The Humble Potato and Health

Written by Harriet Diamond

Nutrition or Poisonous?

Everyone knows I love potatoes. With my low body temperature I find them warming my core. I can eat them everyday and yet I don’t need all the extra stuff you could fill them with. My favorite is potato and butter. But I didn’t realize that when I buy them from my food store and not the health store, I am doing my self a disservice. I thought washing them good would get everything off. But here’s another eye opening story. Once again, thanks Rodale for years of good information.

Nonorganic Potatoes

Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board, gives us the scoop:

The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation's most popular vegetable—they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. "Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won't," says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention). "I've talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals."

The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn't good enough if you're trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh.

Budget tip: Organic potatoes are only $1 to $2 a pound, slightly more expensive than conventional spuds.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/hide comment form