Of rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread, potatoes are the healthiest of these starchy and complex carbohydrate foods. This is because potatoes are dense in nutrients, containing essential minerals, vitamins, and other micronutrients. Potatoes are also high in fiber, helping to satiate hunger and regulate blood sugar.
Both white and wheat bread contain about 75 calories per slice. A plain baked potato with its skin contains about 160 calories. Ultimately, calories matter more than carbs when it comes to dieting for weight loss.
Starchy foods are our main source of carbohydrate and have an important role in a healthy diet. Starchy foods – such as potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and cereals – should make up just over a third of the food you eat, as shown by the Eatwell Guide.
Potatoes do contain important nutrients—vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6, to name a few. But the potato is not the only source of these nutrients, nor is it the best: Broccoli, for example, has nearly nine times as much vitamin C as a potato.
A medium-sized potato contains 25 grams of carbohydrates and a single slice of white bread contains 13 grams of carbohydrates.
For context, the glycemic index of a potato is nearly three times that of a slice of plain old white bread. This is definitely not a good thing for low carb and keto dieters.
Potatoes are the healthier option in terms of macronutrients since they are lower in calories and fat and higher in fiber, while containing about the same amount of protein as white rice.
This is because after a cardio workout our body craves for carbs more than any other nutrient, and bread is not the ideal choice due to the presence of refined flours - which is found in most multigrain breads too. Therefore, replace your bread with potatoes and see the difference in your satiety levels.
Starchy foods like cereal, breads, potatoes, pasta and rice are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are a good source of fibre and are the best energy providers for your body. High-fibre versions are best: they keep your gut healthy and will keep you going for longer between meals.
Diets that cut carbs work their magic just like any other diet – and that's by reducing calories. If a diet restricts certain foods such as bread, potatoes, pasta, cereal and rice, it also restricts calories and it's this that causes weight loss.
By decreasing carbohydrate consumption such as bread, the body burns stored energy as glycogen (which is the image of stored carbohydrates in the liver and muscles), which leads to water loss and weight loss.
Absolutely. It's all about portion control. As with any food, the calories you take in should be lower than the calories you burn for weight loss to occur. Eating potatoes with a healthy fat and lean protein can also help regulate hunger so that you don't overeat.
Although your usual favourite carbohydrates, such as pasta, rice, noodles and potatoes are very popular, they're not the only options. You could try grains like couscous, quinoa and barley to introduce a new flavour to your favourite dishes.
As mentioned earlier, sourdough bread will have less calories and carbohydrates than their conventional bread counterparts due to the consumption of starches and sugars at the fermentation stage of making sourdough bread.
THE WORST: Refined or processed carbohydrates. These are carbohydrates like white bread, white sugar, white flour pasta, and white rice that have been stripped of their blood-sugar-buffering fiber, as well as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, things both your body and hair are big fans of.
The healthiest sources of carbohydrates—unprocessed or minimally processed whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans—promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients.
They're also chock full of starch, which is a carbohydrate. But even though a potato is considered a complex “healthy” carb, your body digests these carbs faster than other kinds of complex carbs.
The Bottom Line
It is totally fine to eat potatoes every day. While how you prepare and cook potatoes and how much you eat could possibly impact your health, whole potatoes with skin are a nutritious vegetable with health benefits.