Potatoes- the most feared carbohydrate! But, do we really need to avoid potatoes when managing diabetes? SToby Smithson says potatoes are a healthy food for people with diabetes in this video.
Hi, Toby Smithson here with DiabetesEveryDay, please remember to hit the subscribe button to be a part of this journey to good health while managing diabetes.
In today’s episode of “can I eat this?”, we are going to take a look at a frequently feared carbohydrate containing food….potatoes. Before we review just how many carbs are in potatoes, I’d like to point out some of the nutrition benefits. Potatoes are high in potassium, and for those with celiac disease, potatoes are gluten free. For people with diabetes, here is a possible aha moment…potatoes contain resistant starch, especially when they are cooked and then cooled as in possibly a potato salad. The starch is not completely broken down and fully absorbed which helps slow down a rise in blood sugar levels. Ok, let’s look at portion and carb content:
To get this right, I use my trusty food scale…
Baking potato (2 ½ ” x 4 ¾”, 156 grams or 5 ½ ounces) 34 grams carb, 2 grams fiber
Red potato (2 ¼” x 3 ¼ “, 173 grams or 6 ounces) 34 grams carb, 3 g fiber
Sweet potato (large 180 grams or almost 6 ½ ounces) 37 grams carb, 6 g fiber
Potatoes are a versatile starchy vegetable and can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Here’s a tip, when I’m planning my dinner, I will use potato as my carbohydrate source for the meal along side a lower carbohydrate vegetable like broccoli or cauliflower and balance out my plate with a source of protein like chicken, fish, cheese or eggs.
Here’s to your health.
