A Potato a Day

In spite of a recent ruling  that confirms that vitamin C can help to protect our immune system, pain killers are the most popular option to ward off a cold, according to new research  commissioned by potato farmers. The research alsoshows that nearly half the adult population have had at least one day off this year for a cold, costing the British economy more than £½billion .  While pain killers will help to ease the symptoms of a cold they won’t help to protect you against germs. The best way to do this is to tuck into nutrient-rich foods like potatoes.  

The most popular way to ward off colds* was to take painkillers or headache tablets (44 per cent); take vitamin supplements (36 per cent); or drink orange juice (35 per cent). Meanwhile only four per cent of people said they would eat a jacket potato – in fact, respondents were four times more likely to drink a Hot Toddy than tuck into potatoes – one of the nation’s biggest sources of vitamin C. 

A jacket potato contains 25mg vitamin C, almost half the adult recommended daily amount. There is 13 times more vitamin C in a jacket than in a portion of carrots, three times that found in a medium apple and one and a half times more than in a portion of cabbage.  Nutritionist Fiona Hunter commented: “As vitamin C isn’t stored by the body we need to make sure that we get enough of this essential nutrient in our diet every day.  One easy way to get almost half of our daily requirement of vitamin C, is to tuck into a jacket potato - simple to cook, versatile and great value too.“

The research findings come as potato farmers renew their call for potatoes to be renamed a ‘supercarb’.  With 15 per cent of the nation’s entire vitamin C coming from potatoes, they say it’s clear that potatoes have so much more to offer than just a great source of energy-rich carbohydrates.

Matt Spanton, one of the farmers leading the campaign, said: “Consumers need to understand just how much vitamin C a portion of potatoes contains. Baked, mashed, boiled or roasted, a portion of potatoes provides more vitamin C than many other vegetables.”

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