Potato confusion

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VeganBunny
VeganBunny Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Why do potatoes have more calories when you boil them compared to when you microwave them? Apparently the same size potato has 100 more cals if I boil it rather than microwave it. Of course it will weigh more because it will absorb the water, but it's just water...
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  • bethanyclaire88
    bethanyclaire88 Posts: 15
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    It should be due to the way starch breaks down into material that is useable by the human body. Boiling integrates heat further into the potato and disperses better than microwaves, breaking down more of the starch; therefore, there are more calories for your body to utilize. Microwaving doesn't break down the starches as well. If it helps, think about how soft a boiled vs. microwaved potato is. Hope this helps.
  • FirefitMike
    FirefitMike Posts: 85 Member
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    Some items here are user submitted. They won't all match. You can see on the little window whether it is user submitted information.
  • peuglow
    peuglow Posts: 684 Member
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    It should be due to the way starch breaks down into material that is useable by the human body. Boiling integrates heat further into the potato and disperses better than microwaves, breaking down more of the starch; therefore, there are more calories for your body to utilize. Microwaving doesn't break down the starches as well. If it helps, think about how soft a boiled vs. microwaved potato is. Hope this helps.
    I hope to god you're joking....
  • bethanyclaire88
    bethanyclaire88 Posts: 15
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    Why would that be a joke? I'm in food science, we learn about this. Potatoes technically have fewer calories raw vs. cooked because the human body can't break down those starches.
  • Beethoven1827
    Beethoven1827 Posts: 102 Member
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    If it helps, think about how soft a boiled vs. microwaved potato is.
    That depends entirely on how well cooked it is...! My microwaved potato was definitely a bit crunchy in the middle the other day, but I couldn't be bothered to wait any longer.
    I'm in food science, we learn about this. Potatoes technically have fewer calories raw vs. cooked because the human body can't break down those starches.
    But a calorie isn't anything to do with how much the human body can absorb - it's purely a measure of energy...
  • Krys_140
    Krys_140 Posts: 648 Member
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    Why would that be a joke? I'm in food science, we learn about this. Potatoes technically have fewer calories raw vs. cooked because the human body can't break down those starches.
    But a hundred calories difference? I can't imagine that there is a 100 calorie difference between a boiled potato and a microwaved potato of the same size...
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    just user entered differences. most likely different sized potatoes used
  • bethanyclaire88
    bethanyclaire88 Posts: 15
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    User entered differences are probably a factor, but cooking does change the caloric availability. You're more than welcome to do your own research if you don't believe me.
  • RosscoBoscko
    RosscoBoscko Posts: 632 Member
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    Bethanyclaire is 100% correct, its all to do with the glycocemic index of the potato cooked in different ways. depending on how the potato is cooked will mean it has more or less calories.

    The human body is not able to process starch efficiently so cooking methods where less starch is broken down equal less calories.

    For methods such as mash potato the starch is far more broken down to sugars which are processed far easier by the body as calories.
  • peuglow
    peuglow Posts: 684 Member
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    User entered differences are probably a factor, but cooking does change the caloric availability. You're more than welcome to do your own research if you don't believe me.
    When is a calorie not available to the body?

    Since you're a student, can you cite a source on this. I'm truly intrigued.
  • lajuice7
    lajuice7 Posts: 58 Member
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    Microwaves destroy the goodness and the nutrition in any food. I hate them and never use them.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Why do potatoes have more calories when you boil them compared to when you microwave them? Apparently the same size potato has 100 more cals if I boil it rather than microwave it. Of course it will weigh more because it will absorb the water, but it's just water...
    It doesn't.

    Just weigh it before cooking and use the raw calories.
  • RosscoBoscko
    RosscoBoscko Posts: 632 Member
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    User entered differences are probably a factor, but cooking does change the caloric availability. You're more than welcome to do your own research if you don't believe me.
    When is a calorie not available to the body?

    Since you're a student, can you cite a source on this. I'm truly intrigued.

    When it is in a form which is not processable by the body. grazing animals will get far more calories out of eating grass then humans would purely for the reason that their body is designed to process this food type, whereas the human body is not so we would receive very little nutritional value from eating grass.
  • peuglow
    peuglow Posts: 684 Member
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    Microwaves destroy the goodness and the nutrition in any food. I hate them and never use them.
    I'd also like to see a source on this if you have it.
  • peuglow
    peuglow Posts: 684 Member
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    User entered differences are probably a factor, but cooking does change the caloric availability. You're more than welcome to do your own research if you don't believe me.
    When is a calorie not available to the body?

    Since you're a student, can you cite a source on this. I'm truly intrigued.

    When it is in a form which is not processable by the body. grazing animals will get far more calories out of eating grass then humans would purely for the reason that their body is designed to process this food type, whereas the human body is not so we would receive very little nutritional value from eating grass.
    I asked for a source, not a reaffirmation. No offense. But two people on here can tell me the sky is yellow. I'd rather see some peer-reviewed studies.
  • jennieth
    jennieth Posts: 105
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    Are you checking these calories on caloriecount.about.com? I just checked on there and I saw the 100 calorie difference but that is because the boiled option was a large and the baked/microwave choice was a medium.
  • lajuice7
    lajuice7 Posts: 58 Member
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    Microwaves destroy the goodness and the nutrition in any food. I hate them and never use them.
    I'd also like to see a source on this if you have it.

    lol....I am scientist and have a BSc and MPhil in chemistry, as for more sources, just ''Google it''.

    Good luck with your research.
  • RosscoBoscko
    RosscoBoscko Posts: 632 Member
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    http://forum.lowcarber.org/archive/index.php/t-256437.html

    http://www.andersenchiro.com/potatoes-and-the-variability-of-the-glycemic-index.shtml

    http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=/64680_2C8ED84B2D46A8EA900F8224DBBB5453_journals__BJN_BJN94_06_S0007114505002837a.pdf&cover=Y&code=b712abbe2196ff41be3d4e84592ebdd3

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/430497-why-does-the-cooking-method-change-the-glycemic-index/

    There's for sources for a start.
  • gddrdld
    gddrdld Posts: 464 Member
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    Why do potatoes have more calories when you boil them compared to when you microwave them? Apparently the same size potato has 100 more cals if I boil it rather than microwave it. Of course it will weigh more because it will absorb the water, but it's just water...

    Use common sense...They don't.
  • bethanyclaire88
    bethanyclaire88 Posts: 15
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    If you want a very detailed article "The Energetic Significance of Cooking" in the Journal of Human Evolution is a good place to start.

    RossChip gave a good example of how this happen. Starch digestibility increases with cooking because starches break down into simpler sugars that the human body can utilize. A lot of plant matter is made up of lignin, which humans cannot digest, but ruminant animals can due to their digestive enzymes. Cooking breaks down some lignin and other long-chain polysaccharides (starches). Some, however, do not fully break down, which is where fiber comes from. Fiber is generally composed of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose.

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