The Daily Tonic: Should You Avoid Potatoes During A Diet?

The Daily Tonic is a two to five minute read sharing science backed health news and tips, all while getting you to crack a smile or even lol on occasion.

Can potatoes help you lose weight?

Alright alright… everyone relax. Obviously, we aren’t talking about potato chips, french fries, or any other commercially fried version of potatoes here. We are talking about real, whole food potatoes that you could cook at home. 

Now before we get to why potatoes could be such a good food for weight loss, let’s take a step back and talk about what needs to happen for you to lose weight in the first place. 

Whether it is for health or vanity reasons, a lot of people would admit that they have some weight to lose. Now, it is important to note that you cannot completely disregard food quality if weight loss is your goal. However, your success will largely be determined by whether you are able to put yourself in a caloric deficit or not. 

This is, of course, an oversimplification, but for most people in most cases weight loss and weight gain is largely determined by how many calories you are consuming on average versus how many calories you’re burning on average. 

Potatoes help the body feel fuller, faster

This is why for anyone that is looking to lose weight, satiety is key. Satiety is basically just how full and satisfied you feel after eating certain foods. If you want to successfully put your body in a caloric deficit to promote weight loss, it is incredibly important that you prioritize eating foods that will help you feel satisfied so that you are less likely to have to fight cravings and hunger throughout the day. 

Which brings us back to those glorious starchy tubers we call potatoes. According to this study that measured how satisfying different foods were, potatoes came out on top by a landslide. Surprisingly enough, potatoes even ranked above protein rich foods. Not surprisingly, processed foods ranked the lowest in satisfaction in this same study. 

The key takeaway? If you are looking to shed off a little excess body weight or even just maintain a healthy weight, incorporating voluminous, satiating foods is key. This includes protein rich foods like meat, poultry and fish; fiber rich foods like fruits and veggies; and of course….the king of satiety and satisfaction—potatoes. 

So don’t be afraid of adding some of this starchy carb to your whole food diet. Throw some cut up potatoes in the air-fryer, bake them, cut them up into small pieces and roast them, or make a breakfast hash with a bunch of cut up veggies. The possibilities are endless!

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