When you’re looking for a quick and healthy side dish that’s easy to prepare, consider the healthy and incredibly delicious baked potato! Forget those bad things you’ve heard about the potato because most of it is…let’s just say less than true.
[This isn't your regular tasteless health food, the baked potato is tasty and packed with nutrients and energy!]
Don’t think of a baked potato as a boring old dinner idea that you choose simply because it’s healthy. With a little creativity, you can turn the baked potato into go-to side dish when you’re too busy to fuss over a meal.
The Goods on the Potato
In addition to being the most grown crop in the world, potatoes are packed with nutrients. Their worldwide popularity means that potatoes are now grown all year long somewhere in the world (but you should buy local!).
When it comes to nutrients potatoes give you a lot. A baked potato has no saturated or trans fats, giving you the option of adding fat to the dish in the form of butter or cheese. One baked potato provides you with a significant source of Vitamin C, dietary fiber, and iron. Small volumes of calcium and protein are also found in baked potatoes.
Baked potatoes are a great alternative to bananas as a source of potassium with more than 900 mg per serving to keep those pesky muscle cramps at bay!
So Many Options
If you’re not a fan of the baked Russet potato, take a few extra minutes to really look around the produce section of your supermarket. There are a wide variety of potatoes with different flavors to enjoy.
[So many options for baked potatoes yet so few calories!]
Sweet potatoes are so packed with nutrition that you may just want to bake one up with salt and pepper for a midday snack! Yellow and Yukon gold potatoes have a sweeter taste that’s less starchy than a Russet, but just as delicious. If you’re feeling adventurous consider the blue potato from South America. It’s great for baking, and the nutty flavor is so different from other potatoes. Besides, there just aren’t enough blue foods in this world!
How To Choose?
You’ve spotted the potatoes that’ll grace your plate this week and now the question becomes, how do I choose the right potatoes?
That’s actually the easy part. Because you can enjoy the skin of potatoes, you want to choose potatoes that are firm, without soft or mushy parts. Most of the “good stuff” in potatoes are found just below the surface of the skin so it’s important that you choose potatoes that are not discolored. Potatoes that are green or wrinkly should be left in the grocery store because they are likely past their prime.
When you bring your potatoes home, store them in a cool dry place to keep the skin in tact. A fruit or vegetable bowl away from windows is ideal until you’re ready to bake.
Preparation
Rinse and scrub your potatoes before you prepare them for baking. This is especially important for baking or any preparation where the skin will be eaten, because generally we humans find the taste of dirt…unappealing.
Plain Baked Potato Recipe
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke holes all around the potato and bake it in the oven for about 30-50 minutes, or until tender. Bake times will vary depending on the type of potato you choose.
Tasty Additions:
If you’re like most of us, you can’t just eat a naked baked potato. Unfortunately the fixins are where the problems begin with foods like a baked potato. Now that you know the starting calories in a baked potato, it’s time to school yourself on how those additions stack up.
-1 square (5 grams)of butter is 36 calories
-1 ounce (28 g) of cheddar cheese is 113 calories
-1/2 cup (78 g) of salted broccoli is 27 calories
-2 slices (16 g) of crumbled bacon have 82 calories
-2 tablespoons (30 g) of reduced fat sour cream have 40 calories
Just keep in mind that while the calories in a baked potato leave quite a bit of room to add your favorite toppings, some of these tasty toppings are add a lot of not-so-good stuff to your diet. But you now have the knowledge and power to decide what’s right for you.
[Undoubtedly delicious, is this baked potato worth its 580 calories? Remember portion size is EVERYTHING in weight loss]
Consider baked potatoes as the unsung heroes of diets. They allow you to indulge in carbs without going overboard, they taste incredible and one serving is less than 200 calories! You can’t say that about many other comfort foods! Baked potatoes are definitely a food you can eat for weight loss.
Since that baked potato is going to give you some much needed energy, check out our Turbulence Training review to learn a few ways to burn those calories away.
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