4 ms·
That being true, it could well be that a "Potato Only Diet" is effective for weight loss not because of the reduced energy intake, nor because of some subtlety
by Mordisquitos 4y ago
That being true, it could well be that a "Potato Only Diet" is effective for weight loss not because of the reduced energy intake, nor because of some subtlety in how our gut or our metabolism deals with an only starch diet for a while, but instead because potatoes lack micronutrient X or inhibit its absorption and a symptom of X deficiency is losing weight. That could be unhealthy.
I don't have an opinion either way and I don't think this is a likely reason, but it is a possibility.
- BizarroLand 4y agoI wonder if it is useful for flushing PFAS and other forever chemicals from the body? They found that indigestible oils like Olestra served to flush out the chemicals that bonded with oils, so maybe the high fiber potato diet is good for flushing out something else?
- kuhewa 4y agopretty remote possibility, unless you have a deficiency in mind that manifests pretty quickly and causes rapid weight loss and doesn't cause systemic disease.
- cheese_goddess 4y agoIf you eat only potatoes you will only ingest the nutrients found in potatoes so you will risk becoming deficient in all other nutrients, not found in potatoes. I don't know what those are, but for example you'd risk running out of all the stuff that vegans have to take supplements to replenish, like B12, iron, zinc, etc. Anyway the diet described in the article doesn't make any assumption about calories. If you're taking enough calories to maintain your weight but losing weight, then it's very likely there's something else you're not getting enough of.
- kuhewa 4y agoAt that point you are just kinda throwing spaghetti at the wall in an 'anything is possible' kind of sense, neither of those are very parsimonious explanations. Besides the fact the diet isn't asking suggesting anyone not supplement, a vegan diet won't lead to a severe B-12 deficiency in a matter months. But hey there is a non-0% chance you are bang on and the people losing weight when trying to eat 20 potatoes a day to meet their caloric demands are actually just noticing the weight loss once they also get pellagra and anemia, they just figured it was a coincidence.
- cheese_goddess 4y agoI don't understand what you're trying to say because the derision in your comment is taking up all the space that would normally be dedicated to clarity.
- kuhewa 4y agoTo be fair, your reply wasn't very helpful when I was asking about specific causes of rapid weight loss induced by micronutrient deficiency that wouldn't manifest as other disease states that could make this scenario remotely plausible. But no derision intended, I was noting the possibility that you could well be correct.
- cheese_goddess 4y agoFair enough. Sorry for overreacting.