The potato diet is a weight loss method in which you only eat potatoes for three to five days. But can you lose weight sustainably with it? We’ll tell you what’s behind the potato diet and take a critical look at its advantages and disadvantages. Find out whether losing weight with potatoes actually works and which methods of preparation are best.
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Losing weight with potatoes: This is how the potato diet works
As the name suggests, this diet is all about the starchy tuber. There are different diet variations, but one particularly popular one comes from author Tim Steele. In its “Potato Hack” version Eat only potatoes for three to five days – namely between 0.9 and 2.3 kilograms daily. The potatoes should be fat-free be prepared and consumed without any toppings such as butter, sour cream or ketchup. Other foods such as fruits, vegetables, meat and spices are taboo during these days. Only salt is allowed if it really has to be – but Steele advises avoiding it.
For something milder version of the diet you can too low-fat prepared vegetables, lean meat or steamed fish include in your menu. In this form, the potato diet lasts for a week. Additionally, you can do something Fruit, eggs and low-fat quark eat. To compensate, reduce the daily amount of potatoes to 0.6 to 1.0 kilograms. That’s still a considerable amount – because the German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends a daily consumption of only 200 to 250 grams of potatoes.
In itself it is not unhealthy to eat a lot of potatoes. However, you can with them do not cover all important nutrients. The tubers only have a protein content of two percent, which is well below the requirement for essential amino acids. In addition, they contain almost no fat, which means that the need for essential fatty acids is also not met. Furthermore, the vital vitamin B12 is missing.
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The disadvantages of the potato diet
The strict potato diet is one of the so-called Mono dietswho rely on an extremely one-sided and low-calorie diet in order to force the body to access its fat reserves. At least that’s the theory. In reality, however, the body responds first Glycogen back, a form of carbohydrate that stores three times its weight in water. This leads to the fact that initially a lot of water is lost instead of fat – and the potatoes also contribute to drainage.
As with other mono diets, the body is not supplied with sufficient nutrients and the very one-sided choice of food promotes cravings. In addition, the potato diet carries an increased risk of the yo-yo effect if you then return to the previous diet. Last but not least, it does not offer any opportunity to change eating habits in the long term – a crucial factor for healthy and sustainable weight loss.
Given these disadvantages, the strict potato diet is by no means recommended. It is more advisable to go for a balanced and varied diet to set. If you like eating potatoes, you can continue to do so as they are very healthy and can help you lose weight.
Do potatoes really help you lose weight?
Potatoes are considered fattening due to their high carbohydrate content. They actually contain fewer carbohydrates than, for example, pasta or rice. This is also reflected in their calorific value: 100 grams of potatoes provide 73 kilocalories – less than the same amount of cooked rice (127 kilocalories) or cooked pasta (143 kilocalories). Potatoes are just beginning to grow Calorie bombsfor example when they are fried.
By the way: Other foods also have an unfairly bad reputation.
Another reason why losing weight with potatoes is possible is that they are contained in the vegetable Strength must first be broken down in the body. It takes a certain amount of time until the long carbohydrate chains are broken down into their individual building blocks. Therefore, the tubers fill you up for a long time and help Prevent food cravings.
Last but not least, potatoes score points with their abundance healthy ingredientsincluding B vitamins, vitamin C, folic acid, magnesium, iron and high-quality protein. Due to their high potassium content, potatoes can even dehydrating work: This mineral, as a counterpart to sodium, regulates the body’s water balance and supports it excretion excess fluid through the kidneys. Blue and purple potato varieties in particular shine with numerous Antioxidantswhich can reduce the risk of disease. By the way: Potatoes are one of the mood-enhancing foods and are also good for a bile diet.
These are other healthy vegetables:
Potatoes in comparison: Which potato is healthiest?
Varieties with colorful bowl Due to their higher density of flavonoids, they are generally considered healthier than purely light varieties. The colorful varieties include wild potatoes, Blue Elsa, Blue Mauritius, Rosara and Rheinische Rote.
General included Party-cooking potato variety fewer carbohydrates than floury ones. Cooled potatoes also contain significantly fewer carbohydrates compared to hot versions. This is because when it cools down, the… Structure the starch it contains changes. It is then metabolized by the organism in a different way. We’ll explain how.
Boiled potatoes vs. cold potatoes – which ones have fewer calories?
When it cools, some of the starch crystallizes, creating what is known as resistant starch. Due to its different chemical structure, it passes through the small intestine undigested, allowing the body to eat automatically fewer kilocalories be available. Instead, it goes into the large intestine and serves the beneficial purposes there bacteria as food. These produce short-chain fatty acids, which in turn are important Energy source for our intestinal mucosa and protect it from inflammation.
So if you want to take advantage of the health benefits of potatoes, but… Carbohydrate content If you want to reduce weight for a slim figure, you rely on the effect of resistant starch. Leave the potatoes at least twelve hours Allow to cool, preferably overnight in the refrigerator. The next day you can use the potatoes to make dishes such as fried potatoes, potato salad or potato casserole.
Read more about “resistant starch” here:
Preparation is crucial
The optimal ways to prepare potatoes are – due to their low calorie content – oven-baked potatoes, jacket potatoes and cooled, boiled potatoes. Toppings such as low-fat quark or crème légère as well as fresh garden herbs or finely chopped raw vegetables such as cucumbers, celery or carrots provide variety and additional vitamins and minerals.
For those who are on crispy variants If you don’t want to go without, you have the option of drizzling pre-cooked potato wedges with a few drops of olive oil and then using them Bake in the oven until golden brown. If you want to lose weight with potatoes, then you should eliminate French fries, fried potatoes, potato dumplings and potato gratin gratinated with cheese from your diet. mashed potatoes is only recommended during a diet if it comes with Vegetable broth is mixed instead of butter and milk and has little or no salt.
In the video: This is how you can cook potatoes in the microwave
How to cook potatoes in the microwave
Is it better to peel potatoes?
In contrast to tomatoes or apples, it increases Health value not if the potato peel is eaten. On the contrary: not peeling carries the risk of producing increased quantities Solanin to record. This natural toxin of the plant mainly forms directly under the shell and in the germs. Normally, even through special breeding, potatoes only contain a small amount of solanine. Especially if Kindersick or older people However, experts at the consumer advice center recommend peeling the potatoes.
Biological value: This is how you cleverly combine the amino acids in potatoes with other foods
Although 100 grams of potatoes only about two percent protein contained, this is extremely high quality because the human organism can efficiently convert it into the body’s own protein. This biological value depends on which one essential amino acids are present in food and can even be increased through clever combinations of foods. The following amino acids are contained in potatoes:
- Tryptophan
- Phenylalanine
- Tyrosine
- Threonine
- Lysine
- Isoleucin
- Answer
- Methionine
- Cysteine
- Histidine
- Leucine
For example, the amino acid pattern complements each other optimally if you Potatoes with eggdairy products or soy (e.g. tofu). So treat yourself more often Jacket potatoes with quark or serve with your potato salad Fried egg. In doing so, you supply your body with high-quality protein. This is how you make sure that during a diet no Muscle mass is broken down instead of fat.
Delicious potato recipe ideas
Get inspired by these delicious potato dishes:
Conclusion: How useful is the potato diet and can you actually lose weight with potatoes?
Potatoes are not only very filling, but also contain many important ingredients Nutrients. A feeling of fullness makes it easier to avoid sweets after eating. However, it is recommended not to stay longer than one week to stick to the potato diet. Through a one-sided diet you can Deficiency symptoms appear. Potatoes mainly promote water excretion, not the breakdown of fat. After returning to normal eating habits, there is also a risk of Jo-Jo-Effects. Therefore, it makes more sense to consider potatoes as a healthy part of one balanced diet to consume.
Our advice: Combine potatoes with quark or egg and add vegetables, salad, herbs, vegetable fats, nuts and seeds. This is a healthier version of the potato diet and still allows for weight loss in combination with sufficient exercise.
Mono-diets such as the strict potato diet are not recommended. Instead, incorporate healthy vegetables into your diet and use them to replace pasta or rice, for example.
When is the best time to eat potatoes?
There is no specific time for consuming potatoes. They go well with any meal and provide a healthy source of carbohydrates. The method of preparation and the side dishes are crucial for losing weight.
How many potatoes can I eat?
The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends a daily consumption of 200 to 250 grams of potatoes. This corresponds to about four small or two to three medium-sized potatoes.
Are boiled potatoes better for weight loss?
Boiled potatoes are a low-fat and nutrient-dense option. They are also very filling. But remember that success in losing weight depends on your overall diet and calorie consumption.
Is rice better for losing weight than potatoes?
Cooked potatoes tend to have fewer calories than cooked rice. However, both are nutritious options when consumed in moderation and with healthy side dishes. There are about 127 kilocalories on the plate if you serve 100 grams of cooked rice. In comparison, the same amount of potatoes contains about 73 calories.
