Potatoes are unhealthy… right? I can’t be the only one who has heard people demonize potatoes left, right, and centre. “Potatoes are carbs” and “Carbs are bad” and “Potatoes are the reason you aren’t losing weight”. Potatoes get such a bad rap. But what if I told you potatoes are good for you? Truth is, they are an incredibly healthy, nutrient-dense food, and they are one of the top foods I recommend to help people lose weight. (PS. carbs are good for you too, but more on that another time).

(Short on time? Click here for The Bottom Line)

You might have read the post’s title and thought this was going to confirm your long held belief that potatoes are bad. Sorry to disappoint you, but I would like to challenge that, backed by scientific evidence of course.

Believe it or not, potatoes are fantastic for weight loss. Not only are they one of the best foods for healthy weight management, they are actually the most satiating food ever tested. The study that researched this found that boiled potatoes beat out some of the most filling foods out there including oatmeal and brown rice.

Potatoes are also great healthy, starchy vegetables, with a plethora of micronutrient benefits. They have potassium (even more than bananas!), which lowers blood pressure and improves heart health. Manganese is a mineral in potatoes that improves cholesterol management, and potatoes have magnesium and phosphorus for bone health. Potatoes also have vitamin B6 and C which boost mood and immune function, respectively.

When it comes to macronutrients, potatoes have fibre (which you can maximize by eating the skin!), and even some protein. Yes, you read that right, protein. Not saying potatoes are protein predominant foods, but the protein content that is in them, is high-quality plant protein, containing all 9 Essential Amino Acids.

Aside from their nutritional powerhouse profile, here are some fun facts and even more compelling reasons to eat more potatoes (and simultaneously maintain a healthier weight):

  • Appetite Regulation: longer fullness and reduced hunger signals are a great reason to add potatoes to dinner, making late-night snacking less compelling.
  • Resistant Starch: cooling down potatoes after cooking them helps their starch become resistant, which then acts like fibre, slowing digestion, improving gut bacteria, and you absorb fewer calories from the potato.
    • BONUS: Don’t worry, re-heating the cold potato leftovers doesn’t reverse this, it actually makes even more resistant starch!
  • Calorie Density: potatoes are low in calories for the amount/volume of food they offer. This means you can safely eat a massive portion of potatoes for far fewer calories compared to what you would get from a similar portion of pasta or bread.
    • MATH:
      1 kg of Potatoes (6-10 medium sized potatoes) = 870 calories
      vs.
      1 kg of Potato Chips (~2 value/Costco size bags) = 4,870 calories

As I say to my patients all the time, the problem is not the potato itself, it’s what we do to it. Deep-frying or heavily buttering potatoes, or dousing them in cheese, bacon, and sour cream, are what make these dishes unhealthy for us.

When potatoes are prepared properly (boiled, steamed, baked, etc), they are one of the best foods for optimal health, whether for weight management, cardiovascular health, or a better gut microbiome.

The next time you think of skipping the potato at dinner, think again. Choose the potato, and more of it, while reducing the toppings, and watch your health transform for the better.

The Bottom Line

Potatoes are one of the most misunderstood “dieting foods” out there. Your gut instinct might be to say they are bad and make you gain weight, but the truth is the opposite. Potatoes are low in calories, high in nutrients, and the highest-fullness food out there. The macro and micro nutrients in potatoes help your gut, heart, mind, and metabolic health, and keep you satiated and satisfied. The unhealthy label and extra calories come from deep-frying the potato or loading it up with tons of high saturated fat toppings. Safe to say, you can eat more potatoes AND weigh less, and feel no guilt or stress doing so.