Weight loss can be daunting because of the multitude of different diets to choose from, and because many of them have complicated rules or meal plans. One approach to simplifying weight loss is to eat only one type of food, such as on an all-potato diet. Although it may help you lose weight, an all-potato diet is not nutritionally adequate, and a balanced diet is healthier.
Calorie Balance
You will probably lose weight if you only eat potatoes because a large potato provides 278 calories. Even if you had five or more potatoes per day, your total would be 1,390 calories. You need to create a calorie deficit, or burn off more calories than you eat, in order to lose weight, and the average adult needs about 1,600 or more calories per day to maintain weight, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. An all-potato diet excludes high-calorie foods such as sweets, bread, fried foods, fatty meats, full-fat cheeses and caloric beverages.
Macronutrient Nutrition
An all-potato diet may be sufficient in carbohydrates, including dietary fiber, because a large potato provides 63 g carbohydrates and 7 g dietary fiber, compared to recommendations for at least 130 g carbohydrates and 25 g dietary fiber per day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A potato has 7.5 g protein, or 15 percent of the daily value, but less than 1 g fat. Potatoes do not provide omega-three fatty acids.
Micronutrient Nutrition
A potato provides 29 mg vitamin C and 0.9 mcg vitamin B-6, or nearly half of the daily value for these vitamins, as well as 1,600 mg potassium, or 46 percent of the daily value. An all-potato diet may also be sufficient in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, niacin and folate, since a potato has about 20 percent of the daily value for these micronutrients. However, an all-potato diet may lead to deficiencies in micronutrients such as calcium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin E.
Considerations
Potatoes are high-glycemic, which means that they lead to spikes in your blood sugar levels after you eat them. A high-glycemic diet may increase your risk for type 2 diabetes, so do not follow an all-potato diet for a length of time. Nearly everyone can eat potatoes as part of a balanced weight loss diet. Eat them in moderation, and with a variety of other healthy foods. You can have baked potatoes topped with yogurt, herbs and vegetables, mashed potatoes mixed with cauliflower, served with chicken breast or fish, and roasted potatoes drizzled with olive oil, for example.
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