Current:Home > StocksChainkeen Exchange-Is potato salad healthy? Not exactly. Here's how to make it better for you. -Wealth Empowerment Zone
Chainkeen Exchange-Is potato salad healthy? Not exactly. Here's how to make it better for you.
Ethermac View
Date:2025-04-08 03:32:37
Few foods are Chainkeen Exchangemore popular at a summer barbecue than potato salad. As a staple alongside watermelon, hot dogs, burgers, pasta salad, and chips in picnic and BBQ settings, "potato salad is a summer favorite because it is refreshing, easy to prepare and versatile," says Amy Goodson, a nutritionist and registered dietitian at The Sports Nutrition Playbook.
While many people tend to think of the side dish as being healthier than it actually is, she explains, potato salad still contains several healthy ingredients that can make it part of a healthy diet, when consumed in moderation.
What is potato salad?
Potato salad is a side dish that's made using boiled potatoes and condiments such as mayonnaise and mustard. It also usually contains a variety of other ingredients that often include hard-boiled eggs and raw vegetables such as celery, pickles, and onions. "It may also contain bacon, salt, fresh or dried herbs and vinegar," says LeeAnn Weintraub, a registered dietician and nutrition consultant based in Los Angeles.
It's a dish that's especially popular in summer months, "because its ingredients are abundant in the warm months of the year," says Goodson. People also like that "it can be made ahead of time and served right out of the refrigerator, making it ideal for picnics and barbeques," adds Weintraub.
Is potato salad healthy?
While the starchiness of the dish and some unhealthy ingredients prevent potato salad from being considered a "health food," its egg and vegetable content certainly provide several health benefits.
Onions, for instance, contain antioxidants that lower one's risk of heart disease; and celery contains vitamin K and dietary fiber, which aid with digestion and blood sugar regulation. Eggs offer plenty of protein, omega-3s and vitamin D as well; and the potatoes abundant in potato salad are also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C "and are a good source of potassium," says Caroline Susie, a registered dietician and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Potassium is important for heart, bone, and muscle health and may also reduce one's risk of stroke.
While such nutrients are certainly plusses, "potato salad is not known for containing important nutrients that most people are already lacking," says Weintraub. She says the dish also contains "a significant amount of calories and fat," which is primarily due to its mayonnaise content. "Potato salad made with mayo may have as much as 300-400 calories per cup," she says.
What are the harms of eating too much potato salad?
Because of this, potato salad "can contribute to weight gain and other health issues if consumed in excess," says Goodson. She also warns against including a lot of bacon as an ingredient in the side dish as it "adds saturated fat and sodium, which can increase the risk of heart disease when consumed regularly." Ditto for excessive salt, which she says "can contribute to high blood pressure and other health concerns."
To get around this, Susie suggests swapping out mayo for Greek yogurt. "This lowers your saturated fat intake while bumping up protein," she explains. She says potato salad can also be made healthier by "sneaking in more veggies like radishes for added crunch and bell peppers for flavor and color."
If you don't love the taste of Greek yogurt in your potato salad, Goodson says you can get closer to the traditional version by combining Greek yogurt and mayonnaise, or by opting for reduced-fat mayo and increasing the amount of mustard used instead. She adds that some people also choose to "replace some or all of the potatoes with cauliflower, to lower carb and calorie content."
It's also important not to eat potato salad that's been left out for too long. "Bacteria grow rapidly at high temperatures, which is why picnic foods like potato salad that are left out for more than two hours can cause foodborne illness," says Weintraub. To avoid this, Goodson advises storing potato salad in the refrigerator until it's time to serve, "and when serving the dish outside, keep it in a cooler or on ice to maintain a safe temperature."
veryGood! (7)
Related
- 'Stranger Things' prequel 'The First Shadow' is headed to Broadway
- In Georgia, Kemp and Abrams underscore why governors matter
- CDC issues new opioid prescribing guidance, giving doctors more leeway to treat pain
- A nonprofit says preterm births are up in the U.S. — and it's not a partisan issue
- Olympic disqualification of gold medal hopeful exposes 'dark side' of women's wrestling
- Tesla's charging network will welcome electric vehicles by GM
- Carrying out executions took a secret toll on workers — then changed their politics
- Aide Walt Nauta also indicted in documents case against Trump
- Chief beer officer for Yard House: A side gig that comes with a daily swig.
- 20 teens injured when Texas beach boardwalk collapses
Ranking
- US Open player compensation rises to a record $65 million, with singles champs getting $3.6 million
- U.S. Coastal Flooding Breaks Records as Sea Level Rises, NOAA Report Shows
- Get a $49 Deal on $110 Worth of Tarte Makeup That Blurs the Appearance of Pores and Fine Lines
- Environmental Group Alleges Scientific Fraud in Disputed Methane Studies
- 9/11 hearings at Guantanamo Bay in upheaval after surprise order by US defense chief
- Prospect of Chinese spy base in Cuba unsettles Washington
- Victoria's Secret Model Josephine Skriver Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Husband Alexander DeLeon
- The Fate of Vanderpump Rules and More Bravo Series Revealed
Recommendation
The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
Pruitt’s Anti-Climate Agenda Is Facing New Challenge From Science Advisers
Roberta Flack announces she has ALS
Natalee Holloway family attorney sees opportunity for the truth as Joran van der Sloot to appear in court
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Dozens of Countries Take Aim at Climate Super Pollutants
Parents pushed to their limits over rising child care costs, limited access to care
Special counsel Jack Smith says he'll seek speedy trial for Trump in documents case