Potatoes have had a lot of bad press over the years and often get labelled as a ‘carb heavy’ food be avoided. However, I’m here to let you know that they're making a comeback because potatoes can be good for gut health… if they are cold!
You may or may not have heard of a term called 'resistant starch'. Starch itself is found in a lots of carbohydrate foods - pasta, potatoes, grains etc. However some starch found in certain carbohydrate foods is resistant to digestion. This means it cannot be broken down so it travels to the large intestine, where our gut microbes mainly live.
Resistant starch functions a bit like fibre (a personal fav) in that it acts as a prebiotic & feeds the beneficial bacteria living in our gut microbiome. The gut bugs then transform it into short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which are clever signalling molecules with have a range of benefits.
Heating foods with resistant starch can destroy it, however interestingly you can get it back by letting it cool down after cooking... which is why cold potatoes can be beneficial for your gut health!
April is the start of the new potato season here in England and what better way to eat them than a delicious cold potato salad, especially as the BBQ season kicks off.
See below for one of my favourite cold(!) potato salad recipes...
Recipe is based on a Deliciously Ella recipe from this cookbook
Ingredients
500g new potatoes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
50g watercress
Olive oil
Dressing
100g plain yoghurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
Handful of mint
Recipe
Mix the potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, spices & herbs and season well.
Add to a pre-heated oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, until soft and golden.
Mix the dressing ingredients & season.
Once the potatoes are cooked let them cool. Once cooled, mix through the watercress and dressing.
Remember to eat cold!
Enjoy! Michelle x