The 5 benefits of eating potato

Ludmila moscato

07/27/2021 6:00 AM

• Clarín.com

• Good Life

Updated 07/27/2021 6:00 AM

Potato lovers can breathe easy.

A food that used to be included within the group of the prohibited "4 Ps" (pasta, bread, potatoes and desserts) can, if consumed correctly, provide

great benefits to the body.

The nutritionist doctor Lucio Tennina, who highlights its benefits in the book "The potato revolution", spoke with

Clarín

to explain the reason for its bad reputation, and the healthiest ways to cook it.

1- It is complete at the nutritional level

One of the main advantages of the potato is its content.

"At the nutritional level, it could be said that it is a very complete food. 79% is water and the rest, a mixture of

carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals,

" he says.

And he adds: "Its protein content is low compared to that of grains, but it has all the

essential amino acids,

which the body cannot synthesize and need to be incorporated through food," explains Tennina.

In turn, "the biological value of its proteins is very high, very similar to that of soybeans and much higher than that of corn and wheat," says the doctor, adding: "It contains

iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium

and very little sodium. It has a large amount of vitamin C: a medium potato provides half the minimum necessary of this vitamin ", he details.

If cooked boiled, the potato provides satiety and provides a limited amount of calories.

Photo Shutterstock.

And he not only recommends incorporating potatoes into the diet.

It also highlights its enormous potential.

"You can

live eating only potatoes

since, as we saw, it contains essential proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The only thing it does not contain is vitamin B12, which is only provided by foods of animal origin, that is why the Irish who practically lived eating only potatoes, they completed their diet with milk that contains this vitamin. "

However, he clarifies: "It is not ideal that our diet is based on a single nutrient, but in cases of extreme need - as happened in Ireland and Poland in the past - the potato

saved entire populations

from famine."

2- Provides satiety

"The carbohydrates that form it are mainly starches, so its slow assimilation provides the body with energy

in a constant and even way

, not like it happens when sugar is incorporated, a substance that is assimilated all at once", he explains.

And that is one of the virtues that can even help if you suffer from certain conditions: "Therefore, the potato is a very good food for those who have carbohydrate metabolism disorders, such as

insulin resistance or diabetes II

", explains the professional.

Instead of rice, Tennina proposes to accompany the boys' meals with potatoes.

Photo Shutterstock.

In addition, he adds that cooked in the correct way (without oil, and previously refrigerated), it can provide up to twice the satiety: "according to a study by the University of Sydney, Australia, the potato is the food with the highest capacity for satiety that exists , as long as

we avoid oil

in its cooking ", he highlights.

3- It can help you lose weight

Not only because of the previous point, that is, because of its slow assimilation and consequent satiety, but also because it has a

limited caloric content

.

"All vegetables have less than 100 calories per 100 grams of product, and cereals have many more. For example artichokes have 64 calories and potatoes 84 per 100 grams. Rice, which is a cereal, has 130 calories. one of the reasons for the low caloric content of potatoes, in relation to cereals, is the

enormous amount of water

that it is made up of: more than three-quarters of it, "he summarizes.

However, it is necessary to bear in mind that one of the keys is to

moderate expectations

regarding its consumption: the way in which the potato is healthy and can even help to lose weight is not in the form of French fries, or cooked in the oven with oil, as seen in the next point.

4- Easy to cook

"The best way to cook the potato is going to be one that

avoids the use of oil

in cooking: boiled, steamed, or in the microwave if you want a quick cooking. To make it crispy you can cook it in the oven cut into slices of a centimeter thick placed on a silicone sheet, which prevents them from sticking without having to use oil ", he proposes.

And he adds: "In this way, they are crispy on the surface and tender on the inside. The oil must be added

after cooking

, whatever method we use to cook it."

If cooked boiled, the potato provides satiety and provides a limited amount of calories.

Photo Shutterstock.

In this sense, Tennina adds a piece of advice to take advantage of its benefits even more.

"To improve the starch contained in the potato, it should be

cooked and

then chilled in the refrigerator. It can be eaten cold or reheated: in this way it is possible to produce

resistant starch

, an ideal substance for those who have insulin resistance or diabetes, since the hydrate carbon is going to be assimilated evenly and constantly without altering blood glucose ", he recommends.

In addition, he advises not to stop taking it into account in the

diet of the youngest

, who usually like it: "In the case of children, replace rice as part of the garnish of a protein, for potatoes, which contain better nutrients" .

5- It is very versatile

Baked, grilled, steamed, boiled, microwaved.

In sticks, sliced, cubed, tread.

Peeled or shelled.

In purees, in potato cakes, as part of soups or stews.

As a garnish, accompanied by other vegetables or proteins, or as a central dish in preparations such as tortillas.

Potatoes can be incorporated into

various dishes:

"This food should be in our diet daily for all the advantages that I listed. Its quantity will depend on how much satiety we need to produce," he explains.

And he adds: "Of course, the ideal is to include it within the group of vegetables that we eat: the more variety the better. The white color of the potato should be completed with the red and orange of the tomatoes and carrots, and the green of the spinach and arugula: that way we would have a

healthy tricolor

diet ", he proposes.

Why then was it discouraged for so long?

When reviewing the multiple benefits that Tennina lists regarding this food, it is inevitable to wonder about the

reasons for its defamation

.

Several issues made the potato a food associated with weight gain.

"The bad reputation of the potato comes from the fact of having included it, in an old and obsolete way of classifying vegetables, in

the group of cereals such as corn

, forgetting that it is just another vegetable, like carrots", he reflects.

"It is probable that, due to the fact that potatoes have replaced cereals in many countries due to their low cost, their simplicity in cultivation and their easy preparation, they are mistaken for them," he risks.

And she laments: "For years it was mistreated, misunderstood, prejudiced. Even today when I incorporate it into a diet to lose weight it

generates distrust and amazement

. Good information is always the best food for our brain. It is necessary for the potato to stop forming part of those foods considered heavy and caloric, which are usually synthesized in those nutrients that begin with the letter P ", he observes.

And he closes: "It should be included in our diet being aware of its

nutritional value

and the possibilities of making it the basis of a diet that helps us lose weight," he says.

And he concludes: "The potato is that small portion of the Earth that, like it, generously nourishes us. It has fed millions of beings - not just humans - and helped man in the most difficult moments: famines, wars, climatic catastrophes and economic ".

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