Some enlightenment on potatoes please!

[Amanda9822]

I'm on Day 13 of my first Whole 30... definitely feel a change in my mind's response to food and my desire for sweets. It's miraculous, and I look forward to the rest of my life continuing this way!

My question has to do with white potatoes. I know that ISWF and on this website, white potatoes are left out of the mix because they promote unhealthy habits. Are they referring to: if you eat white potatoes as french fries, or pile your baked potato with sour cream and butter, or make your mashed potatoes with cheese and butter and milk?

I've just been really curious about this because i always thought I loved sweet potatoes and that it would be no problem to eat a bunch. I have had sweet potatoes maybe four or five times (not overdone it), and I honestly feel like I couldn't gag/choke down another sweet potato. I don't think I'm getting enough starchy veggies, and I can't understand what the deal with while potatoes are. They are way milder, and I think would go down easier at this point.

I really can't stand how sweet the sweet potatoes taste (by themselves, in salmon cakes, in soup or stew)- maybe it's because I'm not eating sugar? I feel the same with butternut squash. To sweet and gagalicious to me.

Thanks!

Amanda

[Tom Denham]

White potatoes are out during a Whole30 because Americans eat tons of potatoes to the neglect of virtually every other vegetable on the planet. We want you to expand your diet and become comfortable eating any of the other good veggies available. If you are tired of sweet potatoes and butternut squash, try beets, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, jicama, yucca, or one of the several varieties of winter squash.

[Amanda9822]

Thanks Tom,

I think I already got that point. I think the hard thing I've found about this program is that at times it's a little - because I said so. I think it's really wise to tell people why certain foods effect your brain, or that weighing yourself can make you lose focus on what you really are trying to accomplish - your health... but a lot of people on this diet, in these forums, are really interested in the whys.

The reason to not eat white potatoes is just very - ummmm... why not get rid of potatoes because they aren't as healthy as sweet potatoes? Yay! I have read in the past that nutritionally, they are the same. I am looking at the whole 30 to reset my bad habits - sugar and grains, but also to learn new habits that will be sustainable for my lifetime. My original question was meant to ask for more information about how white potatoes suggest or lead your brain to bad habits.

I have been including many different veggies in my diet, I was all vegetarian before starting the whole 30 so it hasn't been a problem for me. I am personally not a huge fan of some of the root vegetables like turnips, parsnips or beets. I haven't tried the others, but will give them a shot. I think it's important to remember that good information on good habits makes good sense to people. Blanket statements about one vegetable that many people love and could (responsibly) make a part of their diet, isn't entirely helpful in this at times very difficult journey of self-improvement.

Thank you for your suggestions

[Tom Denham]

Just so you know... When my farmer includes white potatoes in my weekly basket, I cook and eat them.

There is a bit of "Because I say so" with the Whole30. What makes the Whole30 pretty special is that Dallas and Melissa admit it and don't pretend they have scientific proof of everything they say. And whether you or I like the reasons for anything to do with the Whole30, the rules are the rules. If we want to say we have done a Whole30, we have to follow the same rules as everyone else. It is the only way to be sure that we will have an experience as good as most people have. And it just plain cool to know we have all shared a powerful experience.

[Renee Lee]

Just so you know... When my farmer includes white potatoes in my weekly basket, I cook and eat them.

There is a bit of "Because I say so" with the Whole30. What makes the Whole30 pretty special is that Dallas and Melissa admit it and don't pretend they have scientific proof of everything they say. And whether you or I like the reasons for anything to do with the Whole30, the rules are the rules. If we want to say we have done a Whole30, we have to follow the same rules as everyone else. It is the only way to be sure that we will have an experience as good as most people have. And it just plain cool to know we have all shared a powerful experience.

Yep, this ^

M&D have admitted to the white potatoes exclusion pretty arbitrary, but it's their program and their call. Their justification is that it pushes other veggies off your plate, and white potatoes are part of the nightshade family, which can cause inflammation and gut disruption issues in some people

Like Tom mentioned, there are a ton of other starchy carb sources out there. We encourage you to use the 30 days to try them!

[MommaMawby]

Hey Amanda,

Just to add in, I don't think it is so much that potatoes will lead you down the path to ruin. I think it is simply that for a lot of people the concept of a potato without cheese, sour cream, simulated bacon type things, or deep fried and loaded with salt is so foreign that it is better to just exclude them (with or without cause) for a Whole30.

I personally love potatoes. I think they, much like eggs, butter, fat and a host of others, have sort of become a scape goat for people. As much as I didn't want to I cut potatoes out of my diet this month simply because those were the "rules".

I have also managed to OD on sweet potatoes, the very idea of them makes me want to gag. Given I work out 4 days a week though, I know I need something. I have added in Spaghetti squash, lots of zucchini, and expanded my cooking techniques of the standard roots. I know you said you don't like a lot of root vegetables but, how have you cooked them? Boiled beets are enough to make me sick, however roast them with seasoning and they are delicious. Carrots roasted in the oven with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar is really good. Or grilled with cinnamon on the bbq...delicious.

And lastly, I have a bag of organic purple potatoes patiently waiting in my pantry for me to finish my whole 30

[GLC1968]

I know exactly where you are coming from. I have always preferred white potatoes to sweet potatoes (too sweet!!) and even as a child, would eat my white potatoes totally plain. I never liked sour cream or any of the other toppings...they masked the potato taste. Hell, I even preferred unsalted potato chips because you could better taste the potato! To me, potatoes are a great food because they are so incredibly versatile.

When I first went paleo almost 2 years ago now, I did a lot of research to figure out why white potatoes were out. What I found was that, assuming you have no issue with nightshade sensitivity, then they are fine from a gut health and nutrition perspective. The biggest problem is that they are easy to over do and hinder your body's conversion to fat as a fuel source. But I was a triathlete with a heavy training load at the time, so I was 'paleo' in all other ways, but I ate potatoes.

When I found Whole30 and read M&D's take on them, I felt a bit defensive for my beloved potato, for sure. But, I wanted to give Whole30 a fair shake, so I eliminated them for 30 days. On reintroduction, I confirmed that I have zero issues with them, so I'll eat them again one day. For now (in another Whole30), I'm excluding them. Partly because it's the rules, and partly because I found that I lost weight almost effortlessly without them and I do have some pounds to lose now that I am no longer training.

I do have a huge box of potatoes harvested from my own garden a few months ago awaiting the end of my current Whole30. ;-)

[rustymom]

Just a suggestion on the sweet potatoes. You can make them more savory than sweet.

One way that I like to make them is to slice into thinnish "chips" (rounds). Put on a baking sheet with foil for less cleanup. Drizzle with your fat (coconut oil, olive oil, ...). Salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, maybe even a bit of cayenne (if you don't mind heat). Into 400-425 oven, check every 5-10 minutes (mix if you want) until some are crisp, but hopefully not burnt. YUMMMM. I reheat these in the toaster oven when home or micro if not.

[Amanda9822]

And whether you or I like the reasons for anything to do with the Whole30, the rules are the rules.

Ahem... to clarify - I've been compliant for 13 days. I have no plans to go off their rules. Like I said, I was really thinking about past the Whole 30 and what is really ok for the long term and what is not.

@Renee - I didn't know about the nightshade family thing. They might have mentioned it in the book, but to be honest sometimes it lost me a little. I'll have to see how it goes after during reintroduction if I choose to include them.

Thank you so much ladies for the ideas... I will try roasting beets, and the sweet potatoes baked into chips. I think more than anything it's my curiosity and need to know why I'm doing something to feel good doing it. It also helps when people ask, "why in the world can't you eat white potatoes when you can eat sweet potatoes?!"

I know exactly where you are coming from. I have always preferred white potatoes to sweet potatoes (too sweet!!) and even as a child, would eat my white potatoes totally plain. I never liked sour cream or any of the other toppings...they masked the potato taste. Hell, I even preferred unsalted potato chips because you could better taste the potato! To me, potatoes are a great food because they are so incredibly versatile.

When I first went paleo almost 2 years ago now, I did a lot of research to figure out why white potatoes were out. What I found was that, assuming you have no issue with nightshade sensitivity, then they are fine from a gut health and nutrition perspective. The biggest problem is that they are easy to over do and hinder your body's conversion to fat as a fuel source. But I was a triathlete with a heavy training load at the time, so I was 'paleo' in all other ways, but I ate potatoes.

When I found Whole30 and read M&D's take on them, I felt a bit defensive for my beloved potato, for sure. But, I wanted to give Whole30 a fair shake, so I eliminated them for 30 days. On reintroduction, I confirmed that I have zero issues with them, so I'll eat them again one day. For now (in another Whole30), I'm excluding them. Partly because it's the rules, and partly because I found that I lost weight almost effortlessly without them and I do have some pounds to lose now that I am no longer training.

I do have a huge box of potatoes harvested from my own garden a few months ago awaiting the end of my current Whole30. ;-)

Thank you for the info and for sharing your experience with potatoes. It's possible that I would overdo them, but I feel like given this experience, I will definitely try to eat them in extreme moderation. I too just love white potatoes - without butter, sour cream, cheese, or any of the other stuff I haven't been missing at all

Thank you all for the replies!

[Tom Denham]

Boiled beets are enough to make me sick, however roast them with seasoning and they are delicious.

I know a way to make boiled beets taste wonderful... boil them with bratwurst sausage. Here is my recipe...

http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2011/11/boiled-beets-and-wilted-greens-with-bratwurst-and-mustard/

[Susan W]

(Raises hand) A white potato is simply a vehicle for butter, sour cream, cheese and bacon. I can't be trusted with them.

[gentleshepherd]

Amanda, I second the roasting of sweet potatoes. I literally HATE sweet potatoes unless they are roasted in the oven with oil and salt and pepper or fried in a fying pan like hashbrowns. I eat them every single day! I did way before i started the W30 (in August)

I love dipping the roasted sweet potatoes in ISWF Avacado Mayo or homemade chipotle mayo. Try it. Amazing!!