Potatoes Healthy or Not

Potatoes are on sale this week and the weather is a little cooler, so I purchase a couple of bags.  My daughter had been asking for potato soup.  But the weather tricked us and it is a little to warm to enjoy soup, so the potatoes will have to wait.  Potatoes will stretch your food budget, can potato dishes be healthy choices?

It can be confusing to make sense of how potatoes fit in healthy eating habits. Some sources talk about potatoes as loaded with nutrients, yet others say potatoes don’t even count toward goals of eating more vegetables because they are full of starch.

Nutrients, Calories and Phytochemicals – A medium potato is rich in vitamin C and offers even more blood-pressure-friendly potassium than two medium bananas. Potatoes provide other protective nutrients, including the phytochemical quercetin and dietary fiber (particularly with the skin on).
Along with corn, peas and lima beans, potatoes are categorized as a starchy vegetable. Each serving has more carbohydrate and calories than non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, lettuce or tomatoes, making some people think potatoes are high-calorie.

A medium potato – defined by the USDA Nutrient Database as about 2 ¼” to 3 ¼” in diameter — has about 160 calories. Potatoes are also relatively low in calorie density (how many calories a food contains per ounce)  which research suggests is important for weight management. Although not as low in calorie density as non-starchy vegetables, plain potatoes are somewhat lower in calories than a similar portion of rice or pasta.

Glycemic index – Another concern cited about potatoes is it that it ranks relatively high on the glycemic index, a measure of how much carb-containing foods raise your blood sugar. Research demonstrates real health concerns from blood sugar surges after eating.  Studies also show that flavorings and other foods that accompany a food changes how it the food affects blood sugar.

Here are some ideas for maintaining the "healthy" potato as you prepare your dishes.

High-nutrient preparation – How you prepare potatoes affects nutrient content. Boiling – especially with skin removed – allows nutrients to leach into the cooking water. Baked or microwaved potatoes have from 40 to 100 percent more potassium, and about twice the amount of vitamin C, as boiled potatoes.

Watch your portion – Small and medium potatoes are a rich source of potassium and moderate in calories and carbohydrate. Yet baked potatoes commonly served at restaurants are two to three times that size. That size potato, or the large order of fries that has become the norm, provides as much carbohydrate as three to four (or more) slices of bread.

Variety among vegetables is vital to get the full spectrum of nutrients and phytochemicals that promote good health.  Consider preparing dishes with a variety of vegetables mixed with the potatoes.

Watch the toppings - The potato is actually low in calories, it is the toppings we add to the potato.  Look for lower fat topping.  Make your mashed potatoes with chicken broth for rich flavor without the added calories of butter and milk.  Bake potato slices with a little olive oil instead of frying.  Limit the amount of butter, cheese, sour cream and bacon that you add to your potato.  Look for herb mixtures that add great flavor and no calories.

Adapted from article in AICR HealthTalk is by Karen Collins, MS, RDN