Potatoes = Good Or Bad???

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  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
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    I haven't had potatoes in quite a while until the other day & now have been eating one every couple of days with veggies on top...I have heard that you are NOT supposed to eat potatoes b/c they are full of starch but was wondering what everyone on here thinks about eating potatoes...Good Or Bad??

    Starch is another word for carbohydrate and if you read much on this message board you will find plenty of people who are completely anti-carb. There is nothing wrong with carbs or starches or even table sugar for that matter, your body breaks all carbs down into a simple sugar anyway. Some people will temporarily retain water with sudden increases in carbs, which is probably where a lot of this myth comes from.

    Just watch the calorie count, otherwise potatoes are fine.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    I haven't had potatoes in quite a while until the other day & now have been eating one every couple of days with veggies on top...I have heard that you are NOT supposed to eat potatoes b/c they are full of starch but was wondering what everyone on here thinks about eating potatoes...Good Or Bad??

    Starch is another word for carbohydrate and if you read much on this message board you will find plenty of people who are completely anti-carb. There is nothing wrong with carbs or starches or even table sugar for that matter, your body breaks all carbs down into a simple sugar anyway. Some people will temporarily retain water with sudden increases in carbs, which is probably where a lot of this myth comes from.

    Just watch the calorie count, otherwise potatoes are fine.
    I find it amusing... you have on one hand a group of generally out-of-shape-and-in-poor-health people advocating the low-carb lifestyle, and on the other hand, you won't find any body-builder physique people who support it (in fact, most eat something like 200-500+ grams of carbs post-workout).

    Not to say that ketogenic diets can't serve a useful purpose, but when you're at 20+% body fat, worrying about anything other than getting enough protein and running a caloric deficit is completely unnecessary. You don't need ketogenesis to burn body fat. And doing the whole "eat 6000 calories of fat and protein because no carbs = no fat gain" thing doesn't work either, considering the most critical pathway for lipogenesis (ASP pathway) doesn't require any insulin to function... you will still get fat eating 6000 calories of no-carb crap. Probably not as fat as eating 6000 calories of carbs+fat, though, so there is that :P
  • ki4yxo
    ki4yxo Posts: 709 Member
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    I like a baked potato. Eat the skin, and it will help
    keep the triglycerides down. I usually eat most of
    the potato out of the skin, then roll the skin up and
    eat it like a little burrito! :tongue:

    :laugh: I do that sometimes! The skin is my favorite part!

    Same. I even save a little of whatever I use for the filling to roll up in there.



    Yes, I always leave a little filling in them
    when I'm done.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    Are they healthy? Sure, you can eat them, but read about the cultural imperialization of the celts in the brittish isles by King Edward and you might want to give potatoes the finger. They are pretty bland, but I don't mind those little red potatoes once in a while.
  • Improvised
    Improvised Posts: 925 Member
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    Good, and oh, so tasty. :)
  • amyrchester
    amyrchester Posts: 11
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    Nothing wrong with a fresh baked potato--especially with salsa instead of butter! Processed potato flakes, on the other hand, are a nutritional ripoff.
  • jennkain97
    jennkain97 Posts: 290 Member
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    i don't think any foods are bad, you just have to watch how big your portions are and how often you eat them. also don't go adding too much fatty toppings to them. watch the calories.

    a potato the size of your fist is a portion.
    and as long as you add them into your daily calorie allowance i don't think you should not eat them.
    eat them as part of your healthy diet and include them in your lifestyle.
    Thats what i think anyway.

    This is true, provided you are talking about natural foods. However, once you start talking about processed snacks, like chips, cookies, cakes, etc, they are in fact "bad". They have no (or virtually no) nutritional value, and are loaded w/ fat and simple sugars, which are "bad", no matter how little you eat. Will a small amount kill you? Probably not, but there is absolutely nothing "good" about them.
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
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    Starch is not the enemy. Starch is just sugar in a different form. And it's not bad for you, contrary to popular opinion.

    Now, if you eat nothing but potatoes, then you might have issues.
  • Deelu333
    Deelu333 Posts: 4
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    I think it all depends on how you eat them. My favorite way is plain old boiled potatoes =) with a little salt or something for flavor Any spice really.
    Also...i find they help fill me up and keep me full. :smile:
  • Funsoaps
    Funsoaps Posts: 514 Member
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    I like sweet potatoes

    or I just make potato boats, where I scrape out the inside and just add cheese if you like, salsa, bacon or ground turkey sausage or kidney beans or something to fill the top. The skin is the healthiest part. I even freeze them, make mashed potatoes for someone else and just eat the skins.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    Potatoes are fantastic. Just fit them into your calories just like everything else.

    They are full of potassium and red potatoes are full of lots of good nutrients for the body.
  • TheAnie
    TheAnie Posts: 180 Member
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    There's a guy who ate nothing but potatoes for 60 days. He lost weight, and all his blood work improved. There's nothing wrong with potatoes.

    http://20potatoesaday.com/

    Wow his site is awesome! haha. Growing up they used to swear I could live on nothing but potatoes. I almost want to try it now.
  • Bunnybeesweet
    Bunnybeesweet Posts: 165 Member
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    I hate to be potato-party-pooper but some people might need to avoid potatoes because, as a nightshade vegetable they do contain high levels of alkaloids, which can worsen inflammation. If you have arthritis, for example, potatoes are not healthy addition to your diet.
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
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    Apparently, they can be pretty bad sometimes!

    meanpotato.jpg

    Just fit them into your calorie allowance and enjoy!
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    Good!
    Potatoes are full of potassium and other things that are good for you. Sweet potatoes are even better for you!
    It's the butter, cheese, bacon, sour cream and other 'crap' that gives them a bad rap. Eat them if you like them, just make room in your diary like you would for anything else.

    I grill them in foil on bake in the oven with vidalia onions, mushrooms, paprika, garlic powder, parsley and sometimes a little olive oil. Delicious!
  • MarlaChandlerBarton
    MarlaChandlerBarton Posts: 141 Member
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    My fave is homemade sweet potato fries - not really fried, but baked in the over with a tiny bit of Olive Oil drizzled across them and a little bit of sea salt. Yummy! :bigsmile:
  • Jules2Be
    Jules2Be Posts: 2,267 Member
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    When my potatoes are bad I spank them...
  • daughteroftheking84
    daughteroftheking84 Posts: 13
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    I eat white potatoes but I think it's just like any other food...eat in moderation.
  • Spanaval
    Spanaval Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Potatoes are fine unless you are consuming large quantities in the form of stuff like French fries and chips. It's often what we do to the foods that makes them "bad".
  • theresabell67
    theresabell67 Posts: 97 Member
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    For me this journey is a lifestyle change so I don't look at any food as Bad. I take everything in moderation,account for it and continue on. So I guess my question for you is, is can you live without potatoes for the rest of your life and not feel guilty about it?

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