China's potato-as-staple-food strategy is about to launch - how many of the 6 major benefits do you know?

A reporter learned from the Ministry of Agriculture that China will strongly promote the strategy of making potatoes a staple food, using them to process steamed buns, noodles, rice noodles and other staple foods that Chinese people love to eat. Potatoes will become the fourth major staple crop after rice, wheat and corn, and the planting area will gradually expand to 150 million mu.

Vice Minister of Agriculture Yu Xinrong said on the 6th that through several years of unremitting efforts, the goal will be to achieve significant increases in the potato planting area, per-unit yield level, total output and the share of staple-food potato products in total potato consumption, so that potatoes gradually become China's fourth major staple crop after rice, wheat and corn.

Why will potatoes become the fourth staple food?

Yu Xinrong made the above statement at the “Symposium on the Strategy of Making Potatoes a Staple Food.” He said that in the future, by advancing the staple-foodization of potatoes, the planting area will be expanded according to local conditions, and without squeezing out the planting area of the three major staple crops, it will be expanded from the current more than 80 million mu to 150 million mu, and the per-mu yield of potatoes will be raised to more than 2 tons, providing more guarantees for national food security.

1. “Potatoes have low fat content, high protein quality and lower calories than wheat and rice, which fits the current Chinese residents' pursuit of a diverse diet and healthy eating. These factors will all lay the material and social foundation for potatoes to become a staple food product in China.” said Wan Baorui, director of the National Food and Nutrition Advisory Committee.

2. Potatoes are cold-resistant, drought-resistant and tolerant of barren soil, with wide adaptability, and are relatively easy to grow. They belong to the “four-saving” crops: “saving water, saving fertilizer, saving pesticide and saving effort.”

3. Potato, commonly known as potato, is the world's fourth largest food crop, and has a history of more than 400 years of cultivation in China.

The 6 major benefits of potatoes

1. Supplementary nutrition, can serve as a staple food

Potatoes are rich in vitamins and trace elements such as calcium and potassium, and are easy to digest and absorb, with rich nutritional value. They can supply the human body with a large amount of heat energy. A person can rely only on potatoes and whole milk to maintain life and health. In European and American countries, especially North America, potatoes long ago became the second staple food.

2. Harmonizes the stomach, nourishes the spleen and removes dampness

Potatoes contain a large amount of starch as well as protein, B vitamins, vitamin C and others, and can promote the digestive function of the spleen and stomach.

3. Loosens the bowels and relieves constipation

Potatoes contain a large amount of dietary fiber, can loosen the bowels and relieve constipation, help the body promptly excrete metabolic toxins, prevent constipation, and prevent the occurrence of intestinal diseases.

3. Lowers blood sugar and blood lipids, beautifies and nourishes the skin

Potatoes can supply the human body with a large amount of mucoprotein, which has special protective effects. They can help maintain the lubrication of the digestive tract, respiratory tract, joint cavities and serous cavities, prevent fat deposition in the cardiovascular system, maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, and help prevent the occurrence of atherosclerosis. Potatoes are also an alkaline vegetable, which helps balance the body's acid-base levels and neutralize acidic substances produced after metabolism in the body, thereby having a certain beauty and anti-aging effect. People who often eat potatoes are healthy and age slowly.

4. Promotes urination and reduces swelling

The potassium contained in potatoes can replace sodium in the body and at the same time excrete sodium from the body, which is beneficial to the recovery of patients with hypertension and nephritis edema.

5. Weight loss

Among foods rich in dietary fiber, potatoes are a relatively rare food that also contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals. Every 148 grams of potatoes produces only 100 calories, with a true starch content of less than 2% and only 0.1% fat, and can effectively control the intake of total fat in people's daily diet.

6. Beauty and skin care

Potatoes have a very good effect in caring for the skin and maintaining youthful appearance. Applying fresh potato juice directly to the face has a very noticeable whitening effect. Human skin is prone to sunburn and tanning in the hot summer, and potato juice has an obvious effect on removing dark spots, with no side effects. Potatoes also have a significant beautifying effect on the skin around the eyes. Putting sliced cooked potato on the eyes can reduce puffiness under the eyes. Cutting potatoes into slices and applying them to the face has a good effect on beauty, skin care and reducing wrinkles. Young people have active skin oil secretion and often suffer from acne and pimples, and applying fresh potato juice to the affected area with cotton can solve this problem.