the potato is its excellent nutritional value. With a high water content, it makes a filling bulk food. It has a good ratio of proteins to calories and the quality those proteins is high. There is also high level of vitamins and minerals.

The average baked potato provides the recommended daily intake of riboflavin (vitamin B2), three of four times the necessary amount of thiamin (vitamin B1) and niacin (vitamin B3), one and a half times the quantity of iron, and tem times the amount of vitamin C. It has almost no fat or salt and offers more potassium than a banana. It is one of the easiest types of starch to assimilate and contains two and half times fewer carbohydrates than a similar quantity of bread. Which makes the potato popular with diabetics.

It is also becoming a popular diet food. Because of traditional. toppings such as sour cream and butter, the potato has developed a reputation as a no-no for weight watchers. In reality, a fair-sized baked potato (7 oz or 200 g) contains about the same number of calories as an average apple or a glass of orange juice (about 72 Cal or 300 kj).

Buying and Storing Potatoes

When buying potatoes it is important to choose firm, dry potatoes with unbroken skins that are free from sprouts and green patches.

Uneven surfaces and eyes cause no teal harm. They simple make preparation time longer.

Green spots on potatoes result from exposure to light. The green color indicates the presence of chlorophyll which could mean the existence of solanine, a toxin which has been known to cause illness. The green patches, which give the potato a bitter taste, can be cut out if they appear only in small patches. Otherwise, the potato should be discarded.

The best way to store potatoes is unwashed (and dry) in a dark, cool, dry place. They should never be refrigerated. Store them away from onions, which speed up their spoilage. Once potatoes begin to sprout, show green patches or go soft, they should be discarded.

New potatoes do not keep as well as the other varieties, and should they by bought only in small quantities. They are at their best when the skin has a ragged appearance, and feels slightly moist.

Few people are aware that potatoes can be frozen for up to three months. Peel, wash and slice potatoes; plunge into boiling water for two minutes, rinse thoroughly in cold water, dry and pack into plastic bags to freeze.