People often wonder if they can eat a potato in their six pack abs diet and still obtain a six pack as a result. The potato is a favorite of many, but commonly thought of as one of the worst foods for health. It is commonly believed that food must taste bad in order to be healthy. The truth is however, many healthy foods taste amazing, and some foods such as the potato, can potentially be healthy depending on preparation methods.
Learning to eat food that you love in a healthy manner, is truly the best way to get a six pack. If you attempt to force down food that you think is disgusting, solely because you believe it is healthy, is not a good method of improving your diet. This will not really do you or your body any good because you will not stick to the diet, and will revert back to eating poorly, which will nullify what little progress was made during the short lived diet. People who do not exercise regularly often try to “work off a cake” or others hear a product such as kale is a super food and eat it once. Although this does not harm you, it is essentially a waste of time and does not actually do your body any good. Your body forms as a result of the lifestyle you live, not by one time efforts. Indulging in whatever food you want, thinking that you can work it off is just silly broken logic and wishful thinking. You can not out train a poor diet, so the best way to get a six pack is to master the six pack abs diet, and lifestyle that results in six pack abs.
Returning back to the topic of the potato, it is important to realize that this plant is actually a vegetable that contains many healthy nutrients. Many people do not realize the previously mentioned fact, and the confusion comes as a result of common preparation methods of the potato. The actual potato itself does not contain that many calories, yet it is satisfying to both your taste buds and appetite. It is true that the french fry and potato chimps commonly eaten should not be consumed often for optimum health and prevention of weight gain, but it is the preparation method that causes the health concerns and not the potato causing the problem. To back up my claim, think about a caramel apple for example. This snack is not exactly low calorie or perfect for weight loss and optimal health, but it is the caramel not the apple causing the health concerns. Nobody really puts blame on the apple in this scenario, so why should we blame the potato for chips and fries? The preparation, refinement, and use of unhealthy oils is the cause of the nutritious potato to lose its value. Furthermore, a baked potato is often accompanied with butter, sour cream, and bacon bits, that are grouped in with the health value of the potato. To fairly assess the potato, you need to look at the properties of the potato by itself in order to evaluate the effects it has on your health and body.
It is important to mention however, that although potatoes are a vegetable, they are a starchy vegetable and they are on the higher end of the glycemic index. Some people are against them for these reasons. The glycemic index measures how fast carbohydrates enter the blood stream. Processed food, along with simple carbs, tend to have values on the glycemic index, and are associated with weight gain, insulin resistance, and diabetes. These are the main fact based arguments against potatoes for a six pack abs diet.
Even though there are some claims against the potato, proponents for the potato have a strong case for defending claims made against it. The majority of the nutrients in the potato are in the skin, and a half an inch into the potato. Some of the nutrients contained are potassium, magnesium complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein, calcium, niacin, zinc, carotenoids, phosphorus and vitamin C and the vitamin B Complex. The remaining portion of the potato contains about 90 percent simple carbohydrates. For this reason, peeling the potato and throwing away the skin is not recommended, and healthy potato skin recipes are a good choice for a six pack abs diet. With regards to the glycemic index, it is important to note that for this specific vegetable, the value can be variable. The value commonly quoted on glycemic index charts is often much higher than it needs to be for a potato. A common russet potato baked has an index value of 76. However, a boiled red potato that has been stored in a cold environment, has a value of only 55. This is the same value as brown rice, which is often considered to be a healthy carb source. There are many different types of potatoes(even a purple potato), and they all differ in the actual glycemic index value. The cooking method and environment they are stored in also plays a role in the glycemic index of the potato. These reasons mentioned defend the claims made against the potato for its high glycemic index value. As seen in the russet vs red potato scenario, the potato’s actual glycemic value can be quite variable.
The sweet potato is an alternative to the common potato that is often recommended by people who are even against the potato for health. Actually, the sweet potato is not technically a potato but it is a fine vegetable for your diet if you enjoy the taste. Since it is not technically a potato, it differs in nutritional composition, but it is not necessarily better. Sweet potatoes are extremely high in vitamin A for example. The lower value in the glycemic index of the sweet potato when compared to the white potato, can be attributed to the forms in which it is consumed. White potatoes are commonly eaten in unhealthy forms, where as sweet potatoes recipes are typically written specifically for health conscious individuals. If consumed correctly, both make fine choices as healthy carbohydrate sources.
Although potatoes are high in in carbs, they have a preference of being stored as glycogen in your muscle rather than as fat. This property is also seen in both rice and oats. This property combined with the quick digestion associated by the glycemic index, actually make the potato an ideal carb source for weight training sessions. After weight training is an example of a specific time periods known as your anabolic window, where your body is at its peak ability to handle carbs. It needs carbohydrates to replenish the glycogen reserves, since carbohydrates are your bodies preferred source of energy. If your glycogen is too low for too long, your body will begin to catabolize, or eat the muscle as a fuel source. One of the main focuses for the best way to get a six pack and lose weight should be on gaining muscle. This increases overall metabolism and fat burning. These facts further support keeping the potato in your six pack abs diet.
Even though I showed that potatoes can be kept in your diet for abs, and actually provide value for your health, let me state that they should be consumed in moderation. Do not mistake the article to read that the more potatoes you eat the more weight you will lose, or the more muscle you will gain. The article simply suggests that potatoes can play a role as a healthy carb source in a healthy diet. It is still important to know the correct time to eat them, as well as healthy preparation methods, before you include them into your six pack abs diet. Carbs can be a tricky macromolecule to master, but through learning and practice, you can consume many of your favorite foods and still see health improvement results.
Another important note to mention is that potatoes are part of the dirty dozen. This means that they are one of the most sprayed crops in agriculture. If you know the importance of buying organic food items, but need to consider which are the most important for budget reasons, these should make your list as high priority. Sweet potatoes however, tend to be considered for on the list of clean crops.
Nutrition Facts Approximations For One Medium Russet Potato
Calories: 150
Carbs: 33.5
Fat: 0
Protein: 4
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