Weight loss: Can you shed kilos by just eating potatoes?

The potato diet for weight loss gained traction after American filmmaker, comedian, actor and author Kevin Smith followed a regime that allowed him to eat just potatoes for two whole weeks, before introducing vegetable stews to his diet

Potatoes are typically considered bad for not just your weight, but your overall health. Consuming too much potato in your diet can lead to erratic blood sugar levels, weight gain and a number of other health-related complications.
 

But, what if we told you that there is a potato diet for weight loss, which promises to make you lose weight, by eating only the starchy tuber for some days?

The potato diet plan sounds bizarre and it probably is, but some people have sworn that they got the results they desired by just eating the one food, for the period of the diet. The diet is based on the nutritional health benefits that potatoes come with, including health carbohydrates and fibre, as well as some essential vitamins and minerals.
 

The potato diet for weight loss gained traction after American filmmaker, comedian, actor and author Kevin Smith followed a regime that allowed him to eat just potatoes for two whole weeks, before introducing vegetable stews to his diet.

The regime is detailed in the New York Times' bestseller 'Presto!: How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear' by Penn Jillette. Before him, former Australian sportsperson Andrew Flinders Taylor claimed to have followed the diet for an entire year and said that he lost 50 Kgs on it!

The potato diet is pretty simple to follow and involves the dieter consuming the tuber for all three meals of the day. Taylor consumed all kinds of potatoes and consumed low-calorie potato dishes like mashed potatoes, baked and herbed potatoes for his meals.

On that note, potato has several other benefits like regulating blood pressure, improving digestion et al. Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, Potassium, fibre, B vitamins copper, tryptophan, manganese and even lutein. It also works wonders for curbing inflammation in the body and boosts immunity and healthy blood circulation.