Rethinking the potato

  •   #1  
    Loriann7's AvatarLoriann7 , 07-07-2009 07:41 AM
    Just as everyone here I haven't had potato's since starting this diet. I am getting together a menu for the week and started browsing the FAQs page, and stumbled upon the veggie thread. In one article the potato ranks on the "healthiest foods" list. Please read this article and let me know what you think!

    http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?t...dspice&dbid=48
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  •   #2  
    Schmoodle's AvatarSchmoodle , 07-07-2009 08:25 AM
    Loriann, I do think the potato is a very healthy food. It's full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and I've got no problem feeding my kids baked potatoes. But they are also full of starch, and just because they are healthy doesn't mean they are conducive to weight loss. So if you are trying to have a healthy diet, but not trying to shed any weight, potatoes would be just fine. Same thing goes for pineapples, watermelon, corn on the cob, peas, etc. If I get to the point one day where I am happy with my weight, I will add these foods back to my diet, in controlled amounts. Anyway, that's how I look at it. There are healthy foods, and there are foods that are helpful in weight loss (carry a lower glycemic load), and the foods we are supposed to be eating are the ones that fall into both categories. And now you've gone and made me crave a baked potato.
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  •   #3  
    Chelby29's AvatarChelby29 , 07-07-2009 08:29 AM
    Potatoes, in and of themselves, are healthy. It's what I do to that potato that's not healthy -- fry, butter, cream... Who wants a plain potato?
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  •   #4  
    Loriann7's AvatarLoriann7 , 07-07-2009 08:37 AM
    Schmoodle, your right, how easily I forget things! I'm an idiot! :P

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Schmoodle
    Loriann, I do think the potato is a very healthy food. It's full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and I've got no problem feeding my kids baked potatoes. But they are also full of starch, and just because they are healthy doesn't mean they are conducive to weight loss. So if you are trying to have a healthy diet, but not trying to shed any weight, potatoes would be just fine. Same thing goes for pineapples, watermelon, corn on the cob, peas, etc. If I get to the point one day where I am happy with my weight, I will add these foods back to my diet, in controlled amounts. Anyway, that's how I look at it. There are healthy foods, and there are foods that are helpful in weight loss (carry a lower glycemic load), and the foods we are supposed to be eating are the ones that fall into both categories. And now you've gone and made me crave a baked potato.
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  •   #5  
    Lexxiss's AvatarLexxiss , 07-07-2009 08:44 AM
    Thanks, Schmoodle. What you said explains how I feel very well. Although I'm not new to weight loss I am fairly new to following SB principles pretty rigorously. Today when I am contemplating what to put in my mouth I also consider how that food is going to impact my blood sugar.
    I consider my blood sugar for 2 reasons (and there might be more.)
    1. I notice that the more stable my BS, the less I am in the "craving" mode. It is much easier for me to stay focused on weight loss when I don't constantly crave food.
    2. From what I read,(not just from SB), I understand that stabilizing my BS and eating foods with lower glycemic loads will help me continue to lose weight.
    At this time, I too, would rather do without. I want to do anything I can to keep shedding pounds. I feel anytime I choose to eat higher on the glycemic scale, that I just add another day to reaching my goal weight.
    And, yes, Loriann, potatoes are a healthy food.
    Chelby, you are right. Most times potatoes are eaten with a bunch of high fat stuff. I really enjoy hash browns, and have a healthy casserole recipe using them, but I'd rather lose weight.
    And Loriann, you're not an idiot, we're all learning here together.
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  •   #6  
    Loriann7's AvatarLoriann7 , 07-07-2009 08:54 AM
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lexxiss
    And Loriann, you're not an idiot, we're all learning here together.
    LOL, by now I should be able to write the book! If only. I can't seem to get past current weight (181 again, sigh)
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  •   #7  
    grneyedmustang's Avatargrneyedmustang , 07-07-2009 08:56 AM
    Ok, I thought I read somewhere that new potatoes are okay on phases II and III...can anyone confirm? I'd love to have them occasionally.
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  •   #8  
    Ruthxxx's AvatarRuthxxx , 07-07-2009 09:15 AM
    I read that too. They are a lower Glycemic Load than winter potatoes. Now don't ask me to explain Glycemic load - I leave it to Google!

    Right now I have some small waxy new potatoes which I will use in small portions in omelets - sort of a Spanish tortilla.
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  •   #9  
    murphmitch's Avatarmurphmitch , 07-07-2009 11:38 AM
    Here's an excerpt taken from Dr. A's book:

    Quote:
    Take a potato, for instance. An incredibly versatile vegetable. You can do hundreds of things with it, from soup to vodka. And what you do with it detemines how fattening it is.

    The worst thing to do, from the glycemic index perspective? Baked. The process of baking it renders the starches most easily accessible to your digestive system.

    Slightly better? Believe it or not, that baked potato will be less fattening topped with a dollop of low-fat cheese or sour cream. The calorie count will be slightly higher, but the fat contained in the cheese or sour cream will slow down the digestive process, therby lessening the amount of insulin that potato prompts your body to make.

    (Still, don't think that when you're at the mall and stop for a quick baked potato at one of those franchise places that you're having a healthy snack. A baked potato in midafternoon practically guarantees that you'll be starving for carbs by dinner. You'd be better off having a small ice cream or even a dark chocolate bar instead of that baked potato.)

    Better that baked? Mashed or boiled, due to the differences in the cooking process, but also because you'd probably eat them with a little butter or sour cream, and the fat slows the digestive process. Even french fries are better than baked, because of the fat in which they're cooked. Of course, the same is true of potato chips, but don't be misled: None of these are good choices for someone on the South Beach diet.

    The type of potato you eat is also a big factor in all this. Red-skinned potatoes are highest in carbs. White-skinned are better. New potatoes, better yet - in every vegetable or fruit, the younger when picked, the lower the carb count. If you must indulge, do so sparingly. And try sweet potatoes instead or white.
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  •   #10  
    moncheree's Avatarmoncheree , 07-07-2009 04:55 PM
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Chelby29
    Potatoes, in and of themselves, are healthy. It's what I do to that potato that's not healthy -- fry, butter, cream... Who wants a plain potato?
    hahahahah!!!! SO TRUE!!! luv it!! and DITTO!!
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  •   #11  
    mizski's Avatarmizski , 07-09-2009 02:09 PM
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by murphmitch

    The worst thing to do, from the glycemic index perspective? Baked. The process of baking it renders the starches most easily accessible to your digestive system.

    The type of potato you eat is also a big factor in all this. Red-skinned potatoes are highest in carbs. White-skinned are better. New potatoes, better yet - in every vegetable or fruit, the younger when picked, the lower the carb count.
    Wow! I didn't know ANY of this. I thought baked would be a good option but it makes sense as with boiled you do get a lot of starch in the water. I also didn't know about red potatoes...would have thought those were good.

    Thanks for all the info. VERY helpful.
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  •   #12  
    Thighs Be Gone's AvatarThighs Be Gone , 07-09-2009 02:14 PM
    Not an SBer here but I have completely replaced white potatoes with butternut squash. I grate them and make hashbrowns. I also make smashed cauliflower and "dr." it with spray butter, salt and pepper, diced ham and onions. OMG! YUM. How are these foods accepted in Southbeach?
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  •   #13  
    Ruthxxx's AvatarRuthxxx , 07-09-2009 02:40 PM
    Thighs, they are perfectly fine in Phase II and onward in this plan. I bet you could use turkey bacon or Canadian bacon in the homefries. Yummy!
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  •   #14  
    KO's AvatarKO , 07-09-2009 03:17 PM
    Lori btw YOU ARE NOT AN IDIOT!!!!!
    sigh Potatos Irish Food Porn!
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  •   #15  
    beachgal's Avatarbeachgal , 07-13-2009 02:14 PM
    KO...they really are, aren't they?

    Lori, this is a great topic, as many of us have confusion about the little things on this plan! There are several healthy things (i.e. watermelon) that we aren't supposed to eat regularly or at all in P1 and 2 on SBD. It's good to question and consider things along with paying attention to how your body responds.

    Thank you very much, Murph, for posting that quote from the book! It's perfect! I had forgotten about what Dr. A said about the red skin--I usually have new red-skinned potatoes when I do indulge. Will have to rethink that!

    In addition, though the main discussion is about far more than potatoes, you may get some good info from the no potatoes ever again? thread.
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