Are potatoes bad for the figure?

Potatoes are a vegetable around which controversy constantly flares up. Some argue that eating potatoes you can lose extra pounds, others are 100% sure of the opposite. Someone is sure that potatoes in any form are harmful, but for others it is their favorite food. Of course, this vegetable is not a superfood, but still it has a number of arguments in its favor. Let's figure out how useful potatoes are and can dishes from it be harmful to health and spoil the figure?

Useful macronutrients and vitamins

A potato tuber with a peel weighing about 150 grams contains 620 mg of potassium, which is 18% of the daily requirement.

Potassium, together with sodium, ensures the maintenance of the body's water-salt balance and the normal functioning of cells. A lack of potassium in the body leads to an increase in blood pressure, to the occurrence of kidney stones. Potatoes are simply necessary for people suffering from hypertension, heart and kidney failure, gastritis and its complications. Consuming one potato provides approximately 0.2 mg of vitamin B6, that is, 10% of the daily requirement. This vitamin is responsible for protein metabolism in the body, is involved in immune processes and the formation of hemoglobin. Potatoes also contain vitamin C, about 27 mg per tuber, which is half the daily requirement for an adult. However, it should be remembered that about 30–50% of ascorbic acid in potatoes is destroyed during storage and heat treatment, and not much remains at the time of consumption. The main benefit of potatoes is that, as a balanced food product, it provides many needs of the body. There are 2.4 to 4.3 g of resistant starch in 100 g of potatoes. It is an excellent source of energy for an active lifestyle and intense mental work. It prevents vascular sclerosis and protects against rectal cancer, improves insulin sensitivity, lowers cholesterol and plasma triglyceride concentrations, increases satiety and reduces fat stores. There are only 2 g of protein per 100 g of potatoes, but its biological value is higher than that of other vegetables and is comparable to milk. Potatoes contain the essential amino acid lysine, which is involved in protein synthesis in the body, and vitamin B6, which has a positive effect on its absorption. The tubers contain 70-80% water. Contrary to popular belief, the potato itself is a low-calorie product (73-77 kcal / 100 g), contains only 0.4% fat, and people who want to lose weight do not have to give it up. For those who have allergies, potatoes become an indispensable dietary product, because it practically does not cause a rejection reaction. The energy value of 100 g of boiled potatoes without additives is 86 kcal. Proteins - 2 g, carbohydrates - 17.1 g, fats - 0.1 g, dietary fiber - 2 g. When they say that potatoes are not beneficial, harmful to the figure, so it is better not to use them - this is an erroneous statement. Potatoes are a healthy food and contain many nutrients. And caution is needed only when choosing the method of preparation and what to serve it with. But this does not mean that you can eat potatoes three times a day, seven days a week. It is recommended to eat potatoes several times a week, 100-120 g in combination with vegetables. You will find many healthy recipes on Wispence in the nutrition section. The content of resistant starch in potatoes depends on the cooking method. It is less in boiled potatoes and mashed potatoes - up to 3%. Baked potatoes have twice as much resistant starch at 6%. Another way to increase the amount of resistant starch is to keep the finished potato dish in the cold for 24 hours. During cooling, the part of starch that is not digested increases by 1.5-3 times. Because of this, cold potatoes provide fewer calories. This means that there will be no significant increase in blood sugar levels, which is especially important for diabetics. Therefore, it is better for them to eat potatoes cold, rather than freshly cooked. For example, a cold potato salad without mayonnaise will have a lower calorie content than a cooked hot potato. Also, scientists have found that fried potatoes eaten more than three times a week increase the risk of death from various diseases. Observations of thousands of people over eight years proved the pattern between the consumption of fried potatoes and mortality. At the same time, the revealed correlation disappears if the potatoes are not fried, but cooked in other ways. In addition, potatoes can be used for heartburn - a high content of starch and fiber envelops the mucous membrane and reduces acidity. That is why potato juice has long been used for gastritis, high acidity, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. About 50% of all phenols are contained in the potato peel and adjacent tissues. Therefore, it must be carefully cleaned, only a thin layer of skin should be removed or brushed and baked in a “uniform”. If green, rumpled or sprouted tubers come across, then they must be cleaned by cutting off the peel and a thick layer of adjacent tissues, this will save the vegetable from the poisonous substance solanine.

When potatoes become unhealthy

Potatoes are considered by many to be unhealthy due to their glycemic index (GI), because high GI foods cause a spike in blood sugar. After such a jump, the release of a large amount of insulin follows, as a result, “extra” sugar is rapidly cleared, glucose quickly disappears from the blood, and the person very soon feels hungry again. But do not forget that the GI of potatoes can vary greatly depending on the variety and method of preparation. For example, mashed potatoes have a GI of 88, baked potatoes have a GI of 77, fried potatoes have a GI of 72, boiled potatoes have a GI of 65, and boiled and then chilled have a GI of 56. Therefore, you yourself can reduce the glycemic index of your diet by choosing an acceptable method of preparing a vegetable. In addition, there is no consensus among scientists whether it makes sense to avoid high GI foods altogether. Because a number of studies have not found a link between GI and health risks, and a six-month follow-up showed that participants consuming high GI foods dropped as many kilograms as the group on a low GI diet without suffering from hungry and not sick. Potato tubers are known to contain the toxic substance solanine. It protects tubers from insects and is found in sprouts and green areas of the peel, but it is dangerous for the human body - it destroys cell membranes and negatively affects digestion. 200-400 mg of this substance causes poisoning with symptoms such as lethargy, itching in the neck, difficulty breathing, stomach and intestinal problems: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain. Corned beef is produced under the influence of light, mechanical damage, age and insect infestation. Potatoes can contain about 8 mg of solanine per 100 g of product; its amount is six times more in green tubers and reaches 48 mg per 100 g of weight. Vegetables may contain nitrates. The maximum allowable amount of nitrates in potatoes is 250 mg / kg of the product, but it is impossible to get poisoned by these substances, even if their amount exceeds the norm.

Which way to cook potatoes should you choose?

Potato becomes dangerous for health and for the figure when it turns into chips. Chips are pressed starch soaked in oil, salted and peppered, with the addition of artificial flavors and flavor enhancers, it has a very high calorie content - 500-550 kcal per 100 g. Such potatoes do not contain vitamins, minerals and it is better not to use them. Chips cause thirst and fluid retention in the body - this immediately affects weight. French fries preserve vitamin C and minerals, but still this dish is not recommended for those who care about a healthy stomach and normal weight. Its calorie content is at least 400 kcal per 100 g of product. Frying is the worst cooking method for health, because when heated above 120 degrees, the carcinogen acrylamide is formed from potato starch. The darker the color of the golden crust, the more harmful it is. At the same time, fried potatoes are a source of dangerous trans fats. Mashed potatoes with butter, milk and egg won't do any good for your figure either, other than just adding calories to your menu. It is recommended to exclude all such potato dishes from your diet, because it is not the potato itself that harms the figure, but the uncontrolled consumption of fats, fatty sauces, which are usually added to it. It is also important to control the amount of potatoes eaten. Potatoes, like all other vegetables, are not only possible, but necessary to include in the diet. It is only important to cook it correctly, preserving vitamins and useful minerals as much as possible, and do not forget the important rule “everything should be in moderation” and then nothing threatens your figure.