Eating potatoes regularly has many benefits, including helping lower blood pressure and control blood sugar

Everyone is familiar with the proverb "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". As this proverb spread, apples have become a common fruit in every household.

But many people have not noticed that there is another kind of food whose nutritional value is also very high. **Its vitamin C content is even about 10 times that of apples, and vitamin B is about 4 times that of apples. **Its various minerals are several to dozens of times that of apples, but the price is much cheaper!

Today I will introduce this kind of food to you, let’s take a look~

The overlooked star food - potatoes

Potatoes are one of the most commonly eaten foods in daily life, also known as potatoes. They used to be inconspicuous, but now they are "star foods" - they are rich and complete in nutrients, with vitamin C content far exceeding that of grain crops, and protein content much higher than that of ordinary vegetables.

What's more, we all know that vitamin C in vegetables is easy to lose and will be oxidized and destroyed in heat, light, and alkaline environments. The stability of vitamin C in potatoes is unmatched by many foods, because the glutathione content in potato starch is relatively rich, which helps protect vitamin C from certain high-temperature oxidation threats. According to experimental tests, the vitamin C content of cooked potatoes is about 85% of that of raw potatoes.

Today, potatoes enjoy many reputations such as "the second bread", "underground apple", and "ginseng fruit". Together with rice, wheat, corn, and sorghum, they are known as the world's five major crops .

1. Easy to digest

According to a journal published in "China Fruit and Vegetables", potatoes are easy to digest, can improve indigestion, and are especially suitable for patients with stomach problems.

2. Rich in high-quality protein

The protein in potatoes is rich in lysine and tryptophan, which is incomparable to general grains. It was published in the Food Safety Guide that compared with other tuber crops, the protein in potatoes contains a large proportion of protease inhibitors, which can be used to prevent perianal dermatitis caused by proteases. It can be said to be high-quality protein.

3. Rich in potassium

When it comes to high-potassium foods, everyone will think of bananas. In fact, the potassium content of potatoes is higher than that of bananas. A medium-sized potato with skin (about 148 grams) can provide 620 mg of potassium. Therefore, eating potatoes can promote the excretion of sodium and help regulate the increase in blood pressure caused by high sodium.

"Resistant starch" has many benefits

Potatoes contain a key substance called resistant starch, which can resist enzyme breakdown and acts similarly to cellulose, providing many benefits to the human body.

1. Helps lower cholesterol

Resistant starch can stimulate the secretion of bile,**which helps the excretion of fat and cholesterol. **And when potatoes are cooled and then heated, they will "regenerate", becoming less easily absorbed but more hydrophilic, further enhancing the excretion of cholesterol and other substances, and also helping to improve constipation.

2. Assist in controlling blood sugar

Resistant starch is more difficult to degrade than other starches, is slowly digested in the body, is slowly absorbed and enters the blood, has a slower blood sugar rise rate, and has a relatively low blood sugar peak. At the same time, it can interfere with and slow down the absorption of sugar, **assist in regulating blood sugar levels, **and improve insulin sensitivity.

3. Helps lose weight and slim down

Resistant starch has properties similar to soluble fiber and is not easily digested and absorbed by the human body. It can increase satiety, reduce total food intake, and thus help lose weight.

4. Assist in controlling blood pressure

Potatoes are very good high-potassium and low-sodium foods. They are low in calories, not easily converted into fat, and can prevent the synthesis and utilization of cholesterol and oil, which has the benefit of assisting in blood pressure control. They are very suitable for people with high blood pressure and edema-type obesity.