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ShareThe potato is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, grown for its starchy tuber.
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Potato plants have a low-growing habit and bear white to purple flowers with yellow stamens.
In recent centuries potatoes have become the world's most important tuber crop and its fourth most important source of food energy (after rice, wheat, and maize): farmers and gardeners grow them worldwide.
Potatoes are often broadly classified as “high” on the glycemic index (GI) and; thus, are frequently excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a “low GI” eating regimen.
In fact, the GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on the type (i.e., red vs.
russet vs.
white vs.
Prince Edward), origin (i.e., where it was grown), preparation methods (i.e., cooking method, whether it is eating hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole, etc), and what it is consumed with (i.e., the addition of various high fat or high protein toppings).
Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids, toxic compounds, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine.
Cooking at high temperatures partly destroys these.
For more information about the topic Potato, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Deadly nightshade and related plants — The Solanaceae is a family of flowering plants, many of which are edible, while others are considered poisonous. The family is informally known as ... > read more
Colorado potato beetle — The Colorado potato beetle has also been known as the Colorado beetle, Ten-striped spearman, the Ten-lined potato beetle, and it can easily be ... > read more
Root vegetable — Root vegetables are underground plant parts used as vegetables. They are called root vegetables for lack of a better generic term, but include both ... > read more
Heirloom plant — An heirloom plant is an open-pollinated cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern ... > read moreEditor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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