Also, a cool review from the Potato Grower's Magazine:
Book Touts Potatoes’ Health Benefits
Author Tim Steele’s new book, The 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.
Purchased! =)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading it...now to convince my wife we should eat nothing but potatoes for several days...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDitto - purchased.
ReplyDeleteRose
Thanks! I just downloaded the Kindle version, too. Looks really good. Please leave a good review on Amazon if you like it!
ReplyDeleteQuick question I couldn't answer from someone who asked about it: would there be a significant difference between doing a 3-5 day hack vs. a single day here and there throughout the week or a month?? (Still waiting for my copy here in Canada, and looking forward to reading it!) Cheers.
ReplyDeleteGood question. I think that for best results and some weight loss that you can measure, you need 3-5 days. 1-2 days is probably not quite enough for the changes to occur in your gut that result from continued intake of prebiotic fibers. Having said that, many people have found good success with alternate day potato hacking or even just potatoes during the day and a normal dinner, or some variation like that.
DeleteA single day here and there throughout the month would probably work well for long term weight maintenance, but not quite as effective as 3-5 days every couple months.
If fat loss is the goal, logic tells me if you were doing a daily spud-hack (a form of carb cycling) it would be better to eat only potatoes at night and fat/protein (zero carbs) during the day. The reason being that spiking blood sugar turns off Glucagon production for up to 4 hours and hence lipolysis (body fat burning) will be reduced if not shut down during the day when you are likely to be more active. With lipolysis shut down you could get hunger pangs which will make you eat more.
DeleteSince doing PH and discovering potatoes aren't going to kill me :) I've incorporated more taters in my normal meals. Meat and veggies just never satisfied me - I would have to eat more meat, more fat = plateau/regain. Adding plain taters to meals was that missing link for me. I still won't add fat to them although mashed with greek yoghurt/shallots makes a nice tweak. I buy from my local organic shop and they don't seem to be great sellers. Everyone buying uber expensive broccoli sprouts, kale, ancient grains, grass fed meats etc and the poor rejected humble tater sits there. If only more people knew.....
ReplyDeleteRose
Rose, I'm doing the same thing. I noticed that my grocery bill is going down biggie time. Still eating fish, meat and other vegetables but not as much so my refrigerator is better organized and nothing is mouldering away being wasted.
DeleteThe basis of my diet consists of potatoes and pulses. There is no stuffing the face going on. Potatoes seem to be unique in that once I've eaten 'enough' it's enough.
OMG, what am I going to do with the cans of coconut milk?
How about soaking steel cut oats overnight in the coconut milk with berries/fruit/nuts and breakfast is there ready to go? These oats aren't that cheap either but a little goes a long way - very filling. Rose
DeleteRose
I've got oats lying around but for now I'm sticking to current plan. I'll mix it up later. I've got zippie flat packs of home made not sweet cranberry sauce in the freezer since,......ahem..... Christmas 2014..... I really really have to get them eaten and your oatmeal suggestion will work with this stuff.
DeletePotatoes and cranberry sauce???????????? nah. LOL!
"Potatoes and cranberry sauce???????????? nah."
DeleteAt Thanksgiving, I always place the cranberry sauce next to the mashed potatoes and mix together...I think it's a great combo!
Gabi - Potatoes are delish in coconut curried dishes.
DeleteAgree with Tim about the cranberries w/ mashed potatoes. You know I'm not a fan of either one alone but together they kinda work.
I just wanted to say that Amazon finally got their act together. If you, like I did, purchased the paperback from Amazon, you should now be able to get the Kindle edition at the Matchbook price of $1.99. I was happy to get the Kindle version, so I can read it on my phone while out and about. I'm really enjoying your book, Tim. I just need to start a 3 day hack to take off the weight I gained while visiting my grandsons in Florida last week! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for mentioning that. The Matchbook option was a feature I had to activate. I picked the lowest allowable price, glad that you found it and took advantage.
DeleteGood luck on the hack!
You know Tim I scoffed at the PH when it did the rounds a few years back and I admire your persistence and belief. I believe your book has come out at the right time because LCHF is just not working for some anymore. The potato trumps any fatty meal for me as I never experienced the so called satiety from fat. I used to eat a big handful of nuts a day along with everything else..prob 700 calories as a snack just there- compare that to 8 or 9 boiled potatoes for satiety! TMI I know but I had constipation for years from LCHF and what a relief to be normal. I love this way of eating and can't thank you and Richard enough.
DeleteRose
Rose, you have no idea how many times I thought I should just stop talking about the potato hack and move on, but then someone would make a comment like this and I'd see it in a whole new light.
DeleteI know that most people who read the title and description will just laugh and discard the whole idea as ridiculous. I think that unless you came from the background that we have, where potatoes are considered evil and fat is king, that you cannot quite comprehend why anyone is even looking at the potato as a saving.
Funny, I get constipation from too much resistant starch... so if I eat too much undercooked potatoes or raw potato starch.
DeleteHey Tim,
ReplyDeleteYou still live in North Pole AK? I just moved back to Fairbanks, and I'm trying the potato diet! Maybe I'll see you in the store or something!
Ken
Hi Ken - Yep, I live out on Badger Road and work on Ft Wainwright at the hospital. It's a small town, I'm sure we'll run into each other!
DeleteTim
Look for guy carrying a 20 pound bag of spuds in the supermarket! ;)
DeleteJust bought the Potato Hack on Amazon kindle UK.cost was £4.24, half the price of the cheapest book offer.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Hope you like it. I was impressed with the formatting of the Kindle version. I see that the book is now being sold at a 10% discount by Amazon, too.
DeleteI bought it today and read it this afternoon. Great work! It's a nice mix of science and practical application. I like the quips and quotes scattered throughout, as well.
ReplyDeleteI bought it today and read it this afternoon. Great work! It's a nice mix of science and practical application. I like the quips and quotes scattered throughout, as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you twice!
DeleteThat was such a nice review!
ReplyDeleteJust ordered a couple copies and am anxious to read it and to share it!
ReplyDeletegina
Tim, I am interested in doing the potato hack but I do not have any weight to lose and do not want to lose muscle. I just need to lose the last layer of fat around my belly. Would you recommend potato hack for my situation? Can I continue to work out while on the potato hack? I remember you once suggested against lifting while on potato hack. Does it still hold true? I am just ordering the Kindle version.
ReplyDeleteT-Nat
I think you could easily use the potato hack to your advantage. Just eat at the upper end of the recommended range, i.e. 5 pounds per day. Or, take a de-load week like I do for potato hacking. You will find no loss in exercise performance after 5 days of the hack, and in fact may be able to set some PRs upon resumption.
DeleteThanks Tim.
DeleteI will actually do it next week(not deload week) and see how it goes. I think I can manage 5lbs a day in smaller meals.
I'll be reading the book over the weekend.
T-Nat
Hi Tim,
ReplyDeleteI've loved reading through your blog. Thank you for all your leg work and research on Potato Hacking.
I am very interested in trying the hack out, but I'm curious about your thoughts in Potato Hacking with hypothyroidism. I've struggled with hypothyroidism and leaky gut for most of my adult life, which makes weight loss by traditional means nearly impossible. (You name it, I've tried it) I don't have much to lose, but would love to get rid of the extra weight I've been carrying without causing more problems for my thyroid. Paleo has been the most sustainable eating model I have found, but no matter what I do I can't get rid of the weight. Do you think the Potato Hack would be helpful? Also, do you recommend a minimum of 3 days or would I be able to do it 1-2 days at a time? Thank you for taking the time to read this. Keep up the great work!
If your hypothyroidism is well controlled with meds, go for it. Try 1 day. If you feel OK, plan a 2-3 day trial. If you lose a couple pounds and felt good, do it weekly or a couple times a month, 3-5 days at a time, until you lose the weight you want. Easy.
DeleteTim I'm really glad you advise people to go slowly and no longer than 5 days. If a protocol seems or is too hard people give up. This is the problem I had with Dr Fung's website, in particular the commenters. It became a dikk contest of who fasted the longest and us greedy weak-willed ones like me who struggled to last a day slinkered off. You know if people find something that works they can't help themselves but go longer and harder, and I just hope they don't morph this into who can go longer. 5 day max as Tim says; anything more and they are doing something else.
ReplyDeleteRose
Rose - Thanks, that was nice of you to say. I did not want to put something out that required people buy supplements or strange foods. I also wanted it to be simple and easy to accomplish. I think most people will see results after 3-5 days, at least enough to decide whether they want to keep doing it.
DeleteSome people see the weight loss after a couple days, but then realize that they don't want to go to these lengths to lose weight. Conversely, others finally see results after trying so many diets and realize they have found a diet that produces the results they need.
The trouble with low carb diets is also as you describe, the only way to do it better is to reduce carbs even further, then eat a keto diet, until they are eating nearly pure fat to avoid carbs that come from protein and minimal carbs on plants.
Atkins Diet is also extremely hard to follow, Weight Watchers, etc...
In the world of Big Pharma, during drug trials, they discuss efficacy and effectiveness. Efficacy means how well the drug treats the disease. Effectiveness means how well the therapy can be administered. A drug that cures 100% of cancer shows efficacy, but if the price is $1B per dose, it is not effective.
That's how I see most diets, they may be efficacious, but not effective because the protocols are hard to follow or they get too expensive.
I finished the print copy a few days ago and gotta say, am blown away! Super well written, so much knowledge! Very fun to read. I have been eschewing starches since reading Primal Blueprint in 2011...only in the past 6 months, since reading some of Grace Liu's stuff have started to reconsider...and this book was the coup de grace (potatoes!! get into my life!!!). My husband is excited too, as he has seriously missed potatoes and never understood why we wouldn't eat them, but sweet potatoes were OK. He is hoping some hacking will alleviate his sporadic arthritis attacks (haven't gotten a diagnosis for gout, but that's what I think it is... he is only 27 though and the handful of Drs we've seen won't call it gout...his grandpa had it for sure!).
ReplyDeleteCan we feed potatoes to our 10-month old??!!? Will she explode?! WAPF and other paleo baby resources are all so pro-nutrient-density. What would you feed your babies????
Thanks so much for making such an amazing resource.
ALSO - LOVED the section on the microbiome. Thought it was one of the best-written practical guides to what we actually know about uBiome-type data, etc. AWESOME.
Such a nice review! Thank you so much. I hope you review it on Amazon as well.
DeleteBoycotting potatoes because "paleo said so" was my experience also, lol. No need.
I'll be curious to hear back about hubby's joint pain. Lots of folks do periodic hacks just for the pain relief they get.
Your 10 month old needs potatoes! Babies from all cultures have been weaned on starchy tubers since the dawn of time. There was a study going around this year about how kids will eat 25% less overall calories in a day if they are served mashed potatoes with butter alongside their meals. Something to consider as Ruffa Jr. grows up.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment, it means a lot to me.
I will absolutely do amazon review ; later today.
DeleteWill let you know re: joint pain!
Ruffa Jr. says thanks for the potatoes.
Any thoughts on overall appropriate dietary patterns for ApoE4/4 individuals? (My dad) He has pretty intense history of gut issues (got hammered in Mexico about 16 yrs back) - did Atkins way back then - has almost always done high protein and recently been totally swept up in butter coffee and generally high fat. Fiber tough on his system. He's super active - kayaking/playboating almost every day. Feels great, but wants to do anything possible to avoid alzheimer's, of course. Any knowledge or connections / recc'd resources on that front?
Hi Maddie - I really have not studied ApoE4 enough to make a comment, sorry. Anyone?
DeleteA quick search shows it's associated with Alzheimer's, so I see his concern. I cannot believe that anyone would not be benefited by adding more fiber to the diet, though.
I saw your nice review on Amazon, thanks!
As to "what we actually know about uBiome-type data, etc."... next to nothing.
Deletehttp://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/04/the-tree-of-life-just-got-a-lot-weirder/477729/
Concur. Thought he did a good job basically saying that!...not overhyped at all. Just tidbits we do know...
DeleteThanks, Gemma - Fun article to read. There has been too much circular reasoning used to devise the tree of life, and this tree is used to determine species identification. I always laugh when uBiome says they can not accurately identify to the species level, yet their Illumina processing methods are based on species prediction.
DeleteMaddie - Just found this you may find useful for APOE and potato hack: http://www.fivediets.com/APOE4/potato-diet/potato-diet-update-one-week/
DeleteThanks Tim!
DeleteSo - just got back from reviewing hubby's blood work with Doctor -
high uric acid (8.8)...and we learned his grandfather had gout. It's my understanding that uric acid isn't a great test for gout anyway, but we might as well treat it like it is!
Also, high triglycerides, high LDL. And poor guy just did a week of night shifts. Inflammation nation!
Have you already posted on gout? (I'm about to look).
Wondering whether to do the allopurinol or not.
I was the King of Gout for a couple years. Attacks went from 1-2 a year to 1-2 a month. I started drinking a tea made from a mushroom called Chaga, you can buy it here:
Deletehttp://amzn.to/1RZ5KGj
Any brand, but that one looks good. Anyway, I started drinking this every day in 2010, and did not have a gout attack in over 4 years. I had what seemed to be a gout attack last year after eating a bag of raw cocoa nibs (don't ask!).
Shortly after starting Chaga tea daily, I was finally also able to exercise, and then the whole "paleo" thing. Funny, though, when I was having the worst gout attacks of my life, I was following doc's advice: No organ meats, no seafood, blah, blah... Shortly after, I was eating oysters, crab, pounds of liver, etc. and no hint of gout. Possibly worse may be simply industrial processed foods with oils, sugars, sweeteners, high fructose, and that crap.
If you want to experiment, buy as much chaga as you can afford, or if you live where there are birch trees, pick your own. Have him drink 2-3 strong cups a day for 6 months or so as he makes other healthy lifestyle changes.
Chaga is maybe the most powerful herbal medicine on the planet, according to some. I don't talk about it much because I hate seeing it abused by hype marketers. But, the price has come down drastically thanks to all the interest and competition.
Oh, and even when I was having frequent gout, my uric acid was just slightly elevated. It still runs high, but usually in the normal range.
DeleteChaga! Great tip thanks! Too funny, we have recently started mushrooming (growing our own shiitakes) because pediatrician is all crazy about mushroom properties (claims cured her skin cancer). Non-traditional doctor for sure.
DeleteAlright, thanks for ALL the info - lots to chew on! (So, I take it you never did allopurinol to lower uric acid levels?)
The only thing I took for gout was Colchisine. At first, the method was:
Delete"Take two pills when the attack starts, then 1 pill per hour until you get nauseated and have diarrhea."
That's exactly how it went, too. It takes about 6 hours to feel like crap, and it lasted a day or so. But the attack was over in a day vs. a week.
Then, when attacks became more frequent, I took 2 Colchisine pills every day, it kept me kind of sick feeling, and really did not stop the gout attacks. Seriously, for almost a year, I either had an active flare going on or was still hurting from the last one.
The gout always hit my right side. Mostly big toe joint, sometimes heel joint, sometimes knee. I had to walk down stairs sideways, one step at a time. Now I jog 3 nights a week and try to walk 2-3 miles every day.
Blimey Tim!is that the same Colchicine they used to use on plants to get genetic mutations?
DeleteEither soaking the seeds or watering the plants.
Stinging nettle is also great for gout. I know a British lady who swears by it.
DeleteYeah, weird stuff, Colchicine. It's from an extract of the "meadow saffron" crocus. Been used as a gout treatment for 1000's of years! from wiki:
DeleteColchicine inhibits microtubule polymerization by binding to tubulin, one of the main constituents of microtubules. Availability of tubulin is essential to mitosis, so colchicine effectively functions as a "mitotic poison" or spindle poison.[15]
The mitosis-inhibiting function of colchicine has been of great use in the study of cellular genetics. To see the chromosomes of a cell under a light microscope, it is important that they be viewed near the point in the cell cycle in which they are most dense. This occurs near the middle of mitosis (specifically metaphase), so mitosis must be stopped before it completes. Adding colchicine to a culture during mitosis is part of the standard procedure for doing karyotype studies.
Apart from inhibiting mitosis (a process heavily dependent on cytoskeletal changes), colchicine also inhibits neutrophil motility and activity, leading to a net anti-inflammatory effect. This has proven useful in the treatment of acute gout flares.
Hi, Tim!
ReplyDeleteThat's my first comment to your blog, but I've been lurking in the health/paleo/whole foods blogosphere for a long time now. I actually got to know your work through FTA, circa 2012-13. I have some questions, if you don't mind answering. I'll number them, to facilitate:
1. I've been on and off low-carb/paleo for a couple of years. When I'm not LCing, I do something like the PHD. I change things up a lot, more than I would like. I'm that kind who reads something, gets all excited, implement that thing, do not see immediate (or faster than possible) results, and search something else to do. I suffer from constipation for as long as I can remember. No particular pain, but I'd go days without BMs. This is telling, as I think you'll agree. Recently, after reading some of your work on the blog, I decided to up my fiber intake, and focus as best as I can on whole foods. Turns out I'm one of those people who cannot handle fiber very well. After considerably upping my fiber intake, most of the days I get intense bloating, and, uhmm, "explosive" BMs (could not get less graphic, sorry). It SEEMS to be getting better in the last few days, but it may be too soon to say. Also, I have BMs on a daily basis, and it seems to be normalizing overall (certainly normal in some days). For about a month now, I'm eating potatoes (when available, more on why later, when not, brown rice and black beans), some veggies, and a steak for lunch. Well, that's a plate, for I usually eat two of those, big ones at that (I eat a LOT, and I'm famous for it). For dinner, I eat mashed bananas with oats. At the moment I cannot cook; I'm moving in some months time, I don't have a fridge, and it's not worth it to buy now, since I'll have to sell it shortly. So I have lunch at a restaurant (with variable menu, that's why potatoes are not always available) and dinner at work. I don't eat breakfast. Do you think that I'll adapt to the higher fiber intake eventually, or I won't ever adapt if I don't go gradually? (continues)
(cont.) 2. Given the outlined above, I think I never had a healthy gut. I remember going through lots of rounds of antibiotics as a kid/teen, and even in my early adult years (I'm 23). Do you think that fiber alone can build up my gut microbiome, or maybe I'll have to take probiotics? Unfortunately, taking probiotics is not that easy for me, I'm brazilian and probiotics here are of an extreme poor quality, and very expensive. It's not easy to import, either. I bought Elixa once, it took so long for it to arrive that Karl kindly refunded the purchase. Turns out that it arrived, about 2 months later. After this incident, and I suppose some others, Elixa is not shipped to Brazil anymore. I do not want to try my luck with another brands, especially less potent ones (Elixa is probably the most potent probiotic out there, for what I know). What I think I'm able to do is buy HEMMER sauerkraut. It only contains cabbage, salt, and a conservative (INS 211, don't know if this codes are international). If you think I need probiotics, would this do? Do you think a potato hack would cut it without probiotics?
Delete3. Did someone reported improvement of acne after a potato hack? I have moderate acne, and am curious about that. I'd have done a potato hack already, if not for the aforementioned momentary inability to cook. I don't have any weight to lose, in fact, want to gain some, but I know that the hack is not only for weight loss. Have anyone reported improvement of acne while eating a whole foods, high fiber diet? Any tips for handling acne?
I think that's it, sorry for bombarding you with questions. I'm very thankful for all you do, and you must be the nicest, most good willed blogger out there. Your attitude is unparalleled, in my opinion. I bought the book, so has my mom! I'm on chapter 4, and am thoroughly enjoying the book. Mom already hacked once and lost about 6 pounds in 4 days. My stepfather is coming around, too!
Much love,
Michel.
Michel - You are 23. Go enjoy life. Eat real food. Forget this potato hack stuff. Did you see Brazil's latest food recommendation? If only the US government was so smart. For once in my life, I will say, "listen to your government!" lol. But seriously, here's Brazil's eating advice. Are they readers of the Vegetable Pharm?
Delete1. Make natural or minimally processed foods the basis of your diet
2. Use oils, fats, salt, and sugar in small amounts when seasoning and cooking natural or minimally processed foods and to create culinary preparations
3. Limit consumption of processed foods
4. Avoid consumption of ultra-processed products
5. Eat regularly and carefully in appropriate environments and, whenever possible, in company
6. Shop in places that offer a variety of natural or minimally processed foods
7. Develop, exercise and share culinary skills
8. Plan your time to make food and eating important in your life
9. Out of home, prefer places that serve freshly made meals
10. Be wary of food advertising and marketing
Seriously, Michel. What most of us would not give to be 23 again. Exercise you butt off, eat good food, have fun, get lots of sun.
Answers to your questions:
1. Yes, you will adapt to higher fiber, just go slowly.
2. You don't need probiotics. Find a local fermented food, I'm sure Brazil has a few. Local ferments always trump probiotics or anything from the store. Learn to make sauerkraut, kefir, or kumbucha if there is absolutely no local fermented food.
3. Acne can be related to fiber in the diet, but there are many causes. Clean up your diet, like the Brazil guidelines suggest, add fermented foods and lots of beans, plantains, potatoes, or other local starchy foods. Maybe ask again in a separate question on the top blog post about acne in a few days if no one jumps in here with advice.
Good luck to you! Thanks for your kind comments about the book, I hope it helps.
The Brazil guidelines I stole from a Mother Jones post: http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/11/brazil-schools-usda-dietary-guidelines
DeleteMichel
Deletewhy are you on low-carb/paleo? What does it even mean? In your understanding of "low carb" (before you read the book), was a potato low carb item, or not? Funny, if you give it some thoughts, you may be surprised...
Brazil is full of wonderful foods, enjoy them, no need to be afraid of fruits, for instance! What about pineapple? Does it grow nearby? Would it help your acne? Full of vitamin C, manganese, enzymes...
P.S. If I were you, I would eat breakfast, and not so much meat for lunch. But that's me.
Tim,
DeleteI didn't see it. Wow, who would've thought? Solid advice indeed...it does seem that they read Veggie Pharm lol so much similarity.
I exercise everyday, surely could get more sun than I currently do, and do my absolute best to eat good food, so I guess overall I'm on the right path! =)
Regarding the questions:
1. Nice to know. I've been progressing, slowly but (almost) surely.
2. I really don't know any local markets that sell "home made" fermented food. Will look them up. I don't know if I'll be able to prepare fermented foods myself yet, though; among other things, I don't have a fridge to store stuff.
3. Do you mean in a positive way, as in the lack of fiber can cause acne, or in a negative way, as in fiber in diet can cause acne? By what you wrote immediatly after, I'd guess the former. I've been eating lots of beans, and potatoes when they're not soaked in oil. BTW, I've been steering clear of most added fats thanks to you =) salt as well, as a matter of fact. It can be placebo, since I don't keep an accurate photo log of my acne, but it definetely seem to be getting better! Trying my best to not "cheat", I used to cheat at least twice a week, and that surely increased my acne. Maybe it would not be as bad if I had a healthy gut, like, say, Wilbur.
Thanks a lot for the response!
Hello, Gemma! Will answer promptly in another reply.
Gemma,
DeleteI was prioritizing a LC/paleo diet hoping that it would be better for my acne. I would classify it as a paleo diet (without the "neolithic agents of disease" as Kurt Harris would put it), but with reduced carb consumption. How much reduced? Well, less then 150g (see Mark Sisson's carb curve), and without high GI carbs. I was actually trying to avoid all starch/fruit when LCing (there would be cheats), so it was probably much lower than 150g in strict LC days. In my understanding, a potato would surely classify as a high carb item. Why do you think I would be surprised, aside from the knowledge that carbs are not actually bad, and potatoes have all those magic properties?
It's CW that high GI, or even high carb, is bad for acne. Surely, that CW is most likely wrong, you just have to look at the Kitavans. I just wasn't sure where to go anymore. It is true, though, that my experiments trying to get rid of acne are very short lived, like 3-4 days. If it didn't get substantially better, I'd try something else. Looking back, I think this was very naive. In ~2012 I had much success with my acne following a LC/paleo diet. I remember being almost completely clear. Then I got an infected throat and went through a round of antibiotics. I thought at the time that if my diet was right, I would not have gotten sick (probably overreacted lol). So I started researching and found the PHD, and the general idea that carbs are not the devil. So I started reintroducing carbs in my diet. After some time, the acne started coming back. A feel clarifications are in order. I don't want what I said to seem that I think carbs are necessarily causing my acne. When my acne almost cleared, I was very clean with my diet, almost never cheated. I don't remember exactly, but I think that I took fish oil pills, that may have helped. I'm not sure, but I think I used a facial cleanser at the time, that may have helped. After the round of antibiotics, I got a lot less cautious with my diet. And the antibiotics surely wrecked havoc in my gut. So, as you can see, a lot of uncertainty. My N=1 experiment was far from a controlled one.
Brazil is full of wonderful food, indeed, and I'm (re)starting to enjoy them =) I don't know if pineaples grow nearby, but there are definetely plenty around here, and I love them. I don't know if it would help with my acne, do you think so?
Regarding the breakfast advice, I think it is a solid one. I think I eat less during the day when I eat breakfast. I eat two steaks, but I'm trying to get the smaller ones. They are certainly the smaller part of my lunch, the majority is brown rice and black beans (I'm talking about around 2.6 pounds of food, for lunch alone). I eat some veggies as well.
A question for you, for Tim, or for anyone who would like to answer, if you don't mind me asking. I've been trying to keep my diet as simple as possible number-of-items-wise. That is, I'm trying not to eat much variety. I thought maybe it would improve my gut health. The potato hack did improve Tim's microbiome diversity. Then again, I think the potatoes played a role, not only the mono-dieting. But then Wilbur (think it was him) shared a link to a Chris Kresser podcast where it is said that a diverse diet leads to a diverse microbiome. Do you think I should increase diversity, or keep simplicity and add more potatoes?
Thanks a lot for the input, Gemma, much appreciated!
Michel
Deletequite a history of searching, good luck and keep your eyes open!
As to the variety and simplicity: what about creating a variation by the rotation of simplicity? Seasonal, weekly...
Fremented foods: do you know how people kept their food before electricity, before fridges? They fermented. Just try.
What Gemma said about simplicity and fermented foods.
DeleteI might be wrong, but I think there might be some misinterpretation of variety as it relates to a diverse microbiome. Think of a grocery store. I mostly eat from two sections: produce and meat, with a little dairy. I eat a lot of different things within those sections, but nearly all of my meals consist of meat and simply cooked or raw veggies. In my thinking, that is good for gut diversity.
But in the context of the entire grocery store, I have a very limited variety. I'm skipping deli meats, breads, processed sugars, pasta, pre made foods, ice cream, etc. I very rarely eat anything SAD. For the most part, I do not think that these foods contribute to gut diversity.
Gemma,
DeleteThanks! And I didn't even get started to tell the story of my vegetarian days, lol.
Re simplicity, interesting idea!
Re fermented foods, cannot disagree with you here. I'll start small and buy a cabbage one of these days, see how it works out!
Hi, Wilbur!
Interesting thought. It may be it, but then again, I think Tim very rarely eat something SAD as well, and his good diversity score got even better with the potato hack. Well, will keep reading about it and an open mind. Thanks for the input!
* I meant gut diversity up there
DeleteMichel - I applaud you for taking an active interest in your health! The worst thing is to eat without regard to the health benefits, or lack thereof, of the food you eat. I see so many people just eating total crap day in and day out. Eating healthy may take a bit more planning and prep time, but it can actually be cheaper. I think you can get to a point where your food choices are enough and counting things like calories, carbs, fat, etc. are not needed.
DeleteToday is my day 4 on potato hack. Like I said above, I do not have any weight to lose but a layer of flab around belly. I have been eating as much potato as I can...sort of forcing down because I do not want to lose any muscle. Originally, I wanted to continue working out during the hack but got busy and now deloading instead.
ReplyDeleteSo far, great sleep and no brain fog upon waking up. I had been waking up groggy and strained eyes for a few weeks now but last 3 days I woke up clear and well rested.
Mini love-handles are starting to disappear. I seem to have a lot more energy and staying focused throughout the day.
It was starting to get much tough by day 3 dinner time so I added a couple of TBS of spiced lentils. I was almost ready to give up but willed myself through day3.
On day4 morning, decided to continue for another day merely out of convenience since I did not have any other food available for breakfast or lunch. Was hungry when I got home from work but potatoes were not appetizing so I added some Frank's hot sauce and ate some more potatoes. I am going to eat more potatoes for dinner on day 4 and will wrap up this round today.
One additional change I made was to reintroduce 2 to 3 cups of coffee after a 9 month hiatus. Not sure if coffee had anything to do with the improvements listed above...especially sleep quality, it should be to the contrary actually.
I am a firm believer that good quality sleep can fix a lot of health problems and I was struggling to get a good night's sleep for several weeks now until I started the potato hack. So, if nothing else, I give a big thumbs up to potatoes for the quality of sleep.
T-Nat
"I am a firm believer that good quality sleep can fix a lot of health problems"
DeleteAye, aye, captain!
It seems that even the wildest dreams can become true... :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wsj.com/articles/nasa-really-is-trying-to-grow-potatoes-on-mars-1460560325
"As humans prepare to blast off to Mars, there is still the question of what they’ll eat once they colonize the red planet. Scientists who have traveled here to the Peruvian desert say they have the answer. Potatoes.
Researchers at the Lima-based International Potato Center and scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are studying which type of potato could be best suited for extraterrestrial farming to support a human settlement on Mars. If everything goes as planned, the Martian colonies could be munching on french fries, chips and mashed potatoes one day."
Which begs the question: did the script writer of the movie originate the concept or was the material obtained from the research being done?
Delete