Why you should eat more potatoes – and the healthiest ways to cook them

Yahoo

22-05-2025

Boiled, mashed, fried or baked, potatoes have long been a beloved part of the British diet. From fish and chips to bangers and mash or perfectly crisped with a Sunday roast, they're the classic comfort food.
Ever since the 1500s, when they were first brought to Europe from South America, potatoes have been a favourite filling staple. But the once undisputed king of carbs is losing its place on British plates, edged out by rice and noodles. Vilified by the protein-loving, anti-carb brigade, blamed for everything from weight gain to blood-sugar spikes; it's no wonder the potato has lost its crown.
But the humble spud has does not deserve this bad rap.
'I often tell clients to consider swapping some of the rice or pasta that they eat each week for potatoes,' says Sophie Trotman, a nutritionist. 'Potatoes contain a lot of micronutrients, as well as a good amount of fibre and resistant starch, both of which are crucial to gut health and may help prevent bowel cancer.'
Here is why potatoes can be a health superhero – if eaten in the right way.
The health benefits
The drawbacks
How much potato should I eat?
The healthiest way to eat potatoes
Healthiest types of potatoes
Recipes
Potatoes have many health benefits, including:
High in vitamins and minerals
High in fibre and resistant starch
Packed with antioxidants
Can boost skin health and the immune system
Good for gut health
Low in calories
Super satiating
Potatoes contain a huge array of micronutrients: they are packed with large amounts of vitamins C and B6, potassium, folate and magnesium, along with some iron and phosphorus. A medium-sized russet potato contains around 17mg of phosphorous (which is good for bone and muscle health), nearly half the daily intake recommended by the NHS, and more potassium (which helps regulate fluids and blood pressure) than a banana. Both make potatoes excellent for the health of your skin and immune system.
'The vitamin B6 in potatoes plays an important role in supporting the nervous system,' says Rob Hobson, a nutritionist and the author of Unprocess Your Family Life. 'The potassium they contain contributes to blood pressure regulation and normal muscle function.' Magnesium, meanwhile, is important for healthy sleep.
Despite all of this, 'potatoes themselves are relatively low in calories – it's often what we do to them that makes the difference,' notes Hobson. Around 100g of plain potato contains around 80 calories, a meagre amount compared with the same serving of cooked white pasta, which can come in at up to 200 calories.
Then there are the antioxidants that come with potatoes. The root vegetable is rich in flavonoids, carotenoids and phenolic acids, all of which can be protective against cancer, diabetes and heart disease. 'Purple or orange-fleshed potatoes are higher in antioxidants because their colour indicates a higher level of polyphenols,' Hobson explains. 'But even white potatoes contain a good amount, which is one of the reasons they're such a nutritious food.'
The main reason nutritionists rave about the health benefits of potatoes, however, is their fibre content. 'A medium potato contains around 2g of insoluble fibre, which means that they are great for keeping you regular and also for balancing your blood sugar,' says Trotman.
White potatoes are a complex carbohydrate, meaning that they take more energy to digest and stay in your system for longer. This puts them 'more on par with brown rice or pasta health-wise than with white pasta, rice or bread, which are refined carbohydrates,' Trotman adds.
Potatoes that have been cooked and then cooled also contain resistant starch, a type of carbohydrate that can't be digested well by the small intestine, so instead ferments in the large intestine, 'acting as a prebiotic,' Trotman says. This fermentation process produces short-chain fatty acids that contribute to various health benefits, such as reduced inflammation and lower blood sugar.
Another score for potatoes: they are the most filling and satisfying food on the planet. Boiled potatoes top the satiety index, created in the 1990s by Australian researcher Dr Susanna Holt, which ranks different foods for their ability to quell hunger relative to their calorie content.
'Potatoes are naturally filling thanks to their water content, resistant starch, fibre, and overall bulk,' explains Hobson. By Holt's ranking, potatoes are twice as filling as wholemeal bread and three times as filling as white bread. 'You don't need to eat a huge amount to feel satisfied, which makes them a helpful food if you're looking to manage your weight,' Hobson says.
Low in protein
Contain solanine, which can cause nausea
High glycaemic index
Being such a dense source of carbohydrates, potatoes lack both fat and protein. 'This is why I wouldn't recommend that people eat potatoes for three meals a day every day,' says Trotman. That said, 'usually people don't eat potatoes on their own. I'd just advise pairing them with a lean protein like fish or chicken.'
Further to this, potatoes are high on the glycemic index, a ranking of carbohydrate-based foods for their propensity to spike blood sugar, followed by blood sugar dips 'that can make people crave sugary or starchy foods more quickly,' Trotman explains. Foods that have a high glycemic index should be eaten carefully by people with prediabetes or diabetes for this reason.
'Getting through a lot of potatoes in one sitting can be a problem for your blood sugar and can potentially contribute to excess calorie consumption,' she adds. 'They're an excellent food to have as a regular part of your diet – you just need to be careful to eat them in moderation and be aware of the right portion sizes for your meals.'
'Potatoes belong to the nightshade family, along with tomatoes and aubergines,' Hobson explains. 'This means they contain solanine – a natural compound that can cause issues like nausea or abdominal pain for some people in large amounts. You'll mostly find it in sprouting or green potatoes, so just cut away any green or soft bits and sprouts before cooking.'
Potatoes are no more fattening than any other food, in and of themselves. 'Carbohydrates contain fewer calories per gram than fat — but it depends how you prepare them,' says Hobson. 'Adding butter, cheese, or cream to potatoes increases their calorie content significantly. Fat also makes food more palatable, which can lead to overeating.'
This goes a long way in explaining why chips, especially the triple-cooked sort, coming in at up to 250 calories per 100g, can quickly become fattening. 'It's very easy to get through a lot of chips in a sitting,' says Trotman. 'I think that this explains why potatoes have a reputation for causing weight gain.'
Boiled potatoes may top the satiety rankings, but fried, roasted, baked or mashed potatoes are less filling, as they lose some of their water content as they are cooked.
According to the NHS, starchy carbs like potatoes should make up around a third of your daily food intake. The official daily guideline intake of carbs for women is 230g per day, while men should aim for 300g per day, around a third of the daily calorie requirement for both sexes respectively.
'I wouldn't recommend that you get all of your carbohydrates from potatoes. As with anything, variety is important to a healthy diet and eating a wide range of carb sources helps you eat different types of meals,' says Trotman. That said, if you were to eat potatoes alone to meet your carb needs, you could eat around nine medium boiled potatoes every day if you were a woman, or twelve if you were a man.
Nutritional values are per 100g
86 calories, 0.1g fat
The potato that takes the crown as healthiest is unsurprising: 'boiled is best,' say both Hobson and Trotman, 'but obviously not if they're covered in butter,' Hobson points out.
A tablespoon of butter adds around 100 calories. If you must add fats, both Hobson and Trotman recommend olive oil. It is slightly more calorific per tablespoon, 'but better for your heart, and contains lots of polyphenols,' Trotman says.
'It can be helpful to add other flavourings like salt, black pepper, garlic or thyme, or milk instead of butter in the case of mash, so that you aren't tempted to load up with fat,' adds Trotman.
They are maximally satiating and easy to cook. 'I often add vegetables to potatoes; it's a simple way to tick off more nutrients in one go,' Hobson says.
93 calories, 0.1g fat
A plain baked potato contains slightly more calories per-gram, as it loses water during the baking process (and therefore some of its satiety too). But we all know that a baked potato is really a vessel for toppings, and that's where calories and fat can creep in. Fortunately 'there are lots of healthy options,' says Trotman. 'I like a tuna mayo, with lots of sweetcorn and Greek yogurt instead of full-fat mayonnaise.'
120 calories, 6g fat
They may be the nation's favourite, but a roast potato can quickly become super calorific. According to some recipes, where your handful of potatoes are to be brushed with minimal olive oil, they can be kept relatively low-calorie – but this is not what most of us look for in our roasties. A 100g serving of roast potatoes cooked in beef dripping or goose fat can come in at 160 calories, and that's if you can restrain yourself to the three or so chunks recommended.
Whatever you do, don't buy bags of frozen roast potatoes. Shop-bought frozen roasties 'usually contain a lot of UPFs, which make them worse for your health,' says Trotman. Hobson suggests that you 'boil them first, then rough them up to get that crispy texture. Drizzle with a little oil before roasting.'
187 calories, 9.4g fat
Like baked potatoes, mashed potato loses its water content but also its fibre, if stripped of its skin. The pulpy texture of mash also makes it easier for your body to break down, and therefore it becomes less filling.
'Mash can still be healthy,' says Hobson, 'but be mindful of what you're mixing in. A splash of semi-skimmed milk gives creaminess with far fewer calories than cream.' Around 100ml of single cream introduces nearly 200 calories to your potatoes. The same measure of semi-skimmed milk, on the other hand, comes with around 50 calories.
It might be unconventional, but if you must add fat, then you're better off making it olive oil rather than butter, Hobson adds. 'If you're adding fat, olive oil is a better option than butter,' he recommends. 'And keep the skin on — that's where most of the fibre and nutrients are.'
202 calories, 7.1g fat
They may be less calorific than mash, but chips are usually worse for your health. Shop-bought chips vary widely in calorie content, but some of the most popular name brands come in at around 200 calories per 100g serving, 'with a lot of less healthy oils that are bad for your heart,' Trotman says – such as rapeseed and sunflower oil – along with preservatives and stabilisers, which come with the same health risks as shop-bought roast potatoes. 'They're also not usually made of whole potato, another sign of unnecessary processing that strips them of fibre,' Trotman adds.
'If you're making chips at home, leave the skin on. It's an easy win for fibre and nutrients,' says Hobson. A 100g serving of homemade chips cooked in a drizzle of olive oil would come in at about the same calorie content as healthier homemade roast potatoes. Chip shop chips meanwhile, fried multiple times in oils that have been left to go rancid and served with copious amounts of salt, are likely worst of all for your heart and waistline alike.
Sweet potato has a reputation as a health food. But white potatoes are almost as good, says Trotman. 'What you get with sweet potatoes is more antioxidants and vitamins, as you can see from their colour,' she explains. Sweet potatoes also contain slightly more fibre, at 2.1g versus 1.6g per 100g, respectively. The idea that sweet potatoes 'have half the calories' is myth, however – 'and if you load them up with salt, they are going to become unhealthy quickly too'.
'When it comes to white potato varieties – Charlotte, Russet, Maris Piper, Yukon Gold, King Edward – they're all fairly similar nutritionally,' says Hobson. 'Yukon Gold might be better for mash thanks to its creamy texture, which might mean you need less added fat.'
Trotman notes that Russet potatoes have a slightly higher glycaemic index score compared with other varieties, while Charlotte potatoes are lower on the scale, 'but nutritionally they're very similar,' she agrees.
By Sophie Trotman
'No,' says Hobson. 'The skin holds most of the fibre and many nutrients. Just wash them well and leave the skin on, even for mash.'
'Yes, just cut out the green and soft parts and any sprouts,' says Trotman.
'They contain solanine, but as long as you don't eat a lot of them, they're safe,' Trotman says.
'Keep them in a cool, dark place, but not in the fridge. And don't store them near onions, as that can speed up spoilage,' Hobson advises.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.