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Understanding The Potato

The apparent confusion among the masses about the healthfulness of Potatoes has come to light again with the publication, in the esteemed New York Times, of an assertion by Harvard Professor Eric Rimm that Potatoes are mere ‘starch bombs’, and that servings of French Fries should be limited to a mere handful…

Classic Poutine - © Wendy's CanadaClassic Poutine: Fries, Cheese Curds and Brown Gravy. One of the worst
offenders on the ‘Unhealthy Potato Dish’ roll of infamy. Yet, folks add
Fried Onions, Fajita Beef, Montreal Smoked Meat and a whole
galaxy of other stuff, making this Calorie-laden side a
main  dish – one coming in at over 2,000 Calories…

Rimm shots resounded…

The average small order of Fries contains 12-15 Potato sticks and comes in at 140 calories. A large order of McDonald’s Fries is officially rated at 510 Calories. That’s about a quarter of the total recommended adult daily Caloric intake! But Rimm got a booming ‘F-‘ from social media types for his suggestion, in the story, that we limit ourselves to just 6 Fries per serving.

“There aren’t a lot of people who are sending back three-quarters of an order of French fries,” Dr. Rimm told the Times. “I think it would be nice if your meal came with a side salad and six French fries.”

Absurd.

First, nobody is going to do that. For an restaurateur, it would be like cutting her own throat. Customers would desert her in droves. In fact, Rimm makes himself look like the classic, stereotyped Ivory Tower egghead who has lost touch completely with the realities of the outside world. Second, unless you eat Fries every day, you really need not worry about their negative dietary aspects. And I have my family physician’s blessing on that point. Third, after the Fat and Salt on ‘plain’ Fries, there’s a lot more gustatory sin in the sorts of things we love to top our Potatoes with. And we are free to top or not to top, as we each see fit.

All Fries are not created equal

While it appears, at first read, that Dr. Rimm is demonizing the poor Potato out of hand, it turns out he’s actually cursing the much-loved, ubiquitous French Fry.

Fries are even worse than other Potato dishes, in that respect, because we start by cooking them in hot Oil which is absorbed into the Potato sticks adding Calories and unhealthy fats. Then, we often top them with Salt, Cheese, Gravy, Chili and/or other stuff. Taken all together, a large serving of Poutine, for example, can total more than 1,000 Calories and contain a gut-load of fat, from the Fries themselves, the Cheese and the Gravy. Ouch! (Makes me a little ashamed that Poutine was invented in Canada…)

What Potatoes really offer us…

According to Potatoes USA, which bills itself as ‘the nation’s potato marketing and research organization’, the noble Spud is a great source of Vitamins C and B6, Fibre, Iron and Potassium. One average sized Potato, in fact, has more Potassium than an average Banana, and Bananas are routinely recommended as a daily dietary supplement for folks with Potassium deficiency.

As well, Potatoes are entirely free of Fat, Sodium, Cholesterol and Gluten (if you worry about that).

And an average serving of Potatoes totes up a mere 110 Calories. But remember, that’s plain Boiled Spuds, no frying Oil or toppings.

My take…

Potatoes are an important part of our diet with deep roots in our culture. Hundreds of varieties are grown and consumed around the world, with some cultures relying on them as a dietary mainstay.

I wholeheartedly endorse the position taken by some dietary and medical folks that Spuds are unhealthy the way we like to eat them. Baking and Boiling are the only cooking methods that leave Potatoes unsullied by Fat or Oil, or Salt – before additions and toppings. But I don’t now anybody who doesn’t add at least a pat of Butter or a splash of Gravy to plain Potatoes.

I do believe we can and should limit our intake of unhealthy Potato dishes by conscious choice. I haven’t eaten Fries more than a couple of times a month since I was 18. At home, I usually Bake or Boil my spuds, and leave it up to my family and guests to add as much Butter or Gravy as they wish at the table.

What I do object to is Dr, Rimm’s characterization of all Potatoes as ‘starch bombs’. Such assertions might get you in the New York Times, but they won’t make you or your recommendations any more popular!

So there.

~ Maggie J.