benefits of potatoes

Potatoes are an excellent source of several nutrients, such as vitamins C and B6, potassium, pantothenic acid, niacin and dietary fiber. The protein in potatoes contain lysine, an essential amino acid generally absent in grains.

Boiled potatoes are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly potassium, phosphorus, Bcomplex vitamins and vitamin C. They are low in calories and fat, and their high fiber content helps you feel full. Contrary to popular belief, potatoes are not inherently fattening. If you add butter or sour cream to potatoes, you increase the numbers of calories and fat grams significantly, so if you are trying to lose weight, season them with herbs or lowcalorie condiments.

Boiled in its skin, a large potato, weighing about 300 grams, has 261 calories, 5.6 grams of protein and .3 grams of fat. If you peel the potato before boiling it, you lose about a half gram of protein, but the calorie and fat contents remain similar. Peeled or unpeeled, the potato has 5.4 grams of fiber, about the same amount as a bowl of bran flakes cereal, and 2.6 grams of natural sugar.

A large, unpeeled boiled potato is rich in Bcomplex vitamins, which help your body form blood cells and make energy from the protein, carbohydrates and fat from the food you eat. A boiled potato provides more than half of the vitamin B6 you need each day, as well as about 30 percent of your recommended daily intake for thiamin and niacin. It is also high in vitamin C, giving you onehalf of your daily requirement for that nutrient. A peeled boiled potato loses half of its vitamin C content and provides 25 percent of the vitamin C you need daily.

The potato is a root vegetable, it is rich in essential minerals that help you build strong bones and benefit your nerve and muscle function. A large potato, boiled in its skin, provides 1.1 grams of potassium, onefourth of the potassium you need daily. It also gives you about onefifth of the magnesium and phosphorus you need each day. If you peel the potato before boiling it, the potato loses some of its mineral content, providing onefourth of the potassium and onesixth of the phosphorus you need daily.

Cooking a potato in water depletes it of some of its nutrients. A baked potato is more nutrientdense, providing 6.28 grams of protein and 6.3 grams of fiber. It has about 25 percent more magnesium as a boiled potato. It also contains 40 percent more phosphorus and potassium, as well as four times the amount of folate in a boiled potato. Pregnant women, who need an adequate amount of folate to prevent neural tube birth defects in their unborn children, benefit from eating potatoes baked, rather than boiled.

lowcarb dietsgive regular potatoes a bad rap. They are not exactly good for you when dropped into a deep fryer, butpotatoes are packed with powerful nutrients and antioxidantscompounds that fight free radicals. The ORAC value (a measure of the total antioxidants in 100 grams) for a medium baked potato with skin is a healthy 1,680, while that of a baked sweet potato with skin is 766. Compare those with the values for carrots, either cooked (317) or raw (666).

One medium potato with skinprovides 620 milligrams or 18% of the recommended daily value (DV) per serving. Potatoes rank highest for potassium content among the top 20 most frequently consumed raw vegetables and fruits. Potassium is a mineral that is part of every body cell. It helps regulate fluids and mineral balance in and out of cells and in doing so, helps maintain normal blood pressure. Potassium is also vital for transmitting nerve impulses or signals, and in helping muscles contract.

Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C (45% of the DV), which is more vitamin C than one medium tomato (40% DV) or sweet potato (30% DV).Vitamin C is a watersoluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant stabilizing free radicals, thus helping prevent cellular damage. It aids in collagen production; assists with iron absorption; and helps heal wounds and keep your gums healthy. Vitamin C may help support the body

One medium potato with the skin contributes 2 grams of fiber or 8% of the daily value per serving.Dietary fiber is a complex carbohydrate and is the part of the plant material that cannot be digested and absorbed in the bloodstream. Soluble fiber may help with weight loss as it makes you feel full longer, and research has shown it also may help lower blood cholesterol.