How did potatoes, once “unpopular”, make a comeback?

Hey? Whose snacks are these? Put them away! You are so inconsiderate to my feelings! I have to tell you, Rong, I have been eating potatoes for several days in order to lose weight.

How can potatoes help you lose weight? Potatoes and pork, three fresh vegetables, French fries and fried chicken... No, no, no, not these. When Rong Ge said eating potatoes, he meant eating almost only potatoes! I guess everyone will worry about Rong Ge after hearing this. Isn't this lack of nutrition? Speaking of this issue, I have to mention the magic of potatoes.

First of all, let's talk about the history of potatoes. At first, potatoes originated in South America. About 7,000 to 8,000 years ago, the Indians living in the Andes Mountains first "dug" out this secret. They found that this lump in the mud was not only edible, but also full. They relied on potatoes to feed a large population and established countries like the Inca Empire.

At the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, Europe ushered in the Age of Exploration. The Spanish who colonized South America brought potatoes back to Europe while panning for gold. However, most people disliked potatoes. In the Europeans' divine logic, Indians were the representatives of backwardness, so the potatoes they ate must not be very good. Moreover, they thought that potatoes were dug out of the ground, so how could they be eaten casually? The strange diseases that Indians suffered from must have been caused by eating potatoes!

Potatoes were not so popular back then, but they would definitely rebound after hitting the bottom. There happened to be a place in Europe with many mountains, cold weather and high rainfall. That is Ireland. It is really not suitable for growing any crops there, but potatoes particularly like this living environment. So the Irish, who had been hungry for several lifetimes, began to grow potatoes crazily. More than two centuries later, Europeans were surprised to find that the population of Ireland had increased by nearly 4 times! More importantly, 90% of the people could be fed almost exclusively with potatoes. Yes, only potatoes, no other food.

(Van Gogh's "The Potato Eaters" depicts the working people at the bottom of society who live on potatoes)

Potatoes are highly adaptable to the soil. Haven't you seen people living on potatoes on Mars? Moreover, the yield per unit area of ​​potatoes has increased greatly. The yield per mu is five times that of wheat. If ground into powder, the storage capacity is far greater than other grains. No wonder my country has launched the strategy of making potatoes the staple food!

Next, we have to talk about the nutritional value of potatoes. Potatoes are mainly carbohydrates, which can certainly meet the basic energy needs of the human body. Although the protein contained in potatoes is not that much, the quality is high, and the amino acids contained are similar to those in the human body, which is easily absorbed by the body. In addition, the VC content of potatoes is more than 6 times that of apples, the magnesium content is more than 5 times that of apples, and the potassium content is 3 times that of apples. Other nutrients such as iron and carotene are also better than apples.

In addition, potatoes are rich in dietary fiber, have a strong sense of fullness, and contain a lot of resistant starch that is not easily absorbed by the body. It is really perfect to use them to lose weight.

Some people think that eating potatoes is not a good way to lose weight. That's because the potato cooking methods you mentioned are all heavy in oil and salt, so of course they can't help you lose weight. Rong Ge eats steamed and boiled potatoes, and also eats some meat and vegetables with less oil and salt. He is very particular!