Potatoes: Better for you than you thought

I’m not a big potato fan. In fact, you could say I shun the little white tubers. To me, they’re a nutrition bust, the underground equivalent of a pretzel.

But I’m willing to learn and grow, and to admit that potatoes are not the nutritional wasteland that I accuse them of being.For example, after a little research on the Internet, I have learned that potatoes have as much potassium as bananas. If you ever suffered leg cramps as a child, you were probably told to eat a banana to gain more potassium. Well now we know you could have just as well have had a baked potato.

Potatoes have lots of fiber, if you leave the skins on. Fiber is good for your heart and your digestive system. Contrary to what I’d been told as a child, I have now learned that all the nutrients are not in the skin; they’re actually in the potato flesh  (except, of course, the fiber).

I also was surprised and amazed to learn that one reason why potatoes have a lot of minerals is that they grow in the ground. The Washington State Potato Commission has informed me that “one would expect potatoes to have minerals, as they spend their life underground.�

Presumably, foods that grow above ground also have lots of minerals but, still, I found that to be an intriguing potato fact.

The Washington State Potato Commission goes on to say that in addition to having traces of many (subterranean) minerals, potatoes also have a lot of vitamin C (which is one of the top cancer-fighting antioxidants) and a lot of the B vitamins that enrich your red blood cells.

And speaking of color (red), scientists and nutritionists have been saying for about the last 10 years that the colors of fruits and vegetables are an indicator of the antioxidants they contain. Think of brightly colored fruits such as blueberries and strawberries, which are considered among the most powerful cancer-fighting foods.

I had wondered if the color of a potato affects its nutrient base. Apparently it does. White potatoes (although still a good source of potassium and the C and B vitamins) are not as healthful as the colored potatoes. This category does not include orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and yams, which are not actually potatoes — but which are considered to be among the healthiest of all the root vegetables and tubers.

Scientists and farmers are now breeding colored potatoes. Soon, you might be able to serve a dish of roasted potatoes that is as colorful as a bowl of Christmas tree ornaments.

For now, you can seek out the blue and red potatoes that have suddenly begun to appear in area grocery stores (apparently, this is potato season).

They can be a little pricier than the homely old white spud, of course, which is kind of ironic when you discover (as I did, on the Internet) that blue potatoes used to be looked on with such disdain that they were used as “field markers�: they were planted in between rows of more traditionally hued potatoes to act as boundary markers. Remember that the next time you pay top dollar for a bag of blue potato chips.

Until potatoes are available in all the colors of the rainbow, you can enhance your whites or Yukon golds by combining them with some brightly colored boiled carrots (surprisingly yummy).

Or, to boost the flavor of your mashed, you can mix in other root vegetables (parsnips, celeriac) or cauliflower.

Avoid the old calorie and fat trap of adding lots of cream and butter. Instead, add a little chicken broth; some mashed roasted or boiled garlic; or a bit of high-quality grated Parmesan cheese.