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Max Out Your Mashed Potatoes
This Week's Tips
You can safeguard the nutrients in your mashed potatoes by cooking them a little differently this year.
The trick? Boil them whole. The reason? Cubing your potatoes first will slash their potassium content by as much as 50 percent.
Potassium and More
Okay, boiling them whole does take a bit longer. But the payoff is that you get not only more potassium but more of other important minerals, too: magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. (Roasting, baking, or microwaving whole potatoes also preserves more potassium, by the way.) Here are some other cooking tricks that can help you max out your food's nutrition.
Why You Need It
Potassium helps your body regulate blood pressure and heart rate, as well as nerve and muscle function. And food is your best source. Use this tool to learn how much potassium you need and what other foods you can get it from.
Recipe Corner
Why make a healthy food risky by mashing it with cream and butter? Try one of EatingWell's quick recipes for making mashed potatoes that are delicious and good for you:
- Buttermilk-Herb Mashed Potatoes
- Goat Cheese Mashed Potato
- Cheesy Broccoli-Potato Mash
- Mashed Garlicky Potatoes
- Classic Mashed Potatoes
Wondering what kind of turkey to buy? Here are some tips from EatingWell.
RealAge Benefit:
Getting the RealAge Optimum dose of potassium (3,000 milligrams per day) can make your RealAge as much as 0.6 years younger.
The effects of boiling and leaching on the content of potassium and other minerals in potatoes. Bethke, P. C., Jansky, S. H., Journal of Food Science 2008 Jun;73(5):H80-H85.
