But when it comes to losing weight and all kinds of diets, we usually immediately exclude mashed potatoes from our diet. There is an opinion that this product is too high in calories. Is it so? Can mashed potatoes be part of a weight loss diet? And what actually is the calorie content of this dish in its different variations? Let's figure it out.
How many calories are in mashed potatoes?
The most dietary puree is mashed potatoes with water without oil. It is better not to salt it or use a minimum of salt. For taste, you can add chopped dill.
| Product | Calorie content (kcal per 100 grams) |
| Mashed potatoes with butter and milk | 133 |
| Mashed potatoes with water and butter | 121 |
| Mashed potatoes with beef stew | 125 |
| Mashed potatoes with water without oil | 86 |
| Mashed potatoes "Rolton" | 355 |
| Mashed potatoes “Doshirak” | 352 |
Is it possible to have potatoes on a diet?
Potatoes are present on our table almost every day. It is added to soups, salads, and main dishes. Nutritionists often oppose eating tubers, but in fact, you can even lose weight with regular potatoes.
The value of the product lies not only in the large amount of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, carbohydrates and other substances necessary for the normal functioning of systems and organs.
It also promotes quick saturation. This property most often scares away those who want to lose weight. Meanwhile, the potato diet is distinguished by its nutritional value, and it is potatoes that provide the body with the necessary energy supply.
In addition, properly prepared tubers are inferior in caloric content to the same bananas, which contain 96 kcal/100 g, and not much more calories compared to beets: they contain 42 kcal/100 g, boiled - 49 kcal.
The discrediting of the product is based only on the fact that many dishes using it are rich in fat, for example, French fries, chips and others.
In addition, caution should be exercised when consuming stewed potatoes, which combine animal and vegetable protein. They cannot be mixed, since such a combination threatens the appearance of fatty deposits, which ultimately leads to rapid weight gain.
It is also worth considering the fact that in potatoes boiled in water with salt, the number of calories increases; exactly how much depends on the amount of seasoning.
Many people are confused by the presence of starch in the product. This word alone evokes the association of extra pounds. In fact, starch is a carbohydrate that is no less valuable for the body than other microelements. In addition, it occupies only 18% of the total volume, and most of the water in potato tubers is about 79%.
You can eat boiled, baked or steamed potatoes while on a diet. But it is better to exclude fried vegetables and French fries from the diet for this period.
Application in dietetics
Everyone's favorite is potatoes. It occupies a leading place among vegetables in terms of calorie content. Contains vitamins C, , and beta-carotene. Thanks to its rich composition, potatoes strengthen the walls of blood vessels, improve blood composition, strengthen tooth enamel and bone tissue, relieve swelling, stimulate the heart and brain, remove salt from the body, normalize metabolism and slow down the aging process.
Potatoes contain almost all the beneficial minerals, including phosphorus, sodium and potassium. The latter is simply necessary for people with diseases of the cardiovascular system. And it is thanks to potassium that potatoes are able to remove excess fluid from the body, which promotes weight loss.
The energy value of boiled jacket potatoes is not so high - 77 kcal/100 grams.
But we are used to eating potatoes or mashed potatoes with stewed meat, fried chicken or fish, all kinds of gravies and sauces. To avoid gaining weight, nutritionists advise serving fresh vegetable salads or sautes with potatoes. In combination with animal proteins and fats, potatoes do not contribute to weight loss, but exactly the opposite.
The same can be said with confidence about fried potatoes. If you want to lose weight, you will have to resolutely give it up. But mashed potatoes, despite being filling and tasty, are part of many weight loss diets. A proper diet based on mashed potatoes helps normalize metabolism, stomach function and weight loss.
If you want to get rid of extra pounds using a potato diet, you need to meet several conditions: do not eat mashed potatoes with meat or fish dishes . During the diet, forget about fatty sauces and fried foods. Nutritionists also advise excluding porridge and flour from your diet on the day you eat mashed potatoes.
Puree made from bags and plastic cups is not compatible with healthy eating and is not at all suitable for weight loss. Its calorie content is too high.
Remember that the daily carbohydrate requirement is provided by 300 grams of potatoes per day . Keep in mind that our body metabolizes carbohydrates only in the first half of the day, before 16:00. Then the rate of fat breakdown drops, and all the energy not spent before going to bed turns into adipose tissue.
Composition of boiled potatoes
Those who adhere to a diet need to know the real nutritional value and composition of the product. Boiled potatoes are high in vitamins that are necessary for the proper functioning of the whole body:
• B1 - helps reduce appetite and prevents the release of glucose from carbohydrates; • B6 - normalizes the production of thyroid hormones, accelerates metabolism; • B9 - takes part in the processes of removing toxins from the body; • C - participates in the synthesis of hormones (thiocine, carotenine), which accelerate metabolic processes, and also improves the absorption of B vitamins.
When boiled tubers are consumed in small quantities, the body receives the daily requirement of B vitamins.
Important! The presence of iron deficiency anemia serves as a basis for increasing the dosage of these elements, but this should be done only after consultation with a doctor.
In addition, one medium potato tuber contains the following minerals:
• magnesium - ensures the balance of glucose and cholesterol in the body; • potassium - takes part in metabolic processes, prevents the development of constipation; • manganese - prevents the formation of fatty deposits in the liver, participates in the process of cleaning this organ; • copper - participates in the process of collagen production, helps normalize the digestive system; • phosphorus - speeds up metabolism.
To provide the body with the daily norm of minerals, it is enough to eat one tuber per day.
Calorie content and nutritional value of boiled potatoes It’s a paradox, but boiled potatoes are superior in calorie content to raw ones. If a raw tuber contains 72 kcal/100 g, then after cooking the number of calories increases to 80-82.
The real figure is determined by several factors, the main of which is the variety.
The less starch a vegetable contains, the lower the content of sugars and carbohydrates, and the energy value decreases.
Important! It is starch that helps increase the calorie content of the product during cooking.
Diets based on mashed potatoes
Here is one option for a potato diet based on mashed potatoes, which is designed for 3-5 days. To lose 1 to 4 extra pounds, follow this menu:
- For breakfast, boil or bake a few potatoes in foil. Enjoy your potatoes with a glass of low-fat milk or kefir at room temperature.
- For lunch, prepare yourself 250 grams of mashed potatoes in water, without salt and oil.
- For dinner, make a salad of boiled potatoes (200 grams) with a boiled egg. Season it with a little olive or sunflower oil and lemon juice. Drink unlimited quantities of herbal teas, green tea, mate and still water. You need to drink at least 2 liters of liquid per day.
This diet should not be practiced for more than 5 days. When leaving the diet, it is very important not to overeat, eat small portions, move more and do physical exercise. Another highly effective diet is also known. Its result can be 1 kg in 1 day.
The essence of the diet is that you need to eat 10 medium-sized potatoes per day and drink 1 liter of low-fat kefir in equal proportions. Potatoes (boiled or baked) or mashed potatoes should be without oil and without salt. You can have dinner no later than 18:00.
In any case, before starting any diet, consult your doctor.
The benefits of boiled potatoes
The following benefits of boiled potatoes have been proven:
- boiled potatoes are rich in vitamin C, which is useful for strengthening the immune system;
- Due to the potassium content of potatoes, this product is characterized by a pronounced diuretic effect. This property of the vegetable is actively used in the treatment of many diseases of the heart, blood vessels and kidneys;
Read: Calorie content of a cup of cappuccino
- A decoction of boiled potatoes is useful for reducing blood pressure;
- compresses based on boiled potatoes are used to treat bruises and eliminate swelling;
- You all probably know the miraculous potato inhalations. With their help, inflammation in the nasopharynx and cough are quickly eliminated;
- Masks made from boiled vegetables are quite popular. To prepare such a mask, ground boiled potatoes are mixed with yolk, a teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
Classic mashed potato recipe
Light, airy, delicious puree. Serve hot. The quantity of products is designed for two servings. List of ingredients:
- 500 grams of potatoes;
- 0.25 ml milk;
- 30 grams of butter;
- 5 grams of salt.
Cooking process:
Wash and peel and cut the potatoes as desired (into wedges or cubes). Place it in a liter saucepan and fill it with hot water so that the water covers the potatoes. Cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Finally, salt the potatoes.
Drain the water and dry the potatoes over low heat for 3-5 minutes. By the way, for mashed potatoes, you can also steam them. Place the milk on the fire.
Mash the hot potatoes with a potato masher until there are no lumps. Dilute the mashed potatoes with hot milk, whisking all the time with a wooden spatula or spoon. Add oil, beat the puree thoroughly again. Tender mashed potatoes are ready to serve.
The calorie content of such puree is 135 kcal/100 grams.
Mashed Potatoes with Spinach
Another great helper in the fight against extra pounds is spinach. It is often used in dietetics. This vegetable satisfies hunger, saturates with all necessary substances and rids the body of toxins. Potatoes and spinach are good friends. You will get a delicious puree with an extravagant green color. List of ingredients:
- 500 grams of potatoes;
- 100 grams of fresh spinach;
- 25 grams of butter;
- 50 ml milk;
- salt to taste.
Cooking process:
Wash, peel, cut and boil the potatoes until tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, make the spinach. Wash and cut if the leaves are large. Place in a saucepan and simmer for a few minutes. Then add milk and simmer with milk for another 3-4 minutes. Add a little salt.
Puree the spinach with an immersion blender. When the potatoes are ready, drain the water and mash thoroughly with a potato masher. There should be no lumps.
Add pureed spinach and butter to mashed potatoes. Mix thoroughly. If the puree turns out to be too thick, add a little hot milk or boiled water. If desired, you can add a couple of cloves of garlic, passed through a press. Serve hot.
The calorie content of such puree is 155 kcal/100 grams.
Useful properties of potatoes
In addition to their taste, potatoes are also famous for their beneficial properties. It is used in folk medicine for many diseases. When boiled, it has the same properties as fresh vegetables. It contains a large amount of antioxidants that protect the body from the development of cancer. They also help slow down the aging process , strengthen the walls of blood vessels, and help maintain youth and health.
The starches contained in potato tubers help remove bad cholesterol in the blood serum and liver. The vegetable is recommended to be consumed for diseases of the digestive tract, kidneys and heart, and edema. It has diuretic and antiscorbutic properties.
According to traditional medicine recipes, it is useful to drink juice from fresh tubers. The boiled vegetable is useful for diseases of the respiratory organs; inhalations are made with it.
You should know that peeled tubers left in water for a long time quickly lose their beneficial properties . If raw peeled potatoes are placed directly into boiling water, they will lose only 20% of all nutrients.
It is recommended to cook it in a container with a tightly closed lid and not to use copper or tin utensils for cooking. In it, the vegetable loses a lot of vitamin C. It is advisable not to overcook the tubers and try not to reheat the finished dish several times. It is best to prepare the required portion and eat it immediately. In this form, the vegetable will give all its best properties and benefit the body.
Water puree without oil
The puree that is best suited for the diet is puree with water, without oil and salt. To make it tastier, you can add a little dill. List of ingredients:
- 500 grams of potatoes;
- 70 grams of dill.
Cooking process:
The potatoes need to be boiled in the same way as in the previous recipe or steamed.
Drain off most of the water, leaving about 1/3 of it. Then mash the potatoes thoroughly so that there are no lumps left, turn them into a creamy mass and mix with finely chopped dill.
The energy value of this dish is about 80 kilocalories per 100 grams of puree.
