Benefits of Potatoes in your Diet

Potatoes have a negative reputation among many dieters, and for good reason. All too many people eat their potatoes in incredibly unhealthy ways. Potato chips, French fries and hash browns are dietary staples among many people, and the extra fat involved in the cooking process of these items can be damaging to any waist line. Instead of ruling potatoes completely out of your diet, talk to your weight loss surgeon in St. Petersburg about healthier ways to incorporate the food into your diet. According to a recent study, the potato actually holds a variety of health benefits that you may be missing out on.

Potatoes are good for your blood pressure. In fact, eating a few servings of potatoes every day may help your blood pressure almost as much as oatmeal, which is a common dietary staple among those trying to lose weight and become healthier. In this study the potatoes were not fried. Instead, they were cooked without oil in a microwave. The good news is that cooking potatoes in a microwave is a simple, healthy way to make potatoes on a daily basis that can be done easily on the go. This means that even the busiest dieters can experience the health benefits of potatoes without needing to spend hours in the kitchen after work.

And the health benefits of potatoes are real. In a study of eighteen obese individuals, the average diastolic blood pressure dropped by 4.3 % and the systolic pressure decreased by 3.5% after eating 6-8 purple potatoes twice a day, every day, for one month. This is more potatoes than many people will eat on a daily basis, but this study does indicate that incorporating potatoes into your diet in moderation could help you as you work towards achieving your health and well-being goals.