Last week I posted a pic of my dinner plate with peppered Tri-Tip and some roasted veggies that included fingerling potatoes. I asked for some feedback on it because I’m curious to know what people think is a “healthy” meal, outside of kale. (Side note: can we all agree to stop making kale a thing? It’s gross.)
I thought peeps would rail against the large amount of hormone-laced meat I was eating (hee hee) but everyone went nuts on the spuds! I got several comments between all my social media sites and a few emails and texts from people letting me know that everything on my plate looked good EXCEPT the potatoes.
To that I say…wwhhaaa?? Potatoes are the best thing ever invented! Why pick on potatoes? It turns out everyone in the world thinks eating potatoes is bad. Well, at lease everyone who messaged me.
I wondered what could have caused this loathing for a root I love dearly so I started doing some digging. Apparently a study from Harvard a few years back found that eating a cup of potatoes is comparable to drinking a can of Coke or eating a handful of jelly beans in terms of what it does to your blood sugar.
The study also found that potatoes are linked to weight gain and diabetes. Yikes! Those are some scary stats on taters! But before we all start pitching potatoes out the window and condemning them for all time, let’s take a closer look at the facts. The potatoes in question were french fries, mashed and baked potatoes with no skin. Well, now. That changes things.
Several studies since have actually found that potatoes prepared the right way and in moderation can be good for you! One study says roasted, boiled and baked potatoes with skins can lower blood pressure without weight gain. Eating a variety of types of potatoes can have an added health benefit of vitamin B, C and loads of fiber.
Plus studies show the more colorful the potato skin, the more beneficial antioxidants it can have. So everyone calm down! Lay off the french fries and loaded baked potatoes but don’t swear off potatoes completely. And definitely don’t tell me not to eat them cause that’s not happening.
Need more convincing? Here’s another potato fan who wrote a great article on 26 Reasons to Love Potatoes for Health.com that might reignite your passion for the potato.
