Potatoes are among the world’s healthiest foods, available year-round globally, and are a staple in many cuisines. Potatoes are packed with nutrients with far reaching health benefits. However, with the many varieties of potatoes, are there some types that are healthier than others?
According to the website, www.potatogoodness.com, “There are more than 200 varieties of potatoes sold throughout the United States. Each of these varieties fit into one of seven potato type categories: russet, red, white, yellow, blue/purple, fingerling, and petite.” You are probably asking, “What about the sweet potato?” Well, according to www.universityhealthnews.com, the sweet potato is not actually a potato. It is in fact from the morning glory plant family. The sweet potato itself has 6,500 varieties and comes in many different colors.
“The kind of potatoes that may be healthiest are those with darker- colored flesh, such as Purple Viking, Yukon Gold and Ruby Crescent. The pigments in these potatoes provide flavonoids and carotenoids that promote good health,” states, Karen S. Garvin on the website www.livestrong.com. As for the sweet potatoes, they contain more manganese than regular potatoes and are high in beta-carotene. They also do not contain alkaloids like regular potatoes, which can trigger allergic responses from some people.
Overall, all potatoes are good. The key is in healthy preparation. One potato cut up and deep fried to make fries may be tastier, but not as healthy as a baked potato without the additional unhealthy toppings. For referrals on nutritional counseling or to schedule an annual physical at any of our convenient Primary Medical Care Center community clinics, you may visit our website at www.primarymed.com, or call (305)751-1500 for our Miami-Dade clinic, or (954)289-0000 for our Broward clinic.