Wonderful Health Benefits of the Lowly Potato

The potato is the second most consumed food in the United States, trailing only milk products. The average American eats 120 pounds of potatoes a year. That is 365 per person; or a potato a day. Potatoes are an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world. Potatoes are available year round as they are harvested somewhere every month of the year.

The potato belongs to the Solanaceae or nightshade family whose other members include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos. They are the swollen portion of the underground stem which is called a tuber and is designed to provide food for the green leafy portion of the plant. If allowed to flower and fruit, the potato plant will bear an inedible fruit resembling a tomato.

Potatoes are a very popular food source. Unfortunately, most people eat potatoes in the form of greasy French fries and potato chips, and even baked potatoes are typically loaded down with fats such as butter, sour cream, melted cheese and bacon bits. Such treatment can make even baked potatoes a potenial contributor to a heart attack. But take away the extra fat and deep frying, and the baked potato is an exceptionally healthful low calorie, high fiber food that offers significant protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer. Potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber. They also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity. Among these important health promoting compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid, as well an unique tuber storage proteins, such as patain, which exhibit activity against free radicals. A new analytical method developed by Agricultural Research Serice plant geneticist, Roy Navarre, has identified 60 different kinds of phytochemicals and vitamins in the skins and flesh of 100 wild and commerically grown potatoes. Analysis of Red and Norkotah potatoes revealed that these potatoes phenolic content rivals that of broccoli, spinach and Brussels sprouts, and includes flavonoids with protective activity against cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and certain cancers. Navarre's team also identified potatoes with high levels of vitamin C, folic acid, quercetin and kukoamines. UK scientists at the Institute for Food Research have identified blood pressure lowering compounds called kukoamines in potatoes. They also contain high amounts of vitamin B6. About a cup contains 21 per cent of the daily requirement of this important vitamin. Vitamin B6 is involved in more than 100 enzymatic reactions. Enzymes are proteins that help chemical reactions take place, so vitamin B6 is active virtually everywhere in the body. Many of the building blocks of protein, amino acids, require B6 for their systhesis, as do the nucleic acids used in the creation of our DNA. Because amino and nucleic acids are such critical parts of new cell formation, vitamin B6 is essential for the formation of virtually all new cells in the body. Heme (the protein center of our red blood cells) and phospholipids (cell membrane components that enable messaging between cells) also depend on vitamin B6 for their creation. A single baked potato will also provide you with 11.7 per cent of the daily value for fiber, but remember the fiber in potatoes is mostly in their skin. If you want the cholesterol lowering, colon cancer preventing, and bowel supportive effects of fiber, be sure to eat the potato's flavorful skin as well as its creamy center.