Potatoes - are they good for you?

  The commonly held conceptions regarding potatoes as unhealthy are basically false. Their health promoting properties are mostly unknown or ignored.

There are rising concerns about potential food shortages within this free fall economy. The fact that nutritionally dense potatoes are easy to grow year round in small lots, even flower boxes, offers another solution to this dilemma.

Lots of Nutrition, Even Protein!

Too much attention is paid to the starch content and somewhat high glycemic index of potatoes, which is manageable unless you`re a sugar freak or diabetic.

What's ignored is the fact that potatoes contain all 22 amino acids to form complete proteins after easy digesting. It makes for easier protein absorption than the digestive effort of breaking down the complete proteins in meat and dairy.

Potatoes are a high source of potassium, even more than bananas, and are rich in other minerals. They are also rich in Vitamin C and B6. More importantly, Agricultural Research Service plant geneticist Roy Navarre has identified 60 different kinds of phytochemicals in the skins and flesh of a wide variety of potatoes.

Some potatoes` phenolic levels rival those of broccoli and spinach. Others contain high amounts of folic acid, quercetin and kukoamines. Only one other food contains all three of those compounds, gogi berries.  Potatoes are antioxidant dense as well.

What About the Skins?

As a family, we only eat red potatoes and leave the skins on - many of the nutrients are actually in the skin.  The most nutritious way to prepare them is to use organic (when possible) and to cut them into small squares and place them in a pan of shallow purified water.  Remember to never steam your vegetables in tap water, as this gives you a high concentration of fluoride in your food and fluoride is a carcinogen.  Steam cook them for a few minutes - try to steam out all of the water - if you dump the water down the drain, then you dump the nutrients out with the water.  After a few minutes, we toss in some fresh broccoli, leaving the lid on and allowing the steam/heat that is left over from the potatoes to cook the broccoli.  We then put some better butter on top (better butter is simply butter, not margarine - mixed with some extra virgin olive oil and walnut oil) and top with some cheese and Real Salt - yum - so tasty and filling!

French Fries - If you make French fries, simply cut the red potatoes up with the skin on and fry in coconut oil - top with Real Salt.