Mmm potatoes, so satisfying! Our culture definitely has a love/hate relationship with these little tubers. They’ve been ridiculed off and on for decades! However, the concern shouldn’t be with the potatoes, but rather all the toppings that are typically added, butter, sour cream, cheese, milk, bacon bits, none of which are part of a healthy diet. Potatoes have also been associated with the standard poorly balanced meat-and-potato diet. But potatoes actually have lots of healthy benefits and can be made into healthy AND delicious dishes.

For starters, potatoes are a resistant starch. This means they are resistant to digestion. Once they get to the large intestine they’re turned into a short-chain fatty acids and used as food by the bacteria in our GI tract. As resistant starches are broken down by the gut microbiome, different chemicals are created, including butyrate. This type of fatty acid is extremely beneficial to the gut by helping control the growth of the cells lining the intestines. It also has anti-inflammatory effects making it helpful for immunity, anti-carcinogenic, plus antioxidants.

A serving of potatoes also provides us with 50% of our daily vitamin C needs. They’re a great source of potassium, fiber, magnesium, and antioxidants.

I suggest to always eat the skin of the potatoes. This is where a lot of nutrients are found. Also, be sure to always choose organic since we want to eat the skin and its extremely thin so chemicals can easily be absorbed.

This recipe includes my beloved sauerkraut which adds an extra complexity of flavor as well as beneficial probiotics to further enhance the health of our GI tracts.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Servings 2-3

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 large russet potatoes, chopped with skin
• 4-5 tbsp coconut milk (other alternative dairy milks could work as well, I just haven’t tasted tested those)
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp chopped garlic or 1/2 tsp ground garlic
• 2 heaping tbsp of sauerkraut
• 2 stalks Swiss chard or spinach, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Steam chopped potatoes for around 10 minutes.
2. When potatoes are cooked and tender to a fork, drain out the water and place back in pot, without the steamer tray.
3. Mash potatoes with potato masher. Add in coconut milk, nutritious yeast, and garlic. Mix well. Add in chopped greens, sauerkraut, and mix with spoon. Taste test to see if you’d like to add more of anything.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

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