The Health Benefits of Potatoes

How did potatoes become so evil? When did people start shaming you for serving your family roasted potatoes? Well, it all started with the low-carb craze. Potatoes do have a lot of carbs. In fact, a 5.3 ounce potato has 26 grams of carbs. People who are still on low-carb diets are now hyperventilating. But, there are some things people need to realize. First of all, your body needs carbs to function. Second, there are good and bad carbs. Last, but not least, some carb-filled foods are nutritious.

Potatoes are in fact one of those nutritious carb-filled foods. In fact, potatoes are more nutritious than people may think. One 5.3 ounce potato has 620mg of potassium. A banana only has around 452mg of potassium and bananas even have more carbs than a potato. Why is potassium so great? Potassium helps nerves tell muscles what to do, but it also regulates blood pressure. Just one of the many reasons you should be eating more nutritious potatoes.

We all know that vitamin C is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. But, did you know that potatoes contain Vitamin C? A 5.3 ounce potato contains 45% of your daily vitamin C. Vitamin C helps heal wounds and of course helps boost our immune systems. This is yet another reason to include nutritious potatoes in your daily meals.

Protein is another important part of a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, many foods that contain protein also contain fat. Potatoes on the other hand, have 3 grams of protein, but 0 grams of fat and only 110 calories per 5.3 ounce potato. If you happen to be a vegetarian, potatoes are a nutritious way to incorporate more protein into your diet, without having to eat meat.