By Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr Oz The Good Life
When it comes to the baked potato,
we tend to blame the messenger, villainizing a perfectly decent spud
for delivering butter, sour cream, bacon bits, and more. On it's own,
though, a medium russet potato– skin and all– has just 168 calories and
some impressive nutrients:
- 4 grams of fiber to fill you up
- 952 mg of potassium (that's more than twice the amount in a medium banana, and about 20 percent of your daily recommended amount)
- 37 grams of carbohydrates, your body and brain's preferred source of fuel
- Almost 2 mg of iron, or about 15 percent of what you need each day
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Bottom line:
Potatoes aren't the enemy. But let's get back to toppings, because there are so many great-tasting, body-friendly options. Try Greek yogurt instead of sour cream,
a drizzle of olive oil instead of butter, and beans or sautéed greens
instead of bacon. Now that's what I call a hot — and healthy — potato.
Make It a Meal
Sauté 1/4 cup chopped red pepper in 1 tsp olive oil until soft. Add 1 tsp chili powder, 1/4 cup black beans, and a handful of spinach,
and cook until warmed through. Top potato with pepper mixture, sliced
avocado, a squeeze of lime, and a few thin slices of chile pepper for
extra heat. There's no side dish, people!
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But... Carbs!
Repeat after me: I won't fear carbohydrates. It's true: After you eat carbs, they turn into sugars (technically blood glucose in your bloodstream, but potayto, potahto). The carbs in taters, though, come with other vitamins and minerals, while the ones in white flour pack little nutritional punch.
More from Dr Oz The Good Life:
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