PUBLISHED 08/02/2007
Hot Potato
Spuds, of course, don't come with a handy Nutrition Facts label, which makes it easy to forget their impressive benefits. One large russet potato contains 63 grams of carbohydrates, zero grams of fat, eight grams of protein, and seven grams of fiber. It also provides 64 percent of your Daily Value of vitamin C, 53 percent of B6, and 1,600 milligrams of potassium--three times the amount in one large banana--which is critical for fluid balance and muscle function. A one-cup serving of sweet potatoes offers more than 700 percent of your Daily Value of vitamin A, 65 percent of vitamin C, and seven grams of fiber. All potatoes are rich sources of antioxidants, and russets rank among the top 20 vegetables containing these free radical fighting compounds.
And contrary to common belief, you don't have to eat the whole thing if you don't want to. "People think that all the nutrients are in the skin, but that's not true," says Katherine Beals, Ph.D., an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Utah. While skipping the skin reduces your fiber intake by about half, the majority of the vitamins and minerals hide in the flesh inside.
