If "chips" or "French fries" is the first thing you think of when it comes to potatoes, it's time to break the association. I'll forgo the lecture on how unhealthy they are, given the oil they're cooked in and the salt they hog. Instead, I'll point out that potatoes can be savory and satisfying in so many ways that consuming them fried signals a lack of imagination.
Slowly, the reputation of the potato is undergoing rehabilitation from dietary villain to nutritional hero. Not only do potatoes supply some classy protein, they are loaded with vitamin C and one of the B vitamins, B6, especially good for the brain and nervous system. Of additional note: New potatoes have a thoroughly respectable standing on the glycemic index.
Potatoes are also rich in potassium, a mineral often lacking in the American diet but which helps regulate blood pressure, bone strength, and muscle and nervous system function. A recent report in the Archives of Internal Medicine links high intake of potassium with reduced mortality from all causes. Now comes news that potatoes do even more to protect the brain. They minimize blood pressure, even in overweight people, reducing the risk of stroke through additional channels, namely chemical components that act much like the antihypertension drugs ACE inhibitors.
