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Elaine Mandrona

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One potato, two potato, Bud the Spud - from children’s games to old standard songs, the potato is deeply planted in our culture.

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In the Maritimes especially, for each of us, it seems that a day can't go by without potato consumption of some sort - boiled potatoes, potato salad, poutine rapee ,baked, mashed or fries. We love our badayduhs. (Not being born a New Brunswicker, this is how the word sounds to my ear.)

Recently maligned by the "low carb" diet craze, potatoes are now making a comeback, as they should. White, yellow, red and purple fleshed varieties are all packed with nutrition and won't make you fat, really. Potatoes are a New World food, believed to be first cultivated 80,000 years ago by Peruvian Indians in the Andes. By 1500, potatoes reached Europe, brought by Spanish explorers and European cuisine has never been the same since.

Historically, potatoes have saved many human populations from starvation. From Ireland to the Ukraine, many new dished were invented using this versatile tuber. Potatoes can grow in harsh climates with short growing seasons and can produce nutritious food on less land than any other major crop.

In Ireland whole families could live one entire year on just one acre of potatoes. That is, until 1845 when the Irish Potato Famine hit. The Irish relied primarily on one variety of potato, the Lumper. Unfortunately, it was susceptible to the potato blight. The rest, as they say, is history.

The blight spurred mass migrations of starving Irish to the New World, many of them our hardy ancestors.

So, back to nutrition. One potato has 620 mg of potassium, a mineral good for blood pressure regulation and muscle activity. It also has iron, lots of Vitamin C which helps in the growth and maintenance of healthy bones, connective tissue and skin, enhances immunity and helps in would healing.

They are also rich in B vitamins which aid in metabolism, healthy nerve function and the manufacture of blood.

They have no fat (if they are eaten plain), loads of fibre and only 110 calories. They are primarily a carbohydrate food, which is the body's main source of energy. However, they also contain protein. How did we ever think badly of them?

One drawback - people sensitive to nightshade family vegetables, to which the potato belongs, may experience some allergic reactions and eating potatoes can aggravate arthritic conditions. But for the rest of us, what's the best way to eat them? Baked in their own skins without much else on, maybe with just a smidgen of butter or better yet, some plain yogurt and chives. Colored varieties have more antioxidants, another plus. Try them all and become a potato connoisseur. And the tastiest of all, tiny new potatoes, available now.

Boiled potatoes with olive oil and diced onion is also a healthy way to enjoy them. Try to find organic varieties, because some conventionally raised potato crops can doused with pesticides and herbicides. If you can't do without your potatoes, lucky for you, they are also easy to store - a food that can fortify you all year long.

* Elaine Mandrona is a locally based registered nutritional consulting practicioner who advises people on nutrition and weight loss. If you would like to reach her, please phone 874-8142.