Secret Superfoods: Purple majesty potatoes

SUPERFOODS: Seemingly magical food sources that contain weight loss, anti-oxidant, cancer fighting, anti-ageing, health boosting properties! 

When we think ‘superfoods’ – we usually think…….blueberries, coconuts, goji berries, cocoa, leafy greens, walnuts and even salmon (providing it’s genuine wild salmon!)

Think of superfoods as long lost friends, you know the old friends that you know you really should catch up with?

Well superfoods are your body and immune systems ‘long lost friends’ and just like human nature – the more company we have, generally the happier we feel…………likewise, the more superfoods you unite your body with, the better it functions and in conjunction, the better you feel. 

Purple potatoes? 

I know right, “I’ve never heard of that before!”

That was exactly me just a few weeks ago! I was doing some research and looking to broaden and expand my healthy eating horizons, along with increasing the variety in my diet. Whilst exploring various health food retailers, I stumbled across the ‘secret’ purple majesty potato! 

As you’ll realise, the colour is actually one of the least intriguing properties of this super potato….

As you can see from pictures, it is a rather dark purple colour. For those of you that don’t already know; a simple rule for determining how strong a source of anti-oxidants a fruit or vegetable is, is the darkness of it’s skin. Dark skinned fruits and vegetables are higher up the scale of available health boosting minerals because these varieties maintain their anti-oxidant qualities as their darker skin protects them from sun exposure or over exposure. 

The battle of potatoes!

Let it be known that I am a fan of potatoes. I think potatoes provide a great substitute for those trying to gradually clean up their diet and start replacing empty, un-nutritious high glycemic carbohydrates with nutrient dense, slower release high fiber alternatives. 

I always advocate consuming carbs that you can extract maximum benefit from along with the rise in blood sugar. Potatoes are a prime example, high in fiber, not particularly high on the glycemic scale (especially sweet potatoes) and offering a welcome supply of vitamins (namely vitamin A and C)

Sweet potato > white potato

The sweet potato obviously reigns superior to the white potato (as far as health benefits and smart carb choices are concerned) but I’m now inclined to believe……….

Purple potato > sweet potato

In one corner we have the sweet potato…….

Calories per 100 gram serving: 86

Carbohydrates per 100 gram serving: 20 grams

Dietary fiber per 100 gram serving: 3 grams

The sweet potatoes best offer: The extremely strong presence of vitamin A (283% of the RDA per 100 grams)

In the other corner we have the purple potato! 

Calories per 100 gram serving: 72

Carbohydrates per 100 gram serving: 15.4 grams

Dietary fiber per 100 gram serving: 1.2 grams

The purple potatoes best offer: Containing four times the anti-oxidants, one of which is anthocyanin (which has been shown to reduce cancer risk)

So there we have it, the purple potato is the stronger anti-oxidant of the two and also more weight-loss friendly

The sweet potato does however outdo the purple ‘cousin’ in the available fiber department. Although this is nothing that can’t be overcome with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (as you should be eating anyway!) 

As you can see the relatively unknown and unheard of purple majesty potato would make a fantastic addition to any diet. Perfect for anyone looking to reduce, monitor or control their carbohydrate intake, whilst not eliminating carbs altogether and ensuring that the carbs they do ingest are nutrient dense. 

How can you get your purple potatoes?

Purple Potatoes originate from South America. Peru and Bolivia are their common homelands. They are accessible around the globe, I am based in the U.K. and the best place to obtain purple majesty potatoes here is via the online supermarket ‘Ocado’. However a simple internet search will provide you with all you need to know regarding ideal purchase opportunities. Also, many local farmer’s markets sell these wonder foods! Farmer’s markets are a great place to buy the majority of your food and groceries……period! 

Purple majesty potatoes have evaded public attention for some time, however the more we learn about their amazing qualities, properties and benefits, the more people will incorporate them into their diets.

The key to healthy eating is variety, without variety good habits are harder to form. I believe we should vary our food as much as we can and ultimately…….enjoy our food. 

Yet another superfood to start eating and keep variety ever present in your eating habits!