Unlocking the surprising health benefits of potatoes: It's all in the preparation

Potatoes have a high glycemic index similar to that of pure glucose when consumed.

However, potatoes have numerous qualities that can counterbalance this: they’re abundant in resistant starch (which helps prevent colon and large intestine cancer, lower cholesterol levels, and regulate lipid metabolism), minerals (iron, zinc, copper, sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus), vitamin C, B group vitamins, fiber, polyphenols, and carotenoids.

Therefore, including them in your daily diet, bearing in mind their unique properties is wise— potatoes that have been kept in the fridge for 24 hours have a lower glycemic index and transform starch into the aforementioned resistant starch. It's worth preparing them a day before your planned meal.

The second rule of cooking potatoes is simpler: keep potatoes and fat away from each other. This combination is high in calories, hard to digest, and can cause heartburn, bloating, and a feeling of heaviness.

Furthermore, the most significant issue is that when potatoes are eaten with fat, the blood sugar level skyrockets, forcing the pancreas to produce more insulin.

Hence, if fried potatoes (or potatoes in combination with fried meat) are a staple of our diet, we have to consider that we are drastically increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

It's worth noting that not all fats are created equal. While unhealthy saturated and trans fats can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can have a beneficial effect on heart health.

This means that potato pancakes fried in butter are a far less healthy culinary choice compared to potatoes drizzled with olive oil.