potatoes

Patates Was there ever a time, maybe in your childhood, when you got in trouble for someone else’s mischief – when you were judged as guilty by association? Then you understand the plight of the potato. Potatoes have gotten a bad rap for far too long. As victims of the war on foods potatoes have been blamed for ills they never caused. Potatoes are wrongly accused of contributing to obesity, diabetes, cancer, Candida overgrowth, and many other conditions, while in truth these miraculous tubers can reverse illnesses. That’s right! Potatoes are actually good for people with diabetes, because they help stabilise blood sugar.

We should also be careful not to lump potatoes in with the fear of grains and processed foods. If you’re avoiding “white” foods such as white rice, white flour, white sugar, and dairy products (such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and cream), don’t cut out potatoes! After all, a potato in its whole, natural state isn’t white – it’s covered in nutrient-rich red, brown, gold, blue, or purple skin. This skin of the potato is one of the best nutrition sources on the planet – a miracle of amino acids, proteins, and phytonutrients. Only once you cut into a potato might you see a white interior which doesn’t mean it’s lacking in value. After all, we don’t think of apples, onions, or radishes as white and therefore useless, even though when you cut into them, they’re devoid of colour. And a cultivated blueberry is colourless inside (whereas wild blueberries are saturated with colour inside and out); this doesn’t mean it shows up on white food lists.

TIPS

Potatoes are one instance where it’s definitely best to seek out organic
When preparing potatoes to eat, the best way to maximise the healing benefits and keep the nutrients intact is to steam them. If you normally eat your potatoes with butter, cheese, sour cream, try avocado as a dairy replacement
After you’ve steamed a batch of potatoes, set some aside to cool. Later, pull them out of the fridge, slice or cube them, and add them to a spinach or kale salad. The enzymes from the potatoes will enhance the healing alkaloids in the leafy greens, maximising the medicinal power of the meal
Whenever you’re celebrating, make potatoes part of the meal. Whether it’s a wedding, engagement, birthday, graduation, promotion, holiday, or other festive occasion, including potatoes will support and enhance the joyful emotions and help sustain them for days

PRIMARY MICRO NUTRIENTS	Vitamin C, Copper, Potassium, Vitamin B1, B3, B5, B6
SECONDARY MICRO NUTRIENTS	Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Manganese
NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS	Moderate protein content – contains essential amino acid lysine which is often lacking in other grains.
FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS
NUTRITIONAL NOTES	Most nutrients, fiber and protein are found in the skins Nightshade family plant – related to Bell Peppers, Eggplants, Tomatoes High pesticide levels; Nightshade (Arthritis);

RDA – Recommended Dietary Amount recommendations are based upon calculations for a 40 year old very active man that I have adapted from USDA’s Dietary Intake Guidelines. Using this link you can make your own calculations

Potatoes, boiled, cooked in skin					1 potato (2-1/2″ dia) = 136.0g
Nutrient	Unit	RDA	per 100 g	% RDA		% RDA
Water	g		76.98		104.69
Energy	kcal		87		118
Protein	g		1.87		2.54
Total lipid (fat)	g		0.1		0.14
Carbohydrate, by difference	g		20.13		27.38
Fiber, total dietary	g		1.8		2.4
Sugars, total	g		0.91		1.24
Sucrose			0.19		0.26
Glucose (dextrose)			0.34		0.46
Fructose			0.29		0.39
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	1000	5	0.5%	7	0.7%
Iron, Fe	mg	8	0.31	3.9%	0.42	5.3%
Magnesium, Mg	mg	420	22	5.2%	30	7.1%
Phosphorus, P	mg	700	44	6.3%	60	8.6%
Potassium, K	mg	470	379	80.6%	515	109.6%
Sodium, Na	mg		4		5
Zinc, Zn	mg	11	0.3	2.7%	0.41	3.7%
Copper, Cu	mg	0.9	0.188	20.9%	0.256	28.4%
Manganese, Mn	mg	2.3	0.138	6.0%	0.188	8.2%
Selenium, Se	Âµg	55	0.3	0.5%	0.4	0.7%
Fluoride, F	µg		49.4		67.2
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	90	13	14.4%	17.7	19.7%
Thiamin	mg	1.2	0.106	8.8%	0.144	12.0%
Riboflavin	mg	1.3	0.02	1.5%	0.027	2.1%
Niacin	mg	16	1.439	9.0%	1.957	12.2%
Pantothenic acid	mg	5	0.52	10.4%	0.707	14.1%
Vitamin B-6	mg	1.7	0.299	17.6%	0.407	23.9%
Folate, total	Âµg	400	10	2.5%	14	3.5%
Choline, total	mg		13.5		18.4
Betaine	mg		0.2		0.3
Vitamin B-12	Âµg	2.4	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
Carotene, beta	µg		2		3
Vitamin A, IU	IU	5000	3	0.1%	4	0.1%
Lutein + zeaxanthin	µg		10		14
Vitamin E, total	mg	15	0.01	0.1%	0.01	0.1%
Vitamin D	IU	600	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	Âµg	120	2.2	1.8%	3	2.5%
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g		0.026		0.035
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g		0.002		0.003
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g		0.043		0.058
Amino Acids
Tryptophan	g		0.029		0.039
Threonine	g		0.068		0.092
Isoleucine	g		0.076		0.103
Leucine	g		0.112		0.152
Lysine	g		0.114		0.155
Methionine	g		0.03		0.041
Cystine	g		0.024		0.033
Phenylalanine	g		0.083		0.113
Tyrosine	g		0.069		0.094
Valine	g		0.105		0.143
Arginine	g		0.086		0.117
Histidine	g		0.041		0.056
Alanine	g		0.057		0.078
Aspartic acid	g		0.457		0.622
Glutamic acid	g		0.314		0.427
Glycine	g		0.056		0.076
Proline	g		0.067		0.091
Serine	g		0.081		0.11