Potatoes, an overlooked staple food

When it comes to potatoes, what is your first reaction? I always think of the cheapest but most popular delicacy in the university cafeteria - shredded potato rice. Later, I suddenly realized that the biggest flaw of this delicacy is that it is a staple food with a staple food, and there are no vegetables at all. Then, when I learned about the nutritional value of potatoes themselves, I was relieved, because even though potatoes are a staple food, they also have some nutritional advantages that other cereal staple foods cannot match, such as being rich in vitamin C. No wonder potatoes were once used as a staple food to resist famine and saved almost the entire world.

You may not believe that there are nearly 5,000 potato varieties in the world, and the most common types we see today are the choices made by humans in pursuit of maximum agricultural efficiency. The selected potato varieties should not only be easy to grow, but also have high yields, good storage resistance, and resistance to pests and diseases. The famous Irish famine was caused by the infection of potato late blight on potatoes, which the locals and livestock relied on, causing hundreds of thousands of Irish people to starve to death. With the occurrence of these disasters, potato varieties were further improved, and because of their storage resistance, they were brought across the ocean to all parts of the world. Potatoes require much less sunlight, soil nutrients and water than wheat during the planting process, which quickly made it one of the important staple foods for people all over the world. To this day, potatoes are still the fourth largest staple food in my country after wheat, rice and corn.

1. The nutrition of potatoes is beyond our imagination

I remember when I was a kid, potatoes were always the most common dish on the table in winter. After eating them for a long time, I couldn't help but feel disgusted. However, from a nutritional point of view, it is indeed a rare and nutritious food in winter.

Image source: Tuchong Creative

"Excellent Vitamin C Player" in Staple Food

In winter, the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables is less than that in summer and autumn, so people may not eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables, and may suffer from various vitamin deficiencies, especially vitamin C deficiency. Different varieties of potatoes are rich in vitamin C. Some varieties have a vitamin C content of 27 mg/100 g, which not only exceeds fruits such as apples and pears, but also exceeds tomatoes (14 mg/100 g) and lemons (22 mg/100 g). You should know that the vitamin C content of rice and noodles is zero. And because the vitamin C in potatoes is protected by starch, you don't have to worry about it being destroyed by high-temperature cooking. It can be said that potatoes are a very good source of vitamin C in staple foods.

The protein quality is higher than other staple foods

Protein is not originally the advantage of staple food, and the protein content in potatoes is only about 2%. However, due to the reasonable amino acid combination pattern of its protein, it is rich in lysine, which is lacking in rice, and tryptophan, which is lacking in corn. This makes it a staple food, and it can play a good role in protein complementation when paired with rice and flour, and optimize protein quality. This is an important supplement for vegetarians who refuse animal food and are prone to protein deficiency.

Low fat, low carbohydrate

Although it is rich in nutrition, many people refuse potatoes because they are rich in starch and eating too much will make you fat. In fact, eating potatoes properly will not only not make your fat friends worse, but will help control your weight, reduce blood sugar and reduce fat.

The fat content of potatoes is very low, only about 0.2%, and is mainly unsaturated fatty acids. The carbohydrate content is also much lower than staple foods such as rice, steamed bread and bread. It can be seen that replacing part of the staple food with steamed and boiled potatoes and reducing carbohydrate intake is not only not easy to gain weight, but also conducive to weight control and weight loss.

Dietary fiber

The rich dietary fiber in potatoes can bring a strong sense of fullness, which not only helps control the amount of food intake, but also reduces the absorption rate of fat in the intestine and lowers blood lipids. The presence of dietary fiber slows down the rise of blood sugar after a meal, thus avoiding the effect of large amounts of insulin released to promote fat synthesis. What's more rare is that the dietary fiber in potatoes has a fine texture and will not cause too much irritation to the gastrointestinal tract, which is suitable for all ages.

Resistant starch

After steaming the potatoes and letting them cool slightly, a small part of the starch in the potatoes will turn into "resistant starch", which is digested and absorbed very slowly and can provide a long-lasting feeling of fullness with fewer calories. It is not only beneficial for normal people to control their weight, but also helps diabetics control their blood sugar levels.

2. Why are potatoes easily disliked as a staple food?

Since potatoes are so popular and are the staple food of the country, why haven't they become the first choice of most people? I think it may be related to the following reasons:

1. Eating habits.

my country has a long history of farming and a rich variety of staple foods. Our ancestors have been accustomed to using grains rather than potatoes as their staple food. And because potatoes can be steamed, fried, deep-fried, grilled, stewed, or used as stuffing, ordinary people are too accustomed to treating them as a "vegetable."

2. As a staple food, the taste is a bit bland

Compared with rice and noodles, potatoes are often steamed or boiled when used as a staple food, and the resulting texture is slightly inferior to the soft and springy rice and chewy noodles. In the words of a friend, "there is always a lingering starchy feeling."

3. If you choose the wrong cooking method, the nutritional value of potatoes will be greatly reduced

Although potatoes are good, they should be cooked carefully. This is because potatoes have a disadvantage, which is that they have a strong ability to combine with fat. Not only does the fat content soar rapidly after frying, but when cooked with oil-rich animal meat, they will also absorb a lot of oil. Therefore, when cooking potatoes, you must first avoid using too much oil, use less frying and more steaming and stewing. Second, avoid cooking with meat with high fat content, such as pork belly. Deep frying is not only easy to produce carcinogens, but also affects the vitamin C content in potatoes. Common frying methods, such as French fries and potato chips, often add a lot of salt for seasoning, which is not good for health.

The most recommended healthy way to eat potatoes is to steam them, which is not only low in calories, but also oil-free and salt-free, and retains all nutrients most completely. Mashed potatoes are also a healthy way to eat, provided that you do not add too much cream, butter, or salt to season them. Try to use homemade steamed potatoes and mash them, then add a small amount of salt, pepper, and spices to season.

4. Improper storage may be toxic

Although potatoes are more durable than green leafy vegetables, they will also sprout and deteriorate when the temperature and humidity are not right or they are stored for too long. Compared with ordinary vegetables, potato deterioration is more dangerous. This is because potatoes produce a toxin called solanine after sprouting. The older generation is accustomed to removing the sprouted part and continuing to eat it, which is a risky practice. The correct way is to discard the sprouted potatoes directly, or remove the sprouted part and the surrounding parts as much as possible to prevent the residual solanine from harming health.

In general, potatoes are indeed an excellent staple food. However, due to the influence of cooking methods and eating habits, people have not yet fully realized their value. It is recommended that you start by "replacing part of the staple food with steamed potatoes". For example, when steaming rice, cut potatoes into pieces and steam them together, and replace 1/3 of the rice with potatoes. Step by step, let potatoes become one of the protagonists on the table.

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Wang Lu, Chinese registered dietitian, Master of Public Health, Peking University

Reviewer: Xue Qingxin, the first batch of nutrition instructors of the National Health Commission, China registered nutritionist