Are you fond of eating hash browns for breakfast and as a snack? Do you think that these grated potatoes along with the added spices are good to eat? Are you curious to know that, are hash browns healthy? Well, every recipe that includes potatoes is considered unhealthy because of the myths that potatoes are fattening.
We all know that potatoes are a vegetable with a lot of health benefits. Then why do people consider it unhealthy? What is that particular ingredient that people like to add while cooking potatoes that is responsible for making these potatoes unhealthy? This article reveals everything about hash browns and potatoes in detail. It is going to answer all the queries and myths regarding how healthy or unhealthy the hash browns are!
Are Hash Browns Healthy?
Are hash browns healthy? Are hash browns good for you? Are hash brown patties healthy? Are hash browns healthy to eat for breakfast? These are some questions that people ask, obviously those who love to eat potatoes. Well, the answer is that whether something is healthy or not depends upon the cooking process.
Potatoes are healthy and so the hash browns are if you cook them with less oil, salt, and sugar. Potatoes are a good source of carbohydrates, Vitamin B6, copper, Vitamin C & E, manganese, phosphorus, and pantothenic acid.
Carbohydrates provide fuel to our body that helps many metabolic processes to run efficiently. Other nutrients like vitamins and minerals are important to fulfill the micronutrients as well as the macronutrients requirement of our body.
Potatoes provide a good source of fiber and nutrients but if you cook them in too much oil they become very healthy and high in saturated fats. These are the bad fats that raise the blood cholesterol level and cause many cardiovascular diseases. So whether the hash browns are healthy or not depends upon the amount of oil you use, and the method of cooking.
Deep frying can make the potatoes unhealthy and you can get inflammation and bloat. Similarly, if you use more salt, it will also cause bloating and inflammation in the body. So adopt healthy cooking methods like baking, grilling, and stir-frying to avoid the harmful effects of any food.
Healthy hash browns store-bought
The packaged foods contain a lot of preservatives and hence they are unhealthy but still, there are some healthier options available at stores, so here is the list of healthy store-bought oil-free hash browns.
- Great value shredded hash browns
- Cascadian farm organic hash browns
- Simply potatoes shredded hash browns
- Golden grill russet hash brown potatoes
- Idaho spuds premium hash brown potatoes (Dry)
- Hungry jack original hash brown potatoes ( Dry)
- Tesco hash browns
- Iceland hash browns
- Aldi champion hash browns
- Co-up hash browns
Hash Brown’s nutritional information:
The table demonstrates the nutritional value of 100 grams of hash browns containing 326 calories.
| Nutrients | % Daily values |
| Total fat 22g | 33% |
| Saturated fat 4.9 gram | 24% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 518 mg | 21% |
| Potassium 356 mg | 10% |
| Total carbohydrates 32g | 10% |
| Total fiber 2.7 gram | 10% |
| Sugar 0.2 gram | |
| Protein 2.6 g | 5% |
| Vitamin C | 4% |
| Iron | 3% |
| Vitamin B6 | 10% |
| Magnesium | 4% |
| Calcium | 1% |
| Vitamin B12 | 10% |
| Vitamin D | 0% |
| Cobalamin | 0% |
Are hash browns good for weight loss?
Are hash browns good for losing weight? Are hash browns good for muscle gain? Is hash brown fattening? All of these are the questions that people ask who are concerned about their health or those who are on a mission to lose weight. Well, there is another question that people ask: can we eat hash browns every day? Yes, hash browns are healthy to lose weight and many people ate hash browns every day and they lost weight too but there are some conditions to eat hash browns for weight loss.
When people ask, Are homemade hash browns healthy? The thing is only homemade hash browns can be healthy if you want to lose weight. Prepare them by using no oil or less oil. Also for weight loss, you must avoid large quantities of sugar and salt. Add some vegetables to enhance fiber content and increase the satiety of your meal.
Potatoes are very good for weight loss, if you cook them without deep frying, without adding extra salt and sugar. If you cook them in a lot of oil and salt, they will cause more weight gain rather than losing weight. Also, for weight loss use minimally processed foods.
Are hash browns healthy in any form?
Homemade hash browns are the healthiest as compared to those available in the market. The following questions and their answers can help you understand which form of hash browns is healthy.
Are baked hash browns healthy?
Many people ask, are oven-baked hash browns healthy? So, baked hash browns are healthy because we use no oil in the preparation process. No oil means a healthier version of the food.
Are grilled hash browns healthy?
Grilled hash browns are seasoned with spices and flavors with a very little amount of oil, they are also healthy.
Are frozen shredded hash browns healthy?
Frozen hash browns are preserved by adding an extra amount of salt. As sodium is not good for health because it causes bloating in the stomach and also causes weight gain, frozen hash browns are not a healthy option to eat.
Are eggs and hash browns healthy?
Eggs are a good source of protein. Hash brown-containing potatoes provide a good amount of carbohydrates but not proteins, so if you add eggs in them they become high in protein and good for weight loss.
Are hash browns healthier than fries?
The ingredients in hash browns and fries decide which one is healthy. Also, the cooking method plays a role in making food healthy or unhealthy. So, use baking or grilling methods to cook food and cook in a low quantity of oil to make the food healthier.
How to cook healthy hash browns?
Here is a very simple and easy method to cook hash browns without using salt, oil, and sugar.
Take one large potato per serving and use a peeler to peel the potato. Now shred the potato in a shredder or you can cut it in spiral shapes. Get a non-stick pan, preheat the pan on medium-low flame, add the potatoes and let it cook for some minutes. Cover the pan and add some chopped onion, garlic, or herbs after some time. Cook until potatoes are soft and ready to eat.
The Bottom Line:
Potatoes are very healthy but are hash browns healthy depending on how you cook them. You can enhance the flavor by adding some vegetables and other ingredients while cooking. Use olive oil, or a very low quantity of vegetable oil because potatoes are very dense in calories.
Eat a moderate amount of everything and cook by yourself so that you can eat healthier versions of every food.
FAQs
Are hash browns healthy to eat for breakfast?
Yes, you can eat hash browns for breakfast if you add less oil, less sugar, and less salt. Do not deep fry the potatoes as it promotes inflammation.
Are McDonald’s hash browns unhealthy?
McDonald’s hash browns are delicious but high in saturated fats. These saturated fats are bad fats called LDL. They increase our bad cholesterol levels and promote cardiovascular diseases.
Can hash browns make you gain weight?
Hash browns can make you gain weight if you fry them over oil and use a lot of salt to cook them.
Are frozen hash brown patties healthy?
Frozen hash browns are preserved by adding an extra amount of sodium. This sodium can make you feel bloated and cause water retention in your body. It can make you gain weight and also increases blood pressure.
