Why Baked Potatoes are Among the Healthiest Foods You Can Eat

My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with.“
Oprah Winfrey.
Potatoes are essentially a synonym for comfort. And baked, these earth vegetables are simply divine. It is wonderful that one can feel virtuous after eating a big baked potato, because it comes loaded with so many wonderful health benefits. Take a look:

They are among the most potassium-rich foods. Consider this: the guidelines released by the Institute of Medicine encourage Americans to aim for 4,700 milligrams of potassium every day. That’s because potassium blunts the harmful effects of too much sodium and keeps blood pressure in check. Now here’s an impressive piece of information: eight ounces of baked potato contains 1000 mg of potassium! Browse any list of top potassium resources, and a baked potato is sure to be on it.

With the skin on, they are a high dietary fiber food. One baked potato provides about 12% of an adult woman’s daily fiber needs, and 8% for an adult male. Fiber, as we know, is essential for good digestion and efficient absorption of nutrients. Baked potatoes have both soluble and insoluble fiber, which is great! The soluble fiber controls cholesterol, while the insoluble fiber makes it easier for waste to pass through your system. Just don’t load the potatoes with butter and cheese. To get all the fiber and taste without the fat, sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on your spud. Enjoy hot.

They are low in calories. It’s true. The potato is often unfairly accused of being a caloric food, while the truth is that one medium baked potato contains only about 170 calories. Even if you “indulge” in a large baked potato, you consume only about 300 calories but get almost 28% of your daily portion of fiber in the bargain, according to the USDA. It’s the heavy toppings that pile up the calorie count of potatoes: bacon, cheese, butter and sour cream. A delicious and low-fat option is to top them with broccoli and low-fat cheese. Try them with salsa instead of sour cream—they taste delicious! I found some low-fat alternatives for baked potato toppings here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Global warming computer models collapse; Arctic ice sheets rapidly expand as planet plunges into global cooling

Image
(NaturalNews) For years, we've all heard that global warming is threatening our planet. But now, in a stunning turnaround, world scientists are warning that an era of global cooling seems to be upon us, complete with extraordinary expansions of ocean ice being recorded in just the past year. Even the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report seems to indicate that an era of global cooling is now underway, according to many scientists. It turns out that global warming predictions were little more than doom-and-gloom fear mongering based on failed computer models. For example, in 2007, the BBC reported that the Arctic would be "ice-free" by the summer of 2013. Here's exactly how that fear mongering was published by the BBC: Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the disappearance of Arctic sea ice. Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar waters could be ice-free in summers with
Read more

Top 5 Foods to Fight Breast Cancer

Image
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, dedicated to recognizing those impacted, as well as providing support for family, friends and research efforts. According to the American Cancer Society, odds are that 1 in 8 women will have invasive breast cancer in her life. A healthy lifestyle that incorporates certain foods may help fight breast cancer. Top 5 Foods to Optimize Breast Health & Help Fight Cancer 1. Broccoli: According to research, consuming cruciferous vegetables can help provide the body with cancer-fighting elements like vitamin C, phytochemicals and calcium. Of all the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli ranks highest in vitamin C content, an antioxidant that may assist with stimulating anti-cancer cells, stopping tumors from spreading and helping the body repair after cancer surgery. It’s been suggested that individuals with higher levels of vitamin C in their blood have a reduced risk of developing cancer than those with lower levels. Adding brocc
Read more

6 Surprising Things That Affect Your Brain

Image
Brain scientists in recent years have discovered a number of surprising ways that the brain influences our overall health, as well as how our behavior influences the health of our brain. And unlike in the days of old — when scientists believed the brain was “fixed” after childhood, only to start an inexorable decline in the middle to later years — today, research is showing that the brain is perfectly capable of changing, healing and “rewiring” itself to an unexpected degree. It turns out that the age of your brain may be a lesser influence on its structure than what you do with it. Pursuits that require intense mental focus, like language learning, “switch on” the nucleus basalis, the control mechanism for neuroplasticity. In short, neuroplasticity means you have some control over your cranial fitness. While brain function naturally deteriorates somewhat as you age (though not nearly as muc
Read more