Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Potato Hack now on Kindle!

Now available on Kindle. If you have Kindle Select, it should be free, otherwise, $6.




Also, a cool review from the Potato Grower's Magazine:

Book Touts Potatoes’ Health Benefits

Published online: Mar 29, 2016
Author Tim Steele’s new bookThe Potato Hack: Weight Loss Simplified, focuses on potatoes as an article of health. Included in the book are simple ways to use potatoes to aid in weight loss and an extensive section on the benefits of resistant starch, of which potatoes are an excellent source.
The “potato hack” diet was modeled after an 1849 diet plan for people who were becoming overweight and “dyspeptic” from, simply put, living too luxuriously. This potato diet simply called for one to eat nothing but potatoes for a few days at a time, promising that fat men would become as “lean as they ought to be.” One hundred and sixty-seven years later, the population is more overweight and unhealthy than ever, but the potato diet still works.
Potatoes contains natural drug-like agents that affect inflammation, hunger, insulin, sleep, dreams, mood and body weight. The Potato Hack touts the potato as the best diet pill ever invented. The potato hack is a short-term (three to five days) intervention where one eats nothing but potatoes. This short mono-food experiment strengthens immune systems and provides dieters with all of the nutrition they need to remain energetic, sleep great and, as a side effect, lose weight. The potato hack will help develop a new relationship with food, hunger, taste and self. The potato hack is not just for the overweight. The book posits that, as noted in 1849, anyone with digestive complaints who follows an all-potato diet for a few days at a time will find his or her digestion greatly improved.
Modern science shows that simple diets high in fiber create an intestinal microbiome that is highly diverse and stable. This diversity and stability is lacking in most people and leads to digestive complaints like gastroesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowths.
This book explains the science behind the potato hack, some variations on the basic hack, recipes, and what to do if it does not work as advertised. Also found in The Potato Hack is a comprehensive review of resistant starch, gut health and potato history.
Most of the book’s photography was done by award-winning photographer Ann Overhulse.
The Potato Hack is available now from Amazon.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Potato Hackin'

What a week!  I finally got a peek at the book after about 70 people had already gotten their copies. Luckily, there were no big mistakes and I think that CreateSpace did a great job of printing the books and Archangel Ink did a great job of formatting the interior. Hopefully the Kindle conversion will be done by this time next week and I can start promoting the book for real. I have high hopes that the potato commissions of the world will embrace The Potato Hack as a way to promote potato consumption.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

The Potato Hack Book, Now Available!

This has been a long time in the making, and you all have been instrumental. The book is now available in soft cover format at the CreateSpace bookstore. It costs $12 plus shipping. It will be available on Amazon next week, and for Kindle the week after.

Click here to buy paperback version at CreateSpace

Click here to buy paperback on Amazon (Kindle and e-books coming soon!)

Here's the final cover design, I appreciate all of your feedback on the beta-versions:


Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Buying Potatoes

Has this happened to you?:


At the supermarket you are confronted with an endless array of potatoes. You try to think which one does what, which one has most resistant starch, which one is best for boiling...well, here's the solution. It's not that hard.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Resistant Starch Content in Potatoes

Back to my two favorite subjects: Potatoes and resistant starch. A new paper out, one that examined the fiber and starch profiles of numerous potato types. This is the first paper to fully describe the RS found in raw, cooked, and cooked and cooled potatoes.

From the Food Chemistry journal, "Evaluation of nutritional profiles of starch and dry matter from early potato varieties and its estimated glycemic impact" (Pinhero et al, 2016). It's still in draft, but I managed to sneak a few tidbits out for you.

Several studies reported that potatoes generally have medium to high GI, which has often adversely affected their consumption, but have overlooked the many nutritional and health benefits of potatoes.


Post moved to www.potatohack.com!

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Chena Slough Update, Part 2

In Part 1, I mentioned what I saw as weaknesses in the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) plan to eradicate elodea from the Chena Slough:
  • Seasonal flow patterns and disruptions
  • Drinking water wells
  • Organic gardening
  • No planned testing of well water and irrigation water
  • Risk of well water contamination
  • Public perception issues
Before we start, I want to make it clear that I think the best course of action for Chena Slough would be to "do nothing" for the elodea infestation at the present time. The slough is dying, removing the elodea will not change that, and could make it worse. The preferred solution would be an engineering project to dredge a new, deeper channel. Increase flow rates, build up the banks, improve flow characteristics by deepening portions and diverting from swampy side-flows.

If this was done, eradicating elodea should be part of the equation, even if it means using herbicide. As it stands, there are NO plans to improve the flow of the Chena Slough, but many state and federal agencies have shown an understanding and desire to do so.

Chena River King Salmon

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Chena Slough Update, Part 1

Last Summer, I wrote a couple of blog posts about a body of water very near and dear to me known as the Chena Slough. Chena Slough Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. As Winter in North Pole, Alaska winds down and the sun returns, it's time to start thinking about open water and weeds.

Chena River Sheefish

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Salt Rising Bread

Here's a little post for my mom, Paula, who you met in the comments last week. I mentioned that she made a "mean" salt rising bread and a couple of people asked what salt rising bread was. Actually, I don't think anyone eats salt rising bread because it makes such good toast. I don't recall anyone ever eating a slice plain, always toasted and covered in butter.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Cooking Potatoes

In the book, I have a whole chapter devoted to how to cook potatoes plain. Steaming, boiling, frying, and baking. Lots of methods for making tasty spuds with no oil or other ingredients. I also touch on the fact that there are different potatoes for different cooking methods.

Photo by Ann Overhulse Photography (My favorite Aunt!)