Potatoes = weight loss superfood?

dashagrr
dashagrr Posts: 43 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, apparently, according to several studies, potatoes are the most filling food tested and can potentially aid weight loss.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/7498104/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23221259/
It is hypothesed that there is a special protein, potato protease inhibitor that's responsible for that effect.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3033477/
I love potatoes! And I did notice it is very filling for the amount of calories. What is your experience with it?
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Replies

  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    I dont think they are a super food but remember reading years ago that they are highest on the satiety index. They are indeed very filling.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    I can eat a ridiculous amount of potatoes. They aren't filling to me, so I do tend to stay away from them.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited January 2019
    Potatoes are awesome-they're versatile and pack a nutrient punch. There's some interesting stuff over on Tim Steele's blog (aka the Potato Hack Guy), if you want to really dive into the wacky world of potatoes :)

    https://potatohack.com/
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    "potentially"....
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    There are no "weight loss superfoods", IMO . . . no "superfoods" of any type actually, though I think overall balanced nutrition is an important goal.

    Also, satiety seems to be very individual, with different people finding different things filling in a long-lasting way. For different people, satiation can come from complex carbs like potatoes, or protein, or fats, or high-volume foods (like high-fiber veggies), or sometimes very specific individual foods.

    I've seen that research, and yes, it appears that potatoes work well for many. They're kind of "meh" to me: OK, but more calories for the amount of nutrition and (personal) enjoyment to eat very often.

    My personal satiation formula is protein in each meal (especially breakfast), plus lots of veggies and fruit sometime during the day. Oatmeal (with my usual amendments of walnuts/Greek yogurt/berries/seeds/blackstrap molasses/cinnamon) is a particularly filling meal that sticks with me a long time.

    Any food that is satiating for you personally, helps you achieve good nutrition, and makes it easier to stay healthy and happy within a calorie goal, is a fine thing to eat.

    If potatoes fit that definition for you, you can feel free to call them a "personal dietary superfood". Worth a try for others. :drinker:
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    try2again wrote: »
    Agreed, especially with the peel. Never could understand while people feel the need to avoid them.

    I guess people think they are boring. Or only edible with lots of sauce or condiments or cheese :s Or Evil Starches!

    Personally I like potatoes but don't eat them often as i'm somewhat allergic to food containing higher amounts of potassium (don't think it's the potassium though). Raw only, mind. But I still need to either peel or cut them into pieces.
  • lin_be
    lin_be Posts: 393 Member
    I love baked potato with butter, bacon, and cheese. One of the reasons I love my food scale. I can portion everything perfectly and fit it into my day.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I wouldn't call them a super food since I don't think there are any such things, but I think they're super delicious.

    I find starch in a mixed meal (with protein, non-starchy veg or fruit and some fat) to be a very filling thing, and it's essential for me in terms of dietary compliance. For that reason alone, potatoes often show up in my menus.
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
    I would only call them a superfood because one baked potato with veggie toppings and low fat cheese will make me feel SUPERfull.
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    I love potatoes; eat at least one almost every day. They are super satiating for me and usually between 100-200 calories. I top then with eggs or chicken, sometimes cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt, and I always add salsa. So delicious!
  • Fatty_Nuff
    Fatty_Nuff Posts: 273 Member
    At least two fad diet books based on this premise. I'm sure the authors laughed all the way to the bank. If there was any food with magical weight loss properties, none of us would be here.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    Yep I love potatoes. When i'm losing weight I have potatoes for dinner a lot because of the lower calories higher amounts - I love weighing out 200g of potatoes and having this massive plate full of food to eat. Wonderful!

    Don't know about "super" , but definitely filling for me and delicious.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Born and raised in Idaho. All about the potatoes! ;)

    uc6ivjpkxw1u.jpg
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    It can be difficult to get "fat" eating potatoes (not dressed with copious amounts of butter, oil, etc.).
    Potatoes were my go-to carbohydrate source when dieting with an IIFYM approach; it's quite an easy to digest food with low-kcal density (problem/stigma usually arises when people overdress potatoes with various fats).
    Some salt and/or parsley was all I would use to dress potatoes
  • GemimaFitzTed
    GemimaFitzTed Posts: 260 Member
    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    Yep I love potatoes. When i'm losing weight I have potatoes for dinner a lot because of the lower calories higher amounts - I love weighing out 200g of potatoes and having this massive plate full of food to eat. Wonderful!

    Don't know about "super" , but definitely filling for me and delicious.

    Another potato lover here. Anyone that tells me that potatoes aren't good for weight loss will have me throwing a potato at their head. I love them!

  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,858 Member
    In above, I meant I find protein, fats and Veg in combination more filling usually
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    So if I DO NOT eat potatoes - would that mean, that "potentially" I might lose weight? Ridiculous! Were our ancestors told a million years ago? How did they survive with or without potatoes?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    This is always a fun potato story to read:

    https://www.today.com/health/60-days-nothing-spuds-leaves-advocate-21-lbs-lighter-2D80555614

    Of course, the woo brigade here is ready to strike so duck for cover.

    there you go. I've awarded you a woo
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    This is always a fun potato story to read:

    https://www.today.com/health/60-days-nothing-spuds-leaves-advocate-21-lbs-lighter-2D80555614

    Of course, the woo brigade here is ready to strike so duck for cover.

    Guy eats monodiet, eats little enough to lose, not surprising, says nothing about potatoes per se.

    Argument by some is that the potato is sufficiently nutritionally complete to be a good monodiet, and that's not actually true. It is better than most other options, but that doesn't mean cutting out all other foods is a sensible idea.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    This is always a fun potato story to read:

    https://www.today.com/health/60-days-nothing-spuds-leaves-advocate-21-lbs-lighter-2D80555614

    Of course, the woo brigade here is ready to strike so duck for cover.

    That's nothing, there's a guy who only ate potatoes for an entire year-had some pretty great results from it as well

    https://www.today.com/health/spud-fit-man-loses-weight-eating-only-potatoes-year-t106144

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