In the southern island of Japan, there’s a group of Japanese known as the Okinawans. The people that are renowned for their youthful complexions and not looking their age. So what is their secret to this fountain of youth? The secret is believed to be that diet. They feast on starchy root vegetables as part of their main diet, and one of these core vegetables is the sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes and other starchy root vegetables are anti-aging superstars. For years, nutritionists have advised us to fill plates with a variety of colors of vegetables – and not just the green variety. Conventional potatoes don’t provide the same kick. The sweet potato provides sugar but unlike sweets, to provide a slow release and sustainable source of carbohydrates, essential to our energy and vitality.

In fact a recent study from China demonstrated how the purple sweet potato contains a naturally occurring anthocyanin, (a super powerful antioxidant that has neuro-protective effects). The potato is also rich in vitamin A in the form of beta carotene. This element is essential for preventing rough and scaly skin. It also helps protect the skin against sun damage and helps to balance the pH levels and promotes softer skin complexions. The antioxidant levels contained in the potatoes are so high that they are excellent for cancer prevention. So if one of your loved ones is a smoker, feed them sweet potatoes!

Another reason why you would want to include sweet potatoes in your diet is for its high hyaluronic acid levels. As we get older, these acid levels drop. Our bodies depend on this to keep our skin moisturized and the joints in our body lubricated. It also helps to maintain levels of collagen in our skin without resulting to bovine collagen injections.

It was a syndrome that was unheard of in my growing up years. I first encountered this term “Couch Potato” in an Archie Comic Digest and asked my mother what it meant. Even she was not too clear about it then, but now everyone knows what it means. In fact most people have a resident example living with them.

SO how do you get a Couch Potato, who sits and stares at the TV Screen continuous all evening and munches snacks almost nonstop, to do little things that will help in Weight Reduction?! It may surprise you but just tweaking a few bits and pieces can give you a routine that is much healthier than the one being currently followed. I will out line a few changes that can be made and if adhered to and sustained, will definitely result in weight loss.

A couch is bad enough but a bed is worse. Please do not place your TV in your bedroom. It is a bad idea. It not only increases the mindless and numbing programming that you watch, it also affects the time you sleep. In fact it causes your quality of sleep to diminish if you are sharing the room with someone who keeps surfing the channels even if a single program is not worth watching.

After you have placed the TV and all its paraphernalia in a neutral room or a living area in common usage, place the Remote Controls for the TV, DVD player, etc, all on top of the TV even after you have switched it on. Every time you want to switch a channel get up off the couch and change it. One positive side effect for the wives will be that the husbands will have to limit their power surfing of channels to the duration that they are willing to stand near the TV.

Switch the munchies to healthier one. Instead of potato chips have popcorn. Add some cucumber with freshly squeezed lime juice and salt on the menu. In winters carrots cut into sticks and served with a yogurt based dip are also a good option. Serve your snacks in style on a plate; don’t dig into the packet directly.

During commercial breaks, get up and walk around the room instead of watching the same advertisement repeated for the infinite time. Do some stretches. In a regular serial break you can stand up and touch your toes (if you can reach them) ten times. I have tried it out and it is possible, at last time wise. For it being possible inclination wise, that will depend on you.

Even when you are watching the program, sit in a correct upright posture. This is to avoid undue pressure on your spine and it will burn more calories than just lying there in the chair. Also if you can put a mattress on the floor rather than a sofa you will exercise those many more calories when you sit down and get up. Try and wriggle your toes, swing your arms and legs, in fact do whatever you can to avoid being totally inactive.

Simple enough changes to implement and effective as well.

In much of the English-speaking world, mashed potatoes are a favorite comfort food. An accompaniment to meat dishes at family gatherings, they have become associated with love and belonging, and it’s not without reason that they get gobbled down by soldiers and travelers away from home. But if you have type 2 diabetes, mashed potatoes can wreak havoc on your blood sugar control.

The first thing to know about this style of cooked potatoes is that all potatoes are not equal when it comes to their effects on blood sugars. Instant mashed potatoes, for instance, have a glycemic index of 110. They actually release glucose into your bloodstream faster than table sugar, which has a glycemic index of 100. The type 2 diabetic pancreas can hardly keep up with the load of glucose released by two, three, or more servings of instant mashed potatoes.

Peeling Red Russet potatoes, steaming them, and them mashing them, however, results in a mashed potato that has a glycemic index of 86. And serving them cold rather than hot results in an even slower release of glucose into your bloodstream, with a glycemic index of 58. Adding a drop or two of milk, or butter to the Red Russets brings the glycemic index down to 50.

Blood sugars go up less when mashed potatoes are made from scratch, when they have a little added fat, and when they aren’t eaten piping hot. Your body still has to create insulin to cover the release of sugars, but when mashed potatoes are homemade, it doesn’t have to find the insulin quite as fast.

If you do your own cooking…and every type 2 diabetic should… you can use other vegetables in place of potatoes for mashing. Rutabagas, turnips, and cauliflower all make a good mash, with less than half the carbohydrate of potatoes. If your cauliflower has a cabbage-y taste, just add a whole walnut to the cooking water while you boil the vegetable. The cabbage-like smell goes into the hull of the walnut. Just be sure to remove the walnut before mashing.

Another option for potatoes after boiling, is to allow them to go cold, dice them up and turn them into potato salad. By adding vinegar to them you will lower the glycemic index and, when eaten, will turn into glucose more slowly… thus giving a lower blood sugar and insulin response. Using new potatoes again helps with a lower glycemic index.

Mashed potatoes are delicious, tasty and one of the favorite foods that people love to eat. But while mashed potatoes are great with fried chicken, turkey, and many other food items, it certainly isn’t something that you would want to have on your carpet.

Having this kind of spill on your carpet can be very frustrating as it can leave a nasty stain that can really ruin your carpet’s appearance. That is the reason why knowing how to properly clean up this mess is very important for a carpet owner.

If you have accidentally spilled mashed potatoes on your carpet, be sure to check out the guide below to aid you in solving this carpet cleaning problem.

• For the first step, you would need to remove as much of the spilled mashed potatoes from your carpet. You can do this by using a spoon or a blunt knife to carefully scoop it from the carpet. This is important because you cannot clean up the stain on your carpet without dealing with the food particles first.

• After clearing the carpet of the excess mashed potatoes, it is now time for you to use a carpet cleaning solution on the stain. For this, you will need to create a solution using white vinegar and water. Take a teaspoon of the former and mix it with a cup of warm water and then use this on the mashed potato stain on the carpet.

• Once you have applied the cleaning solution onto the stain, get a piece of clean white cloth and slowly blot the affected area. Work your way from the outside of the stain moving inwards in order to get the best results. After repeatedly doing this, eventually the stain will become lighter and soon enough you will be able to get rid of it completely. You may not see the results quickly but just continue blotting the area and be patient and pretty soon the stain will be completely gone.

• For the last step of the process, rinse the area where the stain was with a cup of clean water. This is in order to remove the excess cleaning residue that could potentially build-up and cause harm to your carpet.

Mashed potato spills can be really tough but they are certainly not impossible to clean up. If ever you are faced with this kind of problem again, be sure to use the guide above to help you out.

POTATO (IRISH)

The potato is quite complete as a food, it contain carbohydrate in form of starch and glucose. The potatoes are good source of protein. The protein in potato contain all the amino-acids needed by the body. The protein in potato are rich in Lysine and amino acid that is deficient in grains. Potatoes is very rich in vitamin C, although some of this vitamin is lost during the cooking process. They are quite rich in potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and other trace elements, potatoes contain about 1.6% soluble.

Vegetable fiber – Two medium sized potatoes contain almost one fifth of the daily fiber need. Potatoes are valuable in the following areas:-

1. Treatment of heart related disease:- Because potatoes are low in fats and sodium, they are ideal in cases of arteriosclerosis, heart failure, heart break attack and hypertension. Their richness in potassium contributes to reducing blood pressure.

2. Treatment of kidney disease:- potatoes alkalizes the blood and urine, aiding the elimination of toxic acid. In this manner, they relieve the kidney’s work and purify the blood.

3. Good diet for the diabetic:- Potatoes contain complex carbohydrates (starch) that slowly transform to glucose during the three or four hours of digestion in the intensive. Thus, they do not cause abrupt changes in blood glucose level, and are quite well tolerates by diabetics.

4. Obesity control:- Potatoes combat obesity by producing satisfaction that reduces the desire to keep eating. They also contain an abundance of B group vitamin that help metabolize carbohydrates as well as mineral that prevent fluid retention in the tissues, which contributes to obesity.

5. Raw potato juice is valuable in clearing skin blemishes in external application.

6. Potatoes are the stomach best friend because of it antacid effect.

They are alkaline food and are capable of neutralizing excess acid. Raw potato juice is rich in alkaline substance. A few spoonfuls before meal are sufficient to relieve acid stomach. Peel the potatoes and extract the juice.

Note:- Potatoes can be eaten either, steamed which is the best way to get its medicinal value, boiled, baked, fired, fired potatoes are tasty, but not very healthful. The raw juice can be extracted as an antacid.

PUMPKIN (ELEGEDE)

Pumppkin conatin protein, fat, carbohydrate, mineral, iron, potassium and zinc, its effective in the following areas…..

1. Corrects prostate cancer:- Consumption of pumpkin seed fresh or dirty in an amount of 50 -100g thrice daily can help to maintain prostate gland.

The cucurbitacin content helps to reduce inflammation.

2. Regular intake of pumpkin juice helps to maintain an active sexual capability till old age. It has some element appetite and promotion digestion.

3. Treatment of heart related disease:- Because potatoes are low in fats and sodium, they are ideal in cases of arteriosclerosis, heart failure, heart break attack and hypertension. Their richness in potassium contributes to reducing blood pressure.

4. Treatment of urinary disorders:- Pumpkin seeds when taken helps to act on the urinary bladder thus preventing inflammation.

5. Works as immune booster:- The juice of pumpkin leaves helps produce an increases of white blood corpuscles.

6. Act as worm expeller:- Pumpkin seed helps to expel intestinal parasites.

Note:- The pumpkin seeds can be blended to make a drink while the leaves can be juiced for optimal benefit.

The lowly Irish potato is a highly nutritious vegetable that is more than just a delicious accompaniment to a meal. In fact the health benefits of potatoes are so great, you could describe them as “underground health superstars”.

All plants that support underground storage of nutrients in a modified plant structure (usually the thickened underground part of a stem of rhizone) contain a substantial amount of starch, which provides energy, as well as vitamins and minerals, particularly Vitamin C and potassium. In fact, if you eat a medium-sized 150 g potato, you will get close to half the daily adult requirement of vitamin C. Potatoes are also a reasonably good (moderate) source of iron, and because vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, you get maximum benefit from it. It is also a great source of several B vitamins, specifically B1, B3, and B6, as well as some vital minerals. In addition to potassium, which aids the heart, our muscles, and even our digestion, potatoes are a source of phosphorous and magnesium; and they contain folate, pantothenic acid and riboflavin.

It doesn’t end there: potatoes are also a source of valuable antioxidants that are recognized as playing an increasingly important role in preventing diseases that are related to ageing, including cancer, and dietary fibre that benefits the health of people of all ages.

Breakdown of the Nutrient Content of Potatoes

Many people think that because potatoes are essentially a starch that they are fattening; but this is a misconception. In fact only 20 to 30 percent of a potato is starch – the rest is water. Further, nutritionists will confirm that potatoes are an excellent, if not the best, source of natural starch you will find.

According to the National Nutrient Database of the United States Department of Agriculture, after boiling a potato and then peeling it before eating it, every 100 g contains:

• Water 77 g
• Energy 87 kcal
• Vitamin C 13 mg
• Protein 1.87 g
• Fat 0.1 g
• Fibre 1.8 g
• Carbohydrate 20.13 g
• Calcium 5 mg
• Potassium 379 mg
• Phosphorus 44 mg
• Iron 0.31 mg
• Niacin 1.44 mg
• Thiamin 0.106 mg
• Riboflavin 0.02 mg

Blue and Red Potatoes

Not very long ago, potatoes were generally white-fleshed, and known as either white or Irish potatoes. In recent years, the available range of potatoes has grown to include several highly coloured varieties, including those with red and blue skins and tinted flesh. These colours are the result of anthocyanins, which are pigments that also occur in other brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, including blueberries and grapes. This adds extra nutrients to these types of potatoes, adding quite dramatically to the health benefits of potatoes.

Apart from being colourful and attractive, blue and red potatoes have been found to protect human cells against oxidative damage that is the cause of a number of diseases suffered in old age.

The Inca’s lasting gift to the world, the potato feeds people all over the planet. Following the discovery of the New World, Spanish plundered the palaces, and their Galleons carried off gold and silver by the ton, but that was only money. The foods they took from Native American farmers would ultimately feed the world. Where would we be without corn, or chocolate, or potatoes?

Potatoes originated in the Andes Mountains of Peru, and had been cultivated by the Incas since around 5000 BCE. The Spanish brought them back to Europe where they were met with great reluctance. Potatoes weren’t mentioned in the Bible, so God hadn’t ordained them as “Christian food.” Potatoes are members of the nightshade family; the plant is poisonous. Potatoes were fed to the inmates of asylums and prisons. Their wide spread acceptance came later.

They grow almost everywhere. Potatoes tolerate terrible soils and challenging climates. They are the first and only food to be grown in space. They grow almost anywhere, and produce generous yields when they do.

Potatoes are healthy food. Dieters avoid them because of the calorie content. They miss out on all the essential vitamins and minerals in the potato and its skin. They also miss out on some great taste sensations. Eat potatoes in moderation if you are dieting, but do try some of the potato recipes offered [in The Champagne taste/Beer Budget Cookbook]. Whether you’re serving indoors or out, they will add something to your table.

FRENCH FRIES

French fries are available at even the finest restaurants. They’re the mainstay of more modest restaurants, and fast food places. You can prepare great French fries right at home in your own kitchen. You can fry them in a deep pot of boiling oil, but boiling oil is messy and dangerous. They are worth it. When you taste homemade French fries, you will want to serve them again and again. Invest in an electric fry cooker if you plan to make French fries at home often.

French fries aren’t French. They’re an American invention. Thomas Jefferson is supposed to have served them at diplomatic receptions before potatoes became popular in Europe. Enjoy French fries; they’re as American as apple pie.

4 to 6 medium potatoes

Canola oil

Heat the oil to boiling, about 325°F in a deep straight-sided pan. Better yet heat the oil in fry cooker designed for the process.

Peel the potatoes if you like. Wash them, and then cut them into 1/4″ x 1/4″ sticks. Let dry on a paper towel. Immerse them in the hot oil and cook for 17 minutes. Drain, salt and serve.

STEAMING POTATOES

These days the pressure cooker is rarely an essential part of the battery de cuisine. Potatoes cooked in a pressure cooker take 5-6 minutes but precision cooking is vital, otherwise the results are slop. Specific directions are given with each cooker but as a general rule only a few tablespoons of water are needed and it should be brought to the boil before the potatoes are put in the pot. Once the cooking time has finished, the cooker must be cooled immediately. From the point of view of nutrient value, pressure cooking of potatoes is not recommended unless the cooking liquor is served with the potatoes. Best results are had by leaving the potatoes unpeeled. During steaming, moisture continually condenses on the surface of the vegetables and sugars, minerals, vitamin C and the B vitamins can dissolve in the moisture.

Steaming without pressure takes a little longer than boiling but the results are lighter and the flavor seems to intensify. But, because the potatoes take 10-15 minutes longer to cook there is a greater loss of vitamins (especially C) than when potatoes are boiled.

The cheapest steamers come from Japan and China. The Japanese version is a collapsible metal basket with short legs that fits into any saucepan. Chinese steamers are rustic bamboo baskets, available in various sizes, with a separate metal stand.

BEST VARIETIES FOR BOILING AND STEAMING

Jersey Royal, Belle de Fontenay (La Ratte, Cornichon), Bintje, Kipfler, Pink Fir Apple, Charlotte and any Cyprus, Egyptian, Dutch or Belgian variety or any freshly dug potato.

An 8 oz (225 g) serving of boiled potatoes without butter averages 160 calories.

BOILED POTATOES

Take care to cook even-sized potatoes, and boil them in their skin unless you wish to ‘turn’ them to give a uniform shape. Allow between 15 and 30 minutes depending on the size of the potato before you check if they are ready. Quantities over 2 lb (900 g) in one pan will take longer.

Put new potatoes into boiling salted water, old into cold. Simmer gently. Drain carefully, peel if necessary and toss in butter; garnish with parsley or mint and serve. If you see Pommes de Terre Persillées on a French menu, it means potatoes boiled and sprinkled with parsley and melted butter. Occasionally bacon is included.

BOILED PINK FIR APPLES

This old English variety with its pink skin, nobles and distinctive tuber shape is the closest this country has to the dense-skinned waxy varieties of France. It lends itself especially well to salads but simply boiled it is good enough to serve alone or as an accompaniment to any dish whatsoever. The skin is firm and tough but peels away very easily after boiling.

Summer Management of Potatoes.

From the time that the plants show through the soil, the best thing that you can do for quick and healthy growth, is to use the hoe between the rows every time that the soil is dry enough.

The reason for this is that the hoe will keep the weeds in check, and at the same time conserve water by forming a fine tilth.

On poor soil it would be a great help to give a dressing of old soot before the plants are earthed up. This should be done when the soil is moist and afterwards it is a good idea to hoe the soot in.

Some growers tend to think that the question of the best time to earth up is of little importance, however, timing of this work is quite important in the life of your potatoes.

If the plants are earthed up too early, you will not be able to hoe between the rows, and if you earth up too late there is a chance that you will bruise the young leafs and this will make them more vulnerable to potato disease, than they need to be.

In the main, potatoes should be earthed up when the plants are five to six inches tall. As a precautionary measure against disease, the soil should be drawn up to the plants so that the ridge, with a nice fine point is secured.

Some growers earth the potatoes in such a manner that the soil if left in a flat state at the top, and this is done to make the most of any summer rain.

Apart from the fact that this method is open to question as to whether this flat ridge does or does not help by catching more rain, it cannot be doubted that in a season when there may be a lot of disease about, a flat ridge is an aid to spreading the trouble.

For the grower to fully understand this, it is necessary to point out that the minute organism responsible for out breaks of disease always attacks the under side of the leaves.

The small puncture made quickly spreads, and spores of the disease are on the edge of the spreading circle. These spores are always falling, and if a flat ridge has been made the spores fall on this ridge damaging the topmost tubers. By using the pointed ridge system the diseased spores will fall harmlessly between the rows.

Storing Your Potatoes:

Having harvested your crop you need a system of storing them over winter. If you only have a small amount, then any dry and cool shed or cellar could be used.

The store must be frost-proof and dark with no light getting in. One way of doing this is to throw sacks or straw over the potato heap.

Make sure that you check the potatoes as you put them in store. If you notice any diseased or bruised potatoes, reject them so as not to infect the whole ones.

A good way to prevent trouble, it would help to throw a few handfuls of lime over the heap.

If you do not have space in your shed, another method of storing your crop would be to make a clamp or pit in your garden, covering the potatoes with a good layer of straw, and placing over this two feet of soil. You then dig out your potatoes as you need them, making sure to cover up the remaining potatoes.

Hello and thank you for reading my article,

I would like to delve into one of my (and most chefs) favorite things to cook. We consume potatoes on a daily basis whether its mashed potatoes, french fries, chips, thickening soups, or even enjoying a glass of vodka with your caviar. Three hundred and twenty five million tons of potatoes are grown every year worldwide, but what are they actually made of?

STARCH

Well to start one of the most desirable materials found in a potato is starch. A potato, depending on the variety, is composed of about 18% starch.This is what makes the potato one of the most consumed vegetables across the globe. Its what makes fries, roasted potatoes, potato pancakes, and home fries crispy, brown and delicious. You want high starch potatoes for frying and low starch for mashed potatoes, this is because If a potato is too starchy it will make gluey mashed potatoes. If you have got some time on your hands a bit of patience you can use the starch to your advantage to create a very cool windowed chip by slicing two very thin slices of potato putting a parsley leaf in between the two and frying them.

WATER

Depending on the variety of potato and where it was grown the water content of a potato is about 78%. The potatoes containing more water such as a Yukon gold or red bliss are best for mashed potatoes, gratins, or baking. The potatoes with less moisture content are best for frying or sauteing.

The rest of the potato is composed of many good things such as about 2-5% protein, which the USDA has concluded is of high nutritive value. Vitamin C, sugar, fiber, and.1% fat.

I hope to have taught you a little more about the potato and to help you appreciate this great vegetable. A vegetable that had fed the poor and starving for centuries.