Potatoes are grown in more than 100 countries around the world and the fastest-growing countries are China, the United States, India, Russia, and Ukraine. Despite being so popular, potatoes are not believed to be very healthy and are even considered dangerous for the body.
But maybe this is just a stereotype created by chips, French fries, and fast food. We found out if it’s really dangerous to eat potatoes every day. And the results confused us.
Is It Ok To Eat Potatoes Every Day?
A Small History Lesson
The potatoes are from sunny South America and there are still some types of wild potatoes there today. Potatoes were used for the first time in the area of present-day Bolivia between 8,000 and 5,000 BC. By the way, cats were domesticated around the same time.
Don’t Be Afraid Of Eating Potatoes Every Day
Potato skin is rich in potassium, which keeps your heart healthy. In addition to this microelement, potatoes contain some phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, sodium, iron, and zinc.
Potatoes also contain a lot of vitamin C (about 45% of the total daily norm). But most of it is destroyed when heated, so eating boiled potatoes with the skin is more beneficial. Plus, potatoes contain fiber that is great for gut health.
Potatoes do not contain cholesterol. But depending on how you cook them (for example, with oil), you can “add” cholesterol to the potato; It is present in French fries, chips, and so on. Potatoes can improve skin health and help fight depression and stress.
Unlike many other popular high-carb side dishes, baked potatoes can make you feel more satisfied. As a result, you eat less, but stay full longer and can lose weight faster.
“Safety Rules”
Sometimes eating potatoes can lead to weight gain. Especially if they are fried or served with fatty additives such as cheese. But to have serious health problems, you must eat these foods frequently and in large amounts.
People with diabetes should be very careful with potatoes: many types of potatoes have a very high glycemic index. But if you cool them down, their influence on your blood sugar level will decrease by 25%.
Of course, there are some women who want their breast size to decrease. If you cook potatoes well, they are a healthy accompaniment and help to lose some of the body fat, which influences the size of the breasts.
It is better not to eat green potatoes, as they contain too much solanine. And its level does not decrease even after cooking. But don’t panic: anything bad will likely happen to you if you eat a green potato.
You’ve probably already noticed how hard it is to stop when you start to eat a bag of potato chips or french fries. As a result, you eat more than you should and may gain several extra pounds.
Therefore, in general, potatoes can be considered a healthy food.
But What Happens If You Only Eat Potatoes Every Day?
In 2016, Andrew Taylor from Melbourne (YouTube channel Spud Fit) decided to find the answer to that question himself. The Australian started by going to the store and buying 5.5 kilos of potatoes. According to him, he got 99% of all his calories from potatoes. And the other 1% was spices, herbs, sauces, and low-calorie things like garlic, soy milk, etc.
Andrew also wanted to become active, deal with being overweight, and lose his addiction to food. He tried to treat food only as fuel for the body, rather than treating it as a reward or comfort.
Beforehand, he learned a lot about this vegetable and consulted his nutritionist. They decided that they would stop the experiment if Andrew started to feel bad.
He had regular medical check-ups and frequent blood tests. His cholesterol and sugar levels dropped, and his blood pressure and other health indicators were fine. He also played sports and felt good and after 9 months he managed to lose 110 pounds.
Andrew decided to challenge himself and went on a diet for a year. In the end, he had lost 117 pounds. He has appeared on various television shows and has written 2 books: a cookbook and a book on how he overcame his addiction to food.
Despite his personal success, the scientists weren’t overly optimistic about his diet. If you follow the potato diet, your nutrition becomes very limited. Your body does not get vitamins A, E, and K or calcium and selenium because potatoes do not have these elements or have very little of them.
Also, potatoes have very little protein and fatty acids. Protein is needed by the immune system, both of which help regulate body weight and increase muscle weight. And fatty acids are nutrients for skin, hair, and nails.
So potatoes are not as bad as we think, but we would definitely not agree to eat potatoes for a year! Would you go
Preview photo credit Spud Fit / Youtube, Spud Fit / Youtube
