Hi,

I'd like to know... are potatoes a good carbohydrarte? Are they good or bad in a purée?

Thank you in advance

Potatoes are not a good carb. Use in moderation, no more than as part of 1/4 of unfav Carbs.

Miguel, I try to get away from using good/bad. Food is not a bad thing.

Potatoes are an "unfavorable" carb in the eyes of the Zone, the glycemic load creates a more severe insulin reaction in the body than other veggie carbs. So, it is important to eat potatoes in moderation, no more than 25% of the total carb in a meal.

Totally eliminating food groups because of one negative quality is not always a good thing, potatoes are packed with vitamins. I can think of other "unfavorable" veggies that are also highly packed with good nutrition.

Miguel, also note the 25% recommendation will not fit all people. It depends on your personal response to carbohydrate. Some people can't stay in the Zone well with more than a small taste of potatoes in a meal.

I haven't bought potatoes in a year due to low carb before starting the Zone. I did buy a small bag to make a special stew for Christmas Eve that is tradition. I bought small new potatoes which are supposed to be a little lower glycemic, I might eat one with my meal. I am sure that this would be better than eating say, a piece of candy!

Potatoes vs candy; the candy is probably the lesser of the two evils; potatoes (and bread) usually have a higher glycemic index than candy.

Maybe in fact yes, a potato is worse, but it also is a natural food that is loaded with potassium and vitamins. For me, candy would be the greater of 2 evils, packing no nutrition whatsoever, unless it is dark chocolate. You see, sugar is a trigger food for me and I probably could not stop once starting... A potato - I can take it or leave it, so for me, if I had to choose, it would be the small amount of potato, and new potatoes with the skin, even better.

I agree, Mari. Potatoes are loaded with nutrients, whereas candy is not. Foods should not be eliminated from the diet just because of one negative quality. We need to look at the entire picture.

Maybe potatoes are not that bat if you are going to practise sport? I guess they must have a lot of energy...

Thank you for your answers!

Potatoes get a bad wrap because of their high glycemic load. So, some people can only tolerate them in small quantities. I think that if you are going to choose a food from the higher glycemic category, one would want to choose a serving of potato before a serving of candy, based on the fact that there are other nutrient benefits coming from a potato, whereas a piece of candy will not have that benefit.