MATC Matters

Yes, potatoes are technically vegetables. But white potatoes have little in common with salads.

“Potatoes raise blood sugar as fast as sugar does,” says Harvard’s Meir Stampfer. “A potato may be a complex carbohydrate, but your body treats it like sugar.”

When Harvard researchers tracked more than 84,000 women in the ongoing Nurses’ Health Study for 20 years, those who reported eating one serving of potatoes a day (one cup mashed or one baked) had an 18 percent higher risk of diabetes than those who ate potatoes once every two weeks or so. The risk was clearest in women who were sedentary or obese.

Why? “Eating any food that causes a sharp upswing in blood sugar is followed by a rise in insulin, followed by a sharp decline in blood sugar,” Stampfer explains. “If that process is repeated several times a day, it may lead to insulin resistance, which is the first step towards diabetes.”

And don’t assume that potatoes are fine as long as they’re not french fries.

“Many health‑conscious people know they shouldn’t eat fries, so they eat a baked potato or mashed potatoes instead,” says Stampfer. But neither is good for you, and “eating mashed potatoes is not that far from getting an intravenous load of glucose.”

That doesn’t mean you should never touch a potato again. (For starters, the rise in blood sugar is dampened when you eat them with fat or other foods.)

Remember: If spuds are a staple in your pantry, try switching to roasted vegetables. You can roast whatever’s in your fridge - broccoli, cauliflower, onions, zucchini, winter squash, asparagus, sweet potatoes - so the mix can vary from day to day. Get started by trying the Roasted Medley recipe below.

As long as you go easy on the oil, you’ll minimize the calories per bite, which is a good thing for most people. Add an entrée and a salad - yes, more veggies - and dinner is done.

Roasted Medley Recipe
Coat 4 cups of just about any cut‑up vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, onion, squash, asparagus, you name it) with 2 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, 5‑6 cloves chopped garlic, and a sprinkle of pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 450° oven for 10‑15 minutes or until lightly browned.

This information is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Please consult your physician with any concerns you might have regarding this information.

Sources: The Center for Science in the Public Interest Volume 34, Number 1, Jan/Feb 2007. Am. J. Clin. Nutr 2006; 83:294

If you have questions, contact Cindi Rutten, Employee Health & Wellness coordinator at 243‑4133.