Harvard Study Pisses Off American Potato Association

One of America’s favorite vegetables, the ubiquitous potato has been dissed by a new Harvard study that essentially implies that regardless of whether it’s boiled, baked or fried, the ingestion of a spud is bad for your health on virtually all counts.

The American Potato Association immediately responded by citing the American Heart Association’s finding that potatoes are a “heart healthy” food. Hmmmm!

So what does that tell us? Well, as a former potato junkie I learned that potatoes break down almost instantly into glucose in the blood stream, the dietary equivalent of eating raw sugar. That is an irrefutable fact. So to improve my blood glucose levels, I had to curb my consumption of taters. That does not mean I never eat a potato but I have cut way back. The positive results, both in blood glucose level management and weight loss, have been impressive. So I’d have to come down on the side of Harvard however on this one. Still, for folks who are not diabetic or pre-diabetic, I’d say go ahead and enjoy them. Nothing quite like the pepper fries at Hyde Park for sheer pleasure. And who can resist the occasional mashed potatoes and cream gravy at Hoover’s Cooking. And what about the amazing home fries at 24 Diner? Or the incomprehensibly good new potatoes at Rudy’s BBQ or the enormous baked spuds at Perry’s Steakhouse?

The state of Idaho, understandably, is not pleased with the results. So they’ve enlisted a national fitness guru to endorse Idaho potatoes in a series of new TV ads.

The same study also praises yogurt and pistachio nuts.