Potatoes and Human Health, Part I

Potatoes: an Introduction

Over 10,000 years ago, on the shores of lake Titicaca in what is now Peru, a culture began to cultivate a species of wild potato, Solanum tuberosum. They gradually transformed it into a plant that efficiently produces roundish starchy tubers, in a variety of strains that suited the climactic and gastronomic needs of various populations. These early farmers could not have understood at the time that the plant they were selecting would become the most productive crop in the world*, and eventually feed billions of people around the globe.

Wild potatoes, which were likely consumed by hunter-gatherers before domestication, are higher in toxic glycoalkaloids. These are defensive compounds that protect against insects, infections and... hungry animals. Early farmers selected varieties that are low in bitter glycoalkaloids, which are the ancestors of most modern potatoes, however they didn't abandon the high-glycoalkaloid varieties. These were hardier and more tolerant of high altitudes, cold temperatures and pests. Cultures living high in the Andes developed a method to take advantage of these hardy but toxic potatoes, as well as their own harsh climate: they invented chuños. These are made by leaving potatoes out in the open, where they are frozen at night, stomped underfoot and dried in the sun for many days**. What results is a dried potato with a low glycoalkaloid content that can be stored for a year or more.

Nutritional Qualities

From a nutritional standpoint, potatoes are a mixed bag. On one hand, if I had to pick a single food to eat exclusively for a while, potatoes would be high on the list. One reason is that they contain an adequate amount of complete protein, meaning they don't have to be mixed with another protein source as with grains and legumes. Another reason is that a number of cultures throughout history have successfully relied on the potato as their principal source of calories, and several continue to do so. A third reason is that they're eaten in an unrefined, fresh state.

Potatoes contain an adequate amount of many essential minerals, and due to their low phytic acid content (1), the minerals they contain are well absorbed. They're rich in magnesium and copper, two minerals that are important for insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular health (2, 3). They're also high in potassium and vitamin C. Overall, they have a micronutrient content that compares favorably with other starchy root vegetables such as taro and cassava (4, 5, 6). Due to their very low fat content, potatoes contain virtually no omega-6, and thus do not contribute to an excess of these essential fatty acids.

On the other hand, I don't have to eat potatoes exclusively, so what do they have to offer a mixed diet? They have a high glycemic index, which means they raise blood sugar more than an equivalent serving of most carbohydrate foods, although I'm not convinced that's a problem in people with good blood sugar control (7, 8). They're low-ish in fiber, which could hypothetically lead to a reduction in the number and diversity of gut bacteria in the absence of other fiber sources. Sweet potatoes, an unrelated species, contain more micronutrients and fiber, and have been a central food source for healthy cultures (9). However, the main reasons temperate-climate cultures throughout the world eat potatoes is they yield well, they're easily digested, they fill you up and they taste good.

In the next post, I'll delve into the biology and toxicology of potato glycoalkaloids, and review some animal data. In further posts, I'll address the most important question of all: what happens when a person eats mostly potatoes... for months, years, and generations?


* In terms of calories produced per acre.

** A simplified description. The process can actually be rather involved, with several different drying, stomping and leaching steps.

Why Proactol Works For Weight Loss: Reviewing The Research (Part 1)

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions around the world and now affects hundreds of millions of people. Obesity increases the risk of many negative health conditions like stroke, heart attack, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Usually the result of an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, obesity is treated through dieting, exercise, pharmacology, and surgery.

Exercise and dieting can prove fruitful only if an individual is capable of following a regular routine over a long period of time. However, many people struggling with obesity find it difficult to keep to their dieting routine, which results in failed attempts at treating obesity.

Of course, there are pharmacological options available to treat obesity. Drugs like sibutramine, phentermine, and orlistat are often prescribed to those trying to

lose weight

. Many of these drugs offer promising initial results. However, these treatments are linked to rebound weight gain. Additionally, they can prove addictive and sometimes have unwanted side effects.

Surgical interventions on the other hand, have been used to treat special cases of obesity. However these procedures are often dangerous and lead to permanent changes to the digestive system. Surgery is rarely the right choice.

Due to the low success rate of so many conventional treatments for obesity, more people turn to herbal medicine. Recently,

herbal remedies for weight loss

have garnered much attention. Many people seek natural remedies because they dislike the side effects of pharmacological options. Go to Proactol web page right now.

The Specter Key Trailer [HD]

Check out this book trailer for an upcoming book. I've talked about Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse before in other posts, this is the sequel. It's called Bran Hambric: The Specter Key. It certainly has a chance to make it to the NYT Best Seller's List.

At the end of the trailer, there is a link to sample chapters. Be sure to check them out.

Come 10/10/10, you will find me reading this on the elliptical....

Drink Water to Lose Weight

Does drinking water help you lose weight? Yes! Here’s how:

Recent research in hydration science reveals that both the temperature of water and when it’s consumed trigger astonishing weight loss.

Although you’ve likely heard the advice to drink more water to lose weight, it’s crucial to employ this little-known approach: “The secret is to alternate drinking water of different temperatures- hot, lukewarm and cold- throughout the day since each of these temperatures plays a different role in weight regulation,” explains Barbara Hendel, M.D., coauthor of Water & Salt (Natural Resources, 2003).

In fact, alternating three water temperatures to capitalize on the unique benefits of each could make your body’s weight loss systems up to 50 percent more effective, allowing you to easily lose up to 10 pounds per week, according to research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. That’s a total loss of 30 pounds or more in a month.

“Water’s importance is often overlooked, yet it is the key to fast, hassle-free, lasting weight loss”, says Christopher Vasey, N.D., author of The Water Prescription (Healing Arts Press, 2006).

How drinking water in different-temperatures speeds up weight loss in unique ways:

1. Hot water triggers a body-wide detox. When cellular levels of toxins rise, your body concentrates them in the liver, lymph system, intestines and skin in an effort to speed their excretion, according to researchers at the University of Stirling in Scotland. Problem is, the stored toxins end up slowing down metabolism.

To the rescue: hot water. By flooding the GI tract with heat, it promotes peristalsis- muscle contractions that encourage the movement of toxins from the liver and lymph system into the digestive tract, stimulating their elimination from the body, suggests research at the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California. “Hot water also makes your pores open slightly,” adds Dr. Hendel. “This allows extra toxins stored in skin tissue to evaporate into the air”.

2. Lukewarm water suppresses appetite. When lukewarm water enters the stomach, the organ registers fullness more quickly than with hot or cold water. “Lukewarm water doesn’t set off the drastic hot/cold alarm signals in the brain, so it’s easier to gulp down a full glass at once,” says Dr. Hendel.

This action causes the stomach to expand rapidly, stimulating the brain’s vagus nerve to turn off hunger pangs, she explains. Room-temperature water is also more rapidly absorbed by the stomach lining, so it doesn’t stall the digestive process the way liquids of other temperatures can.

The result: a quicker stabilization of blood sugar- which shuts down food cravings, adds Dr. Hendel.

3. Cold water gives your body a work out. Your metabolic rate jumps as much as 3 percent within 10 minutes of finishing a glass of cold water, and it stays elevated for 30 minutes thereafter, say experts at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

The reason: Your digestive tract has to work harder to heat cold water before the water can be absorbed and used by cells, explains Dr. Vasey. “This process takes an enormous amount of energy, which your body derives by breaking down food and fat to release their stored calories.”

Hydration produces amazing benefits:

- mental clarity increases by 20% in 30 minutes
- Late night hunger pangs disappear
- Energy levels increase by 89% in 24 hours
- Blue moods lift and sleep improves in 72 hours
- Exercise endurance increases in 4 days
- Chronic back pain end in 1 week
- Joint pain eases in 2 weeks
- Peptic ulcers heal in 3 weeks

Next>>

How to lose weight by drinking water, the tricks that will help you lose 30 pounds in less than a month

How to lose weight by drinking water: Tricks that will help you lose 30 pounds in less than a month

The Drinking Water Strategies proven to help lose up to 10 pounds a week.

Even slight dehydration slows all of the body’s function by up to 50 percent, including the actions of the weight-regulating thyroid and adrenal glands, note experts at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. And since the brain is 80 percent water, dehydration offsets appetite-regulating functions, as well. This means drinking 4 oz. of water every hour is essential for preventing weight gain.

But for amazing results, try these strategies proven to melt weight at the pace of up to 10 pounds a week.

The temperature tricks that turn Drinking Water into a miracle slimmer:

1. Start the day with 8 oz. of hot lemon water. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon, plus 1 tsp. of freshly grated lemon zest, into a mug, then add 8 oz. of water that’s been boiled and left to cool for several minutes. Sip slowly. “Lemon and hot water promote peristalsis- intestinal contractions that speed the elimination of fat-storing toxins,” explains Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., author of The Fast Track Detox Diet (Broadway, 2006).

2. Alternate steamy and icy sips throughout the day. Switching between hot and cold water acts as a form of internal hydrotherapy that cleanses the body, says Christopher Vasey, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Switzerland. “Hot water helps your intestines flush toxins all day, while cold water keeps calorie burn high”. To do: An hour after drinking 8 oz. of hot lemon water, drink 8 oz. of ice-cold water. Repeat this cycle twice (at nonmeal times).

3. Drink lukewarm water before meals and snacks. Drinking 8 oz. of room-temperature water 15 minutes before a meal quickly signals satiation, Penn State research suggests. This easy strategy can lead to the consumption of 104 fewer calories per sitting- enough to help you shed 31 pounds every year. “To maximize the effect, down a glass of water all at once,” suggests Dr. Vasey. “This makes your stomach lining stretch rapidly, which stimulates the vagus nerve to shut down food cravings fast”. Water is absorbed when it’s at room temperature, and that means these premeal sips flood metabolically active tissue with water, raising its ability to convert food into energy.

Another sweet way to stay hydrated:
Fruit and veggies are typically 85 percent water, so enjoying 3 cups of them daily will provide up to 20 oz. of fluid. More good news: “Many of them are rich in detoxifying nutrients that speed the breakdown of fat-storing toxins in the liver, triggering a one-to-two pound weekly weight loss”, says Gittleman. Try pineapples, kiwis, watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers and spinach.

More Healthy Water Options:

If you drink mostly bottled water: In a test of 1,000 bottled water brands, 22 percent had chemical amounts above state health limits. “Your liver has to filter these chemicals, and that stalls its ability to burn body fat for weight loss,” notes Dr. Hendel. Two chemical-free picks: Poland Spring and Evian Natural Spring Water. For a list of other safe brands, log on to nsf.org/certified/bwpi.

If you drink mostly tap water: Consider a filter to get rid of lead, mercury, herbicides, industrial chemicals and other metabolism-slowing toxins. Two that ranked tops in Consumer Reports studies: Countertop Superior Water Filter System and the Brita® Faucet Filter System.

Speaking at Wise Traditions 2010

I'm happy to announce that I'll be presenting at the Weston A. Price foundation's 2010 Wise Traditions conference. The conference will be held in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Nov 12-14. The theme is the politics of food.

Sally Fallon Morell has invited me to give a talk on the diet and health of Pacific islanders. The talk will be titled "Kakana Dina: Diet and Health in the Pacific Islands", and it will take place on Sunday, November 14th from 4:00 to 5:20 pm. In preparation for the talk, I've read eight books and countless journal articles. Although some of the material will be familiar to people who follow the blog, I will not be rehashing what I've already published. I have nearly an hour and a half to talk, so I'll be going into some depth on the natural history and traditional food habits of Pacific island populations. Not just macronutrient breakdowns... specific foods and traditional preparation methods.

Learn about the health of traditional Pacific island populations, and what has changed since Western contact. Learn about traditional cooking and fermentation techniques. See unpublished photos from the Kitava study, courtesy of Dr. Staffan Lindeberg. Learn about the nutritional and ceremonial role of mammals including pork... and the most gruesome food of all.

I hope to see you there!


Kitava photo courtesy of Dr. Staffan Lindeberg

Still standing...sort of

I just logged off my work computer and yes, it's indeed 12:03 a.m. Work is the same as the last time I posted. High stress, long hours. This is just temporary and won't last much longer (and at this rate, I won't last much longer either!).

However, today I seemed to be handling it a whole lot better. I'm not sure why, although I have a theory.

Recently during this highly chaotic time I decided to start decluttering my life. Those Hoarder shows have really bothered me. Like just maybe I could become one of "those" people.

I'm not a collector of anything, at least when you first walk into my house, that's what you'd think. I hate knick knacks. I really like the whole idea of Feng Shui, or actually, just the idea of no clutter. It makes me feel better.

I think as you get older, you realize you've accumulate a whole lot of junk during your life and you don't want anymore junk. In fact, you really want to get rid of the junk you have stockpiled over the years.

Even though I may appear to like clean surfaces and a clutter-free environment, open a closet or some of the drawers around here, and oh my goodness...look what we have here...a secret hoarder! I won't even discuss the garage...definitely the makings for a Hoarder show.

During my decluttering these last couple of weeks I've been finding stuff I didn't even know I owned. One thing was a brand new, unopened New Testament on CDs. I'd never even taken off the cellophane. I opened it up this morning and thought maybe I should listen to it on my way to work.

It's kind of cool because the reading is done with a lot of famous actors (and yes, James Caviezel does the voice of Jesus). It also has sound effect, if there's a storm, there's thunder and lightning. If there's water, you hear water running. It has all sorts of background noises and music.

I started with Matthew this morning and at first I thought oh boy, all these "begets" are b-o-r-i-n-g! But it quickly became interesting and somehow, comforting.

I know I have atheist friends that read this, but honestly, you really should give the Bible a try. It has some great advice on how to live your life.

Swearing
My new thing is to stop swearing. I'm not sure how this happened but recently I'm swearing like a sailor. Not the f- word, okay, sometimes the f- word. Usually it things like "oh crap!" or "that's crap!" or "what the hell" or "Oh my God!" or "Oh Shit!". It's really gotten out of control.

I work in a business environment. One person I work with is very religious, and I'm sure he's offended by my language. I'm even kind of offended by the words coming out of my mouth.

So I've started my own swear jar. It's not for other people, just for me. I don't really care if other people swear (except the GD phrase...I hate that one...prefer the f- word over that). Other people swearing doesn't bother me, it bothers me most that I swear. My Baptist mother would die if she heard me (if she were alive).

I gathered together the dimes and quarters out of the change jar and decided the quarters are for the f- word, dimes for the "crap" and "shit" and "OMG" words (I have a lot of dimes). Within about thirty seconds of getting my money and jar together, I said "oh crap!' and then "oh shit!" because I had just said said "oh crap!"

See what I mean, it's really bad when I swear because I just said a swear word! It's kind of disgusting if you think about it, and not cute at all for a 55-year old woman to sound like a trucker. Not classy, kind of trashy.

The diet and the exercise (after all, this is a weight loss blog, in case you forgot)
I went to Weight Watchers Saturday, and had a one-pound loss. I should have done better, but I didn't. I'm at 174.8. I could write a whole lot about this, but I won't, not tonight (this morning).

I haven't been to the gym since Saturday. I know...who AM I?! Actually, I kind of hurt myself last Saturday. I pushed myself on the weights, doing concentrated dumbbell curls with 25-pound dumbbells, hammer curls with 20-pounds dumbbells, lat pulldowns with 75 pounds, and three sets of full plank for a minute each. That was just a part of my workout, and I overdid it big time. I was still sore this morning, three days later. I was trying to compete with a 20-year old working next to me. I need to remember...I am not 20. I am 55. I need to act appropriately.

Well, it's off to bed. I have a million things I want to write about, but no time right now. I'm definitely going to the gym in about five hours (ugh!). I'm really missing reading all your blogs. I haven't been taking a lunch break at work lately so I don't even have that time to read. This will all come to a grinding halt in about a week. It's just a little tough right now, and I can hardly wait to have my life back!