We have always heard that if you want to lose weight, ditch the potatoes. In fact, in India, overweight people are derogatorily called alu, indicating the bad name the vegetable has garnered.
However, the truth is that potatoes are good for your diet as long as you prepare them correctly. In fact, a potato is an excellent source of fiber, potassium and Vitamin C (especially if you eat the skin).
But isn’t starch really bad for you? Potatoes are high in starch, which is where most of the calories come from. The thing with starch is that it’s a storage form of sugar and your body’s good at digesting and absorbing it. If you only eat a plate full of potatoes with nothing else, you might see a substantial impact on your blood sugar levels. But who does that? Aren’t potatoes high in calories?
No, not really. One medium plain potato has about 150 calories. The excess calories come from the beastly ways consumers torture the poor things, either by deep frying them (French fries or potato chips) or burying them under globs of cheese or gravy.
Source: www.nutrition.about.com
