Many people love potatoes, and the smell of boiled potatoes has long been hooked before they open their mouths to eat them. Yao Xian, a nutritionist in the Clinical Nutrition Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Su Da, told the reporter that such a fragrant taste actually comes from free amino acids, protein, starch and sugar in potatoes, and a "Maillard reaction" with fragrance occurred in the cooking process, which is hard to refuse.
There are many cooking methods suitable for potatoes, such as cold shredded potatoes, fried shredded potatoes, mashed potatoes, stewed potatoes, etc ... Its rich starch can thicken food and thick juice sticks to the surface of ingredients, which is a magical effect that other vegetables without starch can hardly achieve. Yao Xian also said that potatoes are particularly "easy to get along with" and can be "versatile" with various seasonings. No matter how much soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and curry powder are added, the taste is icing on the cake.
So, under what conditions can potatoes become staple food? It is reported that potatoes are rich in potassium comparable to bananas, vitamin C comparable to tomatoes, and vitamin B2 content higher than rice. Yao Xian said that when oil and salt were not put in, the starch content of baked potatoes and steamed potatoes was not as high as that of rice, and the blood sugar level did not rise as fast as that of rice, so they felt full. Eating the same calorie food, potatoes are more "full" than rice, steamed bread and bread.
For a long time, Suzhou people are used to eating potatoes and rice. In the eyes of nutritionists, this is an unhealthy way of eating.
Yao Xian pointed out that in the vegetable industry, the starch content of potatoes is extremely high, which means high calories. Eating one meal is equivalent to eating two staple foods. And everyone likes to cook potatoes with a lot of oil, or stew them with meat, but potatoes are good at "absorbing oil", which invisibly increases the risk of obesity and triglycerides. If you eat a bag of potato chips while watching TV after dinner, think about the fattening effect yourself.
In other words, from the perspective of nutrition and health care, if potatoes are used as vegetables, the score will be lower; And if potatoes are the staple food, the score is high. Yao Xianjian suggested steaming potatoes instead of rice. "Steamed potatoes. If it is too weak, you can add some salt and pepper. It tastes refreshing and full. "