
Potato has always been infamous because eating it leads to weight gain and accumulation of fat in the body. Fitness freak people often completely exclude potatoes from their diet. But have you ever thought that the fault is not actually in potatoes but in your wrong way of eating? Nutrition experts and dieticians believe that potato in itself is a wonderful vegetable rich in nutrients. Due to wrong way of cooking and eating it, it has a bad effect on health. If you include it in your diet properly, it can bring amazing benefits to your body instead of causing harm.
Why is there a misconception about potatoes?
Often people like to eat potatoes as French fries, chips, tikkis or by deep frying them in a lot of oil, spices and butter. When cooked in this way, the amount of calories and fat in potatoes increases manifold, which leads to problems like obesity and diabetes. Apart from this, people often eat potatoes without peeling them, whereas most of the fiber and antioxidants are present in its peel itself. When you eat potatoes through the wrong cooking method, all its nutrition is lost and it becomes just unhealthy carbs.
Know the best and healthy way to eat potatoes
The easiest way to get full benefit from potatoes and avoid the fear of weight gain is to eat it by boiling, roasting (baking) or steaming it. If you cool and eat the potato after boiling it, the amount of ‘resistant starch’ in it increases. This special type of starch improves digestion, strengthens gut health and prevents sudden spikes in blood sugar levels. Apart from this, eating potatoes with its peel provides the body with plenty of potassium, vitamin C and fiber, which is very beneficial for heart health and digestive system.
Smart tips to include potatoes in your diet
If you are on a weight loss journey or want to stay fit, there is no need to completely remove potatoes from your diet. You just need to make a little change in your cooking habits. You can use boiled potatoes in salads, roast them lightly in less oil or eat them by mixing them with other fiber-rich vegetables in soups and vegetables. Potato eaten in a balanced quantity and in the right way not only gives your body plenty of energy, but also makes you feel full for a long time, which also prevents you from overeating again and again.
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