Can someone explain to me why some people say it's ok to eat potatoes on the Paleo diet and others say why not?
Omg, we've been eating clean, and we haven't eaten out in so long that when we did, I was super irritated because everything was too sweet or salty or off! It also irritated me that we had to pay for crappy tasting food when we could have splurged on steaks at home.
LOL
Quoting ripemango:i'm guessing if you run toward it and stab it w a spear to retrieve it from the ground, then it is Paleo acceptable.
I have 3 children under the age of 6. While the starchiness of white potatoes can be concern if you are trying to loose weight/change your body composition, control diabetes, control nervous system disorders (a fat/protein diet is used to control some seizure disorders for example), potatoes are also full of good stuff. They have potassium, they have folic acid, they have vitamin C. The reason I mention my little kids is because one of the things that paleo generation 2.5 is discovering is that children need insulin. :-) Insulin turns out to be one of the growth hormones and children on ketogenic (no carbohydrates at all) diets to control seizures experience stunted growth. I don't eat many potatoes, white or sweet, because I'm trying to reduce body fat. But I serve them several times a week to my children, who are very young and growing.
Potatoes are a gray area because the factors influencing the decision to eat or not eat are so varied. If you're building a house, you'll need more starchy carbs than sitting at a desk. If you're making sure that your children are able to reach their full genetic potential, they should have nutrient dense starchy carbs available, like potatoes. If you're trying to lose body fat, you'll want fewer carbs, if you're trying to control a disease like diabetes, you'll want a lot fewer carbs. It really truly depends on your specific situation.
My overall goal is to be healthy (er), we cut out most processed carbs and food mainly bc my DS has food allergies so it's easier for us to go without. The carbs we consume mainly are through grains (brown rice, oats) and tubers. I also read that even though potatoes contain anti-nutrients, we have a chemical that helps break it down (sorry, I don't have the link). I'm just trying to eat clean (which isn't as hard as I thought) and it's interesting to see how different diets work for others.
There's an easy way to identify the toxin in potatoes. If the skin has a greenish hue, it has been exposed to sunlight long enough to develop oxalic acid. Either throw it out or cut away the green part and there's no worry about oxalic. While it's possible to be poisoned by oxalic acid, it takes quite a large quantity to accomplish this, like eating rhubarb leaves (very high in oxalic acid) for weeks or months.
Quoting ciao_kitty:My overall goal is to be healthy (er), we cut out most processed carbs and food mainly bc my DS has food allergies so it's easier for us to go without. The carbs we consume mainly are through grains (brown rice, oats) and tubers. I also read that even though potatoes contain anti-nutrients, we have a chemical that helps break it down (sorry, I don't have the link). I'm just trying to eat clean (which isn't as hard as I thought) and it's interesting to see how different diets work for others.
potatoes are a great source of nutrition....high in calories but also many nutrients.
Opinion
The good: This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese
Read Morehttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2770/2#ixzz2K2sYSlSl
Quoting michiganmom116:Paleo is a nutrient dense diet. Potatoes do NOT have a lot of nutrition. Why fill up on something with little nutrition when you could be eating foods with plenty of nutrition? That is why sweet potatoes are more favored...they are loaded with vitamin A.
Paleo eating goals focus on the effect of the various foods on our bodies. Potatoes, a starch high on the glycemic index (when compared to sweet potatoes), boost insulin levels, which in turn causes a chain reaction in other areas. End products of the starch -> glucose -> high insulin levels are AGE's....and they contribute to accelerated aging, insulin resistance, and several degenerative diseases. Potatoes also contain anti-nutrients like saponins. Odds are, the potatoes you eat are also not organically grown, so you have that added problem....and if they ARE organically grown, they're expensive. Again, why put an expensive starch in your body if it doesn't really have a lot of nutrition?
Most people that start following Paleo guidelines for eating are doing it for their health. Potatoes are not a great contributor to that, especially if a person is overweight. On the other hand, an athlete that is training several hours a day may...MAY require more carbs...but again, why go for something with little nutrition?
There are so many more factors. There are different variations of this way of eating, too, just like with vegan/vegetarianism. In the end, it's a personal decision.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/paleo-potatoes/#axzz2JmreEhIS
http://www.paleoplan.com/2012/07-12/qa-are-sweet-potatoes-paleo/
http://robbwolf.com/2011/11/03/meat-potatoes-back-on-the-menu/
After witnessing someone eat 3 grapes, not 3 bunches, not 3 cups, just 3 measly grapes and than measuring her glucose level soar; I can see how potatoes may be someone's enemy.
Any food has nutrition in some way/shape/form, even a candy bar.
Paleo is a nutrient DENSE diet. Compare the amount of calories (278), carbs (63g), inflammation factor of -179 (moderately inflammatory), and vitamin C (48% RDA) found in a medium potato to the calories (31), carbs (6g) and inflammation factor of 53 (anti-inflammatory), and vitamin C (135% RDA) found in 1 c. broccoli...or to 1 c. cauliflower, which is what I use as a sub for potatoes: calories 25, carbs 5g, inflammation factor of 18 (anti-inflammatory), and vitamin C 77% RDA. Calorie for calorie, carb for carb, whatever you want to count...potatoes have little nutrition.
Again, eating potatoes is a personal choice within the parameters of following Paleo guidelines. Personally, I choose the more nutrient dense foods.
Quoting wahmx3:potatoes are a great source of nutrition....high in calories but also many nutrients.
Nutritional Target Map2.54.0Fullness FactorND RatingNutritionData's
OpinionThe good: This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese
Read Morehttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2770/2#ixzz2K2sYSlSl
Quoting michiganmom116:Paleo is a nutrient dense diet. Potatoes do NOT have a lot of nutrition. Why fill up on something with little nutrition when you could be eating foods with plenty of nutrition? That is why sweet potatoes are more favored...they are loaded with vitamin A.
Paleo eating goals focus on the effect of the various foods on our bodies. Potatoes, a starch high on the glycemic index (when compared to sweet potatoes), boost insulin levels, which in turn causes a chain reaction in other areas. End products of the starch -> glucose -> high insulin levels are AGE's....and they contribute to accelerated aging, insulin resistance, and several degenerative diseases. Potatoes also contain anti-nutrients like saponins. Odds are, the potatoes you eat are also not organically grown, so you have that added problem....and if they ARE organically grown, they're expensive. Again, why put an expensive starch in your body if it doesn't really have a lot of nutrition?
Most people that start following Paleo guidelines for eating are doing it for their health. Potatoes are not a great contributor to that, especially if a person is overweight. On the other hand, an athlete that is training several hours a day may...MAY require more carbs...but again, why go for something with little nutrition?
There are so many more factors. There are different variations of this way of eating, too, just like with vegan/vegetarianism. In the end, it's a personal decision.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/paleo-potatoes/#axzz2JmreEhIS
http://www.paleoplan.com/2012/07-12/qa-are-sweet-potatoes-paleo/
http://robbwolf.com/2011/11/03/meat-potatoes-back-on-the-menu/
Hula hooping to flatten stomach
- ciao_kitty
on Feb. 2, 2013 at 4:54 PM