What's a healthy/normal portion of potatoes?

sagreenious
sagreenious Posts: 64 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Can anyone give me the gram weight (raw) of a healthy portion fo potatoes? I eat too many carbs and part of the reason is because I will happily eat half a plate of potatoes. It's made me realise I have no idea what a portion of potatoes should be.

Any ideas?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Can anyone give me the gram weight (raw) of a healthy portion fo potatoes? I eat too many carbs and part of the reason is because I will happily eat half a plate of potatoes. It's made me realise I have no idea what a portion of potatoes should be.

    Any ideas?

    the amount that fits in your calories/macros! so in your case, less than you are eating at the moment... theres no one figure for everyone as peoples caloric and macro needs are different.
  • sagreenious
    sagreenious Posts: 64 Member
    Yes I understand that. What I want to know is what is the generally accepted guidance for everyone. When I google it I get portion sizes given in terms of size of potato. I don't want that, I want an actual weight.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Yes I understand that. What I want to know is what is the generally accepted guidance for everyone. When I google it I get portion sizes given in terms of size of potato. I don't want that, I want an actual weight.

    well weigh what you eat now... then reduce by a third, if that doesnt go over your carb goal, then thats the amount you need. of course that also depends on what other carbs you have eaten through the day.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    I have around 100g, but I'd say, that's on the low side. Maybe 150 - 200 would be normal.

    ETA that's not a guideline or anything, just my guess.
  • maryjay52
    maryjay52 Posts: 557 Member
    60-80 grams
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    60-80 grams

    No way! My 100g baked potato is TINY. My only reason for having one so small is so it fits with the rest of my day.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    60-80 grams

    :laugh: per potato, yes?
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    60-80 grams

    :laugh: per potato, yes?

    Thats not even a whole one =D
  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
    Depending on what else I am eating I tend to plan for 150g raw weight. Jackets are usually 150 - 200 if it's the only carb on my plate. If I am low on cals that day I will go up to 200g but usually 150g is enough. Didn't look much at first but I am now very used to it and find it satisfying.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    60-80 grams

    :laugh: per potato, yes?

    Thats not even a whole one =D

    i was thinking little new potatoes!
  • mackau
    mackau Posts: 16 Member
    200 to 400 grams a day, depending on your macros/calorie intake, measured after removing any skin and washing them. Anyone on a diet shouldn't go over 500g imo.

    If I don't have enough kj room to have 200g in a meal I don't bother because roasting potatoes makes cooking much longer than just having meat and vegetables you can boil and serve or vegetables you can just stick in along with the meat.

    I'm going to assume baked with no or little oil, boiled or mashed (with any butter or milk or cream added kept track on it's own).

    If you are frying them or that then it'll be much less.

    200 grams cut into 'chips' & baked goes further than 200 grams 'cubed' into roast chunks. As for 'servings', well that's up to you, I've had 400g in one go, and 200g for lunch & dinner. Or 200g just for one.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Yes I understand that. What I want to know is what is the generally accepted guidance for everyone. When I google it I get portion sizes given in terms of size of potato. I don't want that, I want an actual weight.

    the amount of carbohydrate you need to eat depends on your size and your activity levels. Personally, if I was that much into potatoes I'd find ways to be more active (e.g. doing cardio each day) to be able to eat more potatoes.

    So it's not really possible to give a one size fits all recommendation for carbohydrates. Probably the best advice is to make sure you're getting enough fat and protein, then the rest of your calories would be carbs. To get to eat more carbs, do more exercise. You should log your exercise on here, it tells you how many extra calories (and carbs, fat and protein) you can eat from doing the exercise - just be careful to estimate your calorie burns carefully... people overestimating calorie burns is a common thing around here.

    As for how much potato will fit into your carb goal... you'll have to play around with the calculator on here, e.g. enter 100g of potato and see how many calories it is, and if you have the calories to eat more, try 150g, 200g, etc. If you want to be a bit more complex with the maths, 1g of carbohydrate = 4 calories.. find out how many grams of carbs there are in 100g of potato and do the maths from there.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Such a thing doesn't exist.

    The question makes no sense in this light.

    You need to learn your macronutrient needs and eat according to them. Nothing more.
  • Michelle_Padgett13
    Michelle_Padgett13 Posts: 417 Member
    I have baked potatoes depending on how I've hit my calorie goal for the day (but I don't do low carb or pay much attention to macros). I like eating the bigguns: 200-300 grams. Bake that puppy, throw on some cheese, bacon bits and ranch dressing om nom nom nom! Sometimes I'll throw a veggie on top, but that's mostly just for decoration.

    Potatoes are awesome. If you love them, plan your whole day around them. What's healthy and normal is whatever fits your personal goals.

    :drinker:
  • maryjay52
    maryjay52 Posts: 557 Member
    60-80 grams

    No way! My 100g baked potato is TINY. My only reason for having one so small is so it fits with the rest of my day.

    i eat six times a day so 60-80 grams fits fine for me and also fits the rest of my day..i dont really eat potatoes anymore if i can help it ..mostly just grains , fruit and cereal when im eating carbs .
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,224 Member
    I find a 150-200 g potato is reasonable and fits my 1/4 meat, 1/4 carb, 1/2 veg general plate set up. But as others have said, it'sa bit of a "how long is a piece of string?" question, as people have different macros and goals.
  • sloseph
    sloseph Posts: 157 Member
    I'm usually somewhere between 200 and 300g depending on how many calories i have an what sizes tates i've got

    i'm like you though, i could just eat carbs for days (hence how i ended up here) but i find 300 satisfying
  • pbbagel
    pbbagel Posts: 53 Member
    This just my personal way of thinking about it but...
    Clench your hand in to a fist and that should be a good size portion for potatoes.
    Also, you need to consider what other stuff you eat with the meal if you eat potatoes. For example, if you eat a potato dish with rice, then you should decrease the portion of potatoes. If you eat potato as the main carb of your meal then I guess 200-300 cals worth of potato is good.
  • YearsWorthOfFAT
    YearsWorthOfFAT Posts: 210
    I usually eat two or three (that's a quarter of my plate), if i eat them. I'm more into rice.
  • emmaxbon
    emmaxbon Posts: 123 Member
    200 grams here. Not overly large but enough that I don't want to cry (I love potatoes).
  • CookNLift
    CookNLift Posts: 3,660 Member
    I just eat a large potato / medium potato. I don't really think the size matters as far as a healthy / normal portion of potatoes, but it matters what you're doing to burn it off, if it fits into your macros, and how many condiments you put on it that you may or may not track. I personally just like having a nice baked potato with homemade garlic / chive sour cream. Maybe some butter if I'm feeling frisky

    The way I think about it, with my macros, a normal split of calories to carbs is about 150-240 calories for grains / pasta per portion. It may be a little off with potatoes but if its around those calorie ranges I think you're in a good spot (if it fits your macros of course)
  • HelloSweetie81
    HelloSweetie81 Posts: 55 Member
    This site is very helpful. USDA foodsearch. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

    ETA: It's not going to tell you how many potatoes to eat, though. My baked potatoes are usually about 200g.
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  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    Need to know your stats to give you an answer...
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    It really doesn't ,atter how many potatoes you eat, as long as you cut them up, pour equal volume of butter overtop and mash it all together. This will balance out your macros.
  • Gimpypal
    Gimpypal Posts: 16 Member
    If part of a meal, I generally use 1/2 cup or 100 grams as a serving size.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Usually for me it is a plate full :blushing:

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