If You Think Potatoes Aren’t Healthy, Let These Nutritionists Prove You Wrong

Potatoes have had a rough go of things.

Most recently, the high-protein, anti-carbohydrate people have spread the message that potatoes are full of fattening carbs. Back in the anti-fat ’80s, we were told that mashed or fried potatoes were too rich, guaranteed to pack on the pounds. Before that, there were the anti-nightshade adherents, who believed that potatoes were laced with poisons. 

In the United States, where a 5-pound bag of potatoes was in every pantry when I was a kid, we are eating fewer spuds these days. U.S. annual consumption of fresh potatoes fell from 48 pounds per person in 1982 to 28 pounds per person in 2024, while frozen potato consumption rose from 41 pounds to 58 pounds per person over the same period, respectively.

That means we aren’t cooking with potatoes, but we’re eating a whole lot of French fries and tater tots. Here’s how nutritionists want us to start thinking about potatoes in our everyday diets.

Potatoes are a whole food 

Like other vegetables, potatoes have a spectrum of nutrients, not just carbohydrates.

Accord...