Ways to Make Potatoes Healthy and Weight Loss Friendly

With a growing emphasis on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the consumption of potatoes has gone down considerably. The root vegetable has a high glycemic index due to which several people have begun to eliminate it from their diet, switching towards a low carbohydrate diet consisting of leafy vegetables and foods rich in protein.

Potatoes have carbohydrates which are essential for keeping our body energized and for strengthening the brain, kidneys, heart muscles, and central nervous system. However, the excess carbohydrates in potatoes could be harmful to health. The experts have found a way to make potatoes healthy and weight-loss friendly.

Leading weight loss dietician, Avni Kaul, sheds some light on the consumption of potatoes and weight loss.

The experiment

A detailed study was done on 13 healthy subjects.  Four meals were given to them which consisted of freshly boiled potatoes, boiled or cold stored potatoes, boiled and cold stored potatoes with vinegar or with white wheat bread.

These distinctly cooked potatoes were given for breakfast followed by overnight fasting. Blood samples were collected at different time intervals, and the resistance of cold-stored potatoes was found to have grown from 3.3% to 5.2%.

The resistance of cold potatoes with added vinegar got down by 43% and 31%. A gap of 28% was seen in the cold stored potatoes when compared to the freshly boiled ones.

Potatoes play an important role in your plate.

Healthy and nutritious eating is a habit that everyone must stick to but bringing some alterations in the diet are also important. Sweet potatoes are regarded as healthier alternatives containing more nutritional value.

Potato has never been thought of as “healthy” or “fat-free” but it is an important ingredient, particularly in Indian cuisines. Potatoes can be healthy and enjoyed in any form. They can be baked, mashed, boiled, or air fried. However, if one regularly eats potato savouries that are deep fried in oil and are made of commercially edible ingredients, then they are not healthy.

An ideal way in which potatoes should be consumed

Potatoes can be widely segregated into two categories- waxy or starchy. Starchy potatoes are creamy in texture and they are consumed in a mashed or baked form. Waxy potatoes are mostly boiled and eaten. Waxy potatoes are also be used in a salad.

It is suggested to add vinegar and a little amount of salt while the potatoes are boiling in water so that the potatoes do not lose their shape and stay sturdy and can be easily used in salads. Boil the potatoes for a minimum of 30 minutes, and add vinegar and salt around the 13th minute while cooking.

Benefits of having vinegar on potatoes

Vinegar is helpful in thinning the potato skin. Also, the acidic property of vinegar breaks down the pectin present in potatoes rapidly. Vinegar has certain health benefits also as it reduces the glycaemic and insulinemic responses of the body.

Ideally, potatoes when eaten in the correct way will not lead you to weight gain. Also, as per one study published in the Journal of American College of Nutrition indicates that people can eat potatoes and still reduce weight. However, more research still needs to be carried out. Another fact is that managing your calorie consumption is the key to maintaining calorie balance. And calorie balance, not a certain food, is crucial to your weight management.