Diet

Potato diet

introduction

The potato diet is a mono diet rich in carbohydrates, i.e. a form of nutrition that consists almost exclusively of one particular food, the potato. There are different forms of designing the potato diet, all of which have in common the main consumption of potatoes. The potatoes are often eaten with eggs or quark. There are also diet variants with low-fat vegetables, salad or even fruit. The low-fat preparation of the dishes is essential for the implementation of the potato diet.

Course of the diet

The potato diet includes three main meals a day, which consist of a total of one kilogram of low-fat potatoes. Snacks, sweets and sweetened drinks are prohibited. Depending on the type of diet, 100 grams of quark or three eggs can be eaten with the main courses per day. The dishes fill you up for a long time, can be cooked quickly but also very well prepared.

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A cheap form of preparation is the jacket potato. This form of potato processing should be served at least three days a week. Other options are mashed potatoes or mashed potatoes. The combination of potatoes with quark or potatoes with egg has a high biological value and leads to a very good absorption and utilization of the protein contained in the food. Potatoes are high in potassium, which effectively dehydrates the body and leads to weight loss quickly.

Where can you find good recipes for a potato diet?

You can find good recipes for the potato diet on the Internet and tips on how to make the dishes more varied. If you prefer to have paper in front of you, there are also numerous books on the potato diet, including low-carb versions. One advantage of the books is that they mostly provide structured diet plans and shopping lists for the diet. One can clearly follow the instructions in the diet book.

How much do you lose weight with this diet?

It is said that the potato diet can lose between two and five kilograms in a week. The weight loss depends heavily on the initial situation, the calorie content of the meals and any additional exercise. The enormous weight loss in the first few days consists largely of water washed out by the dehydrating effect of the potato.

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How can you avoid the yo-yo effect?

Like most mono diets, the potato diet has a high risk of a yo-yo effect. The extent depends on the design of the food, possibly additional vegetables, salad, egg or quark. If you follow the radical form of quark and egg for a few days or weeks and suddenly fall back into old patterns, you can weigh more after the diet than before the diet due to the yo-yo effect. To avoid this, you should make a slow transition to a permanently healthy, balanced diet. You should gradually increase the side dishes and slowly reduce the potatoes. Regular exercise during and after the diet helps maintain the desired weight.

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Side effect of diet

In the first days of the potato diet you lose pounds particularly quickly, as potatoes contain a lot of potassium and this has a dehydrating effect. This means that mainly water is excreted. By reducing calories, the pounds also fall off at the beginning. However, the menu contains far too few calories, so that the body's own muscles are also broken down. If you fall back into old patterns after the diet and eat significantly more fats, sugar and overall more calories, the risk of a yo-yo effect is very high.

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You can even gain so much weight that you weigh more after the diet than before. In the long term, the one-sided potato diet leads to a lack of minerals, vitamins, fats and, above all, iron. Serious deficiency symptoms and dangerous anemia can develop. In this case, the family doctor should definitely be visited.

Risks / dangers of diet

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In the long term, the one-sided potato diet leads to a lack of minerals, vitamins, fats and, above all, iron. Serious deficiency symptoms and dangerous anemia can develop. In this case, the family doctor should definitely be visited.

Criticism of the diet

The potato diet belongs to the group of mono diets in which one or a few foods are in the foreground. One-sided diets generally involve the risk that not all of the nutrients, vitamins and trace elements required for the body can be absorbed through food. In the absence of fats, fat-soluble vitamins cannot be sufficiently absorbed from the intestine. If symptoms of deficiency such as headaches, lack of concentration or a feeling of weakness occur, you should definitely consult your family doctor.

The lack of iron can also lead to iron deficiency-related anemia. Deficiency symptoms occur when a one-sided diet is implemented over several weeks to months. The potato diet is based on a low protein intake and few calories per day. This means that over time, in the body's “hunger metabolism”, not only fat tissue but also muscles are broken down, which is fundamentally bad for long-term weight loss success.

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Potatoes are basically filling foods that can be easily absorbed in the intestine, especially in combination with quark or eggs, due to their biological value. Nonetheless, one-sided diets often lead to food cravings because you are only allowed to eat very few foods and the list of prohibited foods is even larger. Such food cravings can lead to dieters being cheated or abandoned. If, after the end of such a radical diet with few calories, one quickly falls into old nutritional patterns every day, one often suffers a yo-yo effect.

Medical evaluation of the potato diet by

The potato diet is a very one-sided mono diet that, unlike many other diets, makes you feel full. Especially in the first few days, the pounds drop off quickly. On the one hand because potatoes contain a lot of potassium and this has a dehydrating effect and on the other hand because of the low calorie intake. So part of the weight loss at the beginning of the diet is just water washed out. If the diet is taken longer, muscles will also break down because the food is low in protein. This effect is bad for long-term success and unhealthy. In addition, the risk of a yo-yo effect with this and many other mono diets is very high. A healthier alternative to the potato diet would be to combine the potatoes with quark or egg with vegetables, lettuce, herbs, vegetable fats, nuts and seeds.

The potato diet is a good try for those who struggle to cut down on carbohydrates and diets with shakes do not fill them enough. The potato diet can serve as an introduction to reducing your food intake to three main meals a day, so that you only eat when you are really hungry. Nevertheless, the potato diet is not intended for a longer period of time, as the body lacks important suppliers of nutrients, minerals, trace elements, vitamins and good fats. Dangerous deficiency symptoms and iron deficiency-related anemia can develop.

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Alternatives to the potato diet

If you want to lose a few pounds quickly and not forego carbohydrates, you can try the rice diet instead of the potato diet. Servings of rice weighing 60 grams each are eaten three times a day and, depending on the strict or moderate diet, supplemented with applesauce, salad or even vegetables, meat and fish.

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Other ways to lose weight in a short time with radical mono diets are the vegetable diet, fruit diet or diets with shakes such as Almased or Yokebe.

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With all mono diets, the risk of a yo-yo effect is particularly high. If you want to lose weight healthily over a longer period of time, you can try low-carb diets such as the Glyx diet, the Logi method or the Atkins diet.

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Regardless of which diet you choose, the transition to a permanently balanced, healthy diet should take place smoothly in order to maintain the desired weight. Regular exercise helps and brings the body into shape.