Potatoes are thought to be only native to South Africa, which holds the greatest diversity of wild varieties of potatoes. Botanists agree that this is probably the best indication of origin for a particular species. Specifically, the Andean region – with so many species of tuberous plants growing wild in Peru, Ecuador and Chile.

The name potato probably comes from the Indian word for the plant that bears it – patata, or pata.

At first, explorers found Peruvians Indians to be preserving potatoes by drying them in the sun – a practice still found today. It is thought as the potato gained importance in their diet, they improved upon the wild potato of Peru – which is small and quite bitter. Pre-dating this though, caches of dried potatoes have been found. The dried potato can be pounded into flour and would have made a delicious soup, even in prehistoric times. Since it could preserved from year to year, potato was, along with maize, a very important crop to the ancient Incan peoples.

The first mention of Potatoes in the Americas is in the journals of Magellan and Columbus, where they are called “batatas”. They were brought to southern and central America when Pizarro conquered Peru and spread them via Spanish forts and ships.

In Ireland, the potato was brought along in 1565, though some say it was Sir Walter Raleigh who first grew it there in 1585. Either way, it quickly became the main element of the Irish diet – to the extent that when the Irish potato crop failed in 1847, one and a half million Irish died, with another million emigrating – mostly to America.

The potato also helped the starving masses of Europe when famine struck in 1770 and potatoes were grown to save the day. The French leader Parmentier set up potato soup kitchens to feed them, and to this day potato soup bears his name in the French language.

POTATO DEFINITIONS

Seed Potatoes – approx. 2″ x 2″ potato chunks with at least 1 or 2 “eyes.”

Potato Seeds – growing potatoes from actual seed which is more difficult; most gardeners simply plant seed potatoes.

Spuds – nickname for potatoes – derived from the Latin “spad” which means sword. Our word “spade” comes from this word which is a “sword which is stuck into the ground” to open the hole for the potato. Sometime in the 19th century “spud” – an Irish digging implement used to plant potatoes – and “potato” became synonymous. Don’t ask me…I’m only part Irish!

WHEN TO PLANT

In Northern areas, you can begin planting and growing seed potatoes directly in the garden 14-21 days before the last frost date.

Potatoes can withstand a light frost, and even if the plants wilt and turn black with a heavier frost, the plants will come back (this happened to us last year).

You can begin growing most varieties of potatoes in late March or April; if you plant too early in the spring you run the risk of your seed potatoes rotting before they grow.

Last year I made the mistake of planting our potatoes too early, and it really stunted their growth. Our Ukrainian neighbors planted around mid-April, and their potatoes came up before ours did! And they had a much better harvest.

Late season potatoes may be planted as late as July in Northern climates. These late season varieties store better as well.

You can grow both red-skinned and white-skinned potatoes as early and late crops.

In Southern areas, you can begin planting and growing in February or March. Temperatures usually stay above freezing in many areas of the “deep south” (Southern parts of GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, and the entire state of Florida). In these areas you can often plant potatoes by mid-January, and another crop in mid-to-late September.

Depending on your growing climate, potatoes reach maturity around 3 to 4 months.

WHERE TO PLANT

Potatoes should be planted in an area that receives at least six hours of full sunlight daily.

If you’re converting lawn to garden area, it is best to avoid planting potatoes in the new garden area for at least the first year as they may be assaulted by grubworms.

Potatoes prefer well-drained soil with moderate quantities of organic matter and sand.

Don’t add large amounts of manure to your soil as it causes scabs on your potatoes – this happened to us a few years back.

PREPARING YOUR SOIL

Potatoes grow best if the pH level of your soil is around 4.8 to 5.5; they’ll usually do OK even up to 6.5, although they may have more scabbing.

If your soil has a pH above 6.0, you can purchase potato varieties that are scab-resistant.

Potatoes require a decent amount of potassium and phosphate which is typical of root crops.

Trenching:

1) Dig a trench about 12″ deep and 18″ wide.

2) Mix 2 – 3 inches of compost in with about half of the dirt; Note: The University of Maine concluded, after a multi-year study, that adding 10 tons of compost per acre over the period of the study did increase the crop yield.

3) Mix another 2 – 3 inches of compost in with the dirt on the side of the trench; if you need to add potassium to your soil, mix a good organic source such as bone meal, which strengthens the roots.

4) The center of the trench will become your row – space rows about 30 to 36 inches apart.

5) Add an organic nitrogen fertilizer into the soil on the side of the trench if needed.

6) Remove any larger rocks as they’ll deform your potatoes.

Now you’re ready to plant!

SEED VARIETIES

To start your potato patch, decide how many pounds of potatoes you would like to harvest.

Five pounds of seed potatoes will yield between 45 and 70 lbs. of potatoes and will require a garden area of about 10 x 12 feet.

Plant at least two varieties (I like a red variety and Yukon Golds, a white variety).

Think about planting both an early maturing (reds) and a medium or late maturing variety (white).

SEEDS AND GERMINATION

Potatoes germinate at a low soil temperature of 45°, but germinate best at a temperature of about 55° to 65°F.

Growing potatoes at a soil temperature of 45° will work OK, but grow best in the temperature range of 55° to 80°F.

Potatoes stop forming if the soil temperature reaches 80°F; to prevent soil from getting too warm, layer 3 to 4 inches of straw or other organic mulch around your potatoes to keep the soil cool and the weeds under control.

It takes about 2 to 4 weeks to see potato seedlings emerge from your soil, depending on the soil temperature.

Potatoes require significant light and moisture to germinate well.

Jenny’s Tip #1: If you’re planting early potatoes, you can sprout your potatoes before planting. This could bring your potato harvest two or three weeks earlier. To sprout your potatoes, lay your seed potatoes in a tray in sunlight or a greenhouse until the sprouts are no longer than an inch. Carefully plant the sprouted potatoes being careful not to break the sprouts off.

DIRECT PLANTING IN YOUR GARDEN

When you’re growing potatoes, decide how many pounds you’ll want to harvest; our family of six eats about 300lbs. per year.

You’ll typically get between 8 and 14 pounds of potatoes per pound you plant; it’ll take about 8 to 10 lbs of seed potatoes per every 100 feet of potatoes you plant. Again, using our family as an example, we’d plant about 35 to 40 lbs. of potatoes at the most, although last year our yield was about 12 lbs. to every pound of potatoes planted, so we might want to plant maybe 30 lbs., or about three 80 foot rows.

Note: Planting potatoes from the grocery store is not recommended; they are treated to keep from sprouting and you don’t know what diseases they might bring into your area.

Prior to planting your seed potatoes, cut them into pieces with one or two eyes (preferably two) and let them cure in a warm, dry place for at least 12 hours (24 is even better, but if you’re like me, you want to get those little spuds in the ground!).

After your potatoes are cured, place them in the trench outlined in the “Preparing Your Soil” area above; at least one “eye” should be pointing up.

If you’ve prepared your trench well, you should have loose, well-drained soil to plant your potatoes in; place one of your cut seed potatoes every 10 to 12 inches.

Take the remaining soil that’s piled on the side of the trench and cover the tops of your potatoes with 3 to 4 inches of soil.

Make sure the soil is very moist.

Straw Potatoes: An Alternate Planting Method

“Planting” potatoes on the top of the ground and covering with straw has been cleverly named “straw potatoes.”

Till or loosen your soil, adding compost similar to the previous method. Tilling the compost and bonemeal into the soil works well.

Lay the potatoes on top of the ground 10 to 12 inches apart the same as you would trenched potatoes, then cover with 4 to 6 inches of straw.

Within a couple weeks you should see potato seedling popping up through the straw. Add straw around the plants during the season if the straw cover gets to thin.

Straw potatoes have very few weeds, especially if you are able to procure clean barley straw. Pull the few weeds that do emerge.

Use of straw helps keep the soil temperature below 80°F even on the hottest summer days, reducing water loss.

If you want to enter your potatoes into the county fair, using the strawing method for growing potatoes will produce a more physically attractive spud than one grown in the dirt.

GROWING

When your potato seedlings reach about 6″ in height, mound another 3″ of soil around the base of the plant to keep the potatoes from being exposed to the sun. Do this every couple of weeks until the potatoes flower.

This prevents your potatoes from turning green; a potato that has turned green contains a bitter-tasting alkaloid that is mildly poisonous.

As previously mentioned, once your potato seedlings have reached about 6″ in height, you can either mound soil around your plants or, and this is my preferred method, you can add about 3 to 4 inches of clean straw mulch around your plants.

Mulching helps maintain a more even and lower soil temperature which is conducive to growing potatoes; and it helps keep the weeds under control.

One additional feature of straw mulch is that it makes it difficult for the Colorado Potato Beetle larvae to get to your potato plants.

When weeding your potatoes, pull the weeds by hand as potatoes grow very close to the surface of the soil and tilling might damage the young tubers.

Avoid heavy fertilization of potatoes which encourages excessive foliage growth and delays tuber growth. Most of the fertilizing should be done before the potatoes are planted.

Jenny’s Tip #2: This past year we discovered a liquid organic leaf spray fertilizer called Organic Garden Miracle™ (OGM). This leaf spray naturally stimulates your garden plants to produce more plant sugar, which is the basis for the size, production, and the flavor and sweetness of your garden produce. We recommend this product highly; plus it comes with a really good warranty.

WATERING

For most of the season, growing potatoes require about one inch of water weekly. If you’re mulching, check moisture levels weekly, but you shouldn’t need as much water.

If you have sandy soil, you may need to water more frequently. Mulching will help, but the water will drain downwards rather than evaporating upwards.

If you are able to, use soaker hoses or drip irrigation and make sure your soil stays wet at least 12″ down.

Light watering of potatoes is virtually useless. Erratic irrigation may cause “hollow heart;” the inside of the potato will be hollow.

Reduce watering when the plants begin to yellow and die.

COMPANION PLANTING / CROP ROTATION

Alyssum attracts beneficial wasps and acts as a living mulch.

Horseradish is said to ward off Colorado Potato Beetles (I haven’t tried this, but it appears to be well-founded).

Marigolds also are noted to keep beetles away from Potatoes.

Tomatoes and Potatoes should not be planted near each other as they can infect each other with early and late blight.

Potatoes shouldn’t be planted in the same area for at least 4 years after they have grown in an area.

Potatoes and Winter Squash (Pumpkins, Butternut, etc.), if planted near each other, will inhibit each other’s growth.

WHEN TO HARVEST

You can begin to harvest “new potatoes” when potato plants are still green – we usually wait until the plant is flowering.

Harvest your potatoes after most of the vines have died, before the soil temperature drops below 40°F, causing the starches to turn to sugar (makes potatoes lose their flavor).

Harvest just after a light frost and before the heavy frosts begin in the fall; if you can, wait a couple of weeks to let the potato skins harden.

Place shovel about a foot away from the main potato vine and dig straight down; pull back on your shovel…you should pop up a potato or two or three…repeat on the opposite side and continue down the row this way.

Be careful not to accidentally skin the potatoes as it will affect their long-range storability.

STORAGE

Don’t wash your potatoes until you’re ready to use them.

Store potatoes for a couple of weeks in a cool, dry area at about 55° to 60°F, then store them in a very cool, dark place – 40° to 45°F at 90% Humidity – through the winter.

The best practice for storing tomatoes is to layer newspaper between the layers of potatoes in a wooden box if you’re able to buy or build them.

Jenny’s Tip #3: We dug a 4′ x 6′ x 54″ deep hole, lined it with a plywood box, and put our root crops in the bottom, covered them with about 18″ of barley straw, and covered the hole with an old 3/4″ sheet of plywood. It stays right about 40°F all winter in our “root cellar.”

PREVENTATIVE AND NATURAL SOLUTIONS TO COMMON PESTS AND PROBLEMS

Colorado Potato Beetle:

Probably the most common pest attacking potatoes is the Colorado Potato Beetle.

This striped beetle winters in the soil, then re-appears the following spring.

Both adult and larvae beetles feed on the potato plant leaves; if left unchecked, they can defoliate the entire potato plant.

Potatoes grow fastest after flowering, so this is the most important time to make sure these beetles are under control.

Insecticides available to home gardeners are virtually powerless against the Colorado potato beetle due to insecticide resistance.

If you have a small garden, handpicking is generally quite effective (we had about six 60′ rows year before last and we handpicked the beetles).

Check under the leaves and crush any yellowish-orange eggs you find.

Early varieties tend to be unaffected by the beetles as the crop is done by the time the beetles are out in any great quantities.

Another complex and common parasite is the root-knot nematode. Due to space requirements this will be discussed in the Resources section.

Flea Beatles:

Flea beetles are small, shiny black beetles that attack your potato seedlings. They chew tiny holes in the leaves, reducing plant vitality and decreasing the plant’s yield.

Row covers over the seedlings is the best organic solution to keeping these pests away from your young plants. Remove when the temperatures get too hot.

Marigolds planted among your potatoes is said to deter beetles, although we haven’t tried this yet (maybe this year).

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Early blight / late blight; early blight cause lesions on your potatoes and late blight causes leaf spots on potato plants.

Early blight is caused by a fungus called Alternaria solani. It causes dark, sunken lesions on the potatoes that have raised purplish edges. These can be cut off before cooking and eating as they remain mostly on the surface of the spuds.

The best preventions is crop rotation and maintaining proper soil nutrition (see Prepping Your Soil above).

Late blight is caused by a fungus called Phytophthora infestans. If there is a cool, rainy spell, late blight can spread rapidly, killing all your potato plants.

Late blight also affects nightshade family plants including tomatoes, which is why these two crops should not be near each other in your garden.

Late blight looks like water-soaked lesions on your potato plants lower leaves; these lesions will eventually kill the leaves, then the plant. It can also spread to the potato, causing dry rot.

Prevention is similar to early blight. Rotate your crops and don’t plant near tomatoes. Water your plants in the morning so they’ll dry out as moisture is what causes this fungus to spread.

Verticillium: this is a very information heavy topic. If you want to know more about it, go to this section on our Resources page.

Scab: a very common diseases in potatoes, is caused by a strep bacteria.

Scab appears mostly in potatoes that are grown in soils with a pH of greater than 5.2, and in drought conditions.

It mainly affects the potato itself, and not the plant. You can’t really see any affect above the ground.

Scab doesn’t affect potatoes in storage, and is harmless to humans.

It shows up as a lesion, but is mostly cosmetic as these potatoes can be eaten safely by humans.

If you choose scab resistant varieties, you’ll likely have few issues with scab.

Don’t use manure, lime or wood ash in your garden, and keep your potatoes well-watered, especially during flowering.

And of course, always plant your potatoes in different areas for at least four years.

I for one can make a very good breakfast with nothing except fried potatoes. I know I have heard how fried foods are not good for me but I still enjoy a dish of those “Greasy” spuds whenever I can.

I would like to pass on this dehydration recipe to visitors to the site since they full easily into the topic of survival foods. You can package them with your food saver and store a few packs in your vehicles emergency food supply next to your bottled water. I personally have purchased some of the commercial dehydrated versions and they really do not taste that bad.

According to how you slice and dry the potatoes you could use them for anything from frying to making au gratin potatoes. Here is the procedure that I would recommend using.

You start off by selecting firm not over ripe potatoes. Proceed to peal and wash them well. Take and slice your potatoes 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch thick. My wife’s food processor works great on this step. With it I am guaranteed to get even cuts each time on every piece. If you desired you could slice them as the shoestring type 3/8 of an inch thick also. Another of my favorite slices is the grated or the diced cuts. It all boils down to how the dried potatoes will actually be used.

As a pretreatment for your potatoes you will want to steam blanch them over hot water containing approximately 1 tsp. of sodium bisulfate for each cup of water used. Blanch them for about 4 to 6 minutes or until they become translucent but still remain firm.

After this step rinse them very well in some cold water in order to remove any remaining starch. Your drying Temperature should be around 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 to 2 hours or until they are completely done.

You can grate the slices for later re-hydration for use as hash brown potatoes. Now as an added bonus here is a quick recipe on making one of my favorite dishes – Au Gratin Potatoes.

Ingredients required:

3 cups diced dehydrated potatoes (See above)

6 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of flour

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation of recipe:

1. Place potatoes in a shallow baking dish.

2. In a small saucepan over a low heat melt 6 tablespoons of butter.

3. Take the butter and add the flour to it. Stir well in order to blend together.

4. Gradually add the milk.

5. Continue cooking and stirring continuously until a thick sauce is formed.

6. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese melts.

7. Pour the sauce over the potatoes that are in the baking dish and mix them gently.

8. Bake potatoes at 400° for 30 to 40 minutes. Final product should be golden brown.

There you have a perfect meal of Au Gratin potatoes. I myself could eat this as a main meal!

Copyright @ 2009 Joseph Parish

January 6, 2009

I love my food – I always have – and I had said for years that I would never give up meat and turn vegetarian. Well life has a way of changing the way you think and react and it also has a lot to do with our lifestyle and living in western society.

White Potatoes have been a major player in my diet – until recently! I love roast potatoes so every weekend I would cook them as part of my Sunday dinner and also I loved jacket potatoes for lunch! Suffering with fibroids and not being able to open my bowels regularly I never would have thought that potatoes and fibroids had any correlation. The doctors weren’t able to diagnose this – I had to visit my nutritionist who gave me a diet sheet to follow (which I found hard to adjust to) and realized that omitting white potatoes, rice, bread and pasta from my diet made such a dramatic change to my everyday living!

I couldn’t believe that I was no longer feeling lethargic after eating lunch, I didn’t feel uncomfortable in the gut area because I wasn’t so bloated. Instead of eating the white potatoes, I now love eating sweet potatoes and I no longer get that bloated feeling or pains which I used to experience every time I ate potatoes. Now I can eat sweet potatoes and I love them. I eat them as jacket potatoes with fillings, I eat them with salads – however I used to eat white potatoes, I now substitute the white potatoes with sweet potatoes and no doubt have contributed more to my healthier eating habits.

Nutritiously, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A (beta-carotene form), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.

Sweet potatoes are an excellent addition to your health diet if you don’t already indulge in such a wonderful vegetable.

People often wonder if they can eat a potato in their six pack abs diet and still obtain a six pack as a result. The potato is a favorite of many, but commonly thought of as one of the worst foods for health. It is commonly believed that food must taste bad in order to be healthy. The truth is however, many healthy foods taste amazing, and some foods such as the potato, can potentially be healthy depending on preparation methods.

Learning to eat food that you love in a healthy manner, is truly the best way to get a six pack. If you attempt to force down food that you think is disgusting, solely because you believe it is healthy, is not a good method of improving your diet. This will not really do you or your body any good because you will not stick to the diet, and will revert back to eating poorly, which will nullify what little progress was made during the short lived diet. People who do not exercise regularly often try to “work off a cake” or others hear a product such as kale is a super food and eat it once. Although this does not harm you, it is essentially a waste of time and does not actually do your body any good. Your body forms as a result of the lifestyle you live, not by one time efforts. Indulging in whatever food you want, thinking that you can work it off is just silly broken logic and wishful thinking. You can not out train a poor diet, so the best way to get a six pack is to master the six pack abs diet, and lifestyle that results in six pack abs.

Returning back to the topic of the potato, it is important to realize that this plant is actually a vegetable that contains many healthy nutrients. Many people do not realize the previously mentioned fact, and the confusion comes as a result of common preparation methods of the potato. The actual potato itself does not contain that many calories, yet it is satisfying to both your taste buds and appetite. It is true that the french fry and potato chimps commonly eaten should not be consumed often for optimum health and prevention of weight gain, but it is the preparation method that causes the health concerns and not the potato causing the problem. To back up my claim, think about a caramel apple for example. This snack is not exactly low calorie or perfect for weight loss and optimal health, but it is the caramel not the apple causing the health concerns. Nobody really puts blame on the apple in this scenario, so why should we blame the potato for chips and fries? The preparation, refinement, and use of unhealthy oils is the cause of the nutritious potato to lose its value. Furthermore, a baked potato is often accompanied with butter, sour cream, and bacon bits, that are grouped in with the health value of the potato. To fairly assess the potato, you need to look at the properties of the potato by itself in order to evaluate the effects it has on your health and body.

It is important to mention however, that although potatoes are a vegetable, they are a starchy vegetable and they are on the higher end of the glycemic index. Some people are against them for these reasons. The glycemic index measures how fast carbohydrates enter the blood stream. Processed food, along with simple carbs, tend to have values on the glycemic index, and are associated with weight gain, insulin resistance, and diabetes. These are the main fact based arguments against potatoes for a six pack abs diet.

Even though there are some claims against the potato, proponents for the potato have a strong case for defending claims made against it. The majority of the nutrients in the potato are in the skin, and a half an inch into the potato. Some of the nutrients contained are potassium, magnesium complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein, calcium, niacin, zinc, carotenoids, phosphorus and vitamin C and the vitamin B Complex. The remaining portion of the potato contains about 90 percent simple carbohydrates. For this reason, peeling the potato and throwing away the skin is not recommended, and healthy potato skin recipes are a good choice for a six pack abs diet. With regards to the glycemic index, it is important to note that for this specific vegetable, the value can be variable. The value commonly quoted on glycemic index charts is often much higher than it needs to be for a potato. A common russet potato baked has an index value of 76. However, a boiled red potato that has been stored in a cold environment, has a value of only 55. This is the same value as brown rice, which is often considered to be a healthy carb source. There are many different types of potatoes(even a purple potato), and they all differ in the actual glycemic index value. The cooking method and environment they are stored in also plays a role in the glycemic index of the potato. These reasons mentioned defend the claims made against the potato for its high glycemic index value. As seen in the russet vs red potato scenario, the potato’s actual glycemic value can be quite variable.

The sweet potato is an alternative to the common potato that is often recommended by people who are even against the potato for health. Actually, the sweet potato is not technically a potato but it is a fine vegetable for your diet if you enjoy the taste. Since it is not technically a potato, it differs in nutritional composition, but it is not necessarily better. Sweet potatoes are extremely high in vitamin A for example. The lower value in the glycemic index of the sweet potato when compared to the white potato, can be attributed to the forms in which it is consumed. White potatoes are commonly eaten in unhealthy forms, where as sweet potatoes recipes are typically written specifically for health conscious individuals. If consumed correctly, both make fine choices as healthy carbohydrate sources.

Although potatoes are high in in carbs, they have a preference of being stored as glycogen in your muscle rather than as fat. This property is also seen in both rice and oats. This property combined with the quick digestion associated by the glycemic index, actually make the potato an ideal carb source for weight training sessions. After weight training is an example of a specific time periods known as your anabolic window, where your body is at its peak ability to handle carbs. It needs carbohydrates to replenish the glycogen reserves, since carbohydrates are your bodies preferred source of energy. If your glycogen is too low for too long, your body will begin to catabolize, or eat the muscle as a fuel source. One of the main focuses for the best way to get a six pack and lose weight should be on gaining muscle. This increases overall metabolism and fat burning. These facts further support keeping the potato in your six pack abs diet.

Even though I showed that potatoes can be kept in your diet for abs, and actually provide value for your health, let me state that they should be consumed in moderation. Do not mistake the article to read that the more potatoes you eat the more weight you will lose, or the more muscle you will gain. The article simply suggests that potatoes can play a role as a healthy carb source in a healthy diet. It is still important to know the correct time to eat them, as well as healthy preparation methods, before you include them into your six pack abs diet. Carbs can be a tricky macromolecule to master, but through learning and practice, you can consume many of your favorite foods and still see health improvement results.

Another important note to mention is that potatoes are part of the dirty dozen. This means that they are one of the most sprayed crops in agriculture. If you know the importance of buying organic food items, but need to consider which are the most important for budget reasons, these should make your list as high priority. Sweet potatoes however, tend to be considered for on the list of clean crops.

Nutrition Facts Approximations For One Medium Russet Potato

Calories: 150

Carbs: 33.5

Fat: 0

Protein: 4

There is no single food that causes more downfalls to diabetes control than mashed potatoes. Potatoes. a high glycemic form of carbohydrate are said to increase insulin resistance and the risk of Type 2 diabetes. A favorite side dish of the American Thanksgiving feast, spuds of all fashions make blood sugar levels soar, but there are three things you can do to minimize, or even eliminate, the damage.

1. Just say no to instant: When nutritional researchers measured the glycemic index of instant mashed potatoes, they found that the instant mashers made blood sugar levels go up faster even than eating glucose tablets. That seems a little unlikely, until you consider what’s really in instant potatoes.

There are all kinds of additives, flavorings, and stabilizers designed to keep the flakes from smushing together in the box. When these chemical additives get into your system, you have an immediate reaction.

Without getting into the chemistry, this can be a “fast” allergic reaction or a slower immune sensitivity reaction, but both cause your adrenal glands to release cortisol, which in turn makes blood sugar levels go up. Simply peeling potatoes, boiling them, and mashing them up, makes their impact on glucose control much easier to manage. Instant has a glycemic index of about 110. Boiled red Russets have a glycemic index of about 78.

2. Don’t eat them piping hot: Another factor that gets overlooked in choosing foods to keep blood sugar levels as near to normal as possible is heat. Hot foods… although not scalding hot foods… are digested more quickly than warm or room-temperature foods. If you just let your food cool down before you eat it, your body will digest it more slowly, and your pancreas will have more time to release the insulin needed to transport digested sugars where they need to go. You can still make your blood sugars soar out of control by eating too much cold carbohydrate food, but all other things being equal, warm food or cold food is better for diabetics than piping hot food.

3. Try cauliflower: If you trim away the green leaves before boiling, boiled cauliflower has the same color as boiled spuds. If you put an unshelled walnut in the water with the cauliflower while it’s boiling, the walnut soaks up the “cabbage” flavor and the result tastes like potatoes. If you thoroughly drain the cauliflower in a colander before mashing, getting every last drop of cooking liquid out, then you have the same consistency as mashed spuds. But you’ll have 80 per cent less carbohydrate.