Starch is your friend, not your enemy

BY SA TRIPI

A few years ago, a colleague of mine, Tom, decided to go on a diet. He wasn’t overweight but he felt as if he needed to find a better way to eat. He went to his doctor who told him to go Keto (high fat, low carbs) and eat all the meat you want. But no bread. No potatoes. No rice.

And that is what he did. I’d watch him walk into the office with his breakfast and it was mostly meat. And the bacon looked beautiful and greasy. He would devour it. I, in not the kindest way, looked at him and thought his doctor must be crazy telling him he could eat so much bacon. Evidently his doctor was not a cardiologist. He scoffed.

A month passed and again, I commented that his once trim body now had a bit of a belly. When Tom went back to the doctor, she told him that maybe all that meat was a mistake, so do Paleo (meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts; exclude grains, legumes and processed foods).

Paleo seemed better but there was still a lot of meat and some greens but not a starch in sight. He was always hungry. Nothing could make him eat differently. I am a vegetarian, and I was twenty-five pounds overweight while I was trying to counsel my
friend. I ate starches but I also ate a lot of cheese, my go-to protein. And when I say I ate a lot of cheese, that is an understatement.

One day I came across Dr. John McDougall, a most amazing man from whom I learned about food and nutrition — how to eat and, how and what we put into our bodies affects our health. The first thing I did was to give up all cheese.

When I was at work, there were always cookies or brownies that would find their way into my mouth. Once you get that taste of sugar, you always want another. I gave up all of that. That’s not to say that I am totally deprived because I am not. If a craving
comes my way, I’ll give in a bit but if you are eating balanced meals, you very seldom get those cravings.

I eat vegetables, beans, rice, pasta, legumes and potatoes. As we have said in prior columns, potatoes are a complete food. They contain 30 percent of your daily vitamin C needs and 15 percent of your daily potassium, and they are very good for you.

Garlic mashed potatoes with herbs and lemon

Potatoes are an excellent source of nutrition and it contains all the protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fiber that adults need.

That doesn’t mean that I go to McDonalds and chow down on French fries because they are ‘potatoes’, because I don’t. It is important to stay as healthy as I can. There are so many ways to eat starches that benefit you, taste great and leave you feeling satiated. If you are ever stuck on an island and all they grow is potatoes, you’ll be good. And the fact that you can make vodka from potatoes is an added plus.

Stay fit. Stay well.

Happy Pride Month!

SOURCE: www.DrMcDougall.com

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