POTATO MYTHS and Low Carb Diet Debunked | Dietitians Eat French Fries | Feat. Diet Debbie

This video was sponsored by McCains, but all opinions are my own!

Extreme Diet Debbie is back to battle it out with Abbey regarding the true value of potatoes and the role they can play in your life on a daily basis. Abbey also debunks the myth of low carb dieting once and for all.

Extreme Diet Debbie starts off the video proclaiming the potatoes are making you sick, fat, and ugly. She goes on to say that you need to cut those "carb bombs" out of your life for good. Debbie claims she's been doing research on Google and found that the key to a healthy life and a hot body is to stay the hell away from those potatoes.

Abbey asks Debbie if she's familiar with the term "Everything in Moderation". Debbie comes right back at Abbey full force telling her that moderation is for the weak and it's all or bust if you want to get lean. Debbie goes on about how important it is to cut those starchy potatoes out of your life for good.

Abbey points out 5 key things about potatoes that make them a useful and valuable part of your diet. Debbie's first major claim against potatoes is that they make you gain weight and spike your blood sugar because they are loaded with carbs. Abbey comes right back at Debbie reminding her that they have talked about this issue before. Carbs do not make you fat and cutting them out of your life completely are not necessarily going to make you skinny. It is a fact that your brain needs carbs in order to function optimally. Research has shown that low carb diets are no more successful at helping you lose weight than high carb diets, the same is true for low versus high glycemic index diets. Research has also shown that diets in general often do not lead to weight loss. There is no strong evidence whatsoever linking potatoes to obesity, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes. Abbey recommends enjoying your potatoes in moderation, roughly one cup per serving. Pair your potatoes with lean protein and fiber rich vegetables and you will have a well balanced meal that will keep your body running the way it was intended to.

Debbie's second claim is that by peeling potatoes you lose out on all the nutrients. Potatoes are actually an excellent source of Vitamin C, have more potassium than a banana, and contain B6, iron, and magnesium. They are also full of high quality carbohydrates. The only thing you sacrifice when you peel a potato is 1 single gram of fiber as opposed to the 2 grams it would normally have with the peel on it.

Debbie moves on with her tirade claiming that sweet potatoes are good and white potatoes are bad. Compared side by side and measured per 100 grams they both have 90 calories, are high in Vitamin C, potassium, iron and magnesium. Sweet potatoes are however higher in fiber as well as Vitamin A. This sort of black and white thinking regarding food is something Abbey has been fighting against for years. There is no good food or bad food, it's all just food. It is how you choose to consume your food that will make the difference in the way it effects your body.

Debbie moves on to launch a full scale attack on frozen french fries claiming they are made with additives, preservatives and strange ingredients she can't even pronounce. To prove her point Abbey grabs a bad of McCain Superfries and reads off the ingredients. They consist of potatoes, canola oil, sea salt, sodium phosphate, and color. All french fries are not created equal but as long as you are taking a peek at the ingredients there is no reason you shouldn't be able to enjoy french fries from time to time. Again, all things in moderation applies to this scenario as well.

Debbie's final rant is that frozen fries are loaded with trans fats, saturated fats, and sodium that causes heart disease. Abbey reminds Debbie not to jump to conclusions pointing out the fries she used for her example are trans fat free, contain just .3 grams of saturated fat per serving, and meet only 4% of your sodium needs for the entire day. In regards to heart health, potatoes are loaded with potassium. Potassium actually works in opposition to sodium to promote a healthier heart, in other words eating potatoes could actually be good for your heart.

We hope this video has cleared some of the misinformation out there regarding potatoes.

As always thank you for watching and stay tuned for more stellar content coming soon.

For tips on staying healthy, recipes, dieting, and information fit for consumption by foodies everywhere stop by Abbeys blog.

[ConstantChaos]

So this was sponsored by McCain's?

[RubysMusings]

I like to cube and bake/roast my potatoes in the oven with cooking spray, herbs, low sodium salt, garlic powder and a bit of parmasain cheese and leave them in until very crispy.

[KennethDiazperlloni]

What mess up your health is staying on a caloric surplus all the time, I'm diabetic, eat carbs in moderation, count calories and I'm in good shape.

[LupusIsABadDiagnosis]

No hate here but I'm a bit iffy about the sponsorship. I don't mind sponsored videos when you're, say, making a healthy recipe but when you're debunking something, it makes me less inclined to believe you.

[kimf]

The sponsorship comes off a little wrong in this. But I guess I'm glad you're getting paid.
Edit: I think what bothered me was the line about reducing sodium without reducing taste. That comes off like a sales pitch instead of nutritional information.

[af]

Damn, I was really hoping you were joking about the McCains sponsorship. I’m a potato fan, but you really leave the pro-potato argument open to doubt when you’ve got sponsor bias :(

[MichelleQuintiaVLOGS]

Eating whole foods & avoiding overly processed foods have changed my life in the best possible way. Eating everything in moderation is key to healthy eating.

[kenh.]

Potatoes (real, actual potatoes) are magical, like apples. Btw this isn't potato-related but did you know that to stop your potatoes from sprouting, just put an apple in the bag of potatoes.

[Everydaystarlet]

Love this... and I LOVE potatoes. I do know that I have a difficult time with carbs, but I would never give up potatoes completely. You're so right, it's all about moderation!

[tongueinchic]

Great video! But I'm feeling very confused now. You mentioned that low GI foods won't help with weight loss, but are they still good for lowering your overall sugar/carb intake? The dietitian I saw recommended low GI foods to me because I'm pre-diabetic.

[tom-uky]

Almost everything stated in here is either factually wrong or just a fuzzy assumption. People, you shouldn't really be taking health advice from someone with numerous health conditions.

[bryanacamillebraxton]

OMG I can't believe the potato skin thing is a myth! I've always been told that's where all the nutrients is. #mythdebunked #peeledpotatoesforlife

[shannongarcia]

Love your combo of humor + knowledge. You're awesome, Abbey!

[teacherchil]

interestinig...I am trying to substitute bread with white potatoes....is it a good trade off?

[ReturnToSenderz]

Diet Debbie is the part of my brain that stores all the Facebook Science about wellness I’ve ever read.😬 Thanks for putting her in her place. 🥔🍠

[wendytracerset]

I'm sending this to my sister ASAP, she's always talking smack about my potato consumption, which is moderate i might add. I'm a baked potato kind of girl myself but i do love a good fry from time to time.

[SharonElizabethWhitfield]

I argue with people all the time about potatoes. My argument is that potatoes are loaded with nutrients. Yes they have carbohydrates. But if you cut out things like bread, cake, pasta etc, then the 25 grams of carbs in potatoes won’t hurt you. The most important thing is to buy whole potatoes. Stay away from frozen French fries, and instant mashed potatoes.

[shannongarcia]

LOL. Even just the music gets me laughing. So glad you're debunking Dr. Google!

[loftyfoodies]

My clients are always surprised when I tell them potatoes are healthy! I'll send them over to this video so they can now believe me. Great video!

[vitoriapires]

I am a fan of videos and I also take a nutrition class in school as a prereq. Today one of our assignments involved watching this video. The book and the assignments are from Cengage. I hope they paid you well for educating the world!