Hi, I am a big potato fan but know that they are not the healthiest food when they are fried such as french fries and hashbrowns. Has anyone found a suitable substitute for white potatoes? TIA

In regards to what?

I personally think white potatoes are fairly healthy, especially with the skin left on, it really depends how you eat them. You can make any vegetable unhealthy though by adding lots of fat and calories.

Some people like mashed cauliflower. You can roast a number of vegetables, especially root vegetables. You can bake sweet potatoes.

It depends in what regards you are looking for a substitute.

Here is an excellent recipe for baked potatoes if you want a healthier way to eat them
http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure....-potatoes.html

How about sweet potatoes? They're very healthy, just baked plain - no additives.

I also adore cauliflower. Very "potato" like. Some people even mash them up, like mashed potatoes.

I also love roasted string beans. They get all nice and crispy, brownish - very french fry like. Even better.

Try experimenting with different veggies and different methods of cooking. You'll be surprised just how good veggies can be.

unfortunately, a potato is a potato. White, yellow, gold, sweet..they are all starch!! there are no healthy alternatives to a potato, just eat it in moderation, and as people have said, the obvious cooking choices would be to bake or boil, not add fat to them and salt and butter and sour cream and bacon bits and green onions...yummm..i'm gonna have one tonight lol

Hi HimbleBee yes I am going to the Tampa Center. Great so far. Some one also asked if one night of dieting can ruin a week. My understanding is that it takes 9 perfect meals to get inot fat burn. So no not a whole week. THey do have Fat and carb blocker, which blocks up to 300 calories of the food you eat if you are going to o" cheat". Maybe that will help.

I also vote on potatoes...I read that it's not necessarily the potato that's bad for you; it's eating more than you should, not to mention how it's cooked, and especially what you slop on top of it. Personally I eat them very rarely; I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes - I just zap them, then spray some I can't believe its not butter spray on (just a couple sprays), then sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg mmmm. Sometimes as a dessert I'll do the above, and top with a sprinkle of fat free granola and fat free whipped topping; just like pie, only healthy!

Whenever I do have potatoes, I top them with some veggies I sauteed in a drizzle of olive oil - stuff like zucchini, carrot strips, bell pepper, red sliced onions, then mash in some homemade roasted garlic - soo yummy. then I pair it with a nice big salad to slow down the glycemic reaction.

what I've found is, what makes white flour/carb stuff have a bad rap, is the glycemic index (you can find one online). Basically that is how fast your body turns it into sugar when eaten alone. Stuff with a high number would be corn, potatoes, and white flour products (ie bread and crackers). And eating stuff that has a high glycemic index with lots of roughage apparently slows down that reaction, so your body processes it slower, and thus the rate of conversion to sugar is reduced. And keeping your blood sugar steady, even if you're not diabetic, is a great way to stay on plan, and keep feeling great.

Sorry to go off on the path like that LOL, but I do hope that helps ya.

PS here are some links to help you if you would like to learn more:

http://www.glycemicindex.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index

http://www.prevention.com/cda/articl...nters/diabetes

This South Beach site has a great chart too: http://www.southbeachdietguide.com/gi-charts.html

got this at msn

Hash browns

Substitute: Squash for potatoes

Summer squash tastes similar to potatoes when cooked—but has just a fraction of the carbs. Grate the squash, mix in an egg as binder, make patties, and fry them in olive oil.


Mashed potatoes

Substitute: Cauliflower for potatoes

Steam some fresh or frozen cauliflower in the microwave. Then spray the cauliflower with butter substitute, add a little nonfat half-and-half substitute, and puree in a food processor or blender. Salt and pepper to taste and to make it even better, try adding roasted garlic, cheese, or sour cream to the mixture.

Just had cauliflower with sour cream and cheddar cheese last night...mmmm. And am glad to see the zucchini fritters (that's what i call them) as a substitute for hashbrowns. I make them with a hint of parmesan cheese and got the recipe from Moosewood Lodge cookbook about a decade ago. Am now reminded to make them again as they're low carb and so am I ; )

OK, now you have to let us know how to cook zucchini fritters, it sounds really good!