by
Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
Author
of best-sellers: The Fat Burning Kitchen & TheTop 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging
I'd
like to start a little discussion today about carbohydrates... and in
particular, "white foods"
as well as potatoes. One reason I wanted to mention this is because so many
health and fitness professionals trash talk potatoes about being a bad
carbohydrate choice because of the high glycemic index. Some even say such
ridiculous things as "avoid any and all white carbohydrates".
Ok,
now while I certainly agree that white
bread and refined white sugar are two of the worst things we can be feeding
our bodies, I definately don't agree with avoiding any and all "white
carbohydrates". Now I know all of the buzz lately has been about colorful
foods and the protective antioxidants that they contain. They tell you to focus
on colors and stay away from white.
"White Foods"
aren't necessarily always the enemy
It's
true that colorful foods are great, but it is a big mistake to specifically
avoid white foods! There are plenty
of white foods that have specific nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere.
Let's look at a few examples...
Onions & Garlic
What
about onions and garlic? They are both white and they are chock full of
protective phytonutrients, vitamins, and trace minerals that aren't easy to
find elsewhere in a normal diet... such nutrients as allicin, quercetin (an
important flavonoid), chromium, and other unique anti-inflammatory nutrients.
In
fact, onions are so powerful for our health, that one study of centenarians
(people that live to over 100 years old) identified that a common thread of
these amazingly healthy individuals was that they ate a lot of onions
throughout their lives. And we also
know that garlic is one of the most powerful substances for a strong immune
system, among other qualities.
Cauliflower
Another
example of something white that is great for you is cauliflower. Cauliflower is
loaded with vitamin C, fiber, minerals, and special compounds such as
glucosinolates and thiocyanates, which are specifically abundant in cruciferous
vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. And a little-known fact is that some of the
compounds in cruciferous vegetables help to combat other estrogenic compounds
in our food supply and environment and can help prevent excess belly fat. So eat up on that cauliflower!
Mushrooms
Not
many people realize this, but surprisingly, even white mushrooms have high
levels of unique nutrients and antioxidants. White mushrooms are high in a
couple types of antioxidants called polyphenols and ergothioneine. And some types of mushrooms, such as
portobella mushrooms, are surprisingly good sources of Vitamin D.
Potatoes
Now
that also leads us to another example - white potatoes (which by the way, can
also be found in red, yellow, purple varieties, etc). Many health professionals
claim that potatoes are a bad carbohydrate because they are thought to have a
high glycemic index. First of all, if you've read my Fat Burning Kitchen ebook,
then you understand that glycemic index is not necessarily the most important
factor in choosing your carbohydrates.
While
a generalization can be made that most low glycemic index carbohydrate choices
will help you lose body fat easier than high glycemic index choices, it is not
all that it's cracked up to be. There are many other factors that determine how
your body will react-to and process the carbohydrates you ingest, such as
glycemic load and also how you combine the high GI food with other foods such
as protein, fiber, and fats, which all slow down absorption of the ingested
carbs.
For
example, using glycemic load as an example... it is known that watermelon has a
high glycemic index. However, the glycemic load of a normal serving of
watermelon is just way too low for your body to start packing on body fat just
because you ate a high glycemic index fruit. You would have to eat such an
enormous quantity of watermelon just to get enough grams of carbohydrates to
have any negative glycemic effect, that it is just non-sensical.
Not
to mention that watermelon is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and
lycopene. There's just no reason to avoid it simply because it has a high
GI. My point is... candy bars, cupcakes,
and donuts make you fat... NOT watermelons, carrots or potatoes... French fries
excluded of course.
Also,
as i mentioned, food combinations are important in how your body processes the
carbohydrates and the associated blood sugar and insulin response you receive.
For example, if you mix a high glycemic index carbohydrate with an extra source
of fiber, healthy fats, or even certain proteins, many times the blood sugar
and glycemic response will be slowed down considerably by the way you combined
the food.
Alright,
so back to my point that white potatoes are actually a healthy carbohydrate as
long as you eat them in the right form... and please don't ruin them by deep
frying them into french fries either! French fries are one of the most evil
things ever invented for your health, but only because we ruin them by soaking
them in a scorching bath of trans fats in the deep fryer from the hydrogenated
oils that are typically used.
Keep
in mind that potatoes contain so many vitamins and minerals that the list is
way too long to even try.
One
Warning though about potatoes: Please
note that potatoes do contain low level toxins called glycoalkaloids (it's the
plant's protection mechanism) that are concentrated in the skin, so it is a
good idea to always peel potatoes before making any dishes with them. This article explains about the toxins in
potatoes and how to still enjoy potatoes while minimizing the toxins.
Will 7-9 potatoes per
day make you fatter?
On
the topic of potatoes not being so bad after all, I don't remember where I saw
this referenced, but I recently saw a particular study that had participants
eat something like 7-9 whole potatoes per day for several weeks.
At
the conclusion of the study, the potato eaters had actually consistently lost
weight! I'd venture a guess that the
reason the people lost weight is that they were probably so full from eating
all of those damn potatoes, that they actually consumed less calories than
normal! An average sized potato only has about 100-120 calories, and I can
surely imagine you'd be full constantly from eating 7-9 potatoes each day.
Of
course, this does NOT mean that french fries are okay to eat! Those will only make you fat, and the trans
fat will lead to an early death.
Seriously... fries are one of the most deadly foods in our food
supply. Plus, deep fried potatoes build
up dangerous acrylamides from the frying oil reacting with the starch, and
these compounds are carcinogenic.
Anyway,
back to the 7-9 whole potatoes per day... Now I would never recommend going to
those extremes, but my point is that an occasional potato a couple times a week
is not going to hurt your efforts to get lean, especially if you combine it
with some other fibrous vegetables and maybe a healthy fat and some protein. On
that note, I have one of my favorite recipes for you, using potatoes.
Geary's
Lean-Body Potato Side Dish
Desired quantity of baby potatoes (I like
to use this mixture I found recently at a health food store... it is a mixture
of white, red, yellow, and purple baby potatoes)
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 or 2 onions
a couple cloves of garlic, finely chopped
(or mashed garlic from a jar, organic preferably)
1 or 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
grass-fed butter, and/or virgin coconut oil (sometimes I mix a bit of all 3)
a little salt and pepper to taste (I like
using a sea salt instead of normal commercial salt)
Cut
the baby potatoes into slightly smaller pieces and place in a steamer until
soft all the way through. Slice up the peppers and onions into strips and add
with the chopped garlic into a pan with the olive oil and/or butter and/or
coconut oil. Cook the peppers, onions, and garlic until tender, and then add
the steamed baby potatoes. Stir it all together and serve. This is a delicious
and healthy side dish that goes great with chicken or red meat.
I
hope you've enjoyed this little topic today about potatoes, healthy carbohydrates,
glycemic index, and my killer healthy potato recipe idea!
If
you enjoyed this article today, feel free to share this page with your
potato-loving friends and family.
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