Potatoes
Potatoes give us lots of energy
and so they are great for children and adults who
have to work in the shamba or do other physical work.
Potatoes can be stored for a long time if kept in a brown paper bag in a cool dry place.
When you buy potatoes, the skin should be smooth. If the skin is wrinkled this means they are old, so don’t buy them.
Potatoes can be boiled, baked or fried, but fried potatoes, like chips, are not nutritious and contain too much fat that is very bad for us.
Boil or bake the potatoes with the skins left on and they are even more nutritious than if you peel them. Just scrub them clean and put them in the pot.
Irish potatoes are full of carbohydrates to give you lots of energy. They also contain a lot of folates, vitamins C and B6, and the minerals Magnesium and Potassium.
- Carbohydrates give us energy for everything we have to do, even just for breathing! But we also need energy so we can move around and work.
- Folates help our bodies to function and grow well.
- Folates are very important when women are pregnant and during the first 1000 days. They help the foetus and baby to develop a healthy brain and spinal chord.
- Vitamin C - potatoes contain a lot of Vitamin C to help our bodies fight disease to stop us from getting sick.
- Vitamin B6 - we need vitamin B6 to keep our nerves in good condition.
- Manganese and Potassium - we need the minerals Manganese and Potassium to help our bodies keep a healthy level of sugar in our blood and potassium to also keep our nerves healthy.
