ADD COLORFUL POTATOES TO YOUR DIET

Before you gasp, yes, you read that title correctly.  I did say add potatoes to your diet.  But not just any potatoes!  And, as with everything, eat potatoes in moderation.  Since I became diabetic, I have had to totally change the way I eat potatoes.  The good news is that I am healthier for it!  Potatoes get a bad reputation, especially here in America where we seem fixated on french fries.  We also love our potatoes, peeled and mashed with loads of fattening ingredients.  But there are healthier ways to enjoy potatoes.  Would you believe that potato skins, the part we usually discard, have as many phytonutrients as broccoli especially if we eat the more colorful varieties.  Some unusual nutrients found in potatoes, known as kukoamines, can lower blood pressure and that protects the heart and the brain.  Iodine is also found in potatoes.  Did you realize one of the first things doctors check in a patient suffering from depression is the thyroid which needs iodine to function properly?  And how about this little surprise?  Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of preventable brain damage in the world!

The next time you go to the grocery store or market, check for the colorful varieties of potatoes.  Buy a few and experiment with healthy ways of preparing them.  And don't peel them!

If you grocer doesn't carry a big variety of potatoes in the produce section, check for healthy varieties in the frozen food section.  

file photo