Are potatoes keto friendly? This is a common question among nutrition enthusiasts. It’s easy to assume that just because the food tastes good, it’s also good for you. But, as with most things in life, the truth is a little bit more complex than that.
Firstly, how are red potatoes? You bet they’re loaded with plenty of calories and just as many fat grams as white potatoes. The reason for that is because red potatoes have twice the amount of fiber per serving as white potatoes, which can have similar results for you as white potatoes.
Single large russet potato has 35 grams of carbohydrates * so much higher than a normal daily net carb count for a keto diet which aims for less than 20 30 net carbohydrates per day. The result?
In addition, red potatoes are higher in potassium and sodium, as well as magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese, compared to white potatoes. While we’re talking about manganese, one of the main reasons why a potato contains more phosphorus than any other vegetable is because it’s rich in the mineral!
Potatoes are also extremely high in protein and the average mashed potato contains about 5% protein. Mashed potatoes can be very nutritious and healthy, but for them to be more ketogenic than regular fries would be downright unheard-of. Unless they contain some sort of special supplementation (which I’ll discuss later in this article), most people would eat them without any modifications.
Now, let’s talk about some of the other fruits and vegetables that can also be used to make a healthy diet: bananas, mangoes, peaches, strawberries, and other fruits and veggies with a high level of carbohydrate content. Unfortunately, although bananas, mangoes, peaches, and strawberries can be delicious, they are among the highest contributors to a high glycemic index, which basically means that they will raise your blood glucose levels to very high levels, making you feel extremely hungry, and eventually loading your body with sugars that lead to obesity.
And speaking of obesity…if you eat too many carbs, especially refined or processed carbs, then you gain weight. Carbs are not good for you; in fact, eating too many carbs can cause a host of problems ranging from weak teeth, bad breath, indigestion, flatulence, and a hard time digesting food.
However, eating a lot of sugary, processed carbohydrates can also cause obesity because refined and processed carbohydrates have a relatively low Glycemic Index (depending on the type of card used), which means that they take longer to break down in your body, and consequently provide you with a constant stream of sugar in your bloodstream, and thus a constant and ongoing source of energy, without the crash after you’ve eaten.
Finally, there is sweet potatoes. Although they may sound exotic to some, sweet potatoes are actually among the healthiest starchy vegetables like potatoes and can be included in your own ketogenic diet.
As a matter of fact, sweet potatoes are so nutritious that they can actually serve as your body’s own substitute for regular sugar, helping it keep your blood glucose level steady even as you take away its main source of energy, which is carbohydrates.
Just be sure to avoid eating them too often, and do not overcook them as they can lose their crispness. If you want to reap the benefits of a sweet potato, simply use it in your salads instead of fries or rice.
In addition to sweet potatoes, another great vegetable is dark potatoes, which are as beneficial for you as sweet potatoes and far healthier than the average starchy vegetable.
Dark potatoes are made of a high-protein content and contain a considerable amount of fiber, all factors that help you maintain your blood glucose steady as you go on your keto diet. You can eat dark potatoes raw, steamed, or roasted, but just remember to avoid adding butter or salt to them.
And finally, lastly, one other very important vegetable for a healthy Atkins diet is sweet potatoes. Butternut squash is a better choice for people who hate sweet potatoes, as they contain more fiber than sweet potatoes, and they are higher in potassium.
However, you must avoid eating too much as it can increase your blood pressure. Both tubers and polemic potatoes contain resistant starch, which is a type of fiber. To benefit from the fiber in resistant starch, you can mash it up, add it to a salad, or cook with it.
So are potatoes keto friendly food? Although they do have some carbohydrates and a little bit of a sugar content, they are a complete whole food and provide an array of health benefits. They contain all eight of the essential amino acids, which includes every one of the following: Vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iron, vitamin B-12, riboflavin, folic acid, and fiber. mashed potatoes and other forms of starch are a complete carbohydrate and a good source of protein for your diet, especially for an athlete.
