Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous
The potato is a humble and cheap food but at the same time rich in properties and a little too underestimated or even badly considered, at least in recent years. It has fed entire generations of people in the past but today it is believed to be a poorly recommended food, especially because of its glycemic index and because it "gets fat".
Potatoes are tubers with a high nutritional value and have the advantage of being particularly satiating as well as very versatile in the kitchen.
Potatoes are often considered to be a food that makes you fat, which helps to raise blood sugar and therefore many people, even those who shouldn't, look at this food with a certain diffidence and perhaps categorically exclude it from their diet.
In particular, it is because of the high glycemic index that the potato is often badly considered. This value indicates the ability of foods, more or less marked, to raise blood sugar levels, which is undoubtedly to be considered, especially if you suffer from diabetes.
Those who are healthy, on the other hand, should not worry too much about the glycemic index of potatoes, especially if they are taken with other foods that can compensate for this characteristic.
As Danielle Meyer, RD, clinical director of the Dietetic Internship at the University of Buffalo said:
“We tend to eat potatoes as part of a mixed meal. So we could actually eat a potato associated with more fiber and fat, which reduces the blood sugar spike "
In 2011, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine worsened the potato's "reputation" by claiming that potato products (which are low in sugar and high in starch) showed strong associations with the potato. weight gain.
So potatoes, already accused of having a high glycemic index, have been completely excluded from the diet of those who wanted to lose weight.
In fact, a medium-sized baked potato provides six grams of protein and four grams of fiber, as well as high amounts of bone-friendly calcium, heart-helping potassium, and immunity-boosting vitamin C. All this for about 265 calories, therefore it is not a dietary food but can still be included in a varied and healthy diet.
In 2018, British scientists looked at all previous research evaluating the relationship between potatoes and obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. On that occasion they discovered that too many studies contradicted each other and often lacked details on cooking methods.
Furthermore, much research did not take into account the satiety that these precious tubers provide. Potatoes, in fact, have the advantage of containing a resistant starch that the body is unable to rapidly break down into glucose, as is the case, for example, in the case of white bread.
This starch passes through the undigested small intestine and ferments in the large intestine, feeding the good bacteria. It therefore functions as a soluble fiber, helping us eat less throughout the day.
We should therefore re-evaluate potatoes a little, unless we suffer from specific diseases (in which case we should ask the doctor for advice). It is in fact an inexpensive food, available everywhere and which can be preserved for a long time (In this regard, read also: How to properly store potatoes, garlic and onions).
Also, let's not forget, potatoes are good and everyone likes them, including children.
We then suggest some recipes in which to enjoy them at their best:
- 10 appetizing recipes with potatoes
- Baked Potatoes: 10 Stuffed Baked Potato Recipes
- Potato salad: 10 recipes
- Baked potatoes: the secret to making them golden and crunchy
And remember potatoes don't even throw away the skins.
Read all of our articles on potatoes
Read also: Don't throw away the potato skins! Tricks and ideas to reuse them in the kitchen and beyond
Font: Healthline/Nutrients/New England Journal of Medicine
Read also:
- Potatoes, instructions for use. When it is best not to eat them
- Green and sprouted potatoes: here's why not to eat them. The BfR warns about the risks
- Sweet potatoes: properties, calories and how to cook the American potato
- Purple potatoes: the fantastic properties, uses and recipes for cooking the "health-saving" tuber
