Potatoes for weight loss: can they be eaten on a diet and in what form
Potatoes have earned a reputation as the most controversial food in the diet. Many people appreciate it for its great taste and ability to quickly and permanently satisfy the feeling of hunger. Frequent claims that a product leads to weight gain and does not in any way contribute to weight loss are forced to exclude it from the diet.
In this article, we will debunk this myth and show you how to cook and eat potatoes properly so as not to gain weight.
The content of the article
Characteristics of potatoes and chemical composition
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial herb of the genus Solanum (Solanum) of the family Solanaceae (Solanaceae)... The culture is cultivated as an annual plant. The potato is a bush 600-100 cm high, often with 4-6, less often with 6-8 stems. Their number depends on the variety and size of the planting material.
Stems are thick, ribbed. The part immersed in the soil releases lateral processes called stolons. Shoots and tubers are formed at their ends.
A potato tuber consists of cells filled with starch and is covered with a thin cork tissue on the outside. 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 kidney is damaged, the dormant wakes up, but weak sprouts 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 creamy, white, yellow, purple.
Tubers contain a whole range of vitamins and minerals and have a high nutritional value. The chemical composition of the product depends on the 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 dressing. Closer to spring, potatoes dry out, vitamins are decomposed, and the content of the poison, the glycoalkaloid solanine, increases.
The table shows the chemical composition of raw potatoes (100 g).
| Name | Content | Norm |
|---|---|---|
| Beta carotene | 0.001 mg | 5 mg |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.081 mg | 1.5 mg |
| Vitamin B2 | 0.032 mg | 1.8 mg |
| Vitamin B4 | 12.1 mg | 500 mg |
| Vitamin B5 | 0.295 mg | 5 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.298 mg | 2 mg |
| Vitamin B9 | 15 mcg | 400 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 19.7 mg | 90 mg |
| Vitamin E | 0.01 mg | 15 mg |
| Vitamin K | 2 μg | 120 mcg |
| Vitamin PP | 1,061 mg | 20 mg |
| Potassium | 425 mg | 2500 mg |
| Calcium | 12 mg | 1000 mg |
| Magnesium | 23 mg | 400 mg |
| Sodium | 6 mg | 1300 mg |
| Phosphorus | 57 mg | 800 mg |
| Iron | 0.81 mg | 18 mg |
| Manganese | 0.153 mg | 2 mg |
| Copper | 110 mcg | 1000 mcg |
| Selenium | 0.4 μg | 55 mcg |
| Zinc | 0.3 mg | 12 mg |
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 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 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
Can you 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 for 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 dish, together with the carcinogens accumulated during the frying process and uncontrolled eating, lead to weight gain. If you approach the use of potatoes from the point of view of proper and separate nutrition, it will not bring anything except 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 has found in the course of 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 mashed potatoes when losing weight
Nutritionists say that you do not need to give up mashed potatoes when losing weight.
To lose weight, it is enough to adhere to the rules for using the product:
- to cook puree in water or skim milk without butter;
- use dried garlic, sea salt, herbs to enhance the taste;
- eat young medium-sized tubers with less starch;
- "Sit" on potato diet no more than 14 days.
Boiled potatoes
Calorie content boiled in peel or peeled potatoes does not go off scale, so it is safely included in the diet for weight loss. The only negative is that in the process of boiling, B vitamins and ascorbic acid are destroyed.
Presoaking tubers leads to a 15% decrease in water-soluble vitamins. The more oxygen in the water, the faster the process takes place. In the absence of oxygen, vitamin C dissolves at a cooking temperature of + 192 ° C. In oxygen-enriched water, the reaction takes place at a temperature of + 5 ° C.
In order to preserve the maximum of nutrients in the tubers, it is necessary to put it in boiling water. Steam cooking preserves the vitamin content of the product, as well as boiling “in uniform”. Most of the nutrients are collected under the peel.
Fried
It is better to refuse fried potatoes in oil on a diet. During the frying process, the bulk of the vitamins is destroyed. High temperatures provoke the accumulation of the dangerous carcinogen acrylamide. The calorie content of the dish is obscenely high and ranges from 192 to 250 kcal per 100 g serving.
Baked
The most useful is baked potatoes in their skins. Vitamins and potassium are preserved in the product. 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 as a garnish.
Slimming potato juice
Potato juice is used for weight loss and body detoxification. The diet is designed for 14 days.
Fresh contains easily digestible carbohydrates, chlorine, sulfur and phosphorus, has an anti-inflammatory and cleansing effect, removes accumulated radionuclides and toxins.
After squeezing, the juice is left to stand. You don't need to drink starch that has settled to the bottom. The drink is consumed 3 times a day, 150 ml half an hour before meals. Lemon, orange, apple or carrot juices are added to improve the taste.
Potato dishes prohibited for weight loss
Use common sense and dietitian advice when drawing up your diet menu. Dishes from potatoes fried in lard, butter or vegetable oil, generously seasoned with spicy, salty, fatty sauces are prohibited.
We'll have to give up mayonnaise, ketchup, ready-made store sauces like Caesar, Tartar, fatty sour cream and cream. Dishes should be as simple as possible but nutritious.
Is there any alternative
Diet potatoes will be replaced by: white turnip, cauliflower, pumpkin, parsnip, celery root, rutabaga, Jerusalem artichoke, squash, zucchini, carrots. Ideal substitution for taste and nutritional value - beans or chickpeas.
Potato-based diet options
The most popular mono diets are for 3, 5, 7 and 14 days. They provide for 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 weight by 2.5-3 kg;
- in 5 days - by 3-4 kg;
- in 7 days - a maximum of 5 kg;
- in 14 days - by 10 kg.
The combination diets are designed for 7 days. Potatoes are combined with eggs, cabbage, kefir. It is much easier to adhere to a diet without interruptions due to the variety of foods allowed. The maximum weight loss is 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 are divided into 5 receptions. One serving - 300 g.
Read also:
How to cook and eat leek soup for weight loss.
Celery for weight loss: how much you can eat per day.
How to properly spend a fasting day on buckwheat and apples and how much you can lose weight.
Diet meals
We offer options for low-calorie recipes.
Potatoes baked in the oven
It is easy to cook potatoes with garlic in the oven:
- Cut 1 kg of washed tubers with the skin into 4 parts, salt, sprinkle with granulated garlic and dried herbs of your choice.
- Sprinkle with olive oil and put in the oven, preheated to 200 ° C.
The calorie content of the finished dish is 120 kcal.
Casserole with meat
For potato casserole, prepare foods:
- 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:
- Wash the tubers, remove the skin and grate on a coarse grater.
- Prepare minced meat from chicken fillet and mix with potatoes.
- Beat in eggs, chopped onion, spinach, season with salt and spices, stir and transfer to a mold.
- Send the casserole from the oven preheated to 160 ° C. Bake for 1.5 hours.
The 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 shape
Potato tubers are used in the preparation of cosmetics for hair and skin health. Raw pulp and juice are ideal for homemade masks.
B vitamins and ascorbic acid stop the inflammatory processes of the upper layers of the skin, improve the work of the sebaceous glands, restore the upper layer of the epidermis, 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 are narrowed, 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 studies of foreign nutritionists, the results of which were published in the ToDay News Ufa magazine, it was found 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 restricted in the use of potatoes. The experiment lasted 3 months, after which the scientists recorded weight loss in all volunteers.
Other beneficial properties
A daily portion of potatoes (300 g) contains the daily rate of phosphorus, potassium, carbohydrates. Potatoes saturate the body with plant proteins that have an alkalizing effect. This allows you to include the product in the menu for kidney disease, metabolic disorders, gout.
Freshly squeezed potato juice is used to treat gastrointestinal tract (duodenal ulcer and stomach ulcer). Trace elements in its composition have healing properties, reduce pain. This unique product is indicated for severe poisoning.
Vitamin B6 supports immunity, processes of transmission of nerve impulses, participates in the synthesis of erythrocytes. Its deficiency leads to loss of appetite, changes in the surface layers of the skin (eczema, dermatitis), the development of anemia.
Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, is involved in redox processes, strengthens the immune system, and helps to absorb iron. Its deficiency causes looseness and bleeding of the gums, bleeding from the nose, increases fragility and capillary permeability.
Potassium is responsible for the regulation of water, acid-base and electrolyte balance, normalization of blood pressure, which makes potatoes as useful as possible for the "core".
Raw potatoes are widely used in folk medicine. It is used to prepare remedies for the treatment of burns, eczema, boils, fungal skin lesions. Lotions relieve itching and pain. Compresses from grated potatoes with the addition of natural honey improve well-being during exacerbation of osteochondrosis.
Nutritionist recommendations
Modern dietetics debunks myths about nutrition that do not have scientific justification. Excess weight does not come from eating potatoes, but from the way it is prepared and combined with harmful sauces, fatty meat.
In order not to gain weight and at the same time enjoy food, nutritionists recommend:
- bake the tubers in the peel without oil and sauces;
- combine potatoes and fresh vegetables, herbs, lettuce in one plate;
- instead of fatty pork, use white poultry and fish;
- choose tubers with white flesh, since they have less starch (the rule does not always work, so it is better to focus on the color of the pulp, and not on the color of the peel);
- pay attention to purple varieties with an unusual nutty pulp taste, a large set of amino acids and less starch;
- eat the product for lunch and refuse it for dinner - in the afternoon, the human body's ability to process carbohydrates decreases.
It is interesting:
Effective melon diets for weight loss: reviews and calories.
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 the diet. Low calorie content of boiled and baked tubers, the ability to quickly and permanently 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, meat. Do not fry potatoes in oil or lard, do not eat them in the evening.