Health & Medical Nutrition

Do Potatoes Really Make Us Fat?

Potatoes belong to Solanaceae or nightshade family whose scientific name is Solanum Tuberosum.
Whether baked, mashed or roasted, people often consider potatoes an easy to cook food.
This is the vegetable which is harvested almost every month of the year and easily available around the year.
In fact, people who don't like to eat any vegetable, would love to eat potatoes.
So you hardly find anyone who dislikes potatoes.
At the same time many of us think that they are a fattening food to eat which contain lot of simple carbohydrates and nothing else.
But today we would discuss on this topic and will make you aware that this might be a conspiracy against this wonderful vegetable.
So there are few points which will definitely help to get your questions answered that whether potatoes really makes you fat or not? Some of the myths about potatoes are: Potato is not a vegetable: Although potatoes are tuberous roots but are considered as a vegetable on Food Guide Pyramid.
It is the number one vegetable that can crop worldwide and has already been mentioned above that they are available around the year easily.
Potato contains simple carbohydrates: It is completely a myth or a big rumour.
Potatoes actually contain complex carbohydrates which provide required energy to our body.
By supplying instant calories to our body it maintains replenished levels of glucose in blood.
Potato raise blood sugar level: Potatoes generally contain moderate amount of glycemic index due to which it doesn't raises the level of sugar.
The level of glycemic index in potatoes is 56.
Potato is package of lots of calories: In our Indian grocery stores we usually have medium sized potatoes generally and it contains very less calories.
Individuals can gain weight if they eat potatoes regularly in enormous amount.
More calories intake with potatoes is possible by the way they cooked.
So best form of potatoes consumption is baked and steamed.
Consuming Potato is itself a suicidal for weight loss program: Undoubtedly potatoes contain carbohydrates and little of proteins which are an ideal diet for those who desperately want to put on weight.
But it is also a truth that eating potatoes in healthy way such as baked, mashed, roasted and steamed will not add to your weight.
So the whole trick lies in the way you cook potatoes.
Prepare your potato dish which completely suits your body fats, provides you required amount of carbohydrates, then it will not harm you.
So try to cook potatoes with their skin on to get fibre, potassium, vitamin C and iron and enjoy health benefits of potatoes.
God Luck Potatoes lovers!


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