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Kim and Lauren are the mother-daughter team behind Something New For Dinner. Kim develops the recipes, shoots the photography and writes the posts and weekly emails to our subscribers. Lauren is the Internet marketing guru who developed and maintains our website, leads our marketing efforts, manages our social media and keeps us on track in general.
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10 ways to lower the glycemic index of potatoes
Nutritionally, potatoes have a bad rap, particularly when we think about potato chips and French fries. Potatoes, however, do have significant nutritional value. They are high in Vitamin C, B6, B12, fiber, potassium and a host of minerals. Potatoes also contain kukoamines, a substance that lowers blood pressure. So are potatoes a good nutritional choice? It depends on how you prepare them and eat them.
The concern over high glycemic foods
Potatoes by themselves have a high Glycemic Index (GI). High glycemic index foods are a concern because they are digested quickly causing spikes in blood insulin levels, which increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
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It is not just about potatoes
The glycemic indexes are calculated based on eating a food in isolation. What is more relevant is what happens when you eat a meal. There are several food combinations that significantly lower the glycemic index of potatoes. In other words, you can slow the rate of digestion down when you eat potatoes with other foods. To lower the overall GI of potatoes, eat them with:
- Fat - Olive oil, butter, sour cream or avocados will lower the GI. This makes a fully loaded baked potato interesting again.
- Acid - Vinegar, citrus or salsa lowers the GI of a potato.
- Protein - Eating potatoes in combination with protein also lowers GI, making steak and potatoes a better choice than potatoes alone.
- Fiber - Adding other fiber-rich foods to a potato slows down digestion and lowers GI. So eat a romaine or kale salad with your potatoes.
- Other low GI foods - Eating a combination of foods, including lower GI foods, reduces the combined GI load of a meal that includes potatoes.
It is also how you prepare the potatoes
- Eat the skin - Eating the skin of the potato not only adds vitamin C, but also fiber, and fiber helps lower the GI index.
- Cook and cool - An interesting study found cooking a potato and then cooling it before you eat it also lowers GI, even if you later reheat the potato.
- Boil - Boiling a potato results in a lower GI than baking.
And the type of potato
- Waxy potatoes have lower GI than floury russet potatoes.
- Sweet potatoes have even lower GI.
The bottom line on potatoes
Potatoes are economical, have significant nutritional value, and let's face it, potatoes can be downright delicious. Prepare your potatoes smartly and pair them with foods that lower GI.
Looking for a great potato recipe?
Try my Crazy-good smashed potato salad or my BLT smashed potato salad. Both recipes incorporate all the GI lowering tricks identified above.
The cool/cool/reheat does work. Furthermore, I make mashed potatoes with full fat cream and butter and I add a heaping table spoon of hi-maize resistant starch to them. This allows the recommended 1/2 cup serving to be filling and it doesn’t seem to spike my BG. Of course we don’t eat them all the time. Also, if you do a cauliflower mash and add a couple of medium cooked potatoes to the mash, you increase the fiber and it tastes good. I use this method on pasta and rice as well. It works for some people and I get so irritated at all the smart Alec comments from other people. If it doesn’t work for you. then don’t do it but it does work for some of us. I also use coconut palm sugar and Whey Low products with favorable results as long as it is all in moderation. Isn’t that how we should all eat anyway? BTW, adding coconut oil in the water when you boil is also good for you.
Thank you for your comments Kaye. Much appreciated. I like the coconut oil idea.
Are there any guidelines on how long and to what temperatures the patatoes must be cooled to get the GI lowering effect?
Hi Bill, I went back to look for the study I referenced and found there are several studies on this subject. One study boiled potatoes to 182 degree fahrenheit and then cooled them to 78.8 degrees F, or basically room temperature. Another study found differences in how much the GI could be lowered by cooking then cooling different types of potatoes, with the GI of red potatoes having the greatest reduction after cooking and cooling. Another study found that cooking, cooling and then reheating starches produced the most dramatic reduction in GI. Additionally, there are studies that show cooking and cooling other starches including pasta, rice and beans also lowers GI. I don’t think there is one study you can hang your hat on, but there is enough information out there that shows cooking, cooling and possibly reheating potatoes and other starches has real impact on GI.
mash carrots in 50/50 it really helps to eat less and is healthier
Great tip Mark!
Thank you all for the great ideas and info!
You are most welcome!
Have made the basic scalloped potatoes yesterday. Used baby red potatoes (skin on) and some pouring cream which had a higher fat content. Baked, cooled, and reheated them later. Absolutely luscious, and when I took my blood sugar 2 hours later, found it within normal range. This is a keeper! Thanks so much for finding a way to lower the GI in potatoes, a favorite side dish in our house.
Hi Angeline, I am so glad this worked out for you. I’ve read the studies that say these steps lower the GI in potatoes, but I have never actually checked my blood sugar. So nice to have the methodology is verified. Thank you for sharing with our readers!
If you lower the GI of potatoes do you also lower the carb count?
I wish! But sadly, I don’t think so.
so when I cook potatoes a lot to the point it is soft I get spike in energy right a way and dizzy however if I cook it not so much feel good not dizzy at all and tasty.
My doc has told me to get serious about lowering my A1C so all the ideas I’ve read here are a Godsend for me and one of favorite dishes. Thank you all
I have in the past and am willing to eat raw white potatoes. Any idea where that would fit on the glycemic index. Most assume that no one will eat raw potatoes but they are incorrect. Thank you.
Hi Mac, Funny, it is hard to find a resource on raw potatoes, but after a few tries I found this: https://foodstruct.com/food/potato. I hope it answers your question.
Cooking and cooling creates “resistant starch” which acts like and and can be counted as soluble fiber. Preparing potatoes, rice, pasta this way does not lower GI but does lower carb count.
My husband is Scottish, so mashing potatoes with other vegetables is common, particularly “Neeps and Tatties” which is with a turnip, or a swede, and often served on holidays. But it wasn’t until I grew some kohlrabi and tried mashing potatoes with that, that I got something closer to just straight mashed potato in flavor and texture. Kohlrabi has a G.I. of only 20. I highly recommend trying it!
Great tip Holly. Thank you!
when they say cooking potatoes does steaming also count as that is the way i prep my potatoes
Hi Nellie, I do not know how steaming a potato would compare to boiling and baking, but cooling your potato before you eat it will help lower the glycemic index no matter how you cooked it.
Can diabetic patient eat Irish potatoes
Hi Maurice, I recommend you speak to you doctor about it. I am not sure what you mean by “Irish potatoes.” Good luck!
Have you heard of the cold potato diet? Cold potatoes actually create a resistant starch, a prebiotic, that does not digest in the stomach or small intestine and can survive through to the colon, and are able to help balance microbiomes there which go on to help regulate our weight and mood. Eating the potato cold is in theory is also not supposed to cause any kind of blood glucose spike, as it doesn’t digest, which I’m guessing means that you also don’t take in the calories of a cold potato. I haven’t tested this myself, but I’ve heard about people testing their glucose levels with finger prick tests who say that this is accurate.
Hi Yoshi, As I understand it cooling down the potato and reheating it creates a resistant starch. That means that you digest the potatoes more slowly and that the slowed digestion is what prevents the blood sugar spike. It does not prevent you from taking in the calories.
I was looking for info on GI and potatoes becasue I just put some sliced ones with a bit of coconut oil in the panini press.
The panini press is used in my kitchen to prepare all kinds of things and avoids the need for a toaster which just dries everything out.
Even the latest breaking news from functional medicine doctors and scientists are supporting what you say about eating potatoes or just about any carb on its own. As one scientists is saying “put some clothes on your carbs” and by that she means eating your salads or proteins with or before consuming bread, potatoes and other high GI foods. I’m just trying it now. I’ve got some sliced potatoes slathered in coconut oil in the panini press, they will cook quite quickly then I will let them cool to room temp and enjoy them with some egg and spinach. We learn something new and even your blog of 2014 is still very helpful for any one who is concerned about glycation and aging.
Hi Donna, Thank you so much for your comments. Yes, there is more and more information to support both cooking and cooling your carbs as well as starting your meals with greens veggies before you eat your carbs. Nutrition is definitely an evolving science worth staying abreast of the latest developments.
A note to yoshimi, my dietician has told me the resistant starch forms in the cooking, you can then either reheat and eat or you can consume cold and the starch stays resistant and gives all the benefits you speak of, so you can have cold potato salad or reheated potato and it won’t spike your blood sugars
Does anyone know about frozen mashed potato as I’m assuming this has been cooked, cooked and frozen for sale. The consumer then heats it from frozen. I have the same question for frozen roast potatoes.
Hi Pam, frozen or roast mash potatoes would also see a lower glycemic index. Just check out the added ingredients. It is unlikely any frozen potatoes will be 100% potatoes.