Sinfully Good Bad Food

Yes, yes, white food is bad. I know, I told you all about it. The thing is, it's also good. I mean, you know.... it's yummy. :)

The main reason potatoes should be used in moderation is because they're loaded with starch and this can impact on the blood sugar if this is a concern for you. I know someone having trouble controlling his blood sugar. His doctor told him that 3/4 of his plate should be covered with vegetables. Potato is a vegetable, right? So he loads his plate with mashed potatoes, tells his doctor that he's following orders, and wonders why his blood sugar continues to soar, despite his meds.

So, potato is a starch. So is corn, by the way. As such they enter the blood stream very much like simple carbs, such as white wheat pasta, white bread, etc. ~ as simple sugar. That's why a diet high in these foods will impact very badly on blood sugar. The impact of starches and simple carbs can be worse than foods with refined sugar, so they should be consumed in moderation. But take heart ~ potatoes at least are high in nutrients and fiber. (This is something that can't be said of, say, white bread, where 24 nutrients have been stripped from the white wheat flour in processing and refining, and only 4 have been returned, enabling companies to put the word "enriched" on their product. Just so you know.)

Anyway, a few mornings ago, I awoke during a dream about mashed potatoes and broccoli. No, I don't often dream about foods. Trains, boats, flying, and trying to dial 911 on a phone where the 9 doesn't work, yes. Food, not so much. So naturally I figured I really needed to have mashed potatoes and broccoli. And here it is.

Of course, a lot of the nutritional value in potatoes is in the peel, so if you're going to indulge, you're better to bake them and be careful to not serve them with too much fat. (aka butter) This, of course, is for good heart health. Hummus is good with baked potato, by the way. ;o)

But mashed potatoes with the peel? I think not. So I peeled and boiled same. But to give the potatoes some redeeming protein nutrition, I mashed them with dairy- and gluten-free soy creamed cheese, along with some garlic olive oil and raw baby spinach. I served my potatoes with not just broccoli, but other veges as well, and some of my own lemon/dill hummus (recipe on another post).

No, this isn't something I'm going to have often because, yes, I'm watching my blood sugar. But I think I pulled it out with the creamed cheese and veges so it's now on my list of "occasional treats." :) I mean.... it was just really goooood.

And here's a variation on the potato theme that keeps that nutritious skin intact. I nuked this Russett potato, dressed it with fresh and dried herbs, chopped red pepper and chopped leek in garlic olive oil, and served it with a giant salad with g-free sesame dressing. After this picture was taken, I added a spoonful of my own hummus dip. Mmmmmm.... with a nice glass of dry red wine, an altogether heart healthy and delicious meal.