About potatoes in general

Potatoes are one of the most common crops. It is used to prepare meals and create valuable products. Its tubers are used as raw materials for the glucose, alcohol and starch industries. Consider the history of this culture, the benefits, harm to the body and how the potato fruit can be called.

What is the name of the potato fruit: tuber or berry

Some people think that the tubers are the fruit of the potato, but this is not the case. The fruit of the plant is berries growing on bushes... They are popularly called tomatoes, bulbs or shelbolki. They begin to form closer to autumn.

The fruit reaches 2-3 cm in diameter and is dark green in color. Inside the ripe berries are seeds, with the help of which breeders develop new varieties of plants.

Benefits for the body

Potatoes have a huge number of useful properties that have a beneficial effect on the human body. His benefit is due to the chemical composition of the tubers, which are 80% water and fat, 20% carbohydrates, 2% proteins.

Young potatoes contain the maximum amount of vitamins B and C. The plant is also rich in magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorus and other trace elements.

The positive qualities of potatoes include:

1. Nutritious food... It is a source of energy and saturates the human body well. The nutritional value of the vegetable is 94 kcal per 100g.
2. Fight edema... The fruits of the plant have antispasmodic and diuretic properties. They include potassium, with the help of which salts and excess fluid are removed from the body. It also helps to normalize metabolism and maintain electrolyte balance. To support the daily potassium intake, it is enough to eat 500 g of potatoes per day.
3. Treatment of gastrointestinal diseases... Raw roots help people with gastritis, ulcers, or fibroids. For the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, you can use a vegetable and boiled.

Also, culture contributes elimination of skin problems... The vitamins that make up the tubers make the skin softer. Many experts recommend that people with delicate skin use potato masks. With their help, you can get rid of rashes and redness. A raw tuber can be used to speed up wound healing.

What other diseases does culture help with:

• Prevention of atherosclerosis... People with vascular and heart diseases are advised to eat potatoes regularly. With the help of starch, the amount of cholesterol in the liver and blood is reduced.
• Periodontal Disease Treatment... Freshly squeezed potato juice will help get rid of this disease. It is recommended to rinse your mouth with it three times a day and periodontal disease will disappear.

Harm to humans

With prolonged exposure to the sun, the tubers of the plant turn green and a substance called solanine accumulates in them. After that, you cannot use them, as this can lead to serious consequences.

Solanine content in food dangerous and harmful to humans:

• red blood cells are destroyed;
• there is nausea, vomiting and diarrhea;
• fainting becomes more frequent.

Tubers contain carbohydrates that are quickly absorbed by the body and accumulate in adipose tissue. Therefore, potato dishes should not be eaten by people with obesity. Also not it is recommended to eat fried potatoes, since its calorie content exceeds the norm by 3 times.

Do not combine the rose with other products. This can cause gas and heaviness in the stomach.

Potatoes during pregnancy

Eating potato dishes during pregnancy can be beneficial as well as harmful.

Useful qualities

In the first weeks of the term, the body of the expectant mother is greatly weakened and needs to be restored. Potato Dishes saturate it with vitamins, carbohydrates and other useful elements:

• Folic acid. With its help, the formation of the baby's nervous system is carried out.
• Calcium and Phosphorus. Participate in the formation of the child's musculoskeletal system.
• Potassium. Normalizes the performance of the cardiovascular system of the expectant mother.

Why potatoes are harmful for pregnant women

Sprouted tubers can harm the expectant mother. The amount of starch in them increases and because of this they are digested much worse.

During pregnancy, it is recommended to eat only boiled or baked potatoes in small portions.

Potatoes for children

Bottle-fed children can to give mashed potatoes from six months. To prepare it, potatoes are chopped in a blender and steamed.

From the age of eight months, children can prepare soups and mashed potatoes. These dishes contain the elements that the growing baby's body needs: sulfur, calcium, sec, phosphorus, magnesium.

They play an important role in the formation of muscle mass, teeth, bones, nervous and immune systems in a child.

However, there are some reasons why pediatricians do not recommend start complementary foods with potatoes:

• It contains a lot of starch, which is poorly absorbed by young children and causes constipation, colic and bloating in them. With age, this element is absorbed much better.
• Potatoes are high in calories and should not be given to overweight children... It is better to replace it with beets, carrots, cabbage or zucchini.

The history of the origin of potatoes

The history of the origin of potatoes goes back several millennia. In different parts of the world, this plant appeared at different times. Nevertheless, we will try to convey it briefly.

In America and Europe

Homeland culture is South America... It was on its territory that local residents began to cultivate it about 12 thousand years ago. Scientists came to such conclusions after studying the remains of plants found during excavations of Indian settlements.

There are many versions of the appearance of this plant in Europe. However, many researchers are sure that the monk Neronim Kordan was the first to bring it back in 1580.

Potatoes did not immediately gain popularity in European countries. For a long time it was considered inedible. Some doctors even claimed that he was a carrier of the infection. Only during hunger in 1755 it began to be actively used for food.

To do this, many European monarchs had to intimidate the peasants, since they refused to plant potatoes:

• peasants in England were awarded gold medals for its cultivation;
• the king of Prussia issued a decree - it said that people who refused to plant potatoes would have their ears and noses chopped off.

In Russia

The first batch of this vegetable was brought to Russia by Peter I... He ordered the distribution of potatoes in different areas, but this idea failed.

Only under Catherine II was it possible to spread the plant throughout Russia. For this, a special order was issued, with the help of which, after 15 years, the vegetable was grown even in Kamchatka.

In 1840 areas for planting potatoes steel fast increase... Within 10-15 years, several hundred new varieties of the plant were bred.

Healthy potato dishes

There are many types of dishes known to contain this culture. It is very easy to prepare a healthy and tasty potato dish. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the recipes for their preparation.

Dumplings

Ingredients:

• a tablespoon of whole grain flour;
• one chicken egg;
• a kilogram of potatoes;
• salt to taste.

The potatoes are washed and scalded. After that, it is cleaned and mixed with a blender. Then salt, sifted flour and an egg are added to it. The mixture is thoroughly mixed and cut into small piecesto be added to boiling water.

The dumplings are taken out of the water as they begin to rise. Served with sauce or sour cream.

Diet pancakes

Ingredients:

• two tablespoons of flour;
• two eggs;
• two onion heads;
• a kilogram of potatoes;
• salt to taste.

The potatoes are washed, peeled and grated. Then salt, eggs, flour and chopped onions are added to the potatoes. All ingredients are mixed until smooth, after which the mixture is laid out in small portions in a pan and baked for 20-30 minutes.

Baked potatoes

Ingredients:

• a kilogram of potatoes;
• three heads of garlic;
• salt to taste.

The potatoes and garlic are washed, peeled and cut into several pieces. Then they are placed in a mold and placed in a preheated oven. The dish should be baked for 45-50 minutes. To make it softer, shape can be covered with foil or lid.

Potatoes are a plant with a rich history. It is used for cosmetic purposes, for the treatment of diseases and the preparation of various dishes.