In terms of diabetes in particular, potatoes have a bad reputation as being unhealthy foods, but they don't actually increase the risk and aren't even bad for you.
Contrary to popular opinion, potatoes are not unhealthy and do not increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. A new study suggests that other bad eating decisions are what actually increase one’s risk.
A common misconception about potatoes is that they are a terrible meal, particularly when it comes to diabetes. The common potato itself doesn’t truly increase one’s risk, though. Everything depends on how you prepare it and what else you consume in addition to it. The results of this study were disseminated in the scholarly journal Diabetes Care, which has undergone peer review.
One of the most popular and common foods consumed worldwide is the potato. After corn, wheat, and rice, they are the fourth-largest crop in the world in terms of production and consumption.
Although this is the case, potatoes have a terrible reputation for being unhealthy. Why is that so? Potatoes are a starch, thus they are heavy in carbohydrates, to start with. Second, they have frequently been linked to the emergence of diseases like type 2 diabetes in earlier medical studies. As a result, various vegetables are now frequently preferred over potatoes in the world of healthy eating. But a recent study from Edith Cowan University (ECU) is shattering the myth that potatoes are unhealthy.
The actual study was an examination of a longer-term Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health study in which over 54,000 participants reported their dietary intake.
Dr. Nicolas Bondonno’s study at ECU chose to investigate the link between eating veggies and potatoes and getting type 2 diabetes. It was determined right away that most veggies are better for you than potatoes and actually have a greater potential to reduce your risk of getting type 2 diabetes. However, because the study was able to differentiate between the many methods participants prepared the potatoes they consumed, it was discovered that eating potatoes did not necessarily increase a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes.
For instance, eating french fries and mashed potatoes may seem to increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.
But this wasn’t the case if you only considered boiled potatoes. To argue that potatoes reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes would be inaccurate. However, they do not in any way increase one’s risk either.
It has no impact. All of that depends on the preparation and the components.
For instance, mashed potatoes typically have additional ingredients like butter and milk. These factors can make someone more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Furthermore, the majority of potato dishes are frequently paired with foods like soda and red meat that can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Contrarily, boiled potatoes typically lack these extra components or connotations. They aren’t so horrible as a result.
Although the study unmistakably demonstrated that potatoes aren’t always unhealthy, the subject of whether potatoes are healthful still lingers. After all, it is clear that they are less nutritious than other vegetables.
Do potatoes belong in a diet that is healthy? The research indicates that the answer is unquestionably yes.
The carbohydrates found in potatoes itself aren’t inherently unhealthy. Like potatoes, carbohydrates also have a poor image, but it’s not unambiguous. Carbohydrates come in a variety of forms, some of which are beneficial. Particularly potatoes are a good source of carbs, vitamins, minerals, nutritional fibre, and protein. This is significant since the endlessly adaptable potato can likewise be used in place of refined grains.
Potatoes can be a far healthier substitute for white rice or pasta made from wheat. The current focus should be on educating people about the critical link between veggies and a reduced chance of developing diabetes, as well as the critical health advantages of the commonly misunderstood potato.
Parvathy Sukumaran 
