Benefits of Boiled Potatoes

A staple in the average American diet, potatoes contribute to your recommended starchy vegetable intake -- 5 to 6 cups weekly, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Choosing to boil your potatoes, as opposed to frying or deep frying them, allows you to enjoy their benefits without the need for added cooking oil. Adding boiled potatoes to your diet boosts your vitamin and mineral intake, which contributes to your overall health.

Boiled potatoes provide phosphorus and copper, two essential minerals. You use phosphorus to make several important biological compounds, including the lipids in your cell membranes, hemoglobin and DNA. It also contributes to your bone tissue. Copper helps you make lysyl oxidase, an enzyme needed for healthy connective tissue, and also supports several aspects of brain function. A 1-cup serving of boiled potatoes provides 293 micrograms of copper and 69 milligrams of phosphorus. This equals 33 percent of your daily recommended dietary allowance for copper and 10 percent of your RDA for phosphorus, according to the the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine.

Boiled potatoes also provide the essential minerals manganese and potassium. Potassium helps to maintain your body's electrolyte balance, and plays a key role in muscle, heart and nerve function. Manganese supports your metabolism, and also helps you produce collagen, a protein important for wound healing. Boiled potatoes contain 591 milligrams of potassium per cup, or 13 percent of your recommended daily intake. A serving of boiled potatoes also provides 0.22 milligram of manganese -- 12 percent of the daily intake for women or 10 percent for men, recommended by the Institute of Medicine.

Adding boiled potatoes to your diet provides you with vitamin C and vitamin B-5, also called pantothenic acid. Vitamin C serves as an antioxidant, shielding your cells from damage caused by toxic chemicals, called free radicals. It also helps you produce norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter involved in nerve communication, and maintain your body's hormone levels. Vitamin B-5 allows you to break down nutrients into energy and supports liver function. Each cup of boiled potatoes offers 0.8 milligram of vitamin B-5 -- 16 percent of the recommended daily intake -- as well as 27 percent of the recommended vitamin C intake for women or 23 percent for men, according to the Institute of Medicine.

Avoid monotony by incorporating boiled potatoes into healthful recipes. Coat cooked potatoes in a small amount olive oil, fresh thyme and rosemary, then use them as healthy salad toppers or hearty additions to wraps. Combine boiled potatoes with green onions, chopped hard-boiled egg and a dijon mustard vinaigrette for a healthful spin on French potato salad, or serve basil-seasoned boiled potatoes as a side dish for grilled chicken breast or salmon.