In clinic, first-time clients will often tell me they are avoiding high carbohydrate foods, especially potatoes and bananas. Whether it’s for weight loss or diabetes management, these humble whole foods are getting a bad rap. So strong is the influence of social media, I have heard other Nutritionists say they are avoiding these foods for fear of weight gain! But is this information actually accurate, and could all our obesity problems be resolved by removing these foods from our diet?
Of course not!
The evolution of the healthiest diet over the past 100 years, has been somewhat misguided, and as a nation, we have never been heavier. The ever-gaining popularity of low-carb, paleo and keto diets is demonising foods that are not to blame for our obesity problem.
First, let’s discuss the potato. When cooked in their skins, they are a great source of potassium, vitamin C, folate and vitamin B6, which translates to heart health + skin health + DNA health + mental health. But wait…there’s more. When left to cool, they form a type of resistant starch that that feeds the good bacteria in the gut, improving digestive health.
Potatoes are also very filling, especially when compared to other high carbohydrate foods and research has shown that including potatoes in a well-balanced meal, aids in weight loss due to the feeling of fullness, resulting in overall reduction of food intake!
Where potatoes cross the line from being healthy to harmful, is in the way they are prepared and cooked. Hot chips and crisps are not a health food! The vegetable oils they are deep-fried in are highly inflammatory, contributing to obesity and cardiovascular disease, and the high cooking temperature destroys most of the nutrient content they once had. However, take a potato, slice it up, leaving the skin on, and bake it in the oven or steam it, and you are back in healthy food territory.
Now let’s look at the banana!
Bananas are another nutrient-packed-whole-food. These yummy yellow nature-packaged fruits, are packed with potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, magnesium, copper, manganese and fibre, equating to heart health + kidney health + mental health + skin health + energy production + brain health + red blood cell health + aiding iron absorption + improving gut health. What’s more, bananas are easily digested, yet don’t typically spike blood sugar levels and slow stomach emptying, keeping you fuller for longer and potentially aiding in weight loss.
But wait, there’s more. Bananas also contain several types of antioxidants which help keep the body in balance by removing free radicals that can otherwise damage healthy cells and cause inflammation.
Bananas are the perfect food for sport of any kind. Whether you are an athlete about to run a marathon, or a child about to play a game of basketball, eating a banana before sport commencement will provide energy that will last the distance and there are not many other whole foods that can claim that title. Personally, my son and I climbed a 1,700-metre mountain on nothing but two bananas and a glass of coconut water…but that’s another story!
So hopefully this factual look at two nutrient packed superfoods will make you reconsider re-introducing them back in to your diet alongside a plate full of other whole foods. Just remember, if it comes in a packet or box, it is not a whole food. If it comes in a naturally made skin, it is a good choice!