Yummy "Baked Potato"

I love russet potatoes.

I never knew they were naughty.

I had a small russet potato that was 110 calories. I did not know that was naughty.

I hate sweet potatoes

Blasphemy!

http://youtu.be/V3CgeJED9SU

OK, To add to this debate. After doing some research, A white baked potato has a Glycemic Index (GI) number of 98. While a Sweet Potato has a GI# of 44. To put things into perspective, sucrose (table sugar) has a GI# of 84. So if you want a fast insulin dump (in which excess is stored as fat) then eat all the "taters" you want..

Insulin is NOT stored as fat. Sugar might be but you'd have to eat a whole lot more than what is in a potato, considering that the body uses it first. Sugars and particularly carbs are only a concern if your body cannot produce insulin, or in most cases, does not produce enough. There is sooooo much misinformation out there about insulin.

OK I didn't want to get all nerdy on everyone but ..taken from How stuff works:


Fat Storage
In the last section, we learned how fat in the body is broken down and rebuilt into chylomicrons, which enter the bloodstream by way of the lymphatic system.
Chylomicrons do not last long in the bloodstream -- only about eight minutes -- because enzymes called lipoprotein lipases break the fats into fatty acids. Lipoprotein lipases are found in the walls of blood vessels in fat tissue, muscle tissue and heart muscle.
Insulin
When you eat a candy bar or a meal, the presence of glucose, amino acids or fatty acids in the intestine stimulates the pancreas to secrete a hormone called insulin. Insulin acts on many cells in your body, especially those in the liver, muscle and fat tissue. Insulin tells the cells to do the following:
Absorb glucose, fatty acids and amino acids
Stop breaking down glucose, fatty acids and amino acids; glycogen into glucose; fats into fatty acids and glycerol; and proteins into amino acids
Start building glycogen from glucose; fats (triglycerides) from glycerol and fatty acids; and proteins from amino acids
The activity of lipoprotein lipases depends upon the levels of insulin in the body. If insulin is high, then the lipases are highly active; if insulin is low, the lipases are inactive.
The fatty acids are then absorbed from the blood into fat cells, muscle cells and liver cells. In these cells, under stimulation by insulin, fatty acids are made into fat molecules and stored as fat droplets."

.The last line of this quote pretty much says...what I first said...research it yourself if you like... insulin IS stored as fat.. A plain white baked potato has a very high GI so yes..it will spike your insulin levels, and yes it will make you more hungry, and yes you do have a higher chance of it creating excess insulin which as I stated...well jut see above. However you CAN slow down the absorption process into the blood stream (glycogen levels) by eating them with a protein and/or fat. (Preferably a healthy fat though, like a medium chain triglyceride like coconut oil. Or a poly-unsaturated fat like almond butter)

For those of us on the watch for glycemic index ratings of foods the potato IS on the "naughty" list. A baked potato has a glycemic index of 76. People wanting to eat foods that have a low GI rating shoot for ratings under 55. White potatoes, behave more like simple sugars, breaking down quickly into glucose and causing a sharp insulin response. Selecting foods with lower GI levels promotes normal blood sugar levels, and enables the body to stay in a fat burning mode. The GI of a small to medium sweet potato, boiled, is 46.

I love a jacket potato. I have a large one will chilli and cheese or tuna and sweetcorn. Oh and loads of butter.

Obviously baked potatoes are on the naughty list for those of us trying to eat right and make every calorie count from a nutrition standpoint. I found a great alternative, and it can make an easy lunch too.

Bake a sweet potato or yam just like you would a regular Russet potato.
Instead of butter and sour cream, top it with a couple of wedges of Laughing Cow cheese. It gets all melty just like butter, and gives it a creamy texture and flavor. Sweet potatoes and yams are in the good part of the glycemic index, so they're considered "good" carbs.

Calories: 170
Fat; 4 grams

I had it with some cut up turkey, and it almost tased like Thanksgiving!

Really easy to bake more than one at night for lunches the rest of the week. Microwave it first, add the cheese after it's hot. Pretty darn satisfying for 170 calories.

I love baked sweet potatoes with the cinammon laughing cow cheese

Nutrition facts of white potato

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2551/2

Nutrition facts for sweet potato

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2667/2

They're practically identical.

The sweet potato has more vitamin A and 2 mg more Vitamin C

The white potato has slightly more vitamin k

The white potato has far more folate and choline

Vitamin profiles are very different. As is taste.

Potatoes are fantastic!

http://www.runnersworld.com/recipes/potatoes-perfect-carb?page=single