Love a spud

Start a diet, cut out potatoes, that's what all the diet gurus seem to say, but lets hold on a moment before we bash the humble spud.

Potatoes are a very good source of complex carbohydrates, the wonderful stuff that gives you that full feeling, and makes sure you feel fuller longer. It is also a very good source of fiber, your average baked 'tater will provide between 10-15% of your daily recommended amount of dietary fiber.

Now we get on to the host of vitamins and essential minerals contained in this humble vegetable. Vitamin B1 or thiamine is used in the body to help digest food and is also used by the brain. B6 next and this is a hard working vitamin, it is used all over the body from digestion, to the nervous system and the blood amongst other uses.

I was surprised to discover the spud provides nearly half as much vitamin C as a fresh orange and almost a quarter more potassium than the banana.

Spuds are good source of Magnesium, Zinc and copper which are all used along with calcium to build strong bones and teeth. They also contain iron, which is needed for healthy blood. Folic acid is needed by the blood and again the potato is a good source.

Our dumpy little friend is one of the ultimate low fat foods, it has about 0.01% fat per 100g, so next time you fancy a nutritious and low fat meal, love a spud.

Low fat wedges

Ingredients:

Potatoes
Fry light
seasoning


How to:

1. Cut the potatoes into wedges, leaving the skin on.
2. Par boil the wedges for about 5 - 10 minutes or until they are just tender.
3. Drain the potatoes and spritz with 3 to 5 squirts of Fry light, or other spray oil.
4. Arrange on a single layer on a baking sheet and spritz the wedges again.
5. Bake in a hot oven (200 degrees) for around 20 or 25 minutes, turning once.

You can add different seasonings before baking, I like adding a dry BBQ seasoning myself, but they work well with all sorts of dry seasoning.

These wedges are low in fat, but just be wary low fat doesn't mean low calorie, so just as with any carbohydrate, they shouldn't take up more that a quarter of your plate.

They are very nice when dipped in cool Tzatziki along with a crisp Greek salad and a good feta cheese.