How To Cook Potatoes for Weight Loss?Reading time: 8 min

A new weight-loss craze has been taking over the diet world and has many willing to test the revelation! It’s a starch that allows you to feel heartily satisfied, with abundant flavor, can be prepared in various ways, and benefits your body overall. It is no other than the modest potato. Did you know you can eat potatoes for weight loss?

Yes, you’ve read correctly. 

While many know the potato to be an enemy to weight loss, research is starting to bust that myth. Potatoes as a starch packs carbohydrates, and therefore by extension, calories, which we all try to limit our intake on. It only seems reasonable to want to avoid them in our weight loss efforts. But contrary to popular belief, the potato is quite beneficial. If prepared accordingly and consumed in correct portions, the potato can become your best friend.  You should try the potato diet.

The best potatoes for weight loss lies in the preparation – to gain the maximum nutrient intake would be boiling, baking, steaming, mashing, and roasting them to minimize the fat and calorie content, compared to the traditional method of frying. If the newer methods are uncharted territory for you, do not fear. We have some sensational best potato recipes for weight loss to share with you that would get you mashing the extra inches away.

The Best Baked Potato Recipe  

• Make your own chips.

Delicious chunky fries, wedges, or circular baked oven potato chips can be a hit with the whole family. Baking rather than frying reduces the fat quantity and proves to help the potato maintain its natural nutrient content. An easy way to make them at home is to slice up cleaned, rinsed potatoes then shake the pieces out onto a roasting pan.

Drizzle with a little olive oil, ensuring each chip is evenly coated, then season well. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, before taking them out, giving them a good old-fashioned toss, and returning them to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes. That’s all it requires to enjoy healthier guilt-free chips! 

• Make healthy mashed potatoes

Mashed potato is velvety smooth and is a healthy potato to eat for weight loss. This method keeps the potato low in saturated fat but high in potassium. A serving contains (100 grams) about 150 calories per medium potato) and these are no empty calories either. There are countless vitamins, dietary fiber, and clinical nutrition in those calories. So, nutrition and calorie-wise, potatoes for weight loss are greatly beneficial. To make a flavor-packed yet healthy bowl of mashed potato consider the following: 

Boil your potatoes by placing them in a large pot and fill with salted water to cover the potatoes by about one inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then change the setting to low. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes become tender.

Once done, safely drain and place the potatoes back in the pot mixing bowl. Let your arms get involved in mashing up those potatoes with your masher.

Next, add chicken broth, butter, milk, non-fat Greek yogurt, and olive oil to already mashed potatoes and whisk until fluffy and light. Add salt and pepper to taste, and whisk once again so all ingredients melt away before finally garnishing with parsley, at which point it’s ready to be served.

• Try boiled potatoes

Boiled potato is high up on the satiety ranks, which measures how filling different foods are based on how they satisfy you. Boiled potatoes are best for weight loss as they have almost the same number of calories as a sweet potato or turnip – which is great news when trying to shed off those extra pounds. Potatoes are also known to be a good source of fiber, so you stay full for longer, thus eliminating unnecessary snacking and ultimately assisting in weight loss.

A good way to prepare them is to place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover them with cold water by an inch. Bring to a boil on high heat. Cook the potatoes until they are tender, but not falling apart – 15 to 20 minutes should be just perfect. Drain the water and transfer the potatoes to a bowl. Add your sea salt and some chopped mint and basil. Finally, toss with a little olive oil and serve. You can use white potato, red potatoes, purple potatoes, or sweet potato for making a regular potato diet.

Famous American biologist Chris Voigt ate potatoes 60 days straight as a part of the weight loss diet. Chris Voigt proved that the carbohydrate of potato is not harmful to weight loss but it can use in a healthy way. Another famous Magician Penn Jillette also uses a potato diet for weight loss. He thinks that plain potato is far better than white rice.

Tim Steele wrote a book about the potato diet named Potato hack. You can read it.

• Add flavor without the fat

There are many alternatives to adding a new flavor to potatoes without increasing the fat content or upping the calories. Consider the following methods rather than adding fats, salts, sour cream, or sugar for flavor.

• Eating potatoes in season – You will be amazed at how much better produce tastes when it’s purchased in season
• Roast your potatoes – Roasting potatoes unleashes all that tasty goodness as well as retains the rich nutrients within it.
• Make your own dressings or sauces – This gives you the assurance of knowing exactly what’s been added to your potatoes, and the quantity of each ingredient.
• Spice it up – Adding spices to your plain potato, like black pepper, paprika, garlic, and onion powder all create a really mouthwatering dish.
• Season your potatoes with herbs – Fresh chives, thyme, and rosemary add flavor without any additional fat. 
• Ditch the high fat cream

Though high-fat creams seem to take your dishes to the next level, they will take your weight to that level to match. The good news is that there are many healthy substitutes that are equally tantalizing such as:

• Milk and butter. 
• Soy milk and olive oil.
• Milk and cornstarch.
• Half-and-half and butter.
• Silken tofu and soy milk.
• Greek yogurt and milk.
• Evaporated milk.
• Cottage cheese and milk.

How Potatoes Help to Lose Weight.

The potato is proven quite beneficial and can be substituted for other carbohydrates in our balanced meals. They are known to rank low on the hypoglycemic index so it is a safer alternative for people with diabetes. They also contain substantial amounts of vitamins including vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and complex carbohydrates which are specifically responsible for releasing energy in the digestive system at a slower pace. Potatoes possess a respectable amount of potassium and fiber, which lowers blood pressure levels timeously, which in turn aids in regulating your digestion and eradicating cholesterol. 

The more significant benefit is that it induces satiety in our systems so it significantly reduces our nibbles and cravings in between our meals, which will of course proportionately assist us with weight loss.  

A recent study also released new information which revealed that the cooling process of boiled potatoes allows them to form a high amount of resistant starch, which is amazingly useful for regulating metabolism, fighting off excess fat, and promoting a host of many other health benefits as well.

Every part of the potato is nutrient-packed so don’t go throwing away the peels either. Potato skins are jam-packed with iron, vital for carrying oxygen throughout our bodies. The skins are also a source of vitamin B3. This vitamin offers assistance to cells to break down nutrients into usable fuel. In addition, vitamin B3 also helps your cells recover from physiological stress. The skin of the potato gives you as good an amount of fiber as the potato itself.

Why Not Have Your Potato and Eat it?

Potatoes are one of the most easily accessible, cost-effective, and fulfilling carbs out there. And now we know that potatoes can assist in our weight loss journey.

Consuming potatoes in their correct portions and adapting the healthier cooking methods could give you the boost you require to wobble off the pounds. It will keep you satisfied for longer and support your overall digestive system. With so many advantages, why not start including some of our potato recipes for weight loss into your diet regime? 

We will share more related articles in our blog. Don’t forget to read those also.