You may have your garden completely planted by now, but if you have any room left, you may want to think about potatoes. Studies are increasingly reporting about the health benefits of potatoes when prepared in a healthy way, i.e. not deep frying.

First and foremost, don't peel your potatoes as many of the health benefits are in the skin. Did you know that potatoes have more potassium than bananas? I didn't. They are also a good source of Vitamin C which acts as an antioxidant and B6 that supports metabolism and brain health. A good source of fiber too as long as you eat the skin, so even if you boil your potatoes, leave the skin on to get all the health benefits. Even mashed potatoes can be made with the skin, it might not look as pretty, but it will be a lot healthier. But there is a lot more to the story.

Resistant starch (especially in cooled potatoes) acts like fiber, feeding gut bacteria, promoting regularity, and potentially aiding blood sugar control. You feel fuller, faster when eating potatoes, due to fiber, protein, and water content which can support healthy eating patterns and modest weight loss when prepared plainly. Sorry, loaded baked potatoes are not one of the healthy choices, although bacon and chives by themselves are fine. The high potassium and low sodium profile of potatoes help with blood pressure regulation. And all these benefits are just for white potatoes.

Red skin and blue potatoes have other benefits as well. The red skin on some varieties like Red Pontiac and Norland, are rich in compounds like quercetin, kaempferol, catechin, and rutin, often twice as much as white potatoes. These help combat oxidative stress, inflammation, and may support anti-cancer* and heart-protective* effects. *There have been no major studies done on these effects because big business or pharma has nothing to gain if this is proven true. However, one only has to look at the rates of cancer and heart disease in the Amish population (which is extremely low) to realize that there is a good chance that these claims are true.

Blue potatoes have other benefits, as their blue-purple skin and often vibrant purple or blue flesh contains anthocyanins, the same antioxidants found in blueberries and blackberries. Anthocyanins neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress and are two to three times higher in blue potatoes compared to white. Studies show eating blue potatoes can lower systolic/diastolic blood pressure, improve arterial stiffness, and reduce inflammation markers more effectively than white potatoes. Blue potatoes often have a lower glycemic index than white potatoes and have shown benefits for post-meal blood sugar control. Blue potatoes are much harder to find in grocery stores outside of large metro areas or ethnic stores, but red skin potatoes can be found as easily as regular potatoes and all the health benefits are there for the taking.

I remember as a kid in the early seventies, my mom making mashed potatoes from instant potatoes out of a box. They tasted just fine to me as a kid, but what did I know back then? It wasn't until I became a teenager that I knew everything. You won't get the health benefits from potatoes out of a box or the freezer.

Fresh whole potatoes, whichever color they are, are the best way to get all the benefits. Leave the skin on, don't deep fry and don't load them with sour cream and butter. In fact, the most popular variety of potatoes for the last twenty years has been Yukon Gold which has a yellow flesh that looks buttery without adding butter at all.

Next week, I'm looking into a potato that is not even a potato at all.