If you’ve ever researched how to eat healthier, chances are you were told to banish all your favorite staples from your plate.
As studies got better and nutritionists grew feelings, we’ve slowly come into a new age of healthy eating that involves some of your favorite guilty pleasures.
In fact, certain new discoveries have put no-no’s like potatoes and salt back where they belong – in your kitchen.
There’s no need to scratch the mashed potatoes from your Thanksgiving dinner because I’ve discovered a way to keep potatoes as a part of your healthy diet.
Better yet, these magic tubers actually offer benefits to your nutritional intake!
If you’ve ever gone on the crusade to eat healthier, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “death to carbs!”
As a pasta lover myself, I found I couldn’t completely cut carbs as much as a doctor or nutritionist would want.
But as new discoveries come to light, and people look farther for food than their local grocery stores, amazing ways to eat healthy emerge.
Most people had a pretty similar retinue of vegetables growing up – broccoli, green beans, potatoes, carrots, Brussel sprouts, or maybe the occasional cauliflower or asparagus.
Now it seems those veggies of green, orange, and white have been eclipsed by exotic new additions like bell peppers, avocados, and jalapenos.
While these make for exciting ways to prepare food, the nutritional content of each new vegetable has to be debated in health food circles for what seems like years before it becomes accepted as truly “healthy.”
Remember when avocados became the new craze?
It took dietitians and nutritional experts the better part of a decade to agree that while it’s high in fat, the fat is beneficial for you in moderate quantities.
So, you’re probably wondering how I’m going to revolutionize how you eat carbs.
There aren’t any new vegetables on the market that would easily replace your beloved mashed potatoes…or are there?
I’m not talking about poor substitutes like mashed cauliflower or quinoa.
I’ve found what is rightfully a superfood – high in protein, fiber, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, and tons of other helpful nutrients – and it’s likely sitting in the produce section of your favorite natural foods store.
Purple potatoes are exactly what they sound like.
The size of a golf ball, these potatoes range from a royal purple to a violet that’s almost black.
Harvested early (hence their small size), these potatoes are native to areas of South America, and that could be why we haven’t seen them become mainstream yet.
Part of the fear when it comes to a close variation to a homestyle favorite is the item will taste similar but will be just different enough to remind your taste buds all that they’re missing.
Keep in mind, no matter how nutrient-packed these little tubers are, they’re lost on you if smothered in sour cream and bacon bits.
Everything in moderation, but that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your starchy favorites like roasted potatoes or even French fries.
One of my favorite ways to prepare them is as garlic mashed potatoes.
The prep couldn’t be easier – boil them just like you would a regular potato, them mash them with some garlic, butter, milk, and a dash of salt.
To make this meal even healthier, you could substitute the butter for unsalted, the milk for low fat, and the salt for mineral-rich pink Himalayan salt.
In addition to the easy replacement for a past guilty pleasure, purple potatoes also offer a healthy alternative to food coloring, can help regulate blood pressure, and even may prevent blood clots.
These magic little potatoes can be found at popular chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, or at local produce vendors.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, you should grab these potatoes for a pop of color and superfood might to decorate your table (and satisfy everyone around it too).
