The REAL Truth About Potatoes: 5 Things that May Surprise You

Here are five reasons why you should consider adding potatoes (in their whole and natural state) to your diet.

Spuds are high in antioxidants

Antioxidants are compounds that have received a great deal of research and media attention as of late. They are linked to preventing cellular damage and neutralizing harmful compounds known as free radicals. Antioxidants are also associated with the prevention of heart disease, multiple cancers, stroke and other chronic ailments.

Phytonutrients found in potatoes have powerful antioxidant capabilities. This tuber holds carotenoids, flavonoids, caffeic acid as well as unique storage proteins including patatin, which are effective against free radical damage.

In fact, the ORAC value (total antioxidants in 100 grams) for a medium potato with the skin on is 1,680, compared to a baked sweet potato with skin which is 766. Carrots, by comparison, have 317 (cooked) and 666 ( raw).

Potatoes can help regulate blood pressure

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is no joke. When blood pressure, the force of blood against artery walls, goes up, the heart has to work overtime to pump blood throughout the body.

This can lead to dangerous health complications.
While some blood pressure risk factors are unavoidable, such as genetics, there are habits that many people have that may significantly raise their risk of hypertension.

One of the main concerns with having high blood pressure is that it paves the way for atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries. This, in turn, can lead to stroke, heart attack or other cardiac incidents.

According to Dr. Prediman K. Shah, the director of cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, “high blood pressure gives you a twofold to fourfold increase in your risk of stroke or heart attack.”

There are a number of lifestyle changes that can be made to support healthy blood pressure. Amongst these are changing the way you eat. There are several foods that you can add to your diet that can help lower blood pressure, including potatoes.

When you think of potassium you probably think of bananas. While it is true that bananas contain potassium, they actually provide you with 9 percent of your daily needs, while a baked potato supplies almost 20 percent of your daily needs.

Just be careful how you cook them – do not cube them before boiling, as this can reduce the potassium by up to 75 percent. The best way to cook potatoes and maintain potassium is to bake them with the skin on.

Along with potassium, white potatoes contain magnesium. Both potassium and magnesium are vital to heart health. When our potassium falls low, our body hangs on to extra sodium, which can elevate blood pressure. Magnesium facilitates healthy blood flow, and a balance of both potassium and magnesium helps to regulate blood pressure.

In addition, recent scientific study known as metabolomics has allowed researchers to find more blood pressure-lowering compounds ( kukoamines) in potatoes. Prior to metabolomics, these compounds were only known to be in an exotic herbal plant called Lycium chinense.

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http://www.thealternativedaily.com/real-truth-potatoes-5-things-may-surprise/