Under the ever-expanding umbrella of “millennials ruin everything,” the generation of folks born between 1981 and 1996 are now under fire for a 5.4 percent plunge in potato sales over the past three years.
That’s because people between the ages of 22 and 37 prefer “healthy and exotic” carbohydrates to the unassuming spud, according to the report published in the Independent.
But before you drop your favorite spud dish like a hot…well, you know, consider that one medium roasted russet has just 168 calories, packs more potassium—good for blood pressure and muscle function—than a banana, and delivers more than a third of your daily requirements for immunity-boosting vitamin C and energy-producing vitamin B6.
They’re also super satisfying. One study comparing hunger satisfaction following a meal with potatoes, pasta, or rice found that potatoes were best for satisfying hunger and led to fewer calories consumed overall than the other two carbohydrates.
As for those carbs, yes, potatoes have carbs, which you need for high intensity exercise like riding hard and crushing climbs (Want to really fly up those hills? Climb! gives you the workouts and mental strategies to conquer your nearest peak).
Potatoes are also rich in resistant starch, the type your body doesn’t absorb. This kind acts as a beneficial probiotic for good gut health, and promotes healthy blood sugar control. Research shows you can maximize the resistant starch content in your spuds by chilling them and eating them cold after cooking.
Maybe not so coincidentally, chilled, skinless boiled potatoes is one of the classic real food dishes Allen Lim, PhD, coauthor of the Feed Zone cookbook series started feeding the Garmin-Slipstream race squad. Just boil them, let them cool, remove the skins (you don’t need all that fiber slowing digestion when you need quick energy), and toss them in olive oil, salt, and grated Parmesan cheese. That’ll give you a wrap-ready portable energy snack.
What’s more, we know one very speedy bike riding millennial who agrees with all of the above. Twenty-seven-year-old, Tour-de-France-polka-dot-jersey-wearing Toms Skujiņš (Trek-Segafredo) is a self-described potato lover—so much so, it’s part of his Twitter bio.
He calls the humble potato the best vegetable out there, and considers them a race day staple. “During stage races, I’ll eat them pretty much daily. When I’m at home definitely less, but because I’m eating less carbs. But I do love grilling up a sweet potato or making some sweet potato mash for breakfast,” he told Bicycling by email.
Skujiņš balks at the notion of having a single favorite type of potato. But when asked what type of potato he’d be if he were a nutritious tuber, he noted that he would be a Japanese sweet potato. “Because from the outside it looks just the same as a normal potato, but it’s more delicious and will surprise you once you eat it.” (They reportedly taste a bit like roasted chestnuts.)
The Japanese sweet potato also happens to be the self-ascribed secret wrinkle-fighting food of X-Men: Apocalypse star (and borderline millennial) Olivia Munn, who claims to eat one a day to “help keep wrinkles away.”
We can’t promise potatoes will protect you from fine lines, but we can offer up some protein packed potato toppings and show you how to cook up some nutritious, gluten free sweet potato pancakes to fuel your next race or ride.
