Members, LOG IN to download this paper for FREE. Learn more about Membership.
It is important to understand the issues surrounding the nutritional properties of white potatoes since the amount consumed should depend on the health status of the individual.
White potatoes are a high glycemic food, and high dietary glycemic load is associated with risk of diabetes, heart disease, multiple cancers, and overall chronic disease. When those with obesity and diabetes construct their diets, the nutritional profiles of various carbohydrate sources should be considered, and their food choices modified, in order to improve glycemic control and enhance weight loss.
Healthier carbohydrate sources, like beans, not only have a lower glycemic load, but also have many other nutritional advantages over white potatoes. Not only are they a powerful anti-cancer food, but when beans become the favored carbohydrate source, you get an ideal protein-carbohydrate balance and greater satiation, which blunts the desire to eat more food.
When choosing the healthiest carbohydrate sources, points to be considered are the fiber content, percentage of slowly digestible starch, percentage of resistant starch, micronutrient content, caloric density, glycemic index/load, and the nutrient density of one’s overall diet.
My experience with thousands of patients first-hand, is that the excessive consumption of white potatoes may be problematic in some people more than others, due to the amount of insulin resistance and visceral fat which makes some more sensitive to their high glycemic load.