Praise the Tater

Potatoes, especially purple, may help lower blood pressure

A small, pilot study suggests that a couple of servings of potatoes per day can lower blood pressure as much as oatmeal without causing weight gain, researchers said. Joe Vinson, a professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, analyzed 18 patients who ate six to eight small purple potatoes twice daily for a month and found their systolic and diastolic blood pressures (the top and bottom numbers in a blood pressure reading) dropped by 3.5 and 4.3 percent, respectively.

Vinson pointed out that potatoes can be a healthy food when they're not in the form of French fries or chips, or covered in high-fat toppings such as cheese and sour cream. Purple ones, in particular, have high amounts of antioxidants, although red-skinned or white potatoes may have similar effects, he said.

I knew there were more reasons why I planted taters besides great taste.