August 19, 2019
The argument that potatoes are a potential sole source of sustenance has been a popular topic of discussion lately, especially since National Potato Day was around the corner. However, several health experts are divided on the dangers of consuming one type of food.
Where Did the Idea Start?
The claim has been circulating online in meme form, asserting that “you can survive entirely on a diet of potatoes and butter, which improve all the necessary nutrients the human body needs.”
Health Experts Agree and Disagree
Katherine Basbaum, a cardiovascular dietitian at the University of Virginia, expressed her skepticism. According to Basbaum, potatoes and butter could provide sufficient macronutrients for the body, but at a “very basic level.” She added that staying alive and remaining healthy are two different things.
On the other hand, Dana Hunnes — a senior dietitian at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center — somewhat disagreed. She pinpointed that the all-potato diet could be sustainable for individuals who consume enough potatoes to support their muscle mass and body weight. Still, she recommends eating a wider variety of fruits and vegetables instead of pursuing this regimen. “You can certainly survive healthily — it’s been done,” Hunnes said. “Would I recommend it for people? No. Because I think you’d be bored in that diet.”
In 2010, Chris Voigt — head of the Washington State Potato Commission — praised the benefits of a potato diet by living off of them for two whole months. At the time, he said, “I am not encouraging anyone to go on this crazy diet, nor would my doctor. This diet was just a bold statement to remind people that there is a lot of nutrition in a potato.”
Voigt lost an astonishing 23 pounds during the experience and dismissed rumors that he had quit the diet early. Basbaum added her two cents. She said Voight’s short-term effort was unlikely to cause any damage, provided that he was generally healthy and had no family history or risk of kidney or heart disease.
As for butter, she continued, it is high in saturated fats and can spike cholesterol levels. “If somebody came in here saying, ‘I heard about this potato and butter diet,’ I would tell them not to touch it with a 10-foot pole,” she declared.
And while potatoes are rich in potassium, they are best eaten in moderation because of the dangers they present to kidneys. The kidneys play an essential role in managing potassium intake for the body.
“If someone goes from a regular balanced diet getting the normal amount of potassium to just eating potatoes (like 20 a day or whatever), that’s dangerous. It’s not a good idea. You’re overloading your kidneys with all of this potassium,” Basbaum claims.
In addition, if you are someone with pre-diabetes or diabetes, going on an all-starch diet is inadvisable because you are putting yourself at risk for increased levels of blood sugar.
“Potatoes can be an excellent part of a healthy diet, but are not a healthy single-source diet,” remarked Barry Swanson, regents professor and interim director of the School of Food Science at Washington State University and the University of Idaho. With that said, this delicious tuber is best enjoyed in moderation because of the threat they pose to your overall health.
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