The Potato

[dullard]

Please help me compile a list of the healthy and unhealty facts about potatoes (the standard potato please, not sweet potatoes or other significant variations).

Healthy:
High in fiber
Resistant starches - act like fiber
Low calorie
No fat
No cholesterol
Reasonable amounts of protien
High in Vitamin B and C, Potassium, Iron, Magnesium, and other minerals
When baked, very good on the glycemic index
Calorie per calorie, one of the most filling foods of all
Low sodium
Inexpensive
Easy to cook

Unhealthy:
Often eaten fried or covered in fattening toppings
Often eaten without the peel that contains most nutrients
Bland tasting
Carbohydrates
Joint aches in some people
Must be cooked to really be tasty
Solanine

 

[IronWing]

Good:
Cheap

Not so good:
All carbs, little else
Need to smother in grease and salt to make palatable
Heavy
Produces nasty puddles in veggie drawer

 

[Anubis]

Good: Everything
Bad: nothing

 

[Gibson486]

it's high on carbs....

 

[Eli]

I don't think your unhealthy things are fair, they have nothing to do with the potato itself.. just how its cooked and prepared.

Also, there are different types of potatoes.

IMO, people should eat as much plant matter as they can get their hands on, regardless of preparation.

 

[Kirby]

Good: You can boil, mash, and stick in stew.

 

[K1052]

Sweet potatoes rule.

 

[KeithTalent]

Good:
Scalloped
Baked
Fried
Boiled
Roasted
Sauteed
Chipped

Bad:
Raw

KT

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
it's high on carbs....

Whoa whoa whoa whoa, wait a second, you can get high on carbs? Why am I just hearing about this now?

KT

 

[darkxshade]

Good:
They make great ammo

Bad:
I don't know of any

 

[dullard]

Thanks for the info so far.

Originally posted by: Eli
Also, there are different types of potatoes.

Lets keep it close to the standard Idaho-type potato. Small variations like a red potato are allowed. But, large changes like to a sweet potato are not allowed.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Gibson486
it's high on carbs....

Whoa whoa whoa whoa, wait a second, you can get high on carbs? Why am I just hearing about this now?

KT

Ever watch the facial expressions on a person with a different concept of healthy weight as they plow through a box of powdered donuts?

 

[nonameo]

Originally posted by: K1052
Sweet potatoes rule.

QFT. Sweet potatoes are the bomb diggity.

I also like red potatoes. yummy!

One of my favorite ways to fix potatoes is to cut them up into small squares and sprinkle garlic and herb seasoning over them. Some people also use cheddar, but since I'm lactose intolerant I don't do that.

Another favorite is to sprinkle a seasoning over the potatoes that roughly contains paprika, red pepper, salt, powdered mustard seed, and a little sugar.

Before I found out I was lactose intolerant, I loved mashed potatoes with heavy cream added.


edit:

Good: high in fiber and vitamins/minerals if you leave the skin on
low in fat
cheap
easy to cook

Bad: as others have said, almost 100% carbs.
some people have reactions that cause their joints to ache when they eat nightshade vegetables. Potatoes are a nightshade vegetable.

A good alternative to potatoes is beans.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Gibson486
it's high on carbs....

Whoa whoa whoa whoa, wait a second, you can get high on carbs? Why am I just hearing about this now?

KT

Why do think people like them baked?

 

[BillGates]

Originally posted by: Anubis
Good: Everything
Bad: nothing

You forgot:

Good: OM NOM NOM NOM

 

[Mr Pickles]

Potato:
- Good: None unless there's bacon bits on it.
- Bad: No bacon bits on it.

Potato with bacon bits on it:
- Good: The bacon bits.
- Bad: The potato.

 

[skace]

The entire pro and con aspect of the potato list depends on whether you eat the skin or not and how you prepare it.

 

[Evadman]

Good: They keep the sour cream, chives, bacon, cheese and butter off the plate.
Bad: They don't come out of the ground cooked.

 

[bignateyk]

There is really nothing good about a potato that you can't easily (and more healthily) get in other foods. There really is nothing unique about it.

That said, I loooove potatoes. I'm just not going to hide behind the guise of nutrition when eating them. It's like people saying they drink wine because it's healthy. Why not just eat a few grapes you moron? You drink wine because it tastes good and has alcohol in it. Just like you eat potatoes because they are often deep fried goodness.




edit: Also, just about every one of your health benefits are undone in preparation. Who the hell eats potatoes without a load of salt, butter, oil, sour cream, heavy cream, cheese, bacon, etc... A potato by itself is pretty terrible tasting.

 

[ggnl]

Good: One of the cheapest foods you can get in terms of calories/$

Bad: They don't cook themselves

 

[Aikouka]

Since we've exhausted the list in such short order, what's everyone's favorite way of eating said potato?

I've been a bit fond of baked potatoes... there's also boiled potatoes... fried potatoes (in cubes... with ketchup).

 

[Lonyo]

Mmmmmmmmm mashed.

 

[bignateyk]

Originally posted by: Aikouka
Since we've exhausted the list in such short order, what's everyone's favorite way of eating said potato?

I've been a bit fond of baked potatoes... there's also boiled potatoes... fried potatoes (in cubes... with ketchup).

boilem, mashem, stickem in a stew.

Beer battered french fries are pretty much the best potatoes, hands down.

 

[txrandom]

Carbs are bad!

 

[adairusmc]

Originally posted by: nkgreen
Good: You can boil, mash, and stick in stew.

With a couple of coneys?