Potato is the second bread. Everyone knows this, but not everyone knows that this has not always been the case. Beloved potatoes, the calorie content of which is so exciting for modern people, might not be on our tables, because it took root in Russia for almost two hundred years. The peasants raised whole "potato riots", not wanting to grow and eat this vegetable. But, nevertheless, by the end of the 19th century, he was already included in the diet of all classes.
And at the beginning of the XXI century, the value of potatoes was again called into question. It is an acceptable product fanned with myths and conflicting information, but it is completely in vain. Let's figure it out in order.
The nutritional value
The calorie content of potatoes is not the first question that should concern a person who decides to monitor his health or lose weight. A really important question is the benefits of the product. A potato has a lot of useful properties. Therefore, it is absolutely not worth excluding it from the diet.
- Vitamins Most potato has vitamin C - 20 mg per 100 g, but it should also be taken into account that during long-term storage (up to a year) its amount decreases by a third. Jacketed potatoes contain many potassium salts, which help strengthen blood vessels and the proper functioning of the heart (568 mg per 100 g - more than in mushrooms or bananas). In addition, this vegetable is rich in B vitamins, essential amino acids, silicon, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients necessary for normal life.
- Carbohydrates. Per 100 g they account for about 40 g. They are present in the form of potato starch. And most importantly, these are complex carbohydrates, which are so necessary for the body that potatoes can be consumed even by people with type 2 diabetes. In addition, starch reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the blood, which means it protects the body from atherosclerosis.
- Calorie content. If you take raw calories from potatoes, then it is 80 kcal per 100 g, and for young potatoes - 60. In some ready-made dishes, it will be even less. The overall indicator depends on the method of preparation. Potatoes are also one of the few vegetables containing protein, about two percent of the total mass. Given that 60% falls on water, a pretty good indicator.
Boiled potatoes
As already mentioned, the cooking method is everything. What is the most dietary potato? Yes, boiled, but not just, but in a uniform.
For cooking potatoes in their skins, it is advisable to choose tubers of the same size, so they all cook at the same time. Washed vegetables are put in a pot with cold water so that it is completely covered. Then the water is brought to a boil, the fire is reduced and the potatoes are cooked at an average boil for about twenty minutes. Readiness is checked with a knife. If the potato is well pierced and soft, then it is ready.
Boiled in a jacket potato calorie content per 100 g has 66 kcal. Boiled without peel has an energy value of 87 kcal. In addition, when cooking peeled tuber, up to half of the useful substances originally contained in the vegetable are lost, therefore, the uniform cooking method is preferable.
Calorie Chips
Potatoes can be fried in different ways, or rather, on a different type of fat. Yes, this dish cannot be attributed to healthy food, but we still allow ourselves from time to time harmful digressions, and it is also necessary to know the calorie content of potatoes cooked in this way.
Least of all calories to potatoes will give sunflower oil. The total calorie content will be 204 kcal per 100 g. The same amount of product fried in fat will bring your body 212 kcal. Potato fried on lard will become the most high-calorie - 225 kcal.
French fries and chips
French fries have an extremely low nutritional value, bringing about 400 kcal to your body.
Chips are generally difficult to call food. Modern chips of industrial production are mainly prepared not from potatoes, but from corn and wheat flour with a large amount of salt and harmful flavoring additives. But even if they are made from thin slices of potato with the addition of oil at home, their calorie content will be 520 kcal per 100 g. And this is a quarter of the daily norm of an active person! However, this quarter will not bring important nutrients.
Let's remember that food should bring not only energy, but also nutrients, and back to the dishes are not only tasty, but also healthy.
Stewed potatoes
Stewing is an interesting way of cooking. This is not cooking, and not frying, but something average, and a small amount of water and oil are used in the preparation. It is unlikely that someone will stew potatoes “in splendid isolation,” but if this happens, the calorie content of stewed potatoes with the addition of oil will be 103 kcal per 100 g.
Now let's find out which "neighbors" will bring the least amount of additional calories to this dish. In the first place will be traditional onions, carrots and champignons. Stewed without adding oil, they will create a dish with a total calorie content of just 72 kcal.
In the second place there will be mushrooms with cream - up to 155 kcal per 100 g. But the presence of meat will double the calorie content of the whole dish.
Calorie potatoes with butter
The addition of butter greatly increases the calorie content of boiled potatoes. In tandem, they give 152 kcal per 100 grams of the finished dish.
If the boiled vegetable seems dry to you, try cooking low-fat garlic sauce for it:
- natural yogurt - 70 g.
- mustard - 1 tsp.
- lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
- greens (dill is good)
Another thing is with traditional mashed potatoes. In the classic version of cooking with milk and butter, mashed potatoes reaches a calorie content of 106 kcal. A puree on the water is generally considered dietary - only 89 kcal. So this popular dish can be included in the diet of losing weight people. It is interesting that European chefs often cook mashed potatoes in their uniforms, thereby reducing calorie content and increasing the nutritional value of the finished dish.
Bake in the oven
If you really want a crust, but you can’t roast, an oven will help. Calorie potatoes in the oven are estimated at 70 kcal. Roasting potatoes, unlike cooking, allows you to save a maximum of vitamin C and potassium, they do not go into the water. It turns out that the most useful way to prepare a vegetable is roasting in a peel. Baked potato calories per 100 grams has 80 kcal - an ideal variant of the use of the product.
Another interesting fact is that the calorie content of potatoes can be slightly reduced by soaking it in water for 2-3 hours. In ancient times, women mined starch in this way at home. The potatoes were rubbed on a fine grater, washed in water and wonderful dietary pancakes were prepared. And the remaining water was evaporated on an oven and pure starch was obtained.
Selection and storage recommendations
- Young medium-sized potato tubers have the greatest nutritional value. It is best to choose symmetrical intact instances.
- Under the influence of light, a substance poisonous to humans, solanine, is formed in the potato, and the fruit itself turns green in this place. This is better not to take. And if you accidentally took it, all green areas are removed with a margin of half a centimeter. It is also not recommended to eat sprouted tubers.
- Potatoes should be stored in a ventilated, cool and dark place. If conditions cannot be created, do not take in reserve. A cool place does not mean cold. At low temperatures, starch hydrolyzes to sugars. Therefore, frozen potatoes are so sweet.
- Red potato tubers contain more carbohydrates and are better suited for frying, while white tubers are less caloric and suitable for boiling, baking and stewing. White puree will be crumbly, and red will be viscous.
Nutritionist Recommendations
Nutritionists recommend consuming potatoes, not exceeding the daily norm of 300 grams and not more than three to four times a week. So you satisfy the body's need for valuable nutrients and do not harm the body with excess calories.
Potatoes should be consumed in the first half of the day, since after 16:00 the body’s absorption of carbohydrates is reduced, and all that is not mastered before sleep will be transferred to adipose tissue. This vegetable has a high glycemic index, which means that when it is consumed, a large amount of insulin enters the bloodstream. Therefore, potatoes are categorically not recommended for use with fats. Desirable "comrades" are lean meat, boiled fish, other vegetables and low-fat sauces.
And of course, despite the unequivocal usefulness of the product, its low calorie content, due to the large amount of carbohydrates it is necessary to observe the measure. Eat properly selected and cooked potatoes while remaining slim and healthy.