Find out if potatoes can be used in the diet and what benefits this type of carbohydrate has in sports. Today, potatoes for most people are a familiar food product that is constantly used in the diet. At the same time, this is a rather unique product, which is called the second bread by the people for a reason. It has a complete composition and can be used for a long time without the risk of harming the body.
The product came to European countries from the New World, and for a long time it was a mysterious plant. There are many known cases of potato poisoning in those ancient times, since people simply did not know what to eat - berries or tubers. However, over time, the fear dissipated and now the potato is common throughout the planet. It is a versatile food product and there are a huge number of dishes that can be made from potatoes. Today we will try to tell you in as much detail as possible what are the benefits and harms of potatoes on a diet.
However, first, let's take a short excursion and find out how this food product turned out to be so popular. The homeland of the potato is considered a large territory of the Andes, where this plant grew from Lake Titicaca to the ancient urban settlement of Cuzco. It is not known exactly, but it is quite possible that the Inca Indians cultivated this culture in the mountains in the area of the city of Makchu Picchu.
For the first time, the American botanist Eugent was engaged in potato research. While studying the excavations of ancient Indian settlements, he managed to find out that the indigenous people of Peru began to grow this plant more than twelve thousand years ago. In Central and South America, potatoes were one of the most popular foods for the Indians.
Most likely, this is due to the fact that this plant was necessary for local residents to complete nutrition and, as a consequence, survival. Of course, the Indians were well aware of all the secrets of growing this plant, as well as the methods of long-term storage. As a result, by storing potatoes, Native Americans could avoid hunger.
Among many Indian tribes, the potato was a revered plant and was worshiped like other gods. You will probably be interested to know that many Indian tribes called potatoes "papa" and this is where the name of the plant originated. After harvesting potatoes, the Indians celebrated lavish festivals. It is so reliably known that the indigenous inhabitants of Ecuador, during the harvest festivals, sprinkled the tubers with the blood of a sacrificial lamb to thank God. The American Indians cultivated about 150 varieties of potatoes and had a large number of recipes for dishes from this plant.
Chunyo was a very popular potato dish. Even today, Chugno is very popular among the indigenous inhabitants of the Andes. In fact, it was a kind of canned food, and potatoes could be stored for up to four years. To prepare chunyo, potato tubers were placed on special straw and waited until they freeze in the frost. Then they covered it with the same straw and, by pressing, removed moisture from the potatoes. After that, the tubers were dried in the sun, and the result was chuno. Now let's find out what are the benefits and harms of potatoes on a diet.
Diet benefits of potatoes
In Russia, potatoes appeared during the time of Peter the Great, but this plant was immediately underestimated. Some aristocrats grew it simply as an ornamental plant. As in European countries, it was not immediately understood in Russia that it was necessary to eat tubers, and berries can be hazardous to health. There is information that Peter the Great forcibly forced the cultivation of potatoes. As a result, this plant is now cultivated in all regions of the Russian Federation, and our country is one of the main potato producers on the planet.
Today, potatoes are used by all people and were able to replace vegetables such as rutabaga and turnip from the diet of Russians. Previously, they formed the basis of the diet of most of the country's population, but still they could not compete with potatoes and lost their leading positions. So, what are the benefits and harms of potatoes on a diet and is it worth using this product during this period.
Potatoes are an excellent source of fiber, carbohydrates, and four types of protein compounds - peptone, protein, globulin, and albumin. Also, the plant contains several types of organic acids, for example, malic, oxalic, citric, etc. It also contains some minerals with vitamins.
Almost 80 percent of the tuber of this plant consists of water, starch accounts for about 17 percent. It should also be reminded about the presence of ash (1%) and nitrogen-containing compounds (3%) in potato tubers. Starch has the greatest nutritional value in potatoes. Most of this substance is found in late varieties of tubers. Potatoes have a diuretic and antispasmodic effect on the body. The tubers of the plant contain a lot of calcium, which helps to remove fluid from the body. Also, the plant is able to neutralize excess acids that accumulate in the body. By eating potatoes, you can normalize metabolism, improve the performance of the heart muscle and the digestive system. Scientists have proven that the product can be useful for certain liver diseases. The juice of a young plant can help with gastritis, duodenal and stomach ulcers, as well as heartburn. All people who want to know what are the benefits and harms of potatoes on a diet should remember that the product must be prepared correctly. This will preserve the maximum amount of nutrients.
Peel potatoes just before cooking. If, after that, the tubers are poured with water and left, then mineral salts, organic acids, carbohydrates will be lost, and some vitamins will be destroyed. It is recommended to cook young potatoes unpeeled. This is due to the fact that the peel protects the nutrients from being washed out and destroyed during the cooking process.
Surely you know that the taste of potatoes does not change at the same time. There is also another advantage of boiled potatoes with the peel - you can inhale the respiratory organs in case of their diseases. Potatoes baked in their skins are very tasty. But French fries can be considered the most harmful dish to the body. There are quite a few people who prefer to eat fried potatoes.
To preserve maximum nutrients while frying, you should proceed as follows. Heat oil or pork fat in a skillet for five minutes under the lid. Potato tubers must be cut into slices and salted, placed in a pan in heated oil. For ten minutes, you should fry the potatoes over high heat, stirring constantly. Then, without heating, you need to leave the potatoes for 10 or 15 minutes. Sprinkle the finished dish with herbs, you can serve it to the table.
The harm of potatoes with a diet
Today we are talking about the benefits and harms of potatoes on a diet. We have already talked about the beneficial properties of the product. And now the negative aspects of potatoes should be noted. You must remember that under certain conditions the tubers can be toxic. The peel of potatoes, when exposed to the sun for a long time, releases a strong toxin - solanine.
If the tubers begin to sprout and turn green, then this indicates a high content of the toxin. Potato sprouts contain more than 30-100 times more solanine in comparison with non-sprouted tubers. Also, potatoes can be dangerous when stored for more than three months. Women should be especially careful in eating potatoes during pregnancy. Scientists have found that corned beef can cause birth defects.
If you come across green tubers, then it is better not to eat them at all, or at least cut off the green areas along with the pulp. Potatoes should be stored in a cool place at a temperature of 2 to 6 degrees. If you are going to use old tubers, then you need to cut off as much of the peel as possible, since it is under it that toxins accumulate. In addition, after peeling, potatoes should be dipped in salt, which will neutralize nitrates and toxic substances.
Is it possible or not to potatoes while losing weight?
Many people are sure that it is not advisable to eat potatoes while losing weight. This is a very important point, because today we are just talking about the benefits and harms of potatoes on a diet. We hasten to inform you that many nutritionists recommend eating potatoes on fasting days and even including them in the dietary program.
The indicator of the energy value of one hundred grams of the product is only 78-79 kilocalories. Recall that tubers contain a large amount of protein compounds of plant nature and fiber. All this makes potatoes a real dietary product.
All people who want to eat potatoes during the period of weight loss should do this at lunchtime. It is also advisable to eat baked tubers along with the peel. It is quite obvious that when losing weight, you should not eat potatoes cooked in fat or lard. Also, when losing weight, you should not use potatoes as a side dish for meat or fish dishes. Since potatoes contain a large amount of starch (this primarily concerns the tubers of young plants), then do not use it more than four times during the week. Starch is known for its ability to "hold together" the intestinal tract and frequent consumption of potatoes can lead to disturbances in the digestive system.
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