Potato-Potahto: a discussion of white and sweet potatoes
 

This article is too long and graphically-intensive to reproduce here, but it should be of interest to paleo dieters.

With the low fat twist, of course:


I find sweet potatoes don't give me nearly the blood sugar rise that white potatoes do.

I was RAISED on regular potatoes (Irish mother). I used to love them but a small one boiled, baked, or microwaved, blows my stomach up like a balloon. Not to mention the cravings for sugar and starch that follow. On the other hand, a huge sweet potato cooked the same way produces no bloating or cravings. It's still starchy enough to effect my weight so I don't indulge very often.

Whofan, are you peeling the white potatoes? Most of the anti-nutrients are contained in the skin.

For me, a sustainable diet has to include potatoes, because they are a whole food that I can grow and I love them. I grow mostly purple potatoes. Thanks for the link, led me to a great new magazine I had never heard of before: Spezzatino, just follow the link. Each issue concentrates on just one type of food.

I never liked potatoes much, or chips/fries. so its no hardship for me never to eat the things, so I wont lol

Jo xxx

Interesting. Back in the day we were told the exact opposite: that the nutrients are contained just under the skin. That's when I stopped peeling them. I'd boil small tender new potatoes with their skins on and bake or microwave the big Idaho potatoes. Hmmmm....My love for them is now out of my system so it's probably not a smart idea to tease the cravings monster. But if I try one again it will be peeled to see what happens.

I grew up eating potatoes with every meal, for the most part I can manage just fine without potatoes. They don't cause cravings, but while I am leaning new hbits and hopefully loosing weight I will avoid them all together. Later down the road, I hope to be able to eat a few oz of potatoes with a meal. Now, the family only eats potatoes a couple times a week.

If you do a google search for "anti-nutrients in potato skin" a bunch of things come up, although not many are sourced in any ways.

It makes sense from a common sense point of view, anti-nutrients are basically a defense mechanism that the plant (or potato) has. It's going to be most effective against bugs/bacteria or whatever when it's on the outside.

This article is written from a low fat diet perspective. I don't think it's useful.

According to Eating on the Wild Side, you got to eat the skins in order to maximize cancer-fighting phytonutrients. I'd say, eat the skins.

You want to be careful eating potato skins if there is green underneath. That means that the toxic solanine is present. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanine

The green is from sunburn, not very commen. We have always eaten the peals and never bothered to check them for green.

I have a potato skin from my husband's potato once or twice a week and I do slather on the butter and sour cream! I feel like I get all the flavour with only about 5 carbs, depending on size.

I think when I'm in maintence this isi the way to go.

Years ago when I counted calories to loose weight, I would weigh out a 3 oz potatoe and put a tsp butter on it and had that with my meal. I never had bread and a potatoe, only just one with a meal. Of course that was 9 years ago and those little meals left me starving LOL

For me, down the road a little real potatoe will be part of life but have to keep it real. No huge potatoes, only a few ounces with a meal.

I've cautiously added organic local potatoes to my diet this winter. During the long winter here in the far north, it's hard to find most kinds of veggies. So my staples have been local carrots, celeriac, beets, and mushrooms, along with the local potatoes (sometimes cooked with pumpkin or sunflower seeds).

The local potatoes are small, flavorful, and a great accompaniment to meat (especially my new favorite, duck legs). Also I think potatoes are high in C which is good in the winter.

Also most importantly, they don't seem to trigger cravings. I have found that the regular supermarket potatoes taste a lot sweeter and seem very different from the local ones.

I find the sweet potatoes are too sweet and sometimes do trigger cravings, which is too bad because they're high in carotene.

Love the golden beets too, a good accompaniment for lamb or pork.