If I had a dime for every time someone told me “watch out for the potato,” I’d be a rich woman by now. The legendary tuber has long been the victim of misunderstanding. From the late 1500s to today, the potato has been condemned for a variety of reasons. In 1580, the noted explorer Sir Walter Raleigh brought some potato plants from the Americas to Ireland and presented them to Queen Elizabeth I. Unfortunately, the queen’s palace cooks were not very familiar with the strange-looking tuber and in Instead of cooking the potatoes, they boiled the stems and leaves before presenting it to the court at mealtime. For those of you unaware of the more sinister characteristics of the potato plant, it contains toxic compounds called glycoalkaloids, most of which are concentrated in the leaves and stems of the plant. As such, all who consumed the boiled preparation fell fatally ill, and consequently the potatoes were banned from the Queen’s court.

After this, malicious rumors seemed to follow the unfortunate tuber to whatever part of the world it was introduced. In France, for example, the potato was attributed an almost demonic status and accused of causing vile diseases ranging from leprosy to syphilis, as well as being responsible for sterility and unhindered sexuality alike. The potato gradually became so infamous that in a certain French city, an announcement was made to the effect that, being the potato detrimental to human, animal and soil health, its cultivation should be stopped immediately.

Modern times have found other reasons to discredit the benevolent vegetable. Although the potato is one of the most delightful foods for people today, a diet and health-crazed society points out that the potato, being extremely rich in starch, can hardly boast of any other kind of nutritional value. People today are so caught up in the anti-carb, zero-calorie, diabetes-free campaign that they don’t see the potato for what it really is: a highly nutritious vegetable, that when prepared and eaten the right way and in the right amounts, it tends to help more often than harm.

According to a United Nations report, world potato production peaked at 315 million tons in 2006, and today almost a third of world production can be attributed to China and India, two of the world’s most populous countries. world. According to sources, on average, a citizen of the world consumes about 33 kg (73 lb) of potatoes per year. In fact, the average American consumes almost 140 pounds per year, while Germans eat around 200 pounds per year. Although there are some standard basic types of potatoes, 4,000 different varieties are grown around the world. The potato was also the first vegetable to be grown in space in 1995, with the aim of feeding astronauts and future space colonies! Given the efforts required to grow so many types of potatoes and the volumes of production and consumption around the world, it is difficult to think of the potato as a poisonous and malignant vegetable about to kill with syphilis or obesity. And it turns out that the potato is quite the opposite! Here is a list of some common potato myths that concern people even today.

Myth 1: The potato is not a vegetable
The potato, although it has a tuberous root, is classified as a vegetable in the Food Pyramid. However, it is also sometimes called an edible root or tuber. The potato is an important part of the total recommended daily servings of vegetables. A medium-sized potato counts as one cup of starchy vegetables.

Myth 2: Potatoes make you fat
Nutritionally, a potato is about 80% water and 20% solids, and has as much stored nutritional value as you would expect from any normal vegetable. A raw or baked potato with skin typically contains 100 calories, 22g carbs, 3g protein, and NO fat! I bet this is wonderful news for all the dieters in the world who have been told that eating potatoes is suicide for a weight loss program. This is totally untrue if eaten in all its glory: baked, pureed, boiled, roasted, steamed or stewed. Although a potato looks big, meaty, and downright dangerous to the Atkins devotee, it by itself won’t contribute much to weight gain, due to the high water content it contains. However, a potato with the added topping of butter or sour cream, served as fries/chips, or baked with cheese will not only hinder weight loss, it WILL CONTRIBUTE to weight gain as well as cholesterol and sugar in the blood. While a simple baked potato would be no more than 100 calories and no fat, a small packet of chips would easily account for around 210 calories plus extra fat.

Myth 3: French fries are vegetables
Although this common potato myth holds that French fries and French fries count as vegetables in the food guide pyramid, this is totally misleading. The glaring fact of the matter is that although potatoes in their raw form are classified in the vegetable group, French fries which contain almost 61% fat are not.

Myth 4: Potatoes contain simple carbohydrates
Potatoes contain complex carbohydrates, which are absolutely essential for the energy needs of the body and brain. Most of these carbohydrates are present in the form of starch. A portion of this starch that is resistant to digestion by enzymes in the stomach and small intestine, reaches the large intestine almost intact and provides the body with much-needed fiber needs.

Myth 5: Carbohydrates are the only nutrients available in a potato
A medium-sized raw or baked white potato with skin is also a powerhouse of other nutrients. It typically contains nearly 35% vitamin C, 20% vitamin B6, 15% iodine and 10% copper, iron, and niacin, 8% folic acid, phosphorus, and magnesium, 4% of thiamin and zinc and trace amounts of vitamin R. During the Alaskan Klondike gold rush in the late 19th century, miners valued potatoes so much for their vitamin C content that they traded them for gold. So much for busting Myth number 5!

Myth 6: All the nutrients in a potato are found in its skin
Although most of its protein content is concentrated within its thin layer of skin, all other nutrients are evenly distributed throughout the skin and body of the potato. So go ahead and enjoy the delicious goodness of the whole potato!

Myth 7: Potatoes have no antioxidants
Although there are no approved antioxidant claims on potatoes, certain research studies in recent years claim that potatoes have a high probability of containing antioxidants such as, among others, anthocyanins and carotenoids (apart from the established richness in vitamin C).

Myth 8: Potatoes taste good only when cooked according to high-fat recipes.
Try an Indian potato curry with boiled potatoes and spices. If you’re not into Asian cuisine, try topping a baked potato with low-fat gravy or sour cream or even low-fat cheese. Bake cheeseless potatoes in tomato sauce with a hint of garlic and herbs served with steamed vegetables or asparagus on the side. Roast them alternately with tarragon leaves and other herbs. The avenues are crowded: creativity is waiting to be explored. All with the same end result: a delicious low-fat, high-carb, nutrition-packed meal just waiting to be devoured!

Myth 9: White potatoes are bad for you, eat sweet potatoes instead!
Wrong. A sweet potato, fried and served with cheese, would be just as bad as regular French fries. The goodness of a vegetable – any vegetable – depends on the method of preparation and the amount of consumption. Although both contain the same number of calories on average, sweet potatoes are known to contain less starch, more vitamin C, and nearly triple the amount of beta-carotene in a white potato. However, if sugar is a consideration, the white variety would win due to the higher sugar content in a sweet potato. Therefore, it would ideally be safe to say that raw white potatoes and sweet potatoes complement each other nutritionally and neither is “bad” for the body.

As long as the potatoes you eat are cooked without the fat, and you substitute lots of cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, and salsa with green vegetables, corn, and carrots, you’re assured of a good, nice, healthy meal. . So go ahead and enjoy your fries the way they were meant to be enjoyed: guilt-free and risk-free!