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r Potatoes
See also Sweet potatoes.Nutritional Profile
Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate
Protein: Moderate
Fat: Low
Saturated fat: Low
Cholesterol: None
Carbohydrates: High
Fiber: High (with skin)
Sodium: Low
Major vitamin contribution: Folate, Vitamin C
Major mineral contribution: PotassiumAbout the Nutrients in This Food
Potatoes are high-carbohydrate foods, rich in starch and dietary fiber,
including insoluble cellulose and lignin in the skin and soluble pectins in
the flesh. When potatoes are stored, their starches slowly turn to sugar.
The longer a potato is stored, the sweeter and less tasty it will be.
The proteins in potatoes are limited in the essential amino acids
methionine and cystine. Potatoes are a good source of the B vitamin folate
and vitamin C. Fresh potatoes have more vitamin C than stored potatoes;
after three months’ storage, the potato has lost about one-third of its vita-
min C; after six to seven months, about two-thirds.
One six-ounce baked potato with its skin has four grams dietary
fiber, four grams protein, 0.2 g total fat, 48 mcg folate (12 percent of the
RDA), and 16 mg vitamin C (21 percent of the RDA for a woman, 13 per-
cent of the RDA for a man).
One ounce of regular (not low-fat) potato chips has 1.4 g dietary fiber,
two grams protein, 9.8 g total fat, 13 mcg folate (3 percent of the RDA),
and 8.8 mg vitamin C (12 percent of the RDA for a woman, 10 percent of
the RDA for a man).
Potatoes are members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae, which
includes eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and some mushrooms. These plants
produce neurotoxins (nerve poisons) called glycoalkaloids. The glycoalka-
loid in potatoes is solanine, a chemical that interferes with acetylcholines-
terase, a neurotransmitter that enables cells to transmit impulses.