Eat healthy with potatoes: advice from the nutrition expert

Fried, boiled or fried: each German eats an average of 60 kilograms of potatoes per year. The tuber fights against the stigma of gaining weight “The potato itself is denigrated because grandmother always said: Child, don’t eat so many potatoes, because they make you fat. But that’s not the case, because a potato has fewer calories than, for example, a banana,” says nutritionist Carl Meißner, who works at the Magdeburg clinic.

It’s less important how much you eat than how the potato ends up on your plate. “The preparation method is important. If I process it further into French fries or French fries, it has quite bad properties for our health. But if I cook it gently, it has a good effect on my health,” explains Meißner.

100 grams of cooked potatoes only have 70 calories and are full of healthy ingredients. “The potato is also called the lemon of the north because the potato is a true vitamin bomb. It is rich in vitamin C, has a lot of potassium and many antioxidants that offer our body protective effects. We must cook them with the skin, so that “all the ingredients really stay in the potato,” explains the nutritionist.

Compared to other foods such as white bread, pasta, fruit or fish, boiled potatoes are the undisputed favorite among satiating foods. And if you’re full, you don’t have to stuff anything back in so quickly. “Due to its volume, it causes a real expansion of the stomach. A feedback is produced to the brain with the message: ‘We are full!’, explains Meißner.

The doctor mentions another advantage: the healthy tuber has a low glycemic index, which means that only small fluctuations in blood sugar level occur after its consumption. “There are no cravings, but a pleasant feeling of satiety,” he emphasizes.

Potatoes definitely need to be cooked so that the starch they contain can be digested. Only when the starch grains are cooked do they swell, become soluble, and can be absorbed by the body.

By the way, cold boiled potatoes, like in a salad, are even healthier than those served hot. The starch is then digested in the large intestine and broken down into, among other things, butyric acid. This promotes healthy intestinal flora and counteracts inflammation.

Ingredients:

• 500 g potatoes
• 2 shallots
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 3 boiled eggs
• 1 bunch of radishes
• ½ cucumber
• 10-12 small pickled cucumbers.

Vinaigrette:

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper.

Preparation:

• Boil the potatoes, then peel them and cut them into slices.
• Peel and cut the eggs into quarters.
• Cut radishes, shallots, cucumbers and gherkins into small pieces or slices.
• Finely chop the parsley.
• Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir.
• Salsa Vinaigrette: Mix the oil, vinegar and mustard and season with salt and pepper. Mix the vinaigrette right before eating!