Friday, 24 July 2009
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In Defense of the Potato - Response to "8 Health Foods That Are Really Bad For You" Post
In response to the recent entry "8 Health Foods That Are Really Bad For You", I must protest the allegations made against everyone's favorite spud.
In the post, the writer accused baked potatoes as having "no nutritional value", and containing nothing but a lot of starch. I disagree.
Yes, potatoes are a starch, AKA a source of carbohydrates. However, we must remember that carbohydrates are not bad for you! A carbohydrate has a mere 4 calories per gram, as compared to 9 calories in a gram of fat. Carbohydrates are the best stores of energy for our bodies, since our bodies are able to burn the calories in carbohydrates faster than the calories in protein or fat. The carbohydrates in a potato are superior to the carbs in other starches like pasta and bread because potatoes do not contain gluten, a wheat protein that causes horrible side effects and allergic reactions within much of the population.
One medium potato boasts only about 150 calories (a small one has only about 100), less than a serving of pasta or rice. Within those 150 calories, a medium potato yields a nutrition powerhouse. The spud packs in more than 1/4 of your daily value of potassium, which is vital for calcium absorption and aiding muscle cramps, as well as almost 1/3 of your daily value of vitamin C, important for immune function. It also has 4 grams each of protein and fiber, which are important for weight control and keeping you full. That's more fiber than a serving of broccoli or a serving of Benefiber!
So, while I wouldn't recommend swapping your lunchtime salad for a plate of deep-fried tots topped with chili and cheese, eating a baked potato as part of a balanced meal, (maybe with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper) could do your body some serious good. It certainly won't hurt you.
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- From: collegelife143
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Comments (26)
yay for someone defending the potato!!! I ran a 5K at the irish festival and afterwards they gave us baked potatoes because they are SO high in potassium! so if you're active, a potato is fine to have on a regular basis! just don't load it up with butter, sour cream, salt, etc. i like mine plain with some pepper.
Woo baked potato! =) <3 Although I'm not the most healthy eater haha. I load mine up with lots of things depending on what I'm craving for.
Yay potato :]
Mmm, I boil mine with certain spices, so there's no need to add anything else :D
Thank you for posting this.
I LOVE POTATOS~
Couldn't have said it better myself. I feel like that post was fairly biased. For example, no, pretzels aren't a "health food" but they're usually marketed as a good alternative to salty chips, deep-fried goodies, etc. In that way, they are the best alternative.
Thanks for posting this. That other post irked my nerves with some of the uneducated and biased comments... so I can appreciate the truth in this one!
Yum, potatoes :)
GO TEAM POTATO!
thanks for that, i always knew that potatoes werent REALLY evil.
lol, "no nutritional value"
The potato is the greatest thing... ever...
I rub my cleaned spud in olive oil and poke a few holes in it and throw it directly on the bottom rack of my oven at 425 degrees (NO FOIL) and let it bake about say... 40ish minutes? Perfect potato. Yukon Golds are the best.
I like potatoes, and I think that author is full of it. If he says, the over toppings on the potatoes are bad, then we have something that we can agree on. The fact that the bold letters of BAKED POTATOES were written, so it becomes misleading to the reader to actually thinking potatoes are bad, which they're truely not.
I'm very in doubt of what Tynan is saying,
the author wrote on his website that he is known to be a pick up
artist, a writer, and a professional gambler. It does not include
anything about being knowledgeable about food.
Thanks for defending our beloved potato!
yum i especially love baked potatoes. i think that there's just not as much nutrition in potatoes compared to other vegetables but there is some good stuff in it!!
Sweet potatoes! I feel like mash now. =[
Umm, Potato famine. The lack of a nutrition free food would not have caused a natural disaster that killed 1/8 of the population.
And they are delicious too!
They are full of resistance starch that help burn fat!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistant_starch#Weight_management
The potato is my secret gay lover.
- Kunoichi
LOL at first i thought the potatoe in teh pic was a butt x)
anyways yes i LOVE potatos
People forget that carbohydrates are classified as nutrients too. They are our bodies' primary source of energy. It all depends on the amount you consume. Hail the potato!
i heart potatoes but the picture made me laugh. it looks kinda like a butt crack =p
Mmm. Potatoes <3
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