Whatever the low-carb enthusiasts tell you, there is nothing wrong with the simple spud. Of course, eat too many of them and you'll be racking up the kilojoules, but that's true of many foods. The main problem with baked potatoes is the tendency to eat them covered in kilojoule laden toppings - butter, sour cream and cheese. Instead, why not make a healthier baked potato?

Choose smaller potatoes. Rather than eating one enormous spud and feeling stuffed at the end of the meal, choose one that's less super-sized. For most a potato about the size of a computer mouse is going to be plenty.

Top with a vegetable salsa. Get rid of the coleslaw or creamy dressings. Instead chop up a couple of tomatoes, half a small cucumber and grate in carrot or beetroot. Squeeze over some lemon juice and a dash of olive oil, and add some fresh herbs if you have them. Make this salsa the bulk of your potato topping.

 

Choose one or two extras. To spark up your potato choose a couple of extras from the following: capers, a spoon of hummous, canned lentils, some shredded chicken, a small tin of fish, chopped sundried tomatoes, or a poached egg.

Top with a lower fat cheese. Rather than grating over wedges of yellow cheese, use smaller amounts of the softer white cheeses. Fetta, a spoonful of ricotta, or even some cottage cheese are all beautiful on a baked potato.

 

Eating a baked potato this way is still a delicious meal, however it's a meal which also has plenty of vegetables, good quality protein and doesn't break the kilojoule bank.