are potatoes really bad?

13

Replies

  • 1brokegal44
    1brokegal44 Posts: 562 Member
    And let us not forget that traditionally Vodka is made from potatoes. :drinker:
  • cwsreddy
    cwsreddy Posts: 998 Member
    i assume we've established that potatoes are good, yes?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Potatoes are a nutrient dense whole food...so yeah...they're frackin' terrible for you...

    /sarcasm

    Where do people come up with this crap?
  • TyFit08
    TyFit08 Posts: 799 Member
    Potatoes aren't bad for you, the only problem is that they are so amazingly delicious that eating them in moderation is hard. I love mashed potatoes so much that I have been known to treat them like an entree and have my meat and veggies on the side. Sometimes I can't resist getting spoonfuls while I"m cooking it. Fries, I mean who dosen't love fries. French fries, baked fries, home fries YUM. And then there's roasted red potatoes, (mouth watering). It takes a lot of willpower for me not to overdo it when potatoes are around

    Sweet potatoes are suppose to be a healthier choice, but my parents are Southern and as a result I prefer my sweet potatoes candied. I have a hard time relating to these savory sweet potato recipes, sweet is in the name for a reason.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Well, I have a sweet potato, new potatoes or a baked potato almost every evening with my dinner.
    I prefer potatoes, to pasta, rice and bread, as they seem more natural to me...they are from the earth.
    Not done me any harm whatsoever, and I maintain my weight and have also lost weight while eating them.
  • Annabel193
    Annabel193 Posts: 17
    All things in moderation. There are no bad foods.
    Of course there are bad foods, but potatoes isn't one of them. Any whole food (not processed) is good for you in moderation.

    Well, I've lost weight, worked out successfully and am at my goal by eating "processed" food, whole food, diet Coke, alcohol, and any anything else that fits into my calorie allotment. There are NO bad foods.
    Processed foods, coke and alcohol definitely isn't a good diet whether or not it fits into a calorie allotment, surely. I could lose a couple pounds a week sat on my butt drinking beer as long as it was within my calorie allotment, but that doesn't mean it's nutritionally beneficial.

    The whole "bad"/"good" food argument seems silly. Potatoes are a simple carb and your body will absorb the sugars from them faster than with complex carbs (such as sweet potatoes), so they aren't really ideal for weight loss.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    All things in moderation. There are no bad foods.
    Of course there are bad foods, but potatoes isn't one of them. Any whole food (not processed) is good for you in moderation.

    Well, I've lost weight, worked out successfully and am at my goal by eating "processed" food, whole food, diet Coke, alcohol, and any anything else that fits into my calorie allotment. There are NO bad foods.
    Processed foods, coke and alcohol definitely isn't a good diet whether or not it fits into a calorie allotment, surely. I could lose a couple pounds a week sat on my butt drinking beer as long as it was within my calorie allotment, but that doesn't mean it's nutritionally beneficial.

    The whole "bad"/"good" food argument seems silly. Potatoes are a simple carb and your body will absorb the sugars from them faster than with complex carbs (such as sweet potatoes), so they aren't really ideal for weight loss.

    If it was the entirety of the diet, probably not. In moderation and in the context of an overall healthy diet? No problem. Many people here (myself included) have met and exceeded our weight loss and fitness goals while including processed foods, and yes, even beer.

    Also both white and sweet potatoes are complex carbs.
  • Annabel193
    Annabel193 Posts: 17
    Obviously context is important when deciding whether a food is good or bad, but by your logic no food can be good either.

    Also I just saw you're right about them being complex carbs, but overall sweet potatoes are still a better option IMO.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Obviously context is important when deciding whether a food is good or bad, but by your logic no food can be good either.

    Also I just saw you're right about them being complex carbs, but overall sweet potatoes are still a better option IMO.

    It is perfectly fine to see it that way. Food is just... food - that can help you accomplish your goals. So what are you goals? Weight gain? Weight loss? More protein? Fiber? Satisfy a sweet tooth without breaking the calorie bank? Go hog wild on sweets because you have thousands of calories left over? There's a food for that!!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Obviously context is important when deciding whether a food is good or bad, but by your logic no food can be good either.

    Also I just saw you're right about them being complex carbs, but overall sweet potatoes are still a better option IMO.

    I'd argue that any food can be good depending on context. Some may be mainly beneficial to mental health but that's important too.

    For example: if a sweet potato provides you with nutrients you need for the day, it would be the better choice. However, if you're short on something that is present in white potatoes but not in sweet potatoes, white potatoes would be better in that instance.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I eat baked potatoes often! I just bake it and spray a little parkay spray on it (taste like butter but no calories) and about 1/8 cup of 2% shredded cheddar cheese. Sooooo good! Make sure to weigh the potato. My potatoes say for 1 serving=1 potato (5 oz) is 110 calories, yet most potatoes, even the small ones are about 7 oz which would be 1.4 servings when you calculate calories

    There is no such thing as a food with no calories. Water has no calories.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    All things in moderation. There are no bad foods.
    Of course there are bad foods, but potatoes isn't one of them. Any whole food (not processed) is good for you in moderation.

    Well, I've lost weight, worked out successfully and am at my goal by eating "processed" food, whole food, diet Coke, alcohol, and any anything else that fits into my calorie allotment. There are NO bad foods.

    Well, Ive lost weight and worked out quite successfully by not eating processed foods, drinking diet coke or alcohol. I think results speak for themselves..

    And to you there may be no bad foods, but to some there are. For me, I have a inflammatory disease. There are some foods that can send me to the emergency room, so to ME they are bad foods. So to make a broad statement across the board that there are no bad foods, is just not true.

    Potatoes are delicious foods, cheap and easy to cook. There really is no reason to have a processed potato food product. Sweet potatoes are higher in vitamins than the white potato but the white potato is higher in minerals.

    Potatoes are a regular part of my diet because I friggen love them, and they are not unhealthy as people once thought.

    OK lets refine the statement then..there are no bad foods, barring any medical condition …

    Interesting, you did not clarify your position when YOU made a blanket statement about "bad" foods….but hey, I guess that is no important...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Potatoes are a nutrient dense whole food...so yeah...they're frackin' terrible for you...

    /sarcasm

    Where do people come up with this crap?

    the internet...
  • mauridaher
    mauridaher Posts: 55 Member
    How can something that can be made into french fries be bad?

    Exactly.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    All things in moderation. There are no bad foods.
    Of course there are bad foods, but potatoes isn't one of them. Any whole food (not processed) is good for you in moderation.

    Well, I've lost weight, worked out successfully and am at my goal by eating "processed" food, whole food, diet Coke, alcohol, and any anything else that fits into my calorie allotment. There are NO bad foods.
    Processed foods, coke and alcohol definitely isn't a good diet whether or not it fits into a calorie allotment, surely. I could lose a couple pounds a week sat on my butt drinking beer as long as it was within my calorie allotment, but that doesn't mean it's nutritionally beneficial.

    The whole "bad"/"good" food argument seems silly. Potatoes are a simple carb and your body will absorb the sugars from them faster than with complex carbs (such as sweet potatoes), so they aren't really ideal for weight loss.

    This is very much untrue. A calorie deficit is all that is needed for weight loss. There are more and less nutrient dense foods, but that does not make anything 'good' or 'bad'.

    Even something made entirely of pure sugar has its place. For instance, if you are planning on sitting at your desk all day, a Snickers bar and a Coke isn't the best food choice. However, if you want to run an ultramarathon? Its probably the best choice you could make. The food is just food, it is not out to get you or make you sick. It is an inanimate object. The lifestyle around the food can make it a good or bad choice.

    I wish people would stop giving food so much power in their lives.
  • PatheticNoetic
    PatheticNoetic Posts: 905 Member
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  • TyFit08
    TyFit08 Posts: 799 Member
    Maybe it's better to call foods healthy and unhealthy rather than good are bad. Some foods, no matter how good they taste or make you feel have little or no nutritional value. While some foods that have amazing health benefits taste bad. Also some foods that are nutritious like potatoes, lose some of there benefits when prepared in certain ways (fried) or eaten in excess. So if you make smart choices on healthy foods, you can splurge on the unhealthy foods from time to time.
  • Annabel193
    Annabel193 Posts: 17
    ^I agree with that, but whether or not you call it bad or unhealthy is really just wordplay. As I said before, context is important, and I'm assuming (judging by the website we're on), this person is asking because they want to know what place potatoes have within a healthy diet.
  • juliacatherine1
    juliacatherine1 Posts: 71 Member
    I have a love affair with potatoes but I try to avoid them, because I tend to overeat. I have been incorporating sweet potatoes into my diet more because they have alot of nutrition. If I was going to eat white potatoes I would probably eat the skin and make sure to measure and stay within my carb and calorie numbers.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    homemade mashed potatoes made with butter and 2% milk - 1 cup = 238 cals - how can that be bad? I was realistic with this portion as I know a half a cup would never make me happy :bigsmile:

    I don't make mashed potatoes often but when I do I am going to enjoy them guilt free :ohwell:
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member

    Also I just saw you're right about them being complex carbs, but overall sweet potatoes are still a better option IMO.

    Potatoes have less calories and boiled potato is the number one rated food item on the satiety index.
  • Praying_Mantis
    Praying_Mantis Posts: 239 Member
    I don't think they're *really* bad. Just misunderstood. Though I wouldn't want to meet one in a dark alley. They make me uncomfortable the way their eyes are all over me.

    ROFL
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    And let us not forget that traditionally Vodka is made from potatoes. :drinker:

    Now we're talking!!!! ;-)

    I love potatoes - whatever variety including sweets and yams. And vodka ain't bad either...
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    And to you there may be no bad foods, but to some there are. For me, I have a inflammatory disease. There are some foods that can send me to the emergency room, so to ME they are bad foods. So to make a broad statement across the board that there are no bad foods, is just not true.

    I know this is knit picking but I think there is an important distinction to be made...
    Just because you can not tolerate a food does not make the food bad in and of itself. You have an inflammatory disease, and therefore have to avoid certain foods. That still does not make the food bad. It just makes it a food that others can eat and unfortunately you can not. You criticize a person for making an across the board statement, but you are doing the same thing.
  • Arranna1212
    Arranna1212 Posts: 143 Member
    I eat a baked potato 5/7 days a week and I'm losing fat so how bad can they really be? Bake it, top it with fat free shredded cheese and salsa. Protein, potassium, dairy and veggies.. Only thing that could go wrong with that is if you top it with a mountain of cheese. Plus, potassium helps you keep off that extra water weight. 10/10 for potatoes in my book.
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    I just have to say potatoes are EVIL..

    But that is just because I do not like them in any of their various forms.

    EWW!!
  • RhineDHP
    RhineDHP Posts: 1,025 Member
    Yes, potatoes are eeeevil. Observe:

    Copyrighted_Image_Reuse_Prohibited_898582.jpg
  • ars1300
    ars1300 Posts: 159 Member
    No they are not bad..in moderation. Good source of potassium. Sweet potatoes are an excellent choice.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Maybe it's better to call foods healthy and unhealthy rather than good are bad. Some foods, no matter how good they taste or make you feel have little or no nutritional value. While some foods that have amazing health benefits taste bad. Also some foods that are nutritious like potatoes, lose some of there benefits when prepared in certain ways (fried) or eaten in excess. So if you make smart choices on healthy foods, you can splurge on the unhealthy foods from time to time.

    No foods are unhealthy or healthy either. The entire problem is with labeling food at all. Pay attention to you macro and micro needs and you can eat anything you want, period.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    How tiny does a 100 calorie potato have to be? I had to do a double take weighing my lunch potato yesterday morning and it was 345g (skin and all). Taking off the skin after microwave reduced it by 75g. This was a pretty normal looking white potato!

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