While often lumped into the “vegetable” category, potatoes
are not a great way to meet your daily vegetable needs. You may have noticed in
his Healthy Eating Plate that Dr.
Willett has removed potatoes from the vegetable category, instead placing them
in the “use sparingly” category. This is because potatoes have undesirable
effects on levels of blood sugar and insulin in the body. That is, as with
blended fruit/veggie drinks discussed previously,
potatoes act more like carbohydrates than they do like veggies or fruits in the
body. They are rapidly broken down, leading to insulin spikes and the over
absorption of blood glucose. This means they do not keep you full for very long
as well as contribute to insulin resistance (higher risk for obesity and
diabetes). Further, studies show that potatoes are not linked to the same
health benefits as are other fruits and vegetables.
Does all this
mean that potatoes are bad? No. However, it does mean that you should treat
them more like carbohydrates than vegetables. That is, on your dinner plate, potatoes
should not be replacing your salad, Brussels sprouts, or roasted carrots. Instead,
think of them as replacements for bread, rice, pasta, etc. However, even in
this comparison potatoes stand to lose. Potatoes are more akin to a refined
grain. So if you have already made the recommended switch from refined to whole
grain products, then don’t use potatoes as a substitute. Whole grains are the
better choice, for reasons described in my previous blog.
In my
diet, I have mostly done away with potatoes. Sure, everyone loves mashed
potatoes, French fries, and hash browns. And don’t get me wrong, I allow for
these things in my diet every now and then, particularly at a restaurant or if
I'm a guest at dinner. On a daily basis, however, and especially in my own
cooking, I avoid potatoes. A great substitute for potatoes that I use is corn.
Corn is broken down by the body more slowly, leaving you fuller longer, and
contains beta-carotene for vitamin A production as well as healthy
polyunsaturated fatty acids. What’s more, an ear of corn is generally much
lower in calories than a medium sized potato, so it’s easier to not go
overboard with eating. A final perk is that corn is SUPER quick and easy to
cook. Unlike potatoes, which you have to boil or fry for a long time, you need only cook an ear of corn for two minutes in the microwave! And don’t worry,
microwaves are not “bad” ways to cook food, which I can discuss in another blog.
Another
great potato substitute is sweet potatoes. Though similar in calories, compared
to regular potatoes sweet potatoes have a much richer nutritional profile. They
are higher in fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Sweet potatoes are also broken down slower by the body than regular potatoes, therefore having a
lower glycemic index.
It is
worth mentioning that there is also something called glycemic load, and that
corn and sweet potatoes also have lower glycemic loads (a good thing!) compared
to ordinary potatoes. However, I will save the distinction between glycemic
index and glycemic load, as well as the importance of each, for
another blog. For now, happy eating!!
Please join this blog to help support my upcoming projects. Simply click “join this site” at the top right of this page, log into your account, and click “follow publicly.” Thanks!! =D
Shahir Masri
Doctor of Science
Environmental Health Science
Please join this blog to help support my upcoming projects. Simply click “join this site” at the top right of this page, log into your account, and click “follow publicly.” Thanks!! =D
Shahir Masri
Doctor of Science
Environmental Health Science
