The Super Spud

Ugly and unassuming, the potato is easy to overlook. But this wondrous vegetable is low in fat, packed with vitamins and minerals, dirt cheap, and widely available. We should be hailing it as a hero, instead of pushing it to the side of our plates.

First cultivated in South America up to 10,000 years ago, the potato arrived in Europe courtesy of Spanish explorers in 1570, becoming such a vital part of the Irish diet that crop failure in 1845 led to the deaths of more than a million people in six years. The Irish are no longer major fans of the spud though, and their consumption has dropped from 15lb per person per day in the 1840s to less than a pound per day today, as more exotic starch alternatives like pasta and rice dominate dinners.

The potato has a lot more going on than starch, however. The average baked potato has just 200 calories and is basically fat-free, yet it provides 30% of your daily vitamin C, 28% of your potassium, 16% of your required fibre, and 39% of your daily vitamin B6 needs.

Not only that, potatoes can actually help you lose weight. Potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, which release energy more slowly into the bloodstream than simple sugars, and therefore reduce the tendency to overeat. When they are cooked and cooled, they contain high levels of resistant starch, which helps the body burn up to 25 % more fat.

And they’re good for your heart. Potatoes are among the few plants that have blood pressure-lowering compounds called kukoamines. They are also bursting with potassium, which supports healthy blood pressure levels. Spuds have 60 different phytochemicals and vitamins, including flavonoids, which help prevent cardiovascular-disease by reducing levels of bad LDL-cholesterol and keeping arteries fat-free.

So why the image problem? Maybe it’s because frying a single piece of potato can raise its fat level from near zero to 8 g. Top your spud with salsa, vegetables, or tuna, however, and you get all the nutritional nice stuff and none of nasty fat.

Now you know what a powerhouse the potato is - bon appetit!

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