Contributing Author: Lillea Woodlyns

One of the challenges when eating gluten free is having enough food choices that make eating pleasurable.

Potatoes are a wonderfully flexible food to include in a GF diet. Yes, potatoes are gluten free, but you must be cautious.

3 Reasons Potatoes Are a Great Choice for GF Diets + Why You Should Be Cautious

1. Ease of Preparation

Potatoes are simple to prepare, unlike other GF starchy carbohydrate sources which often require special preparation to create a pleasing taste.

Simply peel the potatoes, if you like, then slice them up if appropriate and cook them in the way that you like: boil, steam, bake, slow cook, fry, microwave, sous-vide, BBQ… potatoes can be delicious when cooked in every way imaginable.

2. Highly Digestible

The skin of a potato is the only part that commonly causes digestive distress.

While the skin has trace nutrients and fiber, the majority of the nutrient content in a potato is in the flesh, so don’t worry about discarding the skin, you can get your fiber in other ways.

Given that people with gluten issues often have a problem with digestion in one way or another, the more easily digestible a food is, the better.

3. Nutritious

Potatoes contain decent amounts of minerals, easily digested carbohydrate and complete protein. Yes, complete! That means that, unlike most plant foods, potatoes contain the 9 essential amino acids that the body needs.

The protein level is not high per potato, but it can still be a positive contribution to daily protein intake, particularly if potatoes are favored over other carbohydrate sources that don’t contain complete protein.

Caution!

Potatoes in their whole form are gluten free, but watch out with processed foods that are potato based, including potato chips. Be sure to check labels for gluten ingredients and any warnings about possible cross-contamination with gluten foods in the factory they are processed in. Write/call manufacturers if in doubt, and also be careful when buying prepared potato dishes from delis and restaurants. Always ask to verify that a dish is truly gluten free.

Are potatoes gluten free? You bet! Learn more about the health benefits of potatoes, benefits and risks, and where to buy certified gluten free potato flour for baking at http://www.glutenfreeshoponline.com/gluten-free-diets/potatoes-gluten-free/