The benefits of eating only potatoes for a week
Abstract The Potato Diet is a popular diet which promises fast weight loss through eating nothing but potatoes for three to five days. The potato diet involves eating nothing except cooked potatoes for a certain amount of time, with the aim of rapid weight loss. The potato diet is designed as a short-term, quick weight loss solution, while diets such as The Starch Solution may be followed longer-term, since they are more balanced and sustainable.Weight loss might not be sustainable as the potato diet is followed only three or five days at a time. There is sufficient evidence to show that the potato diet works very well in losing weight, so, how do you follow it?This diet is a short-term eating pattern where you are expected to eat potatoes for three to five days at a time, with no other food. The potato diet can lead to a short-term weight loss and lowers fat and sodium consumption; however, there are very few health benefits associated with the potato diet.
It is important to eat a sufficient number of calories while following this diet, as it is restrictive, and followers may not be getting sufficient nutrients if they consume too few calories. If you wish to follow this diet, simply eat 1-2 kg potatoes daily, depending on appetite, and do not eat any other food for the duration of the diet. The popular Potato Diet claims that it can help you lose up to a pound (0.45kg) a day, eating nothing but plain potatoes for three to five days.
A 2014 study found that people who consumed five to seven portions of potatoes a week lost as much weight as people who did not include them in their diet. A study from Penn State University dietitians found that eating a medium-sized potato every day could be part of a healthy diet and would not raise your risk for cardiometabolic diseases--the chances of having diabetes, heart disease, or stroke--as long as you boiled or baked the potatoes, and you did not add too much salt or saturated fat. Potatoes can be part of a healthy diet, including a weight-loss diet.
Potatoes may build your bones, lower inflammation, improve heart health, help with digestion, and increase immune system strength. Potatoes absolutely complement a healthy diet, and that may help you lose weight--but eating nothing but potatoes is needlessly restrictive, says obesity expert Spencer Nadolsky. While the media has been marveling at the fact that people are losing 12 pounds per week with a potato diet, researchers have stressed the importance of not losing more than 2 pounds per week, because doing so could lead to several health complications, including gallstones, loss of muscle, nutrient deficiencies, and low metabolism(3, 4).
The potato diet can range in duration from three hard days to a few hard months, and although many people claim they lost a substantial amount of weight following the potato diet, there are no scientific studies that support those claims. Studies show that eating additional protein can help decrease muscle loss when calories are restricted, but the potato diet does not provide an adequate protein source(19, 20).
A 2014 study found that people who consumed five to seven portions of potatoes a week lost as much weight as people who did not include them in their diet. A study from Penn State University dietitians found that eating a medium-sized potato every day could be part of a healthy diet and would not raise your risk for cardiometabolic diseases--the chances of having diabetes, heart disease, or stroke--as long as you boiled or baked the potatoes, and you did not add too much salt or saturated fat. Potatoes can be part of a healthy diet, including a weight-loss diet.
Potatoes may build your bones, lower inflammation, improve heart health, help with digestion, and increase immune system strength. Potatoes absolutely complement a healthy diet, and that may help you lose weight--but eating nothing but potatoes is needlessly restrictive, says obesity expert Spencer Nadolsky. While the media has been marveling at the fact that people are losing 12 pounds per week with a potato diet, researchers have stressed the importance of not losing more than 2 pounds per week, because doing so could lead to several health complications, including gallstones, loss of muscle, nutrient deficiencies, and low metabolism(3, 4).
The potato diet can range in duration from three hard days to a few hard months, and although many people claim they lost a substantial amount of weight following the potato diet, there are no scientific studies that support those claims. Studies show that eating additional protein can help decrease muscle loss when calories are restricted, but the potato diet does not provide an adequate protein source(19, 20).
How to prepare sweet potatoes
Baked sweet potatoes, which are like baked potatoes, need to be cooked in the oven on a medium-high heat for about 45 minutes. Bring just enough water to the boil, lower the heat to low, and bake until sweet potatoes are easy to cut through with a fork, about 10 to 12 minutes. Place a large piece of foil on top of the baking sheet and roast until all are pierced with a fork.If leaving peels on, you will have to puncture the potatoes skins a few times with the fork. If using a microwave, you will probably have to prepare whole potatoes in two batches. The amount of time it takes you to cook depends mostly on the size of your potatoes.
If you are making mashed potatoes, you are better off cutting up your potatoes rather than boiling them whole. To boil about 4 pounds of chopped sweet potatoes--about six yams--to mash, you need to allow around 15-20 minutes, as long as you begin with cold water. Unlike a sweet potato casserole, in which the potatoes are cooked and then pureed, for this Thanksgiving side dish, thick slices of peeled potatoes are all that is needed.
When you are ready to make this dish, peel your potatoes and cut them into 1/2" slices. This comes down to personal preference, but I strongly suggest peeling your potatoes for this specific recipe in order to guarantee good texture and flavor. You will want to heat up those potatoes again before using them again, so they return to that delightfully moist texture.
These baked Sweet Potatoes will need to be stirred every 10-15 minutes to make sure the baking and caramelization is evenly distributed, so simply look at the colour and softness of the Sweet Potatoes as you stir to see if they are done. This recipe yields perfectly baked sweet potatoes after approximately 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 425 degrees F. If you prefer your sweet potatoes roasted extra-soft, you may need to cook them for a bit longer. Boiling does not caramelize as well as roasting, and the flavors are not quite as sweet. The gravy is thinner when it is baked because of the water content of the potatoes, but thickens rapidly when cooled. Pour the sauce over the potatoes, tossing to combine, so that sauce evenly coats all slices.
To make tater tots, heat the oven to 400 degrees F., and wrap entire, unpeeled sweet potatoes in a large piece of foil, tucked inside a bay leaf. The poke method is always used when baking conventional or sweet potatoes -- holes help to shorten baking times and make sure that the potatoes will not explode, providing vents for steam.
When you are ready to make this dish, peel your potatoes and cut them into 1/2" slices. This comes down to personal preference, but I strongly suggest peeling your potatoes for this specific recipe in order to guarantee good texture and flavor. You will want to heat up those potatoes again before using them again, so they return to that delightfully moist texture.
These baked Sweet Potatoes will need to be stirred every 10-15 minutes to make sure the baking and caramelization is evenly distributed, so simply look at the colour and softness of the Sweet Potatoes as you stir to see if they are done. This recipe yields perfectly baked sweet potatoes after approximately 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 425 degrees F. If you prefer your sweet potatoes roasted extra-soft, you may need to cook them for a bit longer. Boiling does not caramelize as well as roasting, and the flavors are not quite as sweet. The gravy is thinner when it is baked because of the water content of the potatoes, but thickens rapidly when cooled. Pour the sauce over the potatoes, tossing to combine, so that sauce evenly coats all slices.
To make tater tots, heat the oven to 400 degrees F., and wrap entire, unpeeled sweet potatoes in a large piece of foil, tucked inside a bay leaf. The poke method is always used when baking conventional or sweet potatoes -- holes help to shorten baking times and make sure that the potatoes will not explode, providing vents for steam.
How to eat sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes can be enjoyed with or without skin, and they can be baked, boiled, roasted, fried, steamed, or pan-roasted. Sweet potatoes are usually recognized by their copper-colored skins and bright orange flesh, although hundreds of varieties grown around the world show colors including white, cream, yellow, reddish-purple, and deep purple. Do not use potatoes with white flesh in these recipes, because they will bake differently.
The two basic types of orange-fleshed potatoes that you will find in stores are Jewel, which has light-brown-orange skin, and Red Garnet, which has red skin and is a little thinner. Cooking your sweet potatoes with water retains more beta-carotene, making the nutrients easier to absorb, than using other methods such as baking or roasting. Boiling sweet potatoes does indeed strip nutrients, but according to physician and NutritionFacts.org writer Dr. Michael Greger, boiling sweet potatoes reduces their glycemic index, meaning that after eating them, you experience less of an insulin surge. In fact, a one-cup (200-gram) baked sweet potato with orange skin provides more than seven times as much beta-carotene as an average adult needs each day (2). With baked, you can make either a main course, like salad, or a snack, like dried sweet potatoes. If you are serving your oven-roasted sweet potatoes as a side, pair with a favorite protein or veggie chili.
Do not even get us started about dessert: Sweet potato treats are right up there with pumpkin pie, apple tarts, and pecan pie as some of the best things about autumn, but we would still serve those dishes any time of the year. For me, the beginning of fall also feels like the official beginning of the sweet potato season, where I am free to eat all the sweet potatoes I want, since they are not just soooo delicious to suck down at this time of year, they are peaking in season and packed with nutrients. If you like to crush potatoes as much as I do, this recipe is absolutely worth trying.
You may want to try serving small portions of it when introducing kids and young children to new foods, such as sweet potatoes. You could even use pureed sweet potato for the frosting on your chocolate cake, and you will get to enjoy that added fiber, while not losing any of that delicious sweet tooth-satisfying sweet tooth that we all crave in cake. Whether you decide to cook the sweet potato puree on the stovetop or in the oven, be sure to cut your sweet potatoes into wedges for faster cooking times and easier mash. Cube half of the cooked sweet potato.
The two basic types of orange-fleshed potatoes that you will find in stores are Jewel, which has light-brown-orange skin, and Red Garnet, which has red skin and is a little thinner. Cooking your sweet potatoes with water retains more beta-carotene, making the nutrients easier to absorb, than using other methods such as baking or roasting. Boiling sweet potatoes does indeed strip nutrients, but according to physician and NutritionFacts.org writer Dr. Michael Greger, boiling sweet potatoes reduces their glycemic index, meaning that after eating them, you experience less of an insulin surge. In fact, a one-cup (200-gram) baked sweet potato with orange skin provides more than seven times as much beta-carotene as an average adult needs each day (2). With baked, you can make either a main course, like salad, or a snack, like dried sweet potatoes. If you are serving your oven-roasted sweet potatoes as a side, pair with a favorite protein or veggie chili.
Do not even get us started about dessert: Sweet potato treats are right up there with pumpkin pie, apple tarts, and pecan pie as some of the best things about autumn, but we would still serve those dishes any time of the year. For me, the beginning of fall also feels like the official beginning of the sweet potato season, where I am free to eat all the sweet potatoes I want, since they are not just soooo delicious to suck down at this time of year, they are peaking in season and packed with nutrients. If you like to crush potatoes as much as I do, this recipe is absolutely worth trying.
You may want to try serving small portions of it when introducing kids and young children to new foods, such as sweet potatoes. You could even use pureed sweet potato for the frosting on your chocolate cake, and you will get to enjoy that added fiber, while not losing any of that delicious sweet tooth-satisfying sweet tooth that we all crave in cake. Whether you decide to cook the sweet potato puree on the stovetop or in the oven, be sure to cut your sweet potatoes into wedges for faster cooking times and easier mash. Cube half of the cooked sweet potato.
Conclusion.
We hope you enjoyed our blog post about how eating only sweet potatoes for a week can be beneficial to your health. We know that everyone has different dietary needs, but sometimes it's hard to meet all of your specific requirements and stay healthy. That is why we decided to do a sweet potato-only diet for a week. We found that it not only led to some amazing health benefits, but also helped us with our weight.