Allow me to share with you what Mike Geary (Certified Personal Trainer;NCSF-CPT, AFAA-CPT, Certified Nutrition Specialist & Founder of Truth About Abs.com) said about Potatoes…
He said ’so many health and fitness professionals trash talk potatoes about being a bad carbohydrate choice because of the high glycemic index(GI). Some even say such ridiculous things as “avoid any and all white carbohydrates” ‘.
It may be true that potato has a high GI, however, in contrast, I’d personally rather take potato (of course cooking it in the sensible way, with no extra fattening toppings), than consume white bread and refined white sugar, which are both, ‘the worst things we can be feeding our bodies’.
Potatoes do contain many vitamins and minerals. By eating the skins, one gets a decent shot of fiber too.
Mike’s argument about white carbohydrates ? He totally disagreed! Making comparisons to onions and garlic - ”they are both white and they are chock full of protective phytonutrients, vitamins, and trace minerals that aren’t easy to find eslewhere in a normal diet… such nutrients as allicin, quercetin (an important flavonoid), chromium, and other unique anti-inflammatory nutrients.
Another example of something white that is great for you is cauliflower. Cauliflower is loaded with vitamin C, fiber, minerals, and special compounds such as glucosinolates and thiocyanates, which are specifically abundant in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.
Not many people realize this, but surprisingly, even white mushrooms have high levels of unique nutrients and antioxidants. White mushrooms are high in a couple types of antioxidants called polyphenols and ergothioneine.”
There you have it, Potatoes can be your friend - for a lean body, as long as you drown them in fats or slab loads of cream and butter on them. Here’s Mike Geary’s Lean-Body Potato Side Dish …
- Desired quantity of baby potatoes (I like to use this mixture I found recently at a health food store… it is a mixture of white, red, yellow, and purple baby potatoes)
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 or 2 onions
- a couple cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 or 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- a little salt and pepper to taste (I like using a sea salt instead of normal commercial salt)
Cut the baby potatoes into slightly smaller pieces and place in a steamer until soft all the way through. Slice up the peppers and onions into strips and add with the chopped garlic into a pan with the olive oil. Cook the peppers, onions, and garlic until tender, and then add the steamed baby potatoes. Stir it all together and serve. This is a delicious and healthy side dish that goes great with chicken or red meat.
Enjoy !
