It is not for nothing that for more than 6 centuries, potatoes have been considered one of the most valuable plants, the beneficial properties of which have been used in folk medicine for many years. It can heal wounds on the body, increase immunity, relieve fever, warm up bronchitis. What else is the main food of Belarusians capable of?

Useful properties of potatoes and what it heals

Despite the fact that it is one of the most common vegetables in the world and grows (or grows) in everyone in the garden, its value is very high. Many people forget that this earthy apple not only tastes good, but also contains more than 20 types of vitamins and even more trace elements. Even its heat capacity is used, not only its composition. Let's take a closer look at what vitamins are in potatoes and how they can help in the treatment and prevention of diseases.

1. Anti-infectious agent... Tubers contain specific acids that can heal wounds, namely, kill infections and speed up healing, which is why they are applied to cuts or burns. They also increase blood clotting when in contact with potato juice, which helps to stop bleeding.
2. Excellent remedy to warm up bronchitis... The use of a potato can be not only from its composition, but even from its specific gravity. If you take a large specimen, boil it and cut it in half, it will be an excellent tool for warming up muscle tissue. In our case, a heating pad that can be placed on the chest when coughing or bronchitis. The heat lasts for about 15 minutes, which is more than enough to start coughing up or soothe a cough.
3. With rheumatism and hypertension. Drink 100 g of a decoction of potatoes, 50 g per day. It quickly expands blood vessels, removes cholesterol, toxins, rejuvenates cells, which, in turn, reduces pressure in the circulatory system, and helps well with rheumatism.
4. With age deterioration of vision... 20 g of potato juice before meals 2 times a day will help normalize metabolism and have a beneficial effect on the optic nerve. The elasticity of the lens increases, the retina is not clogged, due to which a high reflex ability appears.
5. With seasonal vitamin deficiency... The lack of carotene, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, folic acid and other components can be compensated for by using freshly dug tubers. Vitamins in potatoes are abundant. The juice is very useful (taken from the stems) for constipation - it normalizes the process of digesting food and removing metabolic products from the body.
6. With heartburn. Starch will perfectly settle all acidity in the stomach, thus, heartburn will recede. You need to chew a young earthen apple, preferably by grating it on a fine grater.
7. The benefits of potatoes are also present in the field of cosmetology. There is nothing better than a porridge made from young root vegetables. And this product is no exception. Rejuvenating masks are best done 2-3 times a week and your skin will be toned and beautiful!

We figured out what potatoes are useful for, but this is not all that your vegetable is capable of! It can be used to lower the temperature (apply porridge), as a prophylaxis against cancer, to normalize blood pressure during arrhythmias, and much more. Therefore, it makes no sense even to argue whether potatoes are healthy or not. But what kind of damage it can bring to the body, now let's figure it out.

The negative effects of the vegetable

Did you know that potatoes can not only cripple but also kill? And we are not talking about a 500-gram tuber falling from the 9th floor, but about the composition of this vegetable. Let's look at all the harm of potatoes in detail.

1. Old tubers are poison. Solanine builds up over time can damage the human nervous system and cause paralysis. This applies to tubers that have been in the sun for a long time or have been stored for a long time in the basement. If they turn green, this is the first sign of the onset of poisonous accumulation. It is better to throw them away immediately.
2. Chlorophyll is a powerful toxin. With constant heating of the crop (if it is too close to the top of the earth) and exposure to sunlight, chlorophyll is released, which can poison the body. The person will feel unwell, possibly poisoning.
3. Diabetics should be wary of potatoes. She has too high a glycemic index (blood sugar rises rapidly). It is also not recommended to eat it while following a diet - weight is quickly gained due to starches and high nutritional value.

You should not abuse this product, since it is not only useful, but can greatly harm your body. Eat the right diet.

How to choose the right potatoes

When you go, the benefits and harms of which were described above, then some advice from experienced gardeners will come in handy so as not to fall for the tricks of unscrupulous traders and not buy bad goods. In appearance and condition, it is possible to assess not only some of the taste, but even its benefits for human health. Let's consider in more detail.

1. Pay attention to the shape of the tubers. If you want to know if potatoes are healthy or not, then, first of all, evaluate the correctness of the geometry of each apple... If it is deformed or twisted, it is the first sign of herbicide use.
2. Black, light spots on the peel - the root crop is not spared by fungal diseases. It is better to put such a product aside or subject it to strong heat treatment (frying or boiling).
3. A sluggish one cannot be taken, since it was at a high temperature or was stored for a long time, it will contain an increased amount of chlorophyll or even poisons.
4. Choose only light-colored tubers, avoid those with a greenish tint- they are dangerous to health, you can get poisoned.
5. Give preference to the middle fraction, avoid huge specimens of 500 g or more -

They largely depend on the climatic, weather and soil conditions of cultivation. Also, the determining factors are the genetic characteristics of the varieties and their degree of maturity.

According to scientists, each tuber to one degree or another contains:

• Water- takes up to 76%.
• Starch- on average it takes up to 80% of the total composition. In the conditions of cellars, its amount is rapidly decreasing, which is associated with the transformation of starchy grains into sugars.
• Sahara- are represented by maltose, sucrose, glucose and phosphoric esters. But the more of these components are contained in the fruits, the worse their quality. Overly sugary specimens taste sweet and darken when cooked.
• Cellulose- contains only 1%. It is more concentrated near the peel, less in the core.
• Hemicellulose- the content is equal to 1 percent, together with fiber it is the basis of cells.

• Nitrogenous substances- represented by crude protein, about 3%. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that in terms of biological value, they are practically not inferior to meat and proteins. This fact is due to the interacting essential amino acids.
• Vitamins PP, K, E C, B1, B2, B6, pantothenic acid, sirhotin, inositol, biotin.
• Minerals- sodium, boron, magnesium, iron, iodine, manganese, cobalt, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, silicon, bromine, copper, chlorine. But they are unevenly distributed in the tuber. The largest amount is accumulated by the skin, and the smallest - by the core of the fruit.
• Mineral salts- these are mainly potassium and phosphorus formations, which contribute to the alkaline balance of blood cells.
• Amino acids- lysine, valine, isoleucine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine, phenylalanine, threonine.
• Organic acids- lemon, apple, isolimone, oxalic, wine, milk, cinchona, pyruvic, chlorogenic.

• Titratable acids- make up no more than 12%.
• Carotenoids- are dyes. In yellow-fruited types of potatoes, up to 0.15%, and in white-fruited - 0.02%.
• Flavones, anthocyanins, flavonoids- are the main components of potato skins.
• Coumarins.
• Amides- are represented by glutamine and asparagine.
• Nitrogen-containing glycosides- chaconin and solanine. The effect of these components is noticeable by a certain bitterness that appears in the mouth when the peel is chewed. If you store potatoes under light, the amount of glycoalkaloids in its composition increases, resulting in the fruit becoming.
• Pectins- equal to 0.7%.

On average, experts calculated 4.6 g of proteins, 0.4 g of fat, 18.1 g of carbohydrates per 100 grams of raw potato fruits with a caloric content of 80 kcal. It is noted that fats consist of myristic, palmitic, linoleic, and linolenic acids, which are characterized by the most important nutritional value.

What is useful for the body

Traditional healers advise using mashed hot tubers as compresses to treat coughs, eczema, and other skin lesions. Grated raw potatoes help with fungal and erysipelas diseases.

Potatoes in the cooking of different countries

By the time the potatoes reached the Russian table, Western Europe was already breeding new varieties and advising exquisite culinary masterpieces from its fruits. Russians for a long time they considered the vegetable a "devil's apple" and could not come to terms with the idea of ​​it for human health.
They were imbued with a special love for the plant Belarusians... To this day, this culture is the leader in the country's vegetable growing and is considered the main dish of any table.

Indian tribes, who discovered wonderful fruits thousands of years ago, prepared canned food "chuno" from them. To this end, the vegetables were first frozen and then dried naturally. Such a dish did not spoil even after 4 years.
Modern peruvian people still keeps the recipe of "Huankaina Papas" with great care. The dish is an ordinary "jacket" potato, peeled and cut into slices, and then poured with a sauce of processed cheese, milk, vegetable oil, lemon juice, cream and black ground.

But famous all over the world French fries prepared by wrapping washed tubers in foil and then baking. Then they are peeled, put in clay pots, poured with sour cream, nutmeg, butter, salt are added and baked again.
To all foreign guests Scotland local chefs offer breaded potatoes, a national dish. It is prepared from tubers boiled "in their uniforms", which are then peeled and cut into slices. They are doused in a pre-prepared mixture of finely chopped ham, salt, flour and bread crumbs. The finished slices are dipped in batter and fried in butter.

What varieties are suitable for what

To find the perfect potato variety for boiling, frying, stewing and baking, you need to be familiar with the level of starchiness of the varieties. After all, the more this component is in the fruits, the tastier they are. These potatoes have a mealy crumbly texture.

For example, the "Russets" variety is just perfect for baking pancakes, cooking mashed potatoes and fries... It absorbs cream and milk well, is able to retain a lot of oxygen, due to which it seems airy. Along with this, highly starchy varieties easily absorb water and therefore fall apart during cooking. This means that this type is not suitable for salads. The varieties "Sintez" and "Temp" got here.
Tubers with average starch values seem a little wetter than the previous ones and keep their shape well. Experienced chefs advise using them for casseroles, baking in foil or frying. We are talking about yellow Finns, purple and white tubers. They are also suitable for filling and potato salad, as they are characterized by soft flesh and are easy to boil. Among the popular varieties are "Vector", "Adretta", "Zhuravinka".

Important! To find out the level of starch in a potato tuber at home, cut it in half, and then intensively rub the resulting slices against each other. The water that appears on the cut indicates a dense, non-boiling pulp and low starchiness. Well, if the halves stick together, then you have a highly starchy specimen in your hands.

Tubers in which low in starch grains, are distinguished by a very dense "waxy" structure, which does not boil well. Such specimens are more suitable for salads. They are often identified by their red, ruby ​​rind and yellow core. These are the varieties "Rose Finn Apple", "Butterfinger", "Sifra", "Aladdin", "Rumba", "Annushka", "Carrera".

Recipes for use in traditional medicine

The benefits of raw potatoes does not go into any comparison with boiled or baked. Grated fresh tubers are recommended for cardiovascular diseases, as well as ulcers, swelling of various origins, and nausea.

Traditional healers advise to take inside no more than 150 g of the resulting gruel 30 minutes before meals. Be prepared that it will be difficult at first to swallow this amount of unpleasant medication, so start with the 30 gram dose and gradually increase it to the indicated dose.

Grated potato mass is also very effective for external use. With its help, you can get rid of painful, long-healing wounds, burns and even warts. But in this case, the gruel needs to be squeezed out a little and wrapped in gauze.

For hemorrhoids, candles from raw tubers are very effective. Treatment should be continued for 3 weeks, followed by a repeat one month later.
Do not rush to pour out the remaining water after boiling the potatoes. This broth can save you from the excruciating colic with urolithiasis. Especially valuable is the remaining liquid after potatoes "in their uniforms". They drink it in a quarter of a glass for 20 days with a break of 1 month.

It helps a lot with coughs and inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. potato inhalations... To do this, sprinkle the tubers cooked in the peel with a small amount of baking soda and inhale the hot steam for 15 minutes.

A common delicacy for many in the form of charcoal-baked potatoes helps to get rid of diarrhea and allergic reactions. For treatment, it is enough to peel the charcoal and peel, after which you can enjoy the prepared dish to your heart's content.
Some herbalists for the treatment of cancer advise to brew a tablespoon of plant flowers with 1 liter of boiling water. After the liquid has been infused in a steam bath or in a thermos for 3 hours, it must be filtered. Take the infusion in a tablespoon 30 minutes before meals. After using 4 liters of liquid, you need to take a four week break. But in such cases, the therapy is very individual. Therefore, you should not experiment with your body - be sure to consult with your doctor.

Did you know? The most expensive potato variety in the world is "La Bonnotte", which is widely cultivated on the island of Noirmoutier. A kilogram will cost 500 euros.

Home cosmetology recipes

If you want to have firm and velvety skin of the face, prepare a young potato mask. Twenty minutes of application will be enough to obtain the desired result and smooth out fine expression lines. In addition, potatoes whiten and nourish the epidermis with vitamins. To enhance the effect, many ladies add warm milk to the home remedy.
For cosmetic purposes, raw, boiled tubers, as well as freshly squeezed juice are most often used. Such masks promote cell regeneration, moisturize, soften and tone the skin. At the same time, the product does not completely irritate the epidermis and does not cause allergies, but tightens the enlarged pores. juice and light beer. A little salt will also do the trick. All components are added to the grated potato gruel and mixed thoroughly. It is applied on the face, avoiding the area around the eyes, and kept for 25 minutes, after which it is washed off with warm water.
For softening the cuticles and rejuvenating the skin of the hands trays of vegetable broth are recommended. It can also be applied to the hair, which helps nourish the hair follicles and improve the health of the hair.

Contraindications and harm

The pulp and peel of potatoes, thanks to the solanine they contain, may not be beneficial, but harmful. It is characteristic that it is concentrated in small quantities in tubers. And with a long stay of the fruits under good lighting, their color changes to green. This indicates an increase in the toxin in the tubers. If you come across such specimens, the greened part must be removed to a light pulp.

Important! Pesticides on potatoes can be used no more than twice a season. Otherwise, the tubers will absorb toxic substances and will be unusable.

Proper use of potatoes will not hurt. But if you eat only these vegetables for a long time, you are guaranteed to get weight gain... To prevent this from happening, consume at least 200 g of baked or boiled product. But dishes fried and cooked in a deep fat fryer will not bring anything good. From such a diet, problems with the digestive tract, liver and pancreas are possible. Note that if there are only 80 calories in 100 g of raw potatoes, then in the same amount of fries there are 500 of them.
Remember that fruits contain water-soluble nutrients. Therefore, if you add a lot of water when cooking potato dishes, all vitamins, proteins and healthy salts will go away.

not recommended people with sexually transmitted diseases and increased sexual arousal. Also, contraindications apply to people suffering from urolithiasis, enterocolitis, enteritis, bowel disease, flatulence, obesity. With caution, such therapy and culinary dishes should be treated by those who have high acidity of gastric juice and diabetes mellitus. In any case, it is important to get expert advice and not self-medicate.

Now you have learned how useful and harmful potatoes are, whether they can be eaten raw, how to prepare a medicine and skin care product, who is better off refraining from a familiar product. We hope this knowledge will help you choose the right variety for an unrivaled season or other dish. Take care of yourself and remember that everything is fine in moderation.

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9 once already
helped

The potato phenomenon never ceases to amaze even after centuries. The root crop imported from overseas has taken root so much on the Eurasian continent that sometimes it is hard to believe in its "foreign" origin. Today it is difficult to imagine any menu at all, be it a festive dinner or a daily meal, without potato dishes. From this garden culture, you can prepare a lot of healthy and hearty snacks, soups, main courses. But, probably, even all delicious dishes are superior in popularity to simple boiled potatoes.

Potato myths and legends

Now it is hard to believe that the path to the top of popularity for the potato was long and arduous. At first, the overseas vegetable was not very popular in high society, and it was completely inaccessible to ordinary people. But, thanks to the art of the best culinary specialists of that time, the vegetable gradually began to win the sympathy of people. He relatively quickly cultivated in different countries, where he began to be actively cultivated and served to the table in the houses of the nobility and the poor.

But not everything went so smoothly. Myths about the negative impact of potatoes have significantly spoiled his ratings. When it first appeared in Europe, some scientists of that time expressed the opinion that the vegetable contains poisons and can cause serious poisoning. A little later, at the end of the 19th century, potatoes were accused of contributing to weight gain. Supporters of this hypothesis are found today. Of course, there is some truth in this. But the cause of obesity lies not in the product itself, but in the way it is prepared. Fried potatoes, and even flavored with a fat sauce, are a source of extra calories. If you cook potato dishes according to all the rules, it will only benefit the body.

Advantages of potatoes

Let's try to figure out what potatoes are useful for, and how they can harm.

The tubers of this unpretentious garden crop contain a lot of nutrients. First of all, these are antioxidants that remain in the product even after boiling. Young potatoes are considered the most useful, but tubers that are stored for a long time already practically do not have such qualities.

Boiled potatoes are useful for blood vessels and digestive organs, for renal pathologies and problems of the genitourinary sphere. And its high starch content blocks the accumulation of cholesterol. In general, potato starch is an invaluable product because it:

• possesses bactericidal properties;
• promotes wound healing;
• reduces the acidity of gastric secretions;
• normalizes the stomach and intestines.

Boiled potato tubers have many other advantages: a neutral taste, product availability, and high nutritional value. In addition, in this form, the vegetable goes well with any meat and fish.

What elements are contained in boiled potatoes

Contrary to popular belief that boiled vegetables are useful only for fiber, it has been scientifically proven that when potatoes are boiled, healthy elements are preserved in them. Most of them are found in "uniform" potatoes. But in a peeled vegetable there are a lot of useful substances:

• vitamin group - K, C, E, A, B;
• mineral complex: potassium, sodium, magnesium and other elements;
• choline is a substance that reduces the concentration of fatty acids.

Well-boiled potatoes are recommended for patients after abdominal surgeries as a dietary meal to restore nutrition. It helps people who are fasting to smoothly return to their normal diet. Traditional healers claim that boiled potatoes help with arthritis and other joint problems.

What diseases can be treated with potatoes

Potatoes have many useful properties. The main thing is to cook it correctly. It must be remembered that during cooking, a significant part of the starch remains in the broth. Many are accustomed to draining the liquid without even thinking about how useful it is for the body. The broth after boiling potatoes is considered a valuable dietary product that has a positive effect on digestion.

Boiled potatoes can help you lose weight. To do this, you should cook mashed potatoes with dill, and then supplement the dishes with natural yogurt. The recipe is as follows: for ½ kg of potatoes, you need 100 g of yogurt and about 30 g of dill (it must be finely chopped). To make the puree light and airy, it is better to pass it through a blender.

In addition to improving the shape of the figure, boiled potatoes are capable of:

• improve the elastic properties of blood vessels;
• reduce blood pressure (you need to regularly drink potato broth);
• cure a cough and a runny nose by breathing steam over potatoes boiled in a peel;
• bronchitis can be quickly cured by applying potato cakes to the chest.

baked potato

The baked product is useful not only because it has a low calorie content, it is also able to show its healing qualities. Traditional healers advise using mashed potatoes prepared in this way to treat boils, carbuncles and other pustular skin diseases. For a therapeutic effect, it is enough to apply a potato cake to the inflamed area. Ash-baked potatoes are also used to treat bronchitis and laryngitis using potato chest wrap.

Important! Warming compresses are not placed on the heart area. This rule applies to other similar procedures.

How potatoes can harm

One thing can be said about the harmful properties of this wonderful vegetable - it is a relative concept. Of course, if the diet does not consist of one potato. If you eat boiled or baked potatoes no more than 200 g per day, then you don't have to worry about weight at all. You should not cook dishes with potatoes for dinner, then calories will not accumulate in the form of fat deposits. It is best to use any kind of vegetable for lunch.

If boiled potatoes do not pose any threat to health, then the same cannot be said about another popular dish - French fries. Unfortunately, manufacturers do not always change the oil in the deep fryer, which contributes to the formation of carcinogens. Fried potatoes are not recommended for people with diseases of the liver, stomach, kidneys. The dish is contraindicated for those who have problems with cholesterol.

An important point! Potatoes need to be stored properly, otherwise the tubers may take on a greenish tint. This color indicates the formation of a solanine component, which can cause severe poisoning.

Potatoes are a unique product that is always and in any form appropriate on the table. And in order for it to really bring maximum health benefits, you need to create optimal conditions for its storage and properly prepare dishes from it.

Video: the benefits and harms of potatoes

The beneficial properties of potatoes are known to most people. It is widely used for cooking and in folk medicine. Thanks to its nutritional and healing properties, potatoes are our second bread. Now many cannot imagine a day without this product.

Historical reference

Blinded by the glitter of gold and silver, the conquerors of South America did not see the main wealth of the Inca tribe. He was not noticed in Europe either. These are regular potatoes.

In truth, for two centuries this vegetable has only been fed to pigs, horses, and prisoners. Because the fruit growing underground and therefore dirty was considered unsuitable food for eating. During the constant and massive famine, skeptics were not convinced even by the fact that potatoes yield three times more yield than wheat, and, moreover, are more nutritious.

In the end, the French pharmacist Antoine Auguste Parmentier, freed from Prussian captivity at the end of the Seven Years War, managed to distribute the vegetable. With the help of a dinner party, where the treats consisted of potato dishes, he convinced King Louis XVI and all of France of the high taste and nutritional properties of the fruit. Since then, it began to be used throughout Europe, except Italy. Even now, Italians eat potatoes less than the rest of the world.

In Russia, the plant did not take root. But the society succeeded in promoting potatoes thanks to Andrei Timofeevich Bolotov. This is the first person who began to grow a vegetable not for fun, but to get a harvest and scientifically study the properties of potatoes and the process of their growth. Later, Bolotov's articles on the benefits of the new plant began to be published. But the "potato revolution" was still a long way off.

The peasant population did not accept potatoes because of frequent cases of poisoning. They ate the ground parts of it, which led to negative consequences. Riots began against this culture. Over time, the "potato revolution" was crowned with success. And by the beginning of the twentieth century, the vegetable was already popular on the tables of thousands of people.

Vegetable composition

What are potatoes useful for? Approximately 30% of the vegetable mass is carbohydrates, 2% - proteins, 0.4% - lipids. Potatoes are rich in various amino acids. The potassium content in the fruit per 100 grams is 568 mg, as well as a significant amount of magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and cobalt. Potatoes contain vitamins C, B, PP and others. Potatoes also contain fiber and folic acid. The calorie content of a vegetable is on average 77 kcal per 100 g.

Young potatoes have the highest nutritional value. It is low in carbohydrates and high in nutrients. This is enough to keep the immune system in combat condition. Young potatoes contain bioflavonoids that strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Young potatoes are almost a dietary product. It lowers cholesterol levels and prevents water from retaining in tissues. Also, potatoes have a beneficial effect on many processes in the body.

The nutritional value of a young vegetable is much higher than that of long-term storage potatoes. A common method of making it is boiling. When potatoes are boiled and baked, more nutrients are retained in the skins.

Properties

1. It has properties to strengthen the immune system and fight free radicals thanks to its vitamin C in the composition. With its properties, it will definitely provide you with energy and vitality.
2. Potatoes normalize protein and carbohydrate balance. The phosphorus present in it helps maintain the acid-base balance and form active forms of vitamins.
3. The folate in this vegetable is needed to form new cells and keep them healthy. It is necessary for pregnant women for the normal development of the fetus.
4. Adding raw young vegetables to food helps to strengthen the nail plates and improve the appearance of hair. This is possible due to the presence of keratins in the composition.
5. The use of potatoes reduces the concentration of cholesterol, improves blood microcirculation, removes vasospasm.
6. Potatoes are used as a prophylactic against scurvy and rheumatism.
7. Potato juice activates anti-inflammatory processes. It is recommended for the prevention of cancer.
8. Potato starch protects the stomach lining from damage when taking potent drugs. It is also recommended to take a bath with potato starch to relieve itching and redness of the skin.
9. The vegetable works well for dehydration and flaking of the skin. For such problems, it is recommended to make masks from raw potatoes or use potato juice instead of tonic.
10. This vegetable is an excellent alkalizing agent. It is used when getting out of fasting or dieting, as well as in case of high blood acidity.
11. With the regular use of the "blue" variety of vegetables in food, blood pressure decreases and the heart rate normalizes.

Potential harm

The fruits of the potatoes, which are located above the aerial part of the plant, contain a lot of poisonous substance - solanine. It leads to severe poisoning, and in some cases even death is possible. This substance is distributed throughout the plant. A small part of it spreads to tubers.

Solanine is comparable to bee venom. Small amounts of it are even beneficial to the body. The substance is used in pharmacology, creating drugs for the treatment of asthma. But if there is a lot of solanine, it can lead to nausea, headaches, fever, and stomach inflammation.

Potatoes produce this dangerous substance to protect themselves from pests and the sun. For your safety, choose tubers that have not been stored in the sun, have not been cut during harvest, and have no green spots on the skin.

Some people are frightened by the fact that there is a large amount of starch in the plant. Many consider it harmful for the figure. This is partly true. There is little starch in a young vegetable, which means that it can be considered useful and not harmful to the figure. But during storage, the amount of starch increases. The longer a vegetable is stored, the more starch becomes in it and the less useful vitamins and minerals are retained.

There are some contraindications to eating potatoes:

• obesity,
• digestive problems
• urolithiasis disease,
• flatulence,
• sexually transmitted diseases.

To get the most of the nutrients, avoid fruits with green spots. Cutting them off when peeling a vegetable does not mean you have gotten rid of the solanine in the product. Better to boil or bake the skinned potatoes. For mashed potatoes, cut raw potatoes into large pieces. Fried vegetable is of little use, it is better to exclude this dish from the diet.

So, we have answered the question, what is the use of potatoes. It provides us with the necessary vitamins and minerals, and also gives us energy for the whole day. By adhering to the rules for choosing a vegetable and storing it, you will only benefit yourself. Good health to you!

Potatoes are a root vegetable that has recently become known to the Russian population. Even in the time of Peter the Great, they began to eat it steamed and boiled.

At the moment, a rare feast does without his participation in the composition of a particular dish. Both men and women, children and the elderly are very fond of this root crop, which has excellent taste, and also goes well with other products, which allows you to add potato tubers to salads and soups. Most people are also very fond of mashed potatoes, which can be eaten with salads, pickles, and various other snacks.

What are the benefits of potatoes? Few can answer this question, but a large number of nutritionists recommend using this product.

About the composition

The composition of potatoes contains a considerable amount of nutrients that contribute to the development and maintenance of the health of the human body. Also, as you know, there is a considerable amount of starch in it, but the value of the tubers is far from this.

As part of this vegetable, vitamins such as C, PP and several elements belonging to group B are isolated. As you know, they have a beneficial effect on the body's work, improving the quality of blood, kidney function and more.

Potatoes also contain several types of nutrients, among which nutritionists secrete iron, potassium, magnesium, carbohydrates, chromium and phosphorus. What these and other substances that make up the composition affect are indicated below.

Benefits for the digestive system

As you know, potatoes are recommended to be eaten by small children. This is due to the fact that at an early age, special attention should be paid to work from the digestive system, which is perfectly adjusted by this type of vegetable. So, what are the benefits of potatoes for the digestive system? First of all, by the fact that it improves metabolism, eliminating excess acid entering the intestines and stomach.

Almost all gastroenterologists advise people with diseases of the intestinal tract to drink potato juice on an empty stomach, the beneficial properties of which are that it significantly reduces the level of acidity in the intestines and stomach.

For bones

Particular attention to potatoes in any form should be paid to those people who suffer from a shortage in the body of substances such as zinc, iron, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. These components are responsible for the proper development and health of the musculoskeletal system and bones in general. In addition, these minerals ensure the proper condition and development of bone tissue, which is especially necessary for children of any age.

As for zinc, which is also found in potatoes, it has a beneficial effect on collagen production, which is necessary for the normal health of cartilage, joints, skin and ligaments.

Strengthening the nervous system

In modern conditions, strengthening the nervous system is a paramount task. In particular, all those who wish to improve the level of activity of their brain, as well as the state of the nervous system, must necessarily include potato dishes in their diet. This is due to the fact that this vegetable contains a large amount of vitamin B6, which forms norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin, which help a person get out of stress.

The vegetable also has a high level of glucose, which contributes to the development of human brain activity.

Improving the cardiovascular system

Anyone suffering from cardiovascular diseases should also pay attention to potatoes. It is this product that contains vitamin C, B-6 and fiber - substances that strengthen this body system and rarely halves the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease.

In addition, the presence of fiber helps to dramatically reduce the level of cholesterol contained in the blood, and vitamin B-6 reduces the likelihood of vascular damage.

Application in traditional medicine

The fact that potatoes are an incredibly healthy vegetable has long been known in Russia. Even in those days, its tubers were widely used to treat cuts, burns, eczema. Currently, modern grandmothers and mothers cure bronchitis in their children with the help of potato steam, which has a beneficial effect on the respiratory canals.

About the benefits of juice

What are potatoes good for? First of all, with its juice, which is rich in various vitamins and minerals. This fresh product has pronounced diuretic properties, and also perfectly helps with belching, heartburn, and other problems with the digestive system, including gastritis.

Among the positive properties of potato juice, such as cleansing the body are also known. Its regular use, even in small quantities, helps to cleanse the entire body of unwanted toxins, toxins and salts. And if you combine it with the juice of other vegetables (for example, carrots and celery), you can get an excellent remedy that has a calming effect on the human nervous system.

About the dangers of potato juice

However, despite the beneficial properties of potato juice, contraindications and problems associated precisely with its excessive use, has not yet been canceled. First of all, they are associated with the presence of certain diseases in a person who consumes this vegetable. First of all, it is not recommended to abnormally consume freshly squeezed potato juice for those who suffer from obesity. Despite the beneficial properties of potato juice, a contraindication and even a ban on its use can be imposed for those who have pancreatic diseases. Moreover, this is despite the fact that this product has a beneficial effect on the entire digestive system as a whole.

About the dangers of potato tubers

Despite the presence of a large number of useful properties in potatoes, there are still contraindications and even prohibitions on its use. And they are primarily associated with improper preparation. For example, research has shown that cooking potatoes above 120 ℃ produces a chemical known as acrylamide. This compound, which is found in plastics, glues, dyes, and cigarette smoke, has been found to play a role in some forms of cancer. According to most nutritionists, fried potatoes are highly undesirable foods. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, during the cooking process, the tubers absorb a lot of oil, which then enters the stomach. As a result, the dish turns out to be fatty and very high in calories. Secondly, fried in itself is not very healthy. And, thirdly, they usually consume it with a lot of salt and sauces, which are also quite harmful. For this reason, it is better to replace it with baked potatoes, the benefits and harms of which are also ambiguous, but nevertheless, most experts are inclined towards this particular cooking method.

Also, any housewife who buys tubers of such a vegetable in a store should pay attention to the presence of green spots on them. In the event that they are available on root crops, it is advisable to refrain from buying this product, since these defects strictly indicate that the vegetable contains a large amount of solanine, which can accumulate if potatoes are stored for a long time. Why is this substance dangerous? First of all, the fact that they can be poisoned. As a rule, the first symptoms of poisoning after eating such poor-quality products are the presence of a feeling of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, shortness of breath.

Jacket potatoes

Often, experienced housewives cook potatoes exclusively in their skins on their table. What are the benefits of jacket potatoes? First of all, its beneficial effect is due to the fact that the composition of the root vegetable cooked in the peel contains a very high content of fiber (many nutritionists claim that it contains five times more fiber than a banana). In addition, the tuber prepared in this way contains a high percentage of vitamin C, which helps the human body to protect itself from viral diseases, as well as from colds, which is especially important in cool seasons. It is also known that vitamin C favorably fights free radicals that cause premature aging.

Boiled potatoes in their skins also strengthen the immune system due to the presence of a large amount of selenium in their composition. This microelement also improves the structure of nails and hair, which is especially appreciated by the fair sex.

People who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system and obesity can drink the decoction that remains after cooking jacket potatoes - it helps to fight such problems.

Baked potato

Such a vegetable, cooked in a baked form, belongs to the category of low-calorie dishes, which are often recommended by nutritionists for those who want to lose weight, but would like to eat tasty, inexpensive and healthy food at the same time. What are the benefits of baked potatoes?

A vegetable prepared in this way contains a huge amount of vitamins, carbohydrates and proteins necessary for the normal development of the body.

When eating such a product, one should not forget that its peel contains a large amount of potassium, which is very useful for a person, especially for his kidneys and cardiovascular system. Such tubers are well absorbed in the stomach and do not cause the feeling of heaviness inherent in some other products.

Raw potatoes

The contraindications of potato juice and its benefits were mentioned above. However, no less useful component is the pulp of a fresh vegetable, which remains after the squeeze is made. The fact is that it has excellent anti-inflammatory properties. It will also help well with burns and wounds. Vegetable gruel will relieve inflammation well. And any wound with such a compress will heal faster.

Helps raw potatoes in the process of personal care. So, for example, many women know the results obtained from applying raw potatoes to the blue circles under the eyes - they disappear literally in 10 minutes.

What else is raw potatoes good for? It contains a lot of zinc and potassium, which are very necessary for the body at any age. Their greatest concentration is in the peel, which, unfortunately, most housewives throw in the trash. In addition, it contains the largest number of components that can help in the assimilation of starch by the human body.