Potatoes are part of many diets and have good nutritional value. But not all cooking methods are equally healthy. A recent study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, followed 205,000 adults for more than 30 years. The results: eating three servings of French fries per week was linked to a 20% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Eating baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes was not linked to this risk. The study also found that replacing any type of potato with whole grains can lower diabetes risk.
Science also shows how to make potatoes healthier. One simple trick is to cook them and then cool them in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Cooling changes the potato’s starch into resistant starch – a type of fiber that is not digested in the small intestine. This makes your blood sugar and insulin rise less after eating. Even if you reheat the potato gently after cooling, this benefit remains.
Research shows that baked potatoes have more resistant starch than boiled ones, and cold potatoes (like in potato salad) have more resistant starch than hot or reheated ones. This means a potato salad made with cooked, cooled, and served-cold potatoes is not only tasty but also supported by science as one of the healthiest ways to enjoy this food.
There are plenty of tasty recipes that skip the fries. You can bake potato wedges with herbs, make a fresh potato salad, or prepare boiled potatoes with olive oil and parsley. Bake or boil your potatoes, let them cool before eating, and you’ll enjoy all their goodness without the extra health risks.
Associate Professor at University of Granada