Roasted Purple Potatoes

That sounds like how I do my regular potatoes. If purples give more healthy stuff, I'm going to look for them. Can you tell me more about the "very, very good for you" part. Do you know the approximate calorie count? I do love potatoes!

Purple potatoes are low on the glycemic index.

Purple potatoes are very similar to the popular Russet potatoes in nutritional value. One-half cup of purple potatoes contains 70 calories, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of protein and no fat. One-half cup of Russet potatoes contains 66 calories, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of protein and no fat. The one significant difference between purple potatoes and Russet potatoes is the antioxidant content; purple potatoes contain 4 times as much antioxidants as Russet potatoes. Anthocyanin is a pigment that creates the purple color in the potatoes and also acts as an antioxidant.

All potatoes are naturally high in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. But the extra antioxidants in purple potatoes make them even more effective than other potato varieties. A study conducted by the USDA among overweight participants suffering from hypertension reported that consuming six to eight golf ball-sized purple potatoes twice daily for one month reduced blood pressure by an average of 4 percent. These antioxidants also strengthen your immune system and can help prevent certain heart diseases and cancers.

Thanks for the info. I like the part about lowering blood pressure. I am hopeful with the weight loss and healthy eating I can get off both the cholesterol and blood pressure meds. I love the part about antioxidants! I will look for those the next time I'm grocery shopping. As I said, I love potatoes!

Have you, or anyone else reading this post, seen the purple tomatoes? Any info on those. They actually look kind of gross.

I eat purple potato chips (they are in the data base here--they are called, "Tera Blues"). They have no trans fat and they are very good--similar to a regular potato chip except a bit denser. They are very satisfying and as OP stated, purple potatoes are very good for you.

Cholesterol lowering drugs are very dangerous drugs and blood pressure drugs are only slightly less so. I had every side effect imaginable from taking the three different B.P drugs that I took. I finally got mad about feeling really crummy and took my health in my own hands. I have lost 50 pounds over about two years and was able to get completely off my blood pressure meds (gradually). It is good to get a home B.P. monitor so you can keep track of your B.P. while you are tapering off. Potatoes are better to eat than bread because of the good effect on B.P. Since my weight loss and since I started exercising vigorously, I haven't much been concerned about my blood pressure. It usually ranges somewhere between 115/70 and 125/78 depending on how much sodium I've eaten the previous day. Getting off of pharmaceuticals is one of the best parts of my weight loss and exercise program. Good luck!

p.s. There are plenty of phyto-chemicals in many foods that can help with B.P. Celery and (believe it or not) chocolate, is great for lowering B.P. Staying off of sugar and wheat is the best thing that I did to lower my B.P. You can make your own sucrose-free chocolate. Sucrose, i.e. table sugar is one big dietary culprit in causing high B.P. It is the fructose in sucrose that is the metabolic poison that causes "metabolic syndrome" (high B.P. is part of metabolic syndrome) and "diabesity". The relatively small amount of fructose in fruits and vegetables is not a problem. It is the 500 calories of sugar that the average person eats per day that is the problem. It is all explained in a book called, "The Fat Switch" by cardiologist/renal specialist, Richard J. Johnson, M.D. Fructose should be kept to 25 grams or less per day (the amount in a couple of fructose rich vegetables (tomatoes and carrots) and a couple of low-fructose fruits (berries and citrus). I found going on a fructose-free diet (for a couple of weeks) helpful--it lowers the level of fructokinase that your body produces in response to fructose. Chronically high levels of fructokinase causes undesirable bio-chemistry. Glucose (the industry name for it is "dextrose") is safe to eat in small amounts because the body knows how to handle it well. I make my own glucose-sweetened chocolate by melting 4 oz. of unsweetened baker's chocolate in a double boiler and then adding vanilla and two tablespoons of glucose (it will usually be called "corn sugar" at a bulk food store). I will often then add organic peanuts or other nuts like toasted almonds and drop the mixture onto parchment paper (you could use waxed paper too). One ounce of chocolate per day, is recommended for health. Chocolate can actually help repair the damaged DNA that is a result of eating the large amount of fructose that is in our steady diet of sugar. Green Tea is another bonanza for repairing DNA and helping to burn fat. I drink a number of cups throughout the day with just a squeeze of organic lemon.