4 ms·

I wonder where the misinformation that potatoes were unhealthy / fattening came from? Was it from french fries and fried starches?

strbean 4y ago
Potatoes are calorie dense. I think the focus on satiation rather than pure calorie counting is a more recent trend. Also, it sounds like water content is a significant contributor to their capacity to satiate, so things like potato chips probably fail miserably under this lense. Many processed foods made from potatoes have far less water in them than home cooked versions (french fries, hash browns).
- TrisMcC 4y ago
  > Potatoes are calorie dense. No. https://gurmeet.net/Images/food/calorie_density/CalorieDensity_03.png https://gurmeet.net/Images/food/calorie_density/CalorieDensi... Boiled potatoes are 870 kcal per kilogram. 1 kilogram of potatoes is a lot.
  - zhynn 4y ago
    Having done 28 days of the potato diet, this is true. It is difficult to get over 1kcal of potato. Eating two kilos of potato in a day is heroic. I would eat like 1 kilo per day, and be satisfied-full. It's wild.
    - mrguyorama 4y ago
      I could definitely eat 2kg of potatoes a day. As french fries. Kind of ruins the whole point though
      - borroka 4y ago
        One can eat 2 kilograms of boiled potatoes, refrigerated, cut into very thin slices and then air-fried at 400F for 15-20 minutes with a drizzle of avocado or extra-virgin olive oil. Some rosemary too. An overall increase of about 150 calories per kilogram compared to boiled potatoes only. The flavor is similar to that of French fries and they are an excellent substitute (I say this as someone who when asked what would be his last meal would answer: french fries).
  - strbean 4y ago
    The term 'calorie dense' is used in reference to proportion of other nutrients. Water isn't typically included. By your standards, Coca-Cola is actually less calorie dense than boiled potato, but I don't think anyone would recommend a Coca-Cola diet.
    - TrisMcC 4y ago
      Calorie density is not something made up. You are redefining a very well-known term. Many legumes, grains, and root vegetables are made up of copious amounts of water in their prepared form. Calorie density is also not the only metric for recommendation. Everyone agrees that liquid calories are not "felt" by the body in the same way as solid foods.
    - lkbm 4y ago
      That's "nutrient density"[0]. "calorie density" (also "energy density") is calories per unit of weight[1]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_density https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_density [1] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/calorie-density https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/calorie-density
djmips 4y ago
The Glycemic Index (GI) looks bad, even look at the chart in the article. However the GI for potatoes changes depending on how you eat them. Cold potatoes have a much lower GI than hot freshly served.
- xeromal 4y ago
  Wow, really? That is very interesting? Too bad hot potatoes are delicious. I think as long as I air fried mine and let them cool to room temp, I would enjoy them.
  - rootusrootus 4y ago
    It's not really about the heat. They undergo a change as they cool down which changes the GI. Heating them back up does not reverse that, so you can still have hot potatoes with the lower GI effect as long as you cool them down first.
    - xeromal 4y ago
      That's incredible. Thanks for sharing. Can you tell me what hte process is called?
      - djmips 4y ago
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrogradation_(starch) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrogradation_(starch) And see the resistant starch link as well.
    - xeromal 4y ago
      What temp should I cool them to? I'm making potatoes now. :P
ThePadawan 4y ago
I believe it might be based on misunderstanding the generic category "vegetables". I.e. "I eat lots of vegetables! I had french fries on Tuesday, mashed potato on Wednesday, ..." Reminds me of the classic regulatory decision (which I actually looked up to make sure that it wasn't an urban myth, that's how crazy it sounds) that the tomato paste on top of pizza is classified as a vegetable for school lunches [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup_as_a_vegetable https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup_as_a_vegetable
- fsckboy 4y ago
  what's the basis for thinking that ketchup or tomato paste or sauce are less nutritious than other cooked vegetables? It's tomatoes.
nathanaldensr 4y ago
Also, potatoes (Russets especially) are an excellent source of potassium, which most people are grossly deficient in.
nikkwong 4y ago
Potatoes tend to be unhealthy via the methods that most people use to cook them [1] because of the formation of acrylamide, a potent carcinogen [2]. In fact potatoes are the food that delivers the highest amount of acrylamide in the American diet through the consumption of chips and french fries. But other methods of cooking like baking, frying, or even microwaving are also prone to forming acrylamide. If you want to avoid acrylamide when cooking potatoes, you must cook them below 250F (pressure cooking or steaming, I think)? [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18320571/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18320571/ [2] https://www.fda.gov/food/chemical-contaminants-food/acrylamide#:~:text=Acrylamide%20is%20a%20substance%20that,frying%2C%20roasting%2C%20and%20baking https://www.fda.gov/food/chemical-contaminants-food/acrylami....

strbean 4y ago

Potatoes are calorie dense. I think the focus on satiation rather than pure calorie counting is a more recent trend. Also, it sounds like water content is a significant contributor to their capacity to satiate, so things like potato chips probably fail miserably under this lense. Many processed foods made from potatoes have far less water in them than home cooked versions (french fries, hash browns).

TrisMcC 4y ago
> Potatoes are calorie dense. No. https://gurmeet.net/Images/food/calorie_density/CalorieDensity_03.png https://gurmeet.net/Images/food/calorie_density/CalorieDensi... Boiled potatoes are 870 kcal per kilogram. 1 kilogram of potatoes is a lot.
- zhynn 4y ago
  Having done 28 days of the potato diet, this is true. It is difficult to get over 1kcal of potato. Eating two kilos of potato in a day is heroic. I would eat like 1 kilo per day, and be satisfied-full. It's wild.
  - mrguyorama 4y ago
    I could definitely eat 2kg of potatoes a day. As french fries. Kind of ruins the whole point though
    - borroka 4y ago
      One can eat 2 kilograms of boiled potatoes, refrigerated, cut into very thin slices and then air-fried at 400F for 15-20 minutes with a drizzle of avocado or extra-virgin olive oil. Some rosemary too. An overall increase of about 150 calories per kilogram compared to boiled potatoes only. The flavor is similar to that of French fries and they are an excellent substitute (I say this as someone who when asked what would be his last meal would answer: french fries).
- strbean 4y ago
  The term 'calorie dense' is used in reference to proportion of other nutrients. Water isn't typically included. By your standards, Coca-Cola is actually less calorie dense than boiled potato, but I don't think anyone would recommend a Coca-Cola diet.
  - TrisMcC 4y ago
    Calorie density is not something made up. You are redefining a very well-known term. Many legumes, grains, and root vegetables are made up of copious amounts of water in their prepared form. Calorie density is also not the only metric for recommendation. Everyone agrees that liquid calories are not "felt" by the body in the same way as solid foods.
  - lkbm 4y ago
    That's "nutrient density"[0]. "calorie density" (also "energy density") is calories per unit of weight[1]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_density https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_density [1] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/calorie-density https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/calorie-density

djmips 4y ago

The Glycemic Index (GI) looks bad, even look at the chart in the article. However the GI for potatoes changes depending on how you eat them. Cold potatoes have a much lower GI than hot freshly served.

xeromal 4y ago
Wow, really? That is very interesting? Too bad hot potatoes are delicious. I think as long as I air fried mine and let them cool to room temp, I would enjoy them.
- rootusrootus 4y ago
  It's not really about the heat. They undergo a change as they cool down which changes the GI. Heating them back up does not reverse that, so you can still have hot potatoes with the lower GI effect as long as you cool them down first.
  - xeromal 4y ago
    That's incredible. Thanks for sharing. Can you tell me what hte process is called?
    - djmips 4y ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrogradation_(starch) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrogradation_(starch) And see the resistant starch link as well.
  - xeromal 4y ago
    What temp should I cool them to? I'm making potatoes now. :P

ThePadawan 4y ago

I believe it might be based on misunderstanding the generic category "vegetables". I.e. "I eat lots of vegetables! I had french fries on Tuesday, mashed potato on Wednesday, ..." Reminds me of the classic regulatory decision (which I actually looked up to make sure that it wasn't an urban myth, that's how crazy it sounds) that the tomato paste on top of pizza is classified as a vegetable for school lunches [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup_as_a_vegetable https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup_as_a_vegetable

fsckboy 4y ago
what's the basis for thinking that ketchup or tomato paste or sauce are less nutritious than other cooked vegetables? It's tomatoes.

nathanaldensr 4y ago

Also, potatoes (Russets especially) are an excellent source of potassium, which most people are grossly deficient in.

nikkwong 4y ago

Potatoes tend to be unhealthy via the methods that most people use to cook them [1] because of the formation of acrylamide, a potent carcinogen [2]. In fact potatoes are the food that delivers the highest amount of acrylamide in the American diet through the consumption of chips and french fries. But other methods of cooking like baking, frying, or even microwaving are also prone to forming acrylamide. If you want to avoid acrylamide when cooking potatoes, you must cook them below 250F (pressure cooking or steaming, I think)? [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18320571/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18320571/ [2] https://www.fda.gov/food/chemical-contaminants-food/acrylamide#:~:text=Acrylamide%20is%20a%20substance%20that,frying%2C%20roasting%2C%20and%20baking https://www.fda.gov/food/chemical-contaminants-food/acrylami....