Potato Chips Pack On Pounds

Bet You Can’t Eat Just One!
Herein lies the problem. You can’t eat just one potato chip. If we could, we’ be much slimmer and healthier. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, our love for French fries, chips and baked potatoes gives cause for concern.

If you believe that weight gain in inevitable as we get older, you’d be wrong. Potato consumption has been singled out as one of the worst culprits for weight gain, causing about 0.8 pounds weight gain per year. While this may not sound much, over time, it results in 16 to 20 pounds extra weight over two decades. All of this from just one item on your dinner plate!

Potato chips may be the most dangerous food for your hips, according to a study that lays out weight-associated foods by the pound.

Roughly half of the pounds a healthy, non-obese American gains over the years could be chalked up to eating more potato chips. A medium-sized bag of potato chips has 450 calories or more (if you’re thinking you’re safe because you eat tortilla chips, think again; a medium-sized bag of tortilla chips contains even more calories).

According to one of the researchers on the study, Dr. Willett,

One of the reasons why potatoes contribute more easily to weight gain than other vegetables, is that we don’t eat potatoes raw but cook, bake or fry them. This way it is easier for the body to transform the starch to glucose. This can prompt sudden spikes in blood sugar, causing the pancreas to release additional insulin to bring the levels back down to normal. The combined burst of blood glucose and insulin secretion has the unfortunate side effect of making us feel hungry again and wanting to eat more. If this cycle continues over long periods of time, weight gain is inevitable. What’s worse is that the pancreatic functions fatigue, which increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Also, unlike most other vegetables, potatoes are quite caloric. A large baked potato without any fixings contains about 275 calories. We’re better off not eating fried potatoes.

They are good providers of potassium, fiber and vitamin C. Therefore, potatoes can be part of a healthy diet and successful weight management. In its response to the Harvard study, however, even the United States Potato Board admits that “the overall diet quality is better when adults and children consume non-fried white potatoes.”

References:

• New England Journal of Medicine (6/23/2011).
• http://blog.seattlepi.com/timigustafsonrd/2011/06/30/potatoes-named-a-major-culprit-for-weight-gain/
• http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/27223?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=WC&userid=190521

Jeff Kreisberg is a patient advocate, educator, scientist author of the book “Taking Control of Your Healthcare,” and, until his retirement, a professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. Jeff also blogs regularly on health issues on his website, Taking Control of Your Healthcare. Follow him on Twitter: @kreisberg.