If potatoes make it onto your plate more often than sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli or any other vegetable, you’re in the majority. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the average American consumes nearly 40 pounds of fresh potatoes each year, or about double the amount of sweet potatoes, carrots and broccoli combined. Aside from being plentiful and relatively inexpensive, potatoes are one of the most nutritious comfort foods available -- especially if you eat the skin, too.
Nutritive Benefits
If you eat all of the flesh -- but none of the skin -- of an average-sized baked potato, you’ll get about 145 calories, 3 grams of protein, 34 grams of mostly complex carbohydrates and significant amounts of potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, niacin and thiamine. For about another 15 calories, eating the skin provides you with an extra gram of protein, another 3 grams of carbohydrates and more of most of the vitamins and minerals found in the vegetable’s flesh. Potato skins are particularly rich in iron and potassium -- according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database, an average-sized whole baked potato is approximately 70 percent higher in iron and 35 percent higher in potassium than a peeled one.1. Potassium
One of the benefits of eating potato skins is increased potassium intake. Potassium helps your body carry out chemical reactions, including reactions used to fuel your metabolism and help your cells generate useable energy from the food you eat. Potassium also plays a role in the electrical impulses transmitted by your nervous system and helps your muscles contract to facilitate movement. A serving of four potato skins contains 628 milligrams of potassium, or 13 percent of your daily recommended intake, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.
2. Iron
Potato skins also provide a source of iron, another essential mineral. Iron's primary function involves supporting red blood cell function. These cells contain large amounts of hemoglobin, a protein that binds to oxygen from the air you breathe, then carries that oxygen throughout your body. Iron makes up the central component of each hemoglobin molecule, and the presence of iron proves essential for oxygen binding and transport. Consuming four potato skins boosts your iron intake by 4.9 milligrams, approximately 61 percent of the recommended intake for women over age 51 or for men of any age, or 27 percent for women aged 50 years or younger, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.
3. Niacin
Eating potato skins benefits your health by providing a source of niacin, also called vitamin B-3. Like potassium, niacin helps your cells break down nutrients into useable fuel. It also plays a role in cell communication and new cell development and helps your cells recover from physiological stress. Men should consume 16 milligrams of niacin daily, according to the Linus Pauling Institute, while women require 14 milligrams. Eating four potato skins boosts your niacin intake by approximately 1.6 milligrams.
Other Considerations
Incorporate potato skins into your diet by roasting or baking whole potatoes. Serve them with fresh herbs, olive oil or plain yogurt, as butter and sour cream are generally less nutritious. Toss raw, diced
potatoes into soups or stews as they cook. Don’t peel potatoes before mashing them -- the skin brings flavor and texture to an otherwise ordinary dish. Skip potato skins, the classic appetizer made by topping hollowed-out potato skins with copious amounts of cheese, bacon and sour cream. The skins’ benefits are outweighed by the dish’s high sodium, saturated fat and calorie content. If you regularly eat potatoes, opt for the organic variety whenever possible -- conventionally grown potatoes are treated with so many pesticides that the Environmental Working Group lists them among the “dirty dozen” of produce.