11 Benefits of Red Potatoes That You Didn't Know
The benefits of red potatoes are plenty. Although some people shun potatoes, they are not aware the tubers pack some serious nutrition. Little do they know the starchy vegetable can do much more than they can imagine. This statement is especially true for the red variety. The prominent color of the red potatoes’ skin holds the key to advantages unknown to many.
1. Control Weight
Red potatoes are excellent for maintaining your weight under control. How? By keeping you full. If you aren’t hungry, you are less likely to eat, and if you eat less, you won’t be adding extra pounds. In addition, a protein found in potatoes known as proteinase inhibitor 2 has a boosting effect over cholecystokinin, which is a hormone that makes you feel satiated. But that’s not all!
Red potatoes and their skins pack a serious 3 g of fiber for every medium-sized tuber, which is invaluable to manage cravings. Furthermore, they also boast over 3 g of protein, which, similar to fiber, aids you in fending off hunger.
According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, increasing fiber intake reduces weight and fat gain, so keep that in mind.
2. Create More Blood
If you want to increase the formation of red blood cells, red potatoes can help you. Their high concentration of iron which is around 1.2 mg or 6% of the recommended value, can assist you in adding more oxygen to your blood by enhancing the production of hemoglobin. That extra oxygen leads to better overall health.
Moreover, potatoes’ high vitamin C content, around 27 mg or 30% of the daily value, can further improve iron absorption into your bloodstream when you combine them with other veggies. To make it even better, serve red potatoes with any meat cut you prefer, and the natural iron intake is even greater.
3. Boost Immune Your System
One red potato may strengthen your immune system significantly. It is well known that vitamin C plays a vital role in the body’s defense mechanism. Since this nutrient is pretty abundant inside the potato, you can be sure it will protect you against pathogens.
In addition to the vitamin, red potatoes have zinc and copper that provide extra support against microscopic threats. One tuber may contain around 0.7 mg of zinc and 450 mcg of copper, approximately 6 % and 31% RDA.
4. Lessen Stress
It may come as a shock to you, but red potatoes can help you be more at ease. Vitamin B-6, which is essential to keep a healthy nervous system and remain calm, is found at 0.2 mg or 11% RDA in potatoes. So now, you can tell everybody that potatoes let you stay cool while facing any challenge.
5. Support Antioxidant Generation
You may have guessed it, but yeah, the red tuber is a powerful ally in the fight against the dreaded free radicals. They are byproducts of your body’s normal metabolic processes and are manufactured as you perform any activities, including breathing, exercise, and even eating.
These unstable atoms get attached to your cells, weakening them and making them prone to get sick and age faster. Moreover, once radicals accumulate, they may lead to several devastating health conditions. No one wants that.
Vitamin C, the flavonoids such as catechin and epicatechin, along with phenolic acids that concentrate in the red skins, can generate a strong barrier that may neutralize free radicals, keeping you in good health.
6. Enhance Your Energy
How can you get good energy from red potatoes? Easy! You only have to eat them the right way. Boiling, baking, and steaming these babies are ideal for delivering a healthy load of complex carbs that fuel you to perform at optimal levels.
Unlike simple carbohydrates, the ones found in potatoes can power you throughout the day without unwanted side effects. The fiber inside them makes sure the energy is released at a steady rate so you can take full advantage of your meal and feel truly satisfied.
7. Reduce Blood Pressure
Keeping your blood pressure at healthy levels is serious business. Fortunately, red-skinned potatoes are ideal for that purpose. They are low in sodium, with close to 14 mg, equivalent to 1% of the recommended intake.
On the other hand, they are one of the top sources of potassium. As you may know, this mineral functions as a vasodilator allowing blood vessels to expand for smoother blood flow. The amount of potassium in a potato is close to 943 mg, or 25% of the total amount you should consume in a day, and that’s more than double the amount found in bananas!
But it gets better. The fiber in potatoes can also trap the cholesterol molecules in your bloodstream, lowering the strain inside blood vessels resulting in lower blood pressure. Moreover, the kukoamines chemicals in the popular tuber that are believed to possess blood pressure-lowering properties are an excellent plus you won’t mind.
8. Lower Inflammation
This benefit of red potatoes is rarely mentioned. As surprising as it may be, potatoes can help decrease inflammation in the body. Research shown in the Journal of Nutrition indicates pigmented potatoes such as the red variety may lessen DNA damage present in the cells.
9. Improve Digestion
The resistant starch inside potatoes can do wonders for your digestive health. As you eat potatoes, your body digests and assimilates carbohydrates as an energy source with ease. Furthermore, the resistant starch that comes along becomes food for the bacteria living in your large intestine.
These microorganisms turn starch into short-chain fatty acids. As a result, these acids can lower inflammation in the intestinal tract, reducing bowel disorders.
10. Strengthen the Heart
Your cardiac muscle is fond of the spud as well. Its solid vitamin B-6 content can turn homocysteine into methionine. Why is that important?
If a large amount of homocysteine is present in the bloodstream, arteries can get damaged, and heart attacks may not be far behind. A significant amount of fiber is another plus as it may clear cholesterol from blood vessels to prevent clogging and possible strokes.
11. Promote Learning
Believe it or not, the red tuber can assist you in boosting your brain performance. How can that happen? With its blood vessel-widening properties, potassium allows more blood into the brain.
More blood means more oxygen, vitamins, and nutrients, which keeps your brain in top shape.
Also, the glucose released by the potatoes’ carbohydrates and the presence of carotenoids may enhance learning ability and memory. That’s great news as you will be able to learn and prepare new potato dishes in no time!
The number of benefits of red potatoes is staggering. They range from maintaining a healthy weight to improving your brain performance. So give the red goodness a chance, and you will see how the starchy vegetable makes your life better.