Greetings, my wonderful readers. Today, the image of potatoes has been seriously damaged by the emergence of fast food, chips, and the widespread epidemic of obesity. Now the most famous tuber has almost left the tables of healthy eating advocates. But is it as dangerous for weight and well-being as is commonly thought? Moreover, many are interested in the question: is it possible to eat potatoes while losing weight? I suggest we talk about this today.
Calorie content and glycemic index of potatoes
The calorie content of a raw vegetable is 80 kcal. Carbohydrates are the leader here - they account for 18.1 g per 100 g of product. As for proteins, there are 2 grams of them, 0.4 grams of fat.
And now on the glycemic index. I will not deny that potatoes have a really high GI level. You can see this for yourself by carefully studying the table below, where this indicator is indicated.
| baked potato | 95 |
| Instant mashed potatoes | 90 |
| Chips and fries | 80 |
| Boiled | 70 |
| Potatoes boiled in their jackets | 65 |
However, there are other factors besides the glycemic index that determine how the body reacts to carbohydrates. These include the glycemic load and combining potatoes with other foods. Let's say you eat a high-glycemic carbohydrate product along with a food rich in fiber, healthy fats, or protein. Then the glycemic response will be lower.
In general, on the Internet you can often see a link to research by American scientists. Allegedly, in a dietary experiment, subjects ate several root vegetables every day. But at the same time, the subjects did not gain weight, but rather lost weight. I cannot vouch for the reliability of such a study. After all, in America the common potatoes are not the same as ours. They mainly eat sweet potatoes with a glycemic index of 50 and a high content of coarse fiber.
Of course, a couple of these potatoes won’t make you want to eat them for a long time. I have already experienced this myself. When we were recently in Thailand, I bought sweet potatoes at the market. I cooked it, added fresh vegetables and a little butter. The feeling of fullness from such a meal did not go away for a long time. But we don’t grow that kind of stuff, so let’s go back to the usual potatoes.
