A few years ago, while at the grocery store check-out line, the cashier made the two following comments:

1.  As he scanned and examined a bag of lentils, he actually asked me if this was a food we eat for lent (seriously). I explained what a lentil is……he had obviously never heard of them.
2. After scanning all of my groceries, he commented “boy, the only thing fattening you have here is that bag of potatoes.” I politely remarked that potatoes aren’t fattening, but when he made another similar comment, I explained that it’s the TOPPINGS that make potatoes fattening, not the potato itself.  I don’t think it sank in.

His comment about potatoes led me to shed some light on the poor little potato, often blamed for everything from being a dreaded, fattening carb to having too high of a glycemic index.

Safe for Diabetics?

Both potatoes and sweet potatoes are nutritious, delicious tubers which can be made into awesome main entrees or side dishes. And both fit into a healthy diet no matter if your goal is weight loss, health improvement, or both.

And yes, potatoes are SAFE for diabetics; in fact, a whole-food, plant-based diet including starches is able to REVERSE Type 2 Diabetes. Why ‘manage’ diabetes when we can mostly likely get rid of it? Even the American Diabetes Association agrees that a plant based diet is more effective at lowering A1C than the ADA guidelines.

Complex carbs such as potatoes are the body’s main source of energy, and our brains also depend on such carbs (remember, there’s a BIG difference between complex carbs such as whole potatoes verses refined carbs such as French fries and potato chips).

When Do Potatoes Become Fattening?

It’s a common misconception that starchy foods such as potatoes are fattening. Potatoes are a nutritious, calorie-dilute, complex carbohydrate – and only 1% of its calories come from fat.

UNTIL … we fry that potato in grease to make French fries (46% fat), or convert that potato into potato chips (56% fat). Or until we smother that potato with butter, sour cream, cheese sauce, and bacon bits – which adds a huge dose of fat (and cholesterol).

As you can see, the potato at 1% fat isn’t adding to our weight struggles. It’s when we convert that complex carb potato into a REFINED junk food carb that our troubles begin.

Are Starches Converted to Fat?

People often believe that the sugars in starches are readily converted to fat, which is then stored in our bellies, hips and butts. But while it’s true that complex carbs break down into simple sugars, these sugars are absorbed into the blood stream and transported to trillions of cells throughout the body for energy.

Some reasons why potatoes aren’t fattening (from Dr. McDougall’s newsletter):

• 1)  Potatoes Aren’t Calorie Dense. Potatoes are at the bottom of the list of calorie dense foods, at one calorie per gram. By comparison, sugar, cheese, and beef are about 4 calories per gram and vegetable oils are 9 calories per gram.
• 2)  The Fat You Eat Is the Fat You Wear.  Potatoes are 1% fat – so there are virtually no fat calories to wear (by comparison, cheese can be 70% fat and butter is 100% fat).
• 3)  Carbohydrate Satisfies the Hunger Drive. Potatoes are at the top of the carbohydrate list with about 90% of the calories from appetite-satisfying carbohydrates. (On the other hand, beef, fish, chicken, butter, and olive oil are a few examples of commonly consumed foods with no carbohydrates).

All bets are off if you top your potatoes with butter, margarine, sour cream, cheese, bacon bits or other added fats.  It’s those high-fat toppings which contribute to the increase in heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, dementia and other chronic disease – not the potato itself.

Fortunately, there are many healthy toppings we can choose, such as salsa, soups, chilies, dressings, low-fat guacamole, or this delicious Golden Gravy.

Yummy Potato Recipes

There are hundreds of healthy potato recipes out there……here are just a few of our favorites:

Fat-Free Cheese Sauce  – great for Cheesy/Broccoli Baked Potatoes!

Sweet Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup

Sweet Potato and White Bean Curry Soup

Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Fit Fries

Potato Salad

Cocoa Black Bean Chili with Roasted Potatoes

Yukon Golds topped with Mushroom Gravy

Bottom Line

Potatoes are a nutritious, satisfying comfort food which contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, anti-oxidants and phytochemicals (with no cholesterol or fat) – and we can enjoy them freely when they are prepared correctly without the added junk.

Pass the gravy!

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To learn more about calorie density, watch this free webinar “3 Food Mistakes Which Lead to Painful Joints, Extra Pounds, and Health Problems the Doctors Aren’t Solving.”