10 Surprising Health Benefits of Potatoes
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Potatoes are beloved worldwide for their deliciousness, yet misconceptions persist due to their high carbohydrate content. Despite this, they offer essential nutrients vital for your body.
Rich in vitamin C and minerals like phosphorus, zinc, and calcium, potatoes support both physical and mental well-being. In this article, discover surprising health benefits of potatoes.
1. Boosts Energy
Potatoes can be your powerful energy booster. They contain a good amount of complex carbohydrates that are crucial to sustaining energy.
Plus, its vitamin B6 content helps you to transform consumed food into required energy. Hence, eating this spud can make you feel satiety and keep you energized all day.
2. Weight Management
If consumed in moderation, potatoes can be a key diet for your weight management journey. Having a spud as a part of a regular meal will help to put on your weight in a healthy manner.
Its high carbohydrate and less protein content makes it idle food that contributes to gaining your desired weight.
On the contrary, potatoes hold high fiber and low calories which makes you keep feeling full throughout the day and is likely to prevent you from overeating.
3. Improves Skin Health
Potatoes are mainly beneficial for boosting your skin health. These tubers contain B complex and vitamin C, which are crucial for producing collagen and amino acids in your skin cells.
The creation of collagen helps to make your skin glow, elastic, and firm. Furthermore, the antioxidants found in them contribute to protecting skin cells from free radicals, wrinkles, and dark spots.
4. Prevents Hair Loss
The benefits of potatoes for health are wide-ranging. These are not just food for beautiful skin, but also amazing diets for acquiring natural and healthy hair.
The rich contents of beta-carotene, magnesium, and phosphorus help improve your scalp quality by cleansing the dirt and dead cells. A good scalp prevents hair loss and promotes thick and shiny hair growth.
5. Improves Brain Health
Potatoes provide a range of surprising benefits from energy boosting to improving brain health. These spuds are filled with high levels of iron and copper, which are necessary for boosting your brain functions.
Additionally, the presence of glucose and vitamin B6 helps to regulate your sleep and appetite by producing neurotransmitters such as serotine and dopamine.
6. Anti Cancer Properties
Potatoes are known for their anti-cancer properties. These starchy spuds are not only delightful but also extremely beneficial to fight against various types of cancer including the uterus and prostate cancer.
Several studies have shown that Russet and Red potatoes (potato breeds) have a lot of carotene and antioxidants in them. And these are essential compounds to combat tumors and cancer happening in your body.
7. Improves Blood Circulation
Another surprising benefit of potatoes is, they help to improve blood circulation in your entire body. The starchy spud contains carbohydrates, amino acids, and other minerals like iron and glucose.
These nutrients are crucial for your brain functioning and the bloodstream providing enough oxygen intake.
The nutrients of potatoes can be varied depending on how you consume them. Boiled and steamed tuber can be idle for getting good health. However, the chips and frying them containing high oil are considered harmful to your health.
8. Promotes Digestion
Potatoes are a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, which aids in promoting healthy digestion. Here, Soluble fiber helps to regulate blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of glucose.
Whereas, Insoluble fiber helps to prevent constipation and other digestive-related issues by speeding up the transit of foods in the digestive tract.
Being a starchy veggie, it also can be an instant remedy for diarrhea or loose motion. Also, it can prevent and manage stomach ulcers and heartburn.
9. Improves Heart Health
Potatoes are magnesium-rich foods that have been known to help improve heart health. These root vegetables are great potassium food that assists in regulating blood pressure and supports heart function.
More, potatoes carry nutrients like niacin and vitamin B6, that contribute to boosting cardiovascular health as well.
Because these root veggies are filled with dietary soluble fiber, they are also cholesterol-free foods. Eating boiled or mashed potatoes or combining them with salad or other vegetables will reduce your cholesterol levels.
10. Reduces Inflammation
Potatoes contain huge anti-inflammatory properties that can aid in reducing inflammation in your body. Multiple compounds, that hold anti-inflammatory qualities such as quercetin and chlorogenic acid are found in them.
These are vital compounds for preventing chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and diabetes.
Apart from this, if you have any external inflammation, simply rubbing a slice of raw potato on that area will instantly ease you.
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