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Spuds back on the menu

Carmel Thomason
14/ 8/2008

IT wasn't so long ago that the potato was a staple of the Great British dinner.

That was, of course, until the Atkins diet came along, demonising any form of carbohydrate while proclaiming that eating fat can make you thin.

For bacon and cream lovers, this was music to their ears.

However, even those who weren't drawn into the fad of living off meat and cheese began to be wary of eating too many starchy foods.

Suddenly, bread and potatoes were seen as fattening foods to be avoided.

Not any more. Health experts now recommend that one-third of our daily calories should come from starchy foods such as potato, rice, bread or other cereals.

So, as the credit crunch bites, there has never been a better time to return to home-grown favourites.

Essential vitamins

Nutritionist Fiona Hunter explains: "Potatoes and carbs in general have had more than their share of bad press.

"Because of the Atkins diet, people have this idea of them as being fattening. Obviously, if we eat them as chips, roast potatoes or with lashings of butter, it is going to increase the fat content - but in their normal state they are virtually fat-free."

For those counting the calories, a serving of potatoes (175g or three decent-sized potatoes) comes in at just 116 kcals. That is the equivalent of one-and-a-half digestive biscuits.

In comparison, a serving of rice is 248 kcals and pasta is 228 kcals.

Although a vegetable, potatoes don't count towards one of your five-a-day because of their starch content. But they are packed with essential vitamins and nutrients.

"People should be aware that potatoes are not just starchy carbs," Fiona adds.

"They are an excellent source of vitamin C, minerals like potassium, which help control blood pressure, iron and vitamins B1 and B6.

Save cash and time

"Eaten in their jackets or boiled in their skins, potatoes are a useful source of fibre.

"They also have a high satiety index, which means they help you feel full for longer and are therefore good for weight-loss as part of a calorie-controlled diet."

When thinking about dishing up a quick dinner after work, rather than reach for a microwave ready meal, in just 20 minutes there are many ways to enjoy potatoes from a potato salad, omelette or potato curry to a simple side accompaniment with meat.

Looking to save cash and time, why not make a large pan of potatoes for sausages and mash on Monday, and use the rest to top a cottage pie on Tuesday?

Or perhaps fill a jacket potato with your favourite stir-fry or curry, pan-fry with bacon and top with egg for a super-fast supper or mix mash with fish, for quick and easy fishcakes like your grandmother used to make.

To keep them healthy, cook with their skins on, steam or microwave to avoid losing some nutrients in the cooking water and, since you don't have to be afraid of chips, just cut into big chunks and oven bake to reduce the fat.

For more recipes and tips on how to use different potato varieties visit www.britishpotatoes.co.uk .