Potatoes for weight loss: can you eat them on a diet and in what form?

Potatoes have earned a reputation as the most controversial product in the dietary system. Many appreciate it for its excellent taste and ability to quickly and permanently satisfy hunger. Frequent statements that the product leads to weight gain and does not in any way contribute to weight loss force us to exclude it from the diet.

In this article we will debunk this myth and tell you how to properly cook and eat potatoes so as not to gain weight.

Characteristics of potatoes and chemical composition

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the nightshade genus (Solanum) of the nightshade family (Solanaceae).. The crop is cultivated as an annual plant. Potato is a bush 600-100 cm high, usually with 4-6, less often with 6-8 stems. Their number depends on the variety and size of planting material.

The stems are thick and ribbed. The part immersed in the soil produces lateral processes called stolons. Shoots and tubers form at their ends.

A potato tuber consists of cells filled with starch and covered on the outside with a thin cork tissue. On the surface there are axillary buds or eyes (3-15 pcs.), from which sprouts appear.

One of the buds is the main one and germinates first, the rest are dormant. If the main bud is damaged, the sleeping ones wake up, but weak shoots appear from them.

Reference. Depending on the variety, the shape of the tubers is round, oval, oblong, the peel is pink, yellow, red, purple, the pulp is cream, white, yellow, purple.

Tubers contain a whole range of vitamins and minerals and have high nutritional value. The chemical composition of the product depends on age. Young tubers contain more moisture and vitamins and little starch. Potatoes that have reached technical ripeness contain more starch, vitamins and minerals.

It is difficult to determine the exact amount of certain compounds: the concentration of nutrients depends on the type of soil and fertilizing. As spring approaches, potatoes dry out, vitamins decompose, and the content of the poison, the glycoalkaloid solanine, increases.

The table shows the chemical composition of raw potatoes (100 g).

Glycemic index

Potatoes are classified as foods with an average glycemic index (GI), which depends on the type of cooking:

• raw - 50-60 units;
• boiled “in its uniform” - 65 units;
• boiled without peel - 70 units;
• baked - 60-65 units;
• puree - 85-90 units;
• fried — 111 units;
• chips - 80-95 units.

KBZHU product

Nutritional value of potatoes (100 g of raw tubers):

• proteins - 2 g;
• fats - 0.4 g;
• carbohydrates - 16.3 g;
• fiber - 1.4 g;
• water - 79 g.

The calorie content of the product varies depending on the cooking method:

• raw -77 kcal;
• boiled - 82 kcal;
• fried - 192 kcal;
• chips and dried potatoes - 292 kcal.

Potatoes for weight loss

Is it possible to eat potatoes while losing weight? For a long time, potatoes were undeservedly included in the list of foods prohibited on the diet. The myth about its harmfulness to the figure was based on the fact that for most people, potatoes fried in lard or vegetable oil are their favorite dish.

The high calorie content and GI of the food, coupled with the carcinogens accumulated during the frying process and uncontrolled eating, lead to weight gain. If you approach the consumption of potatoes from the point of view of proper and separate nutrition, it will bring nothing but benefits to the body.

For reference. British nutritionists have included potatoes in the list of the healthiest dietary foods that are safe for your figure if you follow the daily intake. The American Dietetic Association found in research that people who regularly consume the product receive much more potassium and ascorbic acid compared to those who refuse it.

Is it possible to eat puree while losing weight?

Nutritionists say that there is no need to give up mashed potatoes when losing weight.

To lose weight, just follow the rules for using the product:

• prepare puree using water or skim milk without butter;
• use dried garlic, sea salt, herbs to enhance the taste;
• use young medium-sized tubers with less starch content;
• "sit" on potato diet no more than 14 days.

Boiled potatoes

Calorie content boiled in peeled or peeled potatoes does not go off scale, so it can be safely included in the weight loss menu. The only negative is that during the boiling process, B vitamins and ascorbic acid are destroyed.

Pre-soaking tubers leads to a decrease in water-soluble vitamins by 15%. The more oxygen in the water, the faster the process occurs. In the absence of oxygen, vitamin C dissolves at a cooking temperature of +192°C. In water enriched with oxygen, the reaction occurs at a temperature of +5°C.

To preserve the maximum nutritional components in the tubers, you need to put them in boiling water. Steaming preserves the vitamin composition of the product, as does boiling “in its uniform”. The bulk of useful substances are collected under the peel.

Fried

It is better to avoid fried potatoes in oil on a diet. During the frying process, the bulk of vitamins are destroyed. High temperatures provoke the accumulation of the dangerous carcinogen acrylamide. The calorie content of the dish is indecently high and ranges from 192 to 250 kcal per 100 g serving.

Baked

Baked potatoes with their skins are considered the healthiest. The product retains vitamins and potassium. In order not to gain weight, but rather to lose weight, it is advisable to bake the product without oil, with a minimum of salt. Serve fresh or stewed vegetables and lettuce leaves as a side dish.

Potato juice for weight loss

Potato juice is used to reduce weight and cleanse the body. The diet is designed for 14 days.

Fresh contains easily digestible carbohydrates, chlorine, sulfur and phosphorus, has an anti-inflammatory and cleansing effect, and removes accumulated radionuclides and toxins.

After squeezing, the juice is left to settle. Starch that has settled to the bottom does not need to be drunk.The drink is consumed 3 times a day, 150 ml, half an hour before meals. To improve the taste, add lemon, orange, apple or carrot juice.

Potato dishes prohibited when losing weight

When compiling a dietary menu, use common sense and the recommendations of nutritionists. Potato dishes fried in lard, butter or vegetable oil, generously seasoned with spicy, salty, fatty sauces are prohibited.

You will have to give up mayonnaise, ketchup, ready-made store-bought sauces like Caesar, Tartar, full-fat sour cream and cream. Dishes should be as simple as possible, but nutritious.

Is there an alternative

Potatoes in the diet will be replaced by: white turnips, cauliflower, pumpkin, parsnips, celery root, rutabaga, Jerusalem artichoke, squash, zucchini, carrots. An ideal substitute for taste and nutritional value is beans or chickpeas.

Potato-based diet options

The most popular mono-diets are designed for 3, 5, 7 and 14 days. They involve the use of potatoes in combination with vegetables, fruits, dairy products, herbal and green teas, vegetable oil and spices in small quantities.

The result depends on the duration of the diet:

• in 3 days you can lose 2.5-3 kg;
• in 5 days - by 3-4 kg;
• in 7 days - maximum by 5 kg;
• in 14 days - by 10 kg.

Combined diets are designed for 7 days. Potatoes are combined with eggs, cabbage, and kefir. Maintaining a diet without disruption is much easier due to the variety of permitted foods. Maximum weight loss - 6 kg.

Fasting days on boiled or baked potatoes allow you to remove excess fluid from the body, give a feeling of lightness in the stomach, lower cholesterol levels, improve complexion.1.5 kg of cooked tubers is divided into 5 doses. One serving - 300 g.

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Diet dishes

We offer options for low-calorie recipes.

Potatoes baked in the oven

It’s easy to prepare potatoes with garlic in the oven:

1. Cut 1 kg of washed tubers with peel into 4 parts, salt, sprinkle with granulated garlic and dried herbs of your choice.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven preheated to 200°C.

The calorie content of the finished dish is 120 kcal.

Casserole with meat

For potato casserole, prepare ingredients:

• potatoes - 0.5 kg;
• chicken fillet - 0.5 kg;
• eggs - 4 pcs.;
• onions - 2 pcs.;
• spinach (fresh or frozen) - 200 g;
• salt, spices - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash the tubers, remove the skin and grate on a coarse grater.
2. Prepare minced chicken fillet and mix with potatoes.
3. Beat in the eggs, chopped onion, spinach, season with salt and spices, mix and transfer to the mold.
4. Place the casserole in the oven preheated to 160°C. Bake for 1.5 hours.

Calorie content of the dish (100 g) is 92 kcal.

Useful properties of the product

Potatoes have unique properties that distinguish them from other crops. Tubers contain almost all amino acids known to science, a large complex of vitamins, micro- and macroelements.

Benefits for beauty and figure

Potato tubers are used to prepare cosmetics for healthy hair and skin. The raw pulp and juice are ideal for homemade masks.

B vitamins and ascorbic acid stop inflammatory processes in the upper layers of the skin, improve the functioning of the sebaceous glands, restore the upper layer of the epidermis, and nourish the hair follicles.

Hair after potato masks they become shiny, nourished and elastic, the skin becomes smooth and silky. Unwanted pigmentation goes away, pores narrow, and turgor improves.

IN masks for normal skin, add burdock, sea buckthorn and olive oils, for oily skin - infusion of calendula, chamomile, thyme, plantain.

For your information. In the course of research by foreign nutritionists, the results of which were published in the ToDay News Ufa magazine, it was possible to find out that potatoes do not lead to obesity. 90 people took part in the experiment. They were divided into three groups: two of them were on a special diet, the third was not limited in the consumption of potatoes. The experiment lasted 3 months, after which scientists recorded weight loss in all volunteers.

Other useful properties

A daily serving of potatoes (300 g) contains the daily requirement of phosphorus, potassium, and carbohydrates. Potatoes saturate the body with vegetable proteins that have an alkalizing effect. This allows you to include the product in the menu for kidney disease, metabolic disorders, and gout.

Freshly squeezed potato juice is used to treat gastrointestinal tract (ulcers of the duodenum and stomach). The microelements in its composition have healing properties and reduce pain. This unique product is indicated for severe poisoning.

Vitamin B6 supports the immune system, the transmission of nerve impulses, and is involved in the synthesis of red blood cells. Its deficiency leads to loss of appetite, changes in the surface layers of the skin (eczema, dermatitis), and the development of anemia.

Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, is involved in redox processes, strengthens the immune system, and helps absorb iron. Its deficiency causes loose and bleeding gums, nosebleeds, and increases the fragility and permeability of capillaries.

Potassium is responsible for regulating water, acid-base and electrolyte balance, normalizing blood pressure, which makes potatoes as beneficial as possible for heart patients.

Raw potatoes are widely used in folk medicine. It is used to prepare products for the treatment of burns, eczema, boils, and fungal skin infections. Lotions relieve itching and pain. Compresses made from grated potatoes with the addition of natural honey improve well-being during exacerbation of osteochondrosis.

Recommendations from nutritionists

Modern dietetics debunks myths about nutrition that have no scientific basis. Excess weight does not appear from eating potatoes, but from the method of preparing it and combining it with harmful sauces and fatty meat.

In order not to gain weight and still enjoy food, nutritionists recommend:

• bake the tubers in their skins without oil or sauces;
• combine potatoes and fresh vegetables, herbs, lettuce in one plate;
• use white poultry and fish instead of fatty pork;
• choose tubers with white flesh, as they contain less starch (the rule does not always work, so it is better to focus on the color of the pulp rather than the color of the peel);
• pay attention to purple varieties with an unusual nutty taste of the pulp, a large set of amino acids and less starch;
• consume the product for lunch and refuse it for dinner - in the second half of the day the human body’s ability to process carbohydrates decreases.

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Conclusion

Potatoes are a healthy product with a unique set of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It is absolutely undeservedly included in the list of foods prohibited on a diet. The low calorie content of boiled and baked tubers, the ability to quickly and for a long time saturate the body, excellent compatibility with fresh vegetables and dairy products make it possible to include it in diets for weight loss.

To lose weight, avoid fatty sauces, cream, sour cream, and meat. Do not fry potatoes in oil or lard, and do not eat them in the evening.