Are Potatoes Really Good Or Bad?

If you tried any low-carb diet, you probably saw the potatoes were on top of the list of foods to avoid. But, are they?

Potatoes are a vegetable, so why do you need to avoid a vegetable?

Let's begin to what's going on with a potato to figure out if you should eat it or not.

Aren't There A Lot Of Carbs In Potatoes?

Yes, there is a higher number of carbohydrates in a potato. However, potatoes are pretty much off the list if you are doing a stringent and very low-carb diet.

But, if you're on a moderate carb diet, potatoes can be a good way to have a little bit of an indulgence and keep your meals interesting.

Here's one thing to keep in mind, we're not talking about deep-fried French fries. We're talking about smaller, richly colored potatoes that provide a lot of nutrition with their sweetness.

The recipe below is a great way to incorporate potatoes into your breakfast. Because potatoes are high in fiber, they can help fill you up, giving you lasting energy and the feeling of fullness throughout your morning.

Having a few extra carbs in your breakfast can help reduce your dependence on coffee in the morning.

Why You Might Want To Add Potatoes Into Your Diet

Despite being a white vegetable, potatoes do have a significant amount of nutrition. They're not superstars, but they're definitely better than most processed foods. The skin is the richest part of the potato, so be sure to choose the smaller potatoes to get more of the skin.

And, if you choose some of the colored potatoes, you get even more antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Let's take a look at what one cup of potatoes typically have:

• Fiber – 2 g or more
• Vitamin C – 27mg (30% RDA)
• Potassium – 620mg (15% RDA)

If you choose to make the recipe below with sweet potatoes, you get a massive dose of vitamin A. Vitamin A can help your eyes, kidneys, and hormones.

Choosing blue or purple potatoes will give you a huge dose of anthocyanins, a group of antioxidants being studied for many different medical purposes such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. These are the antioxidants they talk about when they say how good blueberries are for you.

We definitely recommend using the different colors of potatoes because it's fun. On top of the good nutrition, it's exciting to see the different flavors and colors you can get using different colored potatoes.

Why Some Good, Complex Carbs Work Wonders For Your Body

It's the fiber you want.

Fiber does amazing things for your digestive system, including helping to keep you regular and reducing the chances of colon cancer. You can get fiber from just about any fruit and vegetable.

The complex carbohydrates help fill you up, slowing down your digestion, so you feel full longer. They can delay absorption of simple sugars so that you get a slower, steadier release of energy into your system.

What makes potatoes special is that it will add a lot of fiber to a meal that typically doesn't have a lot. If you choose to make eggs in the morning, they don't have fiber. Adding a small serving of potatoes to your breakfast can give you some of this fiber and carbs to see you through the morning.

Homefries Recipe That Helps Make Breakfast Wonderful

Ingredients

• 1lb potatoes, red, purple, blue, or sweet, diced into even 1/2" cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, diced or sliced
• 2 tbsn sesame oil
• 1 tsp garlic, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425F.

On a large, rimmed baking sheet, combine the ingredients and mix well. Spread evenly on the sheet.

Bake until the vegetables are tender and deeply golden on the edges, about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes for even browning. Alternatively, use an air fryer for about 15 minutes, depending on your settings.

Serves four.