Potatoes
Potatoes are better for you than you may think!
Potatoes really do get a bad rap. Too much starch, is what some nutrition pros consider to be the problem. They are loaded with calories, others say. However, the facts about the humble and incredibly versatile potato may surprise you if you’ve come to think that they’re not a healthy choice.
Nutritional Facts About Potatoes
First of all, let me tell you one very important benefit you get from potatoes: they help lower your blood pressure. Containing more than 600mg of potassium in a medium potato, your blood vessels are more likely to be relaxed (as opposed to tense and constricted) and the flow of oxygen and nutrients is better carried to your entire body. Keeping your circulation flowing is essential to life itself, and certainly the quality of that life as well. My family has a long history of HBP, and I’ve spent 64 years avoiding it myself – so far successfully – and I eat baked potatoes including the skin as often as possible for all of the reasons I just mentioned.
Additionally, the vitamin C content in potatoes is quite high. One medium sized potato gives us about 35% of the official daily requirement of this powerful antioxidant, and it works hand in hand with the potassium to keep our organs functioning efficiently.
Vitamin B6, which helps our body to maintain proper water balance, is also abundant in the potato. And to round it all out, there’s also good amounts of iron, magnesium, copper and phosphorus. The list is actually quite impressive!