Negative Calorie Diet: Health Benefits Of Potatoes

Negative Calorie Diet: Health Benefits Of Potatoes

Potatoes are a wonderfully versatile vegetable. They can be boiled, roasted, sauteed, fried, or baked. Their mild flavor blends well with other flavors, allowing an almost endless number of recipes for the potato. The potato is also potentially a very healthy vegetable.

Potatoes contain a good amount of vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is essential to the body, being involved in over 100 enzymatic reactions. Since enzymes are present in the entire body, helping the proper chemical reactions to take place, B6 is important in the entire body, keeping these chemical reactions happening as they should. B6 is also involved in the production of certain neurotransmitters, called amines. These neurotransmitters keep the messages flowing along the nerves.

B6 is also involved in breaking down glycogen, a form of sugar in the muscle cells and liver. This makes B6 important for endurance, and physical performance.

The potato can be a very healthy vegetable when cooked right. Unfortunately, many people eat greasy french fries or potato chips, or load their baked potato up with lots of fatty unhealthy toppings. Here's a recipe for a great soup using potatoes.

Caldo Verde

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4-6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced.
2 quarts cold water or chicken stock
1 lb linguica sausage
2 tsp. salt
pepper
1 lb kale rinsed, and thinly sliced.

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until tender. Add the potatoes, and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the water or chicken stock to the saucepan, bring to a boil, then cover the pan, and boil gently for about 20 minutes.

While the soup is boiling, remove the linguica from it's casing, and crumble into a large skillet. Cook over medium high heat until cooked through, and most of the fat has rendered out, about 10 minutes.

Mash or puree the potatoes. Add the linguica, and salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the kale, and cook for a few minutes more, until the kale is tender. Remove from the heat and serve.

Negative Calorie Diet
Negative Calorie Diet