Potatoes: The perfect food - John McDougall MD

Want to watch the full one-hour-plus video of Dr. McDougall's talk, The Starch Solution? If so, click here: http://www.vegsource.com/news/2010/11/the-starch-solution-every-successful-cu...

Recently a Harvard study concluded that potatoes are bad for those wanting to lose weight and be healthy. But is this true and accurate? Or another example of shoddy "science?" Well, if we are discussing French Fries, Potato Chips, and the standard versions of mashed, boiled and baked potatoes (covered with cheese, butter, bacon and sour cream) then yes, the potato looks like "bad news." However, if we are talking about the plain old baked potato (which the FAO/WHO dedicated 2008 to the potato because of its nutritional and economical value), then no, this study has no impact on that.

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Education

Tags:

• potato
• john mcdougall
• starch solution
• starch-based diet
• plant-based
• vegan

[kungfuminou]

@Lengsel7 Yes, we in the US & Europe are a "meatcentric", dairy & fat consuming culture. The carbs we do consume are processed and non-complex. There's a HUGE different in complex carbohydrates (like potatoes, brown rice & other whole grains) & processed high fat crud the US/Europe eat in huge amounts. Dr. McDougall goes into this topic in great detail in his other videos. I eat a low fat vegan starch based (meaning complex carbs) diet and have NONE of the health issues my friends & family do.

[kungfuminou]

@Lengsel7 Name them. Europe & the US are obese & sick. Asian & other starch based societies have been the opposite UNTIL the began eating like Westerners. Hello?

[monellasweeting]

@kungfuminou me too i couldnt have said it any better!!!!

[jhardknox]

@headveg I read this study the Dr. refers to. The man and woman used butter or pork fat (not oil) with the addition of a few apples and pears; tea or black coffee and sugar occasionally. The fat intake was 120-150g daily, which is 1080 to 1350 calories. The avg caloric intake from the potatoes was 1565 calories, or 195 from protein and 1370 from carbohydrate. The carb/protein/fat calorie ratio is 49/44/7. The Dr. should re read this study.

[stffnhrn]

Potatoes don't provide all essential amino acids, do they?

[LCHFinCanada]

I personally believe the big issues in the SAD aren't potatoes - but refined/processed carbs/sugars.

While I don't think French Fries, Potato Chips, etc. are healthy - an organic potato may be just fine for someone that's not already diabetic, as part of a healthy diet. I think eating ONLY potatoes is a little extreme, though... actually it's a lot extreme, LOL.

[LCHFinCanada]

@Brandic2020 OK, just did more digging and indeed he maintained a dramatic caloric deficit.

He mentions in an interview he has a BMR/Activity need of about 2,800 a day. He also says for the first 3 weeks of the month he was only eating 1,600 calories a day - for a net caloric deficit of 1,200 calories DAILY. He started to up his intake after that.

As for the glycemic issues - he ate ONLY potatoes - as such, he eliminated all refined/processed carbs/sugars from his diet...

[LCHFinCanada]

@Brandic2020 I can only assume that Chris MUST have ensured he maintained a caloric deficit, and a good one at that. He claims he only ate 2,200 calories worth of potato daily, so this could easily be accomplished. Much like the guy that lost weight eating twinkies... it's about caloric deficits at some point - at least for some people.

However, Chris' claims are just that - claims. Undocumented to the best of my knowledge, except by himself - so take that for what it's worth.

[Brandic2020]

@LCHFinCanada I wonder how Chris Voigt loss weight despite eating 20 potatoes a day. He had higher than normal blood glucose levels which he managed to lower to normal ranges after his diet. Isn't that an indicator of impaired carbohydrate metabolism?

Maybe he didn't actually eat 20 potatoes a day. After all, he is the head of the Washington state Potato commission. Why else would you want potatoes to look bad if your position is synonymous with it? Chris Voigt could be a fraud.

[LCHFinCanada]

@Brandic2020 Believe it or not, a baked russet potato is higher on the GI than table sugar... Anywhere from 85+ on the glycemic index depending on how long it's cooked.

An Okinawan yam is only 37 on the GI. Not a lot higher than bean sprouts, lol.

The higher GI foods most americans eat are starchy veggies and refined carbs. We eat them in far higher quantities than okinawans ever ate their sweet potato/yam... thus the difference in metabolic issues.

[LCHFinCanada]

@Brandic2020 Yes, they are somewhat starchy, but NEAR as starchy as a Russet potato, for example. The biggest difference in Okinawans eating sweet potatoes vs. our eating our potatoes is also the amount of total calories we eat...

We eat FAR more calories from starches than the okinawans ever did, and higher GI starches too.

The higher the glycemic index of a food, the faster and higher it spikes your glucose, the more insulin you require to deal with it.