Can Potatoes Help In Losing Weight?

Let’s understand this by splitting this into two parts –

First, the nutritional composition of a potato.

100g Potato contains 97 calories and has about 2g of protein, 2g fiber, 22g of carbs, negligible amount of fat, and 75% water. It is a good source of several micronutrients such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C, B6, etc., implying they are nutrient-dense.

All those who thought potatoes are no good must consider their fantastic nutritional profile before making conclusions.

However, potatoes are high on the glycemic index (GI) scale which means that they do spike blood glucose levels and this is particularly, an area of concern for people with diabetes who should avoid high GI foods in particular.

Now let’s understand whether or not potatoes can help you with weight loss but before we come to that let’s first understand how your body actually loses weight?

The answer is simple – when you consume fewer calories than your body actually burns – resulting in what we call a ‘Caloric Deficit’ – which is the primary condition to lose weight. In a Caloric Deficit, your body uses fat as fuel or energy resulting in fat loss.

Simply put, if your maintenance calories (calories required to maintain the same weight) are 2000, and you need to lose weight, you will have to consume less than 2000 calories. And a 100g potato has almost 100 calories, just to put things into perspective. Now you can calculate how many potatoes would you like to fit into this diet.  

But above all, potato is a high-satiety food. In fact, according to Healthline, a satiety survey conducted in 1995, ranked 38 foods on the basis of how filling they are after consumption, and foods that crossed a score of 100 were considered highly filling.

And it was surprising to note that boiled potato (not fried, deep-fried, sauteed in oil) scored 323 on the satiety index and was ranked as the most satiating food.  

And why it’s important is because, on fat loss, you need more satiating foods so that it becomes easier for you to stay in a caloric deficit and you’re not hungry all the time.

And, optimal protein consumption is advised during fat loss, so that your body retains as much muscle as possible during that phase.

The bottom line is “will potato help you lose weight?” – No, a caloric deficit diet will whether it includes potato or not.

No seeds, fruits, salad, or any other food will help you lose weight until you are in a caloric deficit. No matter you eat Potatoes or not, as long as your body is not in a caloric deficit, you’re not going to lose weight, and also being in a caloric deficit if eating potatoes, you’re still going to lose weight.

Potatoes are highly nutritious and should be a part of your diet but in limited portion sizes.

Source –
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/15-incredibly-filling-foods
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170027/nutrients