Origin of the potato

The potatoes –like rice– belong to that class of foods that, prepared in different ways, satisfy most people. They are familiar, since they have been liked since childhood and are part of popular dishes that elicit unanimous applause.

The qualities of the potato (Solanum tuberosum) have taken it to first place in world crops. Growing in different climates and consumed by local populations, it is usually free of the commercial transactions that carry other foods from one end of the planet to the other, which keeps its price low.

The plant is a nightshade, like pepper or tomato. Its leaves produce starch, which moves to the underground stems and accumulates, forming tubers.

In moist, nutrient-rich soil, one plant produces about 20 potatoes, which can weigh up to 300 grams. There is, therefore, no more productive plant food. Once the leaves and stems wither, the tubers detach and from each one two to ten shoots (the «eyes») of new plants can emerge.

The first potatoes were grown between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago in the Andes the ancestors of the Incas (Tiahuanaco, Moche, Wari cultures…). It must have been near Lake Titicaca, where they are still called mama jatha or «mother of growth.»

The Spanish conquistadors took potatoes (potatoes in America) to Europe, where they ended up triumphing after a century and a half of doubts about whether what arrived from unknown lands would be edible.

Nutritional values ​​of potatoes

How many calories does a potato have?

Analyzing the nutritional values ​​of the tuber, in 100 grams of potato we discover:

• Calories: 77 kcal
• Proteins: 2g
• Fats: 0.1g
• carbohydrates: 17g
• Fiber: 2.2g

Potato properties

The potato is one of the most popular foods in the world and a very reasonable source of energy that provides us with more vitamins and minerals and fewer calories than is normally attributed to it.

200 grams of boiled potatoes they contribute 20% of vitamin B1 what we need, 14% of vitamin B3 and 24% of vitamin B6.

They also offer a significant amount of minerals. The 200 grams would cover 8% of the daily needs of selenium, 22% of potassium, 20% of fluoride and 14% of iron.

Due to its nutritional characteristics and its starch richnessthe potato is equated with cereals, because it is rich in carbohydrates and has a protein composition of 2%.

Vitamins of group B

The most prominent micronutrient in potatoes is vitamin B6. This vitamin is involved in more than one hundred known enzymatic reactions, such as those necessary to create new healthy -non-cancerous- cells and tissues from amino acids; in numerous functions of the nervous system, and in the deactivation and elimination of harmful substances such as homocysteine, which increases the risk of heart attack.

There is no lack of significant doses of other B vitamins. An average serving of cooked potatoes provides more than 10% of the daily needs of vitamins B1, B2 and folic acid.

As for minerals, potatoes are a abundant source of potassiumin addition to containing small amounts of magnesium and iron.

They do not inevitably gain weight

In recent decades it has been pointed out that the potato was one of the culprits of excess obesity and diabetes in rich countries. It is an error that science is clarifying.

The glycemic index (GI) tables They are partly responsible for the misunderstanding, since they attribute a GI of 70 to cooked potatoes and 80 to instant puree, a figure that is only below honey, cooked carrots, white bread and glucose, which at 100 marks the maximum. These figures suggest that potatoes can promote excess blood sugar, obesity and metabolic imbalance.

However, it is worth taking into account the «glycemic load» of the diet, a more precise figure than the GI, since it considers the size of the portions and the proportion of water, carbohydrates, fiber and proteins of each food eaten throughout the day.

Thus, a complete and nutritious dish composed of 200 grams of cooked potatoes, 75 of tofu and 100 of broccoli has as much glycemic load as a 50-gram slice of bread!

The way potatoes are prepared and consumed also influences their effect. The main mistake is taking excessive portions of potatoes that have absorbed the fat from frying or baking.

The same amount of potatoes can go from 80 calories/100 grams if boiled to more than 450 calories if fried. Instead, Steaming preserves micronutrients better and represent an energetic, digestive and healthy food.

Furthermore, if they are left to cool for a few hours the sugars are transformed into resistant starch which reduces the caloric intake of the potato by half and serves as food for the beneficial intestinal microbiota (thus reducing the risk of colon cancer).

Health benefits of potatoes

The benefits of potato They are notable and very varied

Relieves gastrointestinal problems

Boiled, roasted or steamed potatoes are effective in cases of gastritis, febrile states and acetone. Raw potato juice is also a medicinal element in case of acute gastritis and gastroduodenal ulcer processes.

It is generally considered an anti-inflammatory food that can relieve digestive discomfort associated with stress.

Control sugar and fat

Cold potatoes not only do not increase blood sugar, but they help control it. They favor the insulin sensitivity (lowers blood sugar rate) and reduces cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations.

Finally it stimulates use of body fat as a source of energy and satiates (three times as much as the same amount of bread).

Fights oxidation and prevents cancer

For decades it has been assumed that substances of great nutritional or therapeutic value should not be found in the white flesh of the potato. However, more modern analysis methods, such as liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, have discovered a large number of beneficial compounds in potatoes.

Roy Navarre, who has coordinated experts from several American universities in an ambitious government-funded study, has identified 60 substances, including phenolic compounds similar to those that give broccoli, spinach or Brussels sprouts a reputation as healthy and that protect against cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and some types of cancer.

Some of these compounds are kukoamineswhich until then had only been found in the famous goji berries and which have a beneficial effect on blood pressure.

Helps the immune system

In addition, the potato contains other substances that collaborate with the immune system such as quercetin, carotenoids (in yellow meat varieties), anthocyanins (in violet and blue ones), chlorogenic acid and caffeic acids.

Its pulp, in addition, becomes a excellent healing if used as a poultice.

The potato in the kitchen

The preparation healthier of potatoes is the steam cooking with skin. If you choose to roast it, it should be done without fat or with a small amount of olive oil, and with a low oven (less than 140º C).

If they are to be cooked in water, the loss of potassium and vitamins C and group B can be reduced. boiling them with the skin.

To make puree, it is important to chop the potato so that it absorbs more liquid, start boiling it in cold water, without salt, and put the heat on low.

In a stew they can be cut, fried and added at the end, or chopped and added between 15 and 20 minutes before finishing. To make them fried and less caloric, they can be roasted first and then browned in oil.

Potato varieties

New potatoes, which are harvested when the plant is still green, from late spring and during summer, They are sweeter and retain a solid, dense and moist texture after cooking.

They are suitable for steaming or cooking in water. From a nutritional point of view, they contain less potassium and more vitamin C.

Old potatoes, which are harvested in autumn, but of red-skinned varieties (such as red pontiac) and white (monalisa) have similar characteristics.

Other old potatoes have a flourier and drier texture. They are recommended for frying or roasting, and their glycemic index (speed with which they are assimilated) is higher.