Throughout America, potatoes are the most popular
vegetable, even being ahead of other well known
vegetables such as lettuce and onions. You can
cook potatoes in a variety of ways, and they are
included in one out of three meals eaten by almost
all Americans. When they are prepared in a healthy
way, a potato can be an excellent source of energy
and also pack a nutritional punch.

Like oranges, potatoes are very high in vitamin C.
The fact is, one medium potato contains 45% of the
vitamin C that’s recommended for good health.
Potatoes are also high in fiber and carbohydrates
and contain more potassium than a banana.

A potato is naturally low in calories and contains
no fat, sodium, or cholesterol. The skins of the
potatoes provide a helpful dose of fiber, iron,
potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and several
B vitamins.

You can prepare potatoes by boiling them, steaming
them, or even roasting them. If at all possible,
you should avoid putting potatoes in the refrigerator
or freezing them, as cold will turn the potato
starch to sugar and cause them to turn dark when
they are cooked.

When you store potatoes, keep them in a cool, dark
place. Too much light will cause them to turn green.
You can store them in the basement if you have
one, as the basement is the best place to keep
potatoes.

From mashed potatoes to baked potatoes, a potato
is something we all know and love. They serve
many different tasty foods, and they provide our
bodies with plenty of healthful benefits. We all
eat potatoes, some of us even grow our own. Whether
you grow your on or buy them, the potato is
the one vegetable that makes everything just a
little bit better.

If you’ve been looking for a way towards a high
octane diet, you’ll find fiber to be exactly what
you need. Even though research has shown fiber to
be powerful, many people aren’t taking this nutrient
seriously.

To help you fuel your health with fiber, here are
10 facts to help.

1. Fiber fights diseases. A diet high in fiber can
help to prevent colon cancer and heart disease. High
fiber helps the body to eliminate cholesterol by
binding it in the digestive tract. For thousands of
years, fiber has been used to stop constipation.

2. Fiber can actually help with overeating. All high
fiber foods will take longer to chew and digest,
making you feel satisfied longer

3. Most popular foods don’t have enough fiber. If
you like the more popular foods, you probably need
to increase your intake of fiber.

4. Grains offer the most fiber. Dietary fiber is
actually plant matter that we cannot digest. The best
sources are whole grains and concentrated grain
products.

5. Kids need fiber as well. Children that are older
than 2 years of age should consume a daily intake of
fiber. Kids are most receptive to fiber found in
fruits, vegetables, and even fortified breakfast
cereals.

6. More fiber needs more water. In order to keep
fiber moving through your digestive tract, you’ll
need to consume a lot of water. With your diet of
fiber, you’ll need eight or more glasses of water
every day.

7. Fiber cannot be cooked out. When you cook
your fruits and vegetables, don’t worry about cooking
the fiber out, as it stays. The fiber found in
fruits and vegetables aren’t just in the skin or
in the peel.

8. You can get enough fiber. If you eat more than
50 grams of fiber in a day, you can get diarrhea
and bloating, which can interfere with your body’s
absorption of other key minerals.

9. Getting the right amount of fiber in your diet
doesn’t have to be hard. Even though you may think
so, getting the amount of fiber you need isn’t very
hard to do. All you have to do is eat the right
foods and you’ll be well on your way to a fiber
rich lifestyle.

As one of the key ingredients to healthy eating,
fiber is something you don’t want to skip. Fiber can
serve many different purposes, which were covered
above. If you aren’t getting enough fiber in your
diet – you should do something about now instead
of waiting until it is too late.