It is difficult to imagine Slavic cuisine without potatoes, because this vegetable is present in the diet of almost every family. The potato is quite versatile and easy to prepare, and also goes well with other ingredients familiar to us. Despite the fact that the calorie content of potatoes is low, this vegetable can hardly be called dietary, and it is unlikely that anyone will like to eat it raw. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how the cooking method affects the nutritional value of the product.
Good old potato: composition and nutritional value
Potatoes can be safely called an energy product, because it almost a quarter consists of carbohydrates. The bulk of the volume is water, but there is practically no fat and protein there. The root crop is not rich in fiber, so it is difficult to call it a useful vegetable for the intestines, but nevertheless it satisfies hunger and gives a long feeling of satiety. The calorie content of potatoes is provided by starch, and it is split for a long time by our body. In addition, this vegetable contains a lot of useful components, we will dwell on them in more detail:
- a number of B vitamins;
- folic acid, vitamin PP and the main antioxidant for the body - vitamin C;
- from metals - a rather high content of copper, calcium, magnesium and iron, as well as zinc, molybdenum, chromium and manganese;
- there are quite rare elements: vanadium, titanium, cobalt and nickel;
- useful minerals: phosphorus, fluorine, iodine and sulfur, as well as silicon and boron.
Useful or useless: all about the properties of potatoes
Let's talk about the beneficial properties of a beloved vegetable, and there are quite a few of them.
- A variety of vitamins helps the body maintain regenerative functions, as well as preserve youth and beauty. All this has a good effect on the condition of hair, skin and nails.
- Rare trace elements come into confrontation with pathological formations in the body and help fight cancer cells, preventing their appearance and reproduction.
- The cardiovascular system receives a lot of usefulness, and the blood composition improves significantly.
- B vitamins help fight stress and fatigue. They neutralize negative emotions and aggression, and also generally improve brain function. Efficiency significantly increases, the overall emotional state and sleep improve.
- Rare metals have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland, as well as the production of hormones.
- Calcium helps improve the condition of enamel and bone tissue.
- Potato adsorbs salt from the body, and also exposes the intestines and digestive organs to general detoxification.
- It has a calming and healing effect, relieves inflammation and swelling.
- Due to the low calorie content of potatoes and its hypoallergenicity, the product can be safely used in diet food.
However, this wonderful vegetable can harm the body. In all parts of the plant, including tubers, contains a very toxic substance - solanine. It is activated when it is exposed to direct sunlight, which is why it is worth storing potatoes in a dark place and at a fairly low temperature.
Dietary carbohydrates: vegetable calories
The calorie content of raw potatoes is rather small, only 77 kcal per 100 g. Many mistakenly believe that potatoes are far from a dietary product and expect to see a higher figure. But when compared with other vegetables, here the potato breaks all records. After all, it is already 5 times more high-calorie than cucumber, and three times superior to cabbage in nutritional value. Of the variety of vegetables, only corn (110 kcal) and avocado (170 kcal) can argue with him.
The nutritional value of the product is also affected by its freshness, because potatoes can be stored for quite some time. If all the conditions are met, you can enjoy the autumn harvest until spring. The younger the tubers, the more water in them, which means that the starch content is lower. Calorie content of young potatoes usually does not exceed 60-65 kcal. But tubers that have been stored for more than one month, on the contrary, lose a lot of moisture, and therefore can reach 80-85 kcal per 100 grams.
What happens to calorie cooking?
When cooking, the tubers lose a little water, which means that the calorie content of the jacket potatoes will be slightly higher. Approximately 82-85 kcal per 100 grams. However, if you cook a vegetable without a peel, on the contrary, it will become a little watery, and therefore more dietary. The calorie content of such a dish will be only 66 kcal. But in this form, you hardly want to eat it, because usually boiled potatoes are served with butter. This manipulation will very well affect the taste, but the nutritional value decently "suffer". Calorie content will almost double and will be 110-115 kcal per 100 grams.
Chips: tasty but bad
Legends can be made up about the dangers of fried potatoes, but our people cannot be convinced. It is almost impossible to refuse this dish, however you should try not to indulge yourself too often. This delicacy has a very high calorie content, fried potatoes will give your body from 150 to 350 kcal - and this is if you cost only 100 grams. Calorie content depends on the method of preparation and the type of fat used. The most harmless option is ordinary frying in a pan in a small amount of vegetable oil (no more than five tablespoons per 1 kg of potatoes). But deep-fried potatoes are just the quintessence of fats and carcinogens, one serving will cost you 300-350 kcal. You can also fry potatoes in tandem with other products, for example:
- with mushrooms - about 200 kcal;
- with meat - from 250 to 280 kcal (depending on the type of meat);
- with fat - more than 350 kcal.
Favorite mashed potatoes: calorie content and influence on the figure
There are many options for making mashed potatoes, calorie content depends on the amount of ingredients in the composition. If you make a dish on the water, then the calorie content of boiled potatoes will be only 60-66 kcal per 100 grams. When adding milk, we increase this figure to 93-95 kcal. But the dish can still be called completely dietary, despite the fact that its taste has increased significantly. Most of all, the addition of butter affects the energy value. If you cook potatoes in plain water, then adding oil will increase the calorie content of mashed potatoes almost twice (120 kcal). But if you use vegetable oil (preferably olive oil), then you can make mashed potatoes more dietary and at the same time no less tasty. This option will contain only 80-85 kcal and preserve your figure. Well, if you go "to the end" and add both butter and milk to the puree, then the figure will increase as much as 150 kcal. This is just the case when you need to make a difficult choice between the satisfaction of taste buds and the benefits to the body.
We keep all useful substances: baked potatoes
Roasting is a great way to get a delicious dish and all the nutrients in one person. If you use modern cooking methods, you can completely do without oil, because there are special non-stick rugs made of silicone, parchment with impregnation and sleeves made of polyethylene. For example, the calorie content of potatoes in the oven is only 70 kcal per 100 grams. This is if the tubers are cooked peeled and without the addition of fats and other ingredients. However, it is better to preserve the peel, since it contains a huge amount of the most valuable trace elements and vitamins. Potassium deserves special attention, because it has a beneficial effect on the heart and removes excess salts from the body. The calorie content of baked potatoes in the peel is 80 kcal per 100 grams, which is also quite a bit.
Can potatoes be a diet dish?
There is much debate and controversy about the use of potatoes for dietary purposes. Some doctors categorically forbid it when losing weight, appealing for a high carbohydrate content, while others do not see anything wrong with potatoes. After all, this is a very satisfying product, with a relatively low energy value. For example, the calorie content of baked potatoes or boiled potatoes is rather small, which means that it can be safely used in various diets. After all, it is not the vegetable itself that is harmful, but the accompanying ingredients, which are added in order to improve the taste of the dish. And therefore, if you eat potatoes without butter, milk and meat, then the excess weight is clearly not threatening you.