This is a potato nutrition question that wasn't answered on your (very comprehensive FAQ) page. My mother was recently placed on a low-sodium diet. We enjoy eating baked potatoes at restaurants, and some of the establishments we frequent salt the skin of the potatoes before baking. We understand there to be very little sodium in an unsalted baked potato. However, if one were to eat a baked potato prepared with a salted skin, and did not eat the skin (only the inside), is much of that sodium absorbed? Or does it primarily remain on the skin and the inside could be viewed as having relatively low sodium content? I’m hoping that a nutritionist or food science associated with your commission might be able to provide perspective on this, because we really would like to continue to enjoy baked potatoes at restaurants.

Sorry to hear about your mother’s new diet. Very little of the exterior salt will penetrate the skin to the interior unless the potato has been pierced with a fork or cut open with a knife. It doesn’t really absorb into the interior when baking, just adds flavor to the skin to make it more edible.

If you are curious about more potato nutrition facts, click HERE!