If you say “potato” and then say “healthy,” some people might think your ideas are sketchy.
At best, potatoes are often viewed as a starchy vegetable, lacking the status of dietary rock stars like leafy greens or carrots. At their worst, taters are the basis for all kinds of salty, fatty snacks and are a metaphor for mindless inactivity.
However, nutritionists say that aside from canape varieties, potatoes also have a place in a healthy diet. Spoiler alert: No one is going to offer a free pass to make French fries bigger. But you can find other ways to enjoy them at your holiday table or throughout the year, especially if you pay attention to the preparation.
Dr., research assistant professor at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. “Potatoes are nothing to be afraid of,” Emily Johnston said. She studies diabetes prevention in older adults and researches potatoes and their effects on health she.
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Spud’s modern association with sloth ignores his history as a world conqueror. Although potatoes were domesticated in the Andes Mountains of South America at least 5,000 years ago, they did not cross the Atlantic until the 1500s. They fed a hungry Europe and fueled the population explosion that led to the Industrial Revolution.
Today, potatoes are the most consumed vegetable in the United States, just ahead of tomatoes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Sing it now if you must, but people who research such things say almost no one pronounces it “pa-TAH-to.”)
Johnston said the reputation of plain white potatoes as an unhealthy food also contradicts some facts.
They are classified as a starchy vegetable, along with corn and potatoes. Starches are “an important component of the diet that is sometimes maligned,” Johnston said. Potatoes are complex carbohydrates, so your body breaks them down slowly, providing long-lasting energy.
The Federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults eat the equivalent of at least 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day, with room for about 5 cups of starchy vegetables per week.
According to the USDA, a medium-sized baked potato has more calories than a cup of raw carrots, kale or corn. But with only 164 calories, it’s still a relatively low-calorie food. It is also a good source of vitamin C, providing 16% of the recommended daily allowance for an adult man and 19% of the recommended daily amount for a woman.
A plain potato contains neither fat, cholesterol nor sodium, and they pack some good nutrients, Johnston said.
More importantly, Johnston said, it also contains plenty of potassium (37% of what women need each day, 28% for men) and about 4 grams of fiber (nutrients that most Americans don’t get enough of). Potassium is important for heart health, and fiber may help improve blood cholesterol levels.
So, What is the problem? “It’s a fact that almost no one eats plain potatoes,” Johnston said.
Baked potatoes are slathered in butter and/or sour cream and sprinkled with bacon; Sources of extra calories and saturated fat, which the American Heart Association recommends limiting to about 13 grams per day.
About one-third of potatoes grown in the United States become frozen products, mostly french fries. A large order of fries from a popular fast-food chain contains 480 calories, 23 grams of fat and 400 milligrams of sodium. (The AHA says the ideal daily sodium limit for an adult is 1,500 mg.)
Johnston said people’s tendency to pair potatoes with unhealthy foods has been problematic for researchers, leading to conflicting results over the years.
His own research includes a 2020 study from Penn State University published in the British Journal of Nutrition. This experiment involved 50 healthy adults who ate a side dish made of steamed or baked potatoes or refined grains such as pasta, rice, couscous, or bread every day for four weeks. They then switched to the other garnish for four weeks.
Ultimately, cardiometabolic factors such as blood sugar or weight were no worse when participants ate the potato side than when they ate the refined grain side, and their fiber and potassium intake and overall nutritional quality were actually better when they ate the potato.
Separately, an analysis of more than two dozen studies found a clear link between eating french fries and the risk of high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. But findings published in the European Journal of Nutrition in 2018 showed that other types of preparation had only a “negligible effect” on the two conditions.
So, if you’re in the mood for potatoes, there’s no need to cancel everything. But how you cook the potatoes is important.
“Boiling leaches out a lot of nutrients, so it’s one of my least preferred methods,” Johnston said. She also recommends avoiding potato flakes, which can strip away nutrients while adding sodium, sugar or fat.
But baking, frying and steaming work equally well, he said. No matter how you prepare them, consider leaving the skin on: Although nutrients are found throughout the potato, about half of the fiber is in the skin, he said.
He said sweet potatoes and purple potatoes would add different nutrients, but added “there’s not a huge difference between the white varieties.” Although the fibers vary slightly, “the most important variable is still the cooking method.”
Johnston suggested flavoring them with herbs and spices such as dill, thyme or chives. Instead of salt, try onion powder or garlic powder. Use plain, reduced-fat yogurt instead of sour cream.
“I had some roasted with a little avocado oil and some rosemary the other night,” she said. She said extra virgin olive oil is another heart-healthy choice as a sweetener and saves a lot of saturated fat compared to butter.
Try low-fat milk or unsweetened plant-based milk instead of heavy cream for mashed potatoes. Blending cauliflower can increase fiber content and reduce calories, Johnston said. Or just skip the puree variety. “Maybe I could make roasted potatoes or something like that. The holiday table looks really pretty with those different colored potatoes.
The same goes for traditional latkes, a Hanukkah favorite. They’re usually fried, but can be baked or even air fried, Johnston said. “Some recipes include grated carrots or zucchini to add a little more fiber and water and reduce calories.”
He acknowledges that some people may miss a favorite holiday recipe, even if it borders on optimal nutrition. So another option for special occasions is to prepare them the way you want. “Make them how you like them, enjoy them, and try to eat smaller portions.”