If you have been around someone who is “on a diet,” most often you will hear them say, “Oh, I can’t eat potatoes.  They are fattening!”

However, I want to refute that claim and say that potatoes do belong on a weight-loss diet.

Potatoes were first cultivated nearly 5,000 years ago by the Indians in the Andes Mountains of Peru.  Potatoes became the staple food of those hardy people and I doubt if any of them were fat.  

Potatoes are considered a complete food.  If you were to eat a diet of potatoes alone you would still be able to meet all of your nutritional needs with the exception of vitamin B12.  Potatoes are good sources of vitamin C, vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese and dietary fiber.

According to the Whole Foods website, you should purchase potatoes individually rather than in a plastic bag.  That way you can look them over for signs of decay or damage.  Don’t purchase (or eat) potatoes that are sprouting or that have a green coloration.

The ideal way to store potatoes is in a dark, dry place (not the refrigerator) such as a cool, dark closet or basement. Keep them in burlap or paper bags.  If stored properly, they can keep for up to two months.

Since the potato skin is full of fiber and nutrients, just scrub the potato under cold running water right before cooking and remove any deep eyes or bruises with a paring knife.  If you must peel it, do so carefully with a potato peeler and only remove a thin layer of the skin.  After peeling or cutting, cook immediately or put them in a bowl of cold water with a squirt of lemon juice to keep them from darkening.

Here’s a delicious, healthy potato recipe that won’t make you fat.  

Potato Tacos

Ingredients
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (organic if possible)
1-2 teaspoons of a dry taco seasoning mix
6 corn tortillas heated on griddle or in microwave

Directions
Boil or microwave the potatoes with the skins on.  Cool and cube.  Put potatoes in a dry, non-stick sauté pan and cook until nicely browned on all sides.  Add the taco seasoning mix, toss well and add a few drops of water to moisten seasoning if needed.  Cover and cook another minute.

Serve potato mixture on a warm tortilla and garnish with fresh salsa, chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro and cubed avocado.  Roll up and eat.

Recipe from Irene Tsatsos McDougall.

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