Health Benefits of Potatoes

With more than 100 different types of potatoes sold in the United States, potatoes are one of the most popular starchy vegetables. Potatoes contain important nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and fiber. They are also hearty, easy to prepare, and a versatile ingredient for different cuisines.

Potatoes are also economical, accessible, and have a low carbon footprint, making them beneficial for the environment. Despite the bad rap they might get from those who prefer to follow low-carb diets, potatoes contain compounds that can benefit your health.

This article contains everything you need to know about potatoes.

Types of Potatoes

Like apples, there are many different types of potatoes. For culinary purposes, potatoes are described based on their starch content and divided into two main categories: starchy and waxy. Within those categories are subsets of potatoes. There is also a separate category, all-purpose, for everything in between.

Your potato choice depends on the cooking method, access, taste preference, and nutrition goals. Different varieties of potatoes are used for specific cooking methods to achieve maximum taste and texture. For example, some are better for making mashed potatoes, while others will maintain a crisp yet firm texture when roasted.

Starchy

Starchy potatoes are higher in starch but low in sugar and moisture. They are ideal for making mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, roasted potatoes, and fried potatoes.

The flesh of starchy potatoes breaks apart more easily, so they are often used in mashed potato recipes. When boiled, they fall apart easily, which can help if you want to blend them into soups as a thickener. Examples of starchy potatoes include russet and sweet potatoes.

Waxy

Waxy potatoes have less starch and more moisture. They hold their shape in cooking and are ideal for steaming, boiling, roasting, and sautéing. They can be served scalloped, as an ingredient in soups and stews, or in potato salad.

Well-known waxy potatoes include baby potatoes (which are round and small), red bliss, red Adirondack, and French fingerlings.

All-Purpose

This type of potato is slightly lower in starch than starchy potatoes but higher than waxy. It can be used for most recipes. Some chefs put only one type of potato in this category—Yukon Gold.

Purple/Blue/Sweet Potatoes/Red Potatoes

These types of potatoes have unique flesh colors, an indicator of specific phytochemicals, which are plant-based compounds that act as antioxidants.

Sweet potatoes contain beta carotene (which is converted to vitamin A), fiber, potassium, and complex carbohydrates. Purple, blue, and red potatoes contain anthocyanins, which give them their rich hues and provide antioxidative properties.

Potato Benefits

Nutrients in potatoes have been associated with health benefits. However, how nutritious a potato is depends on how it is prepared, as well as the ingredients in the recipe and what other foods accompany it.

Consuming a baked potato with broccoli sautéed in garlic with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil alongside grilled chicken offers more health benefits than eating a large french fry from a fast-food restaurant paired with a cheeseburger and milkshake.

The following information will highlight some of the nutrients found in potatoes and how they impact health.

Bone Health

Potatoes provide potassium and phosphorous, two important nutrients for bone health. One medium potato with the skin on provides anywhere from 15% to 28% of your daily needs for potassium. A higher intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with better bone density.

Blood Pressure

Potassium also plays a role in blood pressure regulation; potassium increases sodium excretion in the urine, which helps to regulate blood pressure.

In a short-term, small, randomized control trial, researchers evaluated the effects of blood pressure when participants were fed a control diet, a diet higher in potassium-containing boiled or baked potatoes, french fries, or a potassium supplement.

Though none of the results were statistically significant, increased potassium from baked or boiled potatoes approached a significant benefit to systolic blood pressure compared with the control group.

In addition, there appeared to be a significant change from baseline in systolic blood pressure compared to the control diet. The researchers believe that, over time, such a change would be clinically relevant.

Heart Health

Managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and circulation are all important components of heart health. Potatoes can be included in a heart-healthy diet because they contain both fiber and potassium, two nutrients that the typical American diet often fails to provide adequately.

Preparing potatoes using heart-healthy cooking options is key to maintaining nutritional quality. Baking, broiling, steaming, or roasting (with a small amount of olive oil) are all heart-healthy ways to prepare potatoes.

To avoid extra sodium and saturated fat, you’ll want to limit potato and potato products like hash browns, french fries, and potato chips.

Inflammation and Immune Health

Though we can’t say that potatoes specifically lower inflammation or boost your immune system, they contain vitamin C, an important water-soluble vitamin with antioxidative properties that plays a role in immune health.

Antioxidants can reduce inflammation by scavenging free radicals. These reactive molecules are produced by cell metabolism and can damage cells if antioxidants don’t counter them.

Consuming potatoes with other foods rich in antioxidants, such as vegetables, can increase your meal’s antioxidant power. Potato peels also contain quercetin, a type of flavonol, which may help support the immune system by reducing inflammation. However, more research is necessary to determine its effects.

Cancer

For people who are undergoing cancer treatment and experiencing side effects that affect appetite or cause gastrointestinal symptoms, potatoes can be a bland but nutrient-dense food choice. They can also be blended into soups for people who have trouble chewing or get full too quickly.

There is a great deal of misinformation about diet and cancer. You may have heard that people with cancer need to avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes. However, research consistently shows that a diet rich in plants is associated with a reduced risk of cancer.

When it comes to potatoes specifically, a systematic review of potato consumption and risk of site-specific cancers in adults, researchers did not find any association between potato consumption and cancer. Keep in mind that eating a diet rich in fried foods like french fries is associated with cancer risk, so how you prepare them can play a role.

Digestion and Regularity

Potatoes contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Both types of fiber are important for gut health.

Potatoes also contain resistant starch. They have the most resistant starch when raw, but some of it remains after cooking. The fiber and resistant starch function as prebiotics, feeding good bacteria in the gut, which can improve bacterial diversity and gut health.

In addition, eating enough fiber can help keep bowel movements regular. The soluble fiber in potatoes forms a gel and regulates stool consistency, while insoluble fiber speeds up transit time. When increasing fiber, increase fluids simultaneously to prevent gas and bloating.

Weight Management

A key factor to sustainable weight loss and weight management is consistently following a nutrient-dense diet. No one food can be counted on for weight loss. Your weight is affected by how much food you eat toward a calorie deficit, how you move your body, sleep, stress, and more.

Eating potatoes that are steamed, baked, broiled, grilled, or roasted regularly (with little sodium or saturated fat) may help you to meet your weight-loss goals. Potatoes are moderate in calories, low in fat, and rich in filling fiber. When paired with lean protein, healthy fat, and other fibrous foods, you can consume a nutrient-dense and healthy meal.

Skin Health

Potatoes are a good source of B vitamins, vitamin C, carotenoids, and other plant-based compounds that act as antioxidants. An increased intake of antioxidants is associated with skin health.

Potato Nutrition

Potatoes provide calories mostly in the form of carbohydrates, making them a good energy food. The following information is for one medium russet potato, flesh and skin, baked (2.25 to 3.25 inches in diameter):

• Calories: 164
• Fat: 0.2 grams (g)
• Sodium: 24 milligrams (mg)
• Carbohydrates: 37 g
• Fiber: 4 g
• Sugars: 1.9 g
• Protein: 4.6 g
• Vitamin C: 14.4 mg
• Vitamin B6: 0.6 mg
• Potassium: 952 mg
• Magnesium: 52 mg
• Iron: 2 mg

Carbs

Carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of energy. There are 37 grams of carbohydrates in one medium potato with the skin on and 4 grams of dietary fiber (contributing to about 10% to 16% of your daily fiber needs).

Potatoes contain only 2 grams of naturally occurring sugar. They also contain resistant starch, which can benefit gut health by producing short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate.

Fiber

Fiber is the indigestible part of carbohydrates that plays a role in gut health, blood sugar regulation, healthy cholesterol levels, increased feelings of fullness, and weight management. It is recommended that adults consume roughly 25 to 38 grams of fiber daily.

Adequate fiber intake is important for overall health, yet most Americans do not meet their fiber needs. One medium potato with the skin provides around 4 grams of fiber.

Protein

Potatoes can be a decent source of plant-based protein. As compared to milk, one medium potato has 4.6 grams of protein, about half the amount of protein in 1 cup of milk.

Adequate protein intake is important as protein is the building block of cells and muscles and a key nutrient for immune health, growth, aging, and more.

Vitamins and Minerals 

Potatoes contain various amounts of vitamins, minerals, and plant-based compounds. The exact amount and type will depend on the potato variety. Potatoes contain potassium, phosphorus, B vitamins, magnesium, iron, and vitamin C.

Other Plant Compounds

Potatoes contain other plant-based compounds, such as phytochemicals. Sweet potatoes, for example, are rich in beta carotene, a carotenoid converted to vitamin A in the body. Purple and blue potatoes are a source of anthocyanins, a type of phytochemical with antioxidative properties.

Potential Risk Associated With Potatoes

Potatoes may have residues from pesticides or ingredients in certain fertilizers. If consumed in very large quantities, these are not advantageous to health. In addition, how potatoes are prepared and stored can impact any potential negative risks associated with constant consumption.

General advice is to consume a wide variety of plants, such as fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes, to ensure that you get varying types of vitamins, minerals, and other plant-based compounds. Consuming different types of foods regularly can also help you maintain the pleasure of eating and make food fun.

Solanine

Solanine is a natural compound found in potatoes. It is possible for humans to experience acute solanine poisoning after ingesting spoiled or improperly stored green or sprouted potatoes.

Do not eat green potatoes. Cut off any sprouts. If you are concerned that you or someone you know has ingested raw or green potatoes and is experiencing solanine poisoning, call poison control.

Acrylamide

When starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures, they can develop acrylamide, a potential carcinogen. However, the amount of acrylamide depends on the cooking method used and the length of cooking time, among other variables. French fries and potato chips are major food sources of acrylamide.

To reduce your potential exposure to acrylamide, avoid heavy crisping or browning (as in frying), or blanch potatoes before frying, avoid storing potatoes in the refrigerator, and try post-drying (drying in a hot air oven after frying).

According to the National Cancer Institute, these methods can decrease the acrylamide content of some foods.

Fertilizers

Fertilizer is a chemical or natural substance (conventional/inorganic or organic) used to improve potato growth. It can consist of sulfur, nitrogen, and phosphate.

Some compost, manure, or sludge-based fertilizers have been contaminated with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chemicals of concern for disrupting hormones. These chemicals are linked to various health effects, including increased cancer risk and disrupting hormones.

PFAS can accumulate in potato skins, but lower amounts are found in the flesh of the potato.

Who Should Avoid Potatoes?

Most people can consume potatoes without issue unless they are allergic to them or have certain health conditions that require them to monitor the specific nutrients that they contain.

Potato Allergies

Potato allergies are rare but have been reported. The type of reaction may depend on the severity of your allergy. If you have a potato allergy you should avoid potatoes and all potato products.

Kidney Damage

If you have chronic kidney disease (CKD), you may need to monitor what you eat to keep your kidneys healthy. Damaged kidneys can make it difficult to remove substances from your body. As a result, potassium can build up in your blood, which can impact your heart.

Because potatoes are rich in potassium, you may need to monitor your intake. It’s always a good idea to speak to a medical professional, like a registered dietitian (RD), so they can create an individualized meal plan for you. This way, you can also learn how to prepare potatoes to reduce potassium or phosphorous.

Medication Interactions

If you take medicines for blood pressure such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which can increase the amount of potassium in the blood, you may have to monitor your dietary intake of potassium. Ask your healthcare provider if you have any concerns.

Diabetes and Obesity

Potatoes can be part of a well-balanced nutrient-dense diet. They are rich in fiber and water and low in fat and calories, which are all important factors to consider when you are managing your weight or diabetes.

If you have these concerns, the key to consuming potatoes is to monitor the way your potatoes are prepared and how much of them you eat. For example, opt for a baked potato over french fries or roasted potatoes over hash browns. This way, you’ll save on saturated fat and sodium and still get beneficial fiber and other nutrients.

In addition, make potatoes your side dish and not your main meal. Allocate about a quarter of your plate to your potato and pair your meal with nutrient-dense and voluminous vegetables and lean sources of protein.

One study found that eating potatoes as part of a mixed-dinner meal had favorable effects on blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Are Green Potatoes Safe To Eat?

Potatoes may turn green when they have passed their prime or if they are not stored properly. They can also develop sprouts, an indication that they are perishable. If your potatoes have a green color and/or sprouts, they contain higher levels of natural toxins, or glycoalkaloids, called solanine and chaconine.

Do not eat green potatoes or sprouts. Unfortunately, you should throw such potatoes out because consuming solanine and chaconine can make you sick, and cooking does not destroy their toxins. Not to mention, solanine produces a bitter taste.

Symptoms of solanine poisoning may include vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, headache, a slow pulse, slow breathing, a fever, or low body temperature. Contact a healthcare provider or poison control if you suspect you have solanine poisoning.

Summary

Consuming potatoes is a great way to increase your intake of whole foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and other plant-based compounds. With so many varieties to choose from, the possibilities are plentiful.

To experience the full benefits of potatoes, experiment with different varieties and healthy cooking methods. Steam, bake, broil, roast, or add them to salads, stews, and soups for an environmentally friendly, versatile, and inexpensive nutrient-dense food choice.