Potato diet is one of the popular short-term diet plan, followed by a million people willing to shed some weight. Potato diet is the new fad!.
People with obesity usually try a lot of different diets, but only a few can promise to help them lose around a pound in a day. Potato diet is one of those few diet plans. If you are following this diet, then you are not allowed to consume anything other than potato.
Potatoes are full of vital nutrients but also lack many other essential vitamins, mineral, and nutrients. Though there are not enough studies conducted on the potato diet and its efficacies, it can help to lose weight, and also encourages a specific type of eating habit. However, it is not always the best diet to pursue. Find out why right here.
This article here will give you all the benefits and downsides of a potato diet.
Here is our scoreboard for Potato diet.
Diet Score: 4 out of 10
Rapid weight loss– 3 Acceptance- 2 Long term benefit- 1 Nutrition – 2 |
Usually, people follow the potato diet for three to five days at a stretch and consume spud only. The idea of potato diet dates back to the year 1894.
But it became popular after the release of the book ‘Potato Hack: Weight Loss Simplified.’ The writer of this 2016 book Tim Steele explained the best ways to follow the diet and its effectiveness. According to the writer, this diet is right for your gut health and immunity. It also provides needed nutrients to feel energized.
But there is no scientific study which can prove all these alleged findings of the writer.
There are a lot of variations and types of potato diet. But in the book mentioned above, there are seven essential rules, which you can follow:
Do not eat more than two to five pounds of potatoes in a single day.
Continue the diet for three to five days. During this time, consume plain cooked potato only.
No other food is allowed when you are following a potato diet. You should avoid adding seasonings like sauces, ketchup, cheese, butter, and cream, etc.
You can add a pinch of salt. Try to avoid adding other spices or herbs.
Plain water, tea, and coffee are allowed. Add a minimum amount of sweetener or sugar. Try to avoid adding cream or excessive milk in your tea or coffee.
Avoid heavy exercise altogether. Try the light workout and walking.
If you are following the specific and prescribed medication, then continue that.
According to other versions sweet potatoes are can also be a part of this diet. The cooking method is significant if you are about to follow the potato diet. Overly processed, fried can never be a part of this diet.
So, if you think you can shed a pound by consuming potato chips or French fries, then stop dreaming.
Potato diet helps in weight loss simply because it is low in calorie. According to studies, low-calorie diets support and accelerate weight loss. If you are consuming two to five pounds of potato in a day, that means the calorie intake amount is around 550 to 1300 calories. An adult needs far more calorie than this amount.
The presence of complex proteinase inhibitor in potato helps to reduce hunger and slow down the digestion as well. This theory is supported by a study conducted on mice but never tried on humans.
Potato diet is meant for short term solution, and it is not a long-term obesity remedy. Potato does not have all the necessary contents that your body needs to function correctly. If you follow the potato diet continuously or frequently, you may feel weak or can face other issue related to this diet.
Here are some benefits of the potato diet:
Apart from all the benefits of the potato diet mentioned above, there are some significant shortcomings of this diet. Here are the downsides of the potato diet:
[Read: Potato Bread Benefits]
Deciding the proper menu for potato diet can be challenging. Because you have to follow a strict and disciplined type of food during this phase. The use of spices and additives also restricted. So here is the sample menu for potato diet which can help you:
On the first day, you have to consume nine medium-sized potatoes, weighing around 3-3.5 pounds. Nine potatoes mean the calorie intake will remain around 750-800 calories. Gradually you have to increase the number of potatoes each day.
Take two boiled potatoes. You can have a cup of black coffee if you wish. Add a small amount of sugar in your coffee.
Take one chilled boiled potato.
Consume two mashed potatoes only.
Have slices of raw potato.
Try oven two baked potato with a pinch of salt.
On the second day, add three more potatoes, which means you need to consume twelve medium-sized potatoes weighing around 4-4.5 pounds. The calorie intake will be around 1000-1010 calories.
Baked, mashed potato and a cup of black coffee
Two boiled potatoes served cold
Add a pinch of salt with two steamed potatoes.
Two cold potatoes, boiled.
Consume two baked potatoes.
On the third day, you need to have 15 potatoes altogether. It will give you around 1300 calories, and the total weight will be 3 pounds approximately.
Baked potato fries and a cup of tea.
Three boiled potatoes, cold
Have three baked potatoes.
Three boiled potatoes, cold
Three steamed potatoes seasoned with salt.
Potato diet is more like a quick fix and is not meant for everyone. If the reason for your obesity or overweight is any medication or heredity and if you are suffering from any ailments, then it will best to consult with your doctor before starting any particular diet. Carefully observe the effect of this diet on your body. Changing a diet is a big leap, so take it slow.