Whether you're talking spuds, praties or mazambane, if you have potatoes you have the basis of a healthy life. Over recent years the mighty tuber has come in for some bad press — erroneously accused of promoting weight gain by the proponents of fad diets like the Atkins and South Beach diets.

In truth, a potato on its own contains no fat, is free of cholesterol, is rich in fibre, provides almost half of the daily requirement for vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana.

Dispelling the myths

Dr Katherine Beals, Associate Professor and Nutrition Clinic Director at the University of Utah USA, was in South Africa recently, to dispel some of the myths around potatoes. Her work with the US Potato Board has all but up-ended common misconceptions and restored the potato to its rightful place in our diets.

Local dieticians had the privilege of hearing about her findings when she touched on several health issues, from obesity and the glycemic index to nutrient density and satiety, during a morning workshop held at the Cape Town Waterfront.

Her talk focused on dispelling some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding potatoes and potato nutrition and created the perfect opportunity for local dieticians to reassess the potato in our daily diets, something that Potatoes SA has high on its priority. Next year in fact, one of Potatoes SA's programmes is to promote the potato as a staple in disadvantaged communities.

A good source of nutrients

In the US, potatoes are the most popular of all the vegetables, but because they're mostly baked, mashed and boiled, heightening their glycemic index (which measures the body's glucose response to carbohydrates), they've gained a bad rap. Because potatoes don't come with a convenient nutrition content label, they tend to be widely regarded as a simple starch.

In fact, potatoes are good sources of nutrients that are essential to the body, including protein, fibre, vitamin C and potassium. In addition carbohydrates found in potatoes are complex, that is, they provide the body with a steady flow of energy for an extended period and in any balanced meal, it is recommended that carbohydrates should make up 60 percent of the daily kilojoules.

According to the South African Food-based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG), starchy food should be the basis of most meals. "Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit," says the fourth guideline. Read 'potatoes' right up there among the best of them.