Corn, potatoes, etc....

[Guest guest]

> That was an awesome post! I nodded along a lot. Just

> curious, why do you think the above are " totally off " ?

> I guess that's the one area I disagree - although I

> love corn and potatoes, to me that's nature's junk food.

> It makes good sense that they are a phase 3 item.

Potatoes offer great nutrient value. Consider a large potato for example:

Total Fat -- .33g

Carbohydrates -- 64.5g

Fiber ----- 8g

Sugars ---- 3g

Sucrose .6g

Glucose 1.2g

Fructose 1g

Calcium 44mg

Iron 3mg

Magnesium 85mg

Phosphorus 210mg

Potassium 1,553mg

Sodium 22mg

Vitamin C 73mg

Niacin 4mg

So it's low sodium, rich in fiber, low in sugar, good for magnesium and

phosphorus, and carries a whopping 1500mg of potassium (half a day's

supply). The nutritional value here is just HUGE.

Now, what's there to NOT like about a food like this? The only down side I

see -- a high GI value. (And that's why I avoid them right now.)

Depending on how it is prepared, it's GI value will be very different. For

example, if you bake it then it can be quite high -- 75-110 is the range.

If you nuke it, the GI is around 80. If you boil it, it's around 80. Of

course, if you're in Canada, the GI is around 60 for the same (I do not

understand why the GIs for Canada always seem so much lower than for the

US).

At the same time, it's not just the preparation alone but what else it is

with. Glycemic Load (GL) makes a big difference and, to keep things simple,

this is largely ignored in the SBD. (Understandably so -- it would be too

confusing for the average person.) Additionally, not all potatoes are

created equal -- different types have different GIs.

Corn, on the other hand, not only offers nutrients but it has a medium GI

value of 50-60. It's low fat, low sugar, carries fiber (2.5g in a medium

sized ear), offers 243mg of potassium, 33mg of magnesium, 80mg of phosphorus

and just tastes good. It's useful in bulking up some meals without adding a

great deal of unwanted calories and such to boot. That's useful when you're

trying to lose weight. Maybe there's sense in not allowing it on P1 (it IS

a grain, after all) but I see no reason to not allow it on P2.

Peas are another one I don't get. A cup of green peas has 8g of sugar,

true, but it also has 7.5g of fiber, 8g of protein, pretty much no fat,

350mg of potassium, 157mg of phosphorus, 48mg of mangesium and 1100IU of

Vitamin A. It also has 650mcg of beta carotene and 3,592mcg of

lutein+zeaxanthin. Now, THAT is a food to be encouraged, not discouraged.

I'm a bit on the fence about whether they should be eliminated during P1,

especially since they're mid-level GI with a value of 50 and carry such a

whopper of fiber value.

Then there's the pasta bit. Even pasta that is not whole grain has a low

GI. For most, it's as low as 40 if it's properly prepared and ranges up to

50-60 otherwise. Again, there's a simplicity factor here -- most people

don't know how to cook pasta, much less choose the ones that wouldn't be

healthy so I understand the general prohibition. (This is where an honest

product endorsement could REALLY help folks out.)

The issues with dairy in the original rendition of the plan was another.

It's been since corrected but when I first started, I disagreed with that as

well. And there are a few others, minor things, that I don't quite agree

with.

Some of this no doubt stems from the low-carb origins/associations of the

SBD. Some of it is a K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) thing. I understand

that and that's why I keep my thoughts on the matter to myself.

Like I said though, these are just my opinions on the matter and when I

offer up advice on the group, I do NOT offer up opinions like this -- I try

not to contradict the book. If I've said it once, I've said it a dozen

times -- this plan works the way it is (well, the way it originally was at

least) and that's what counts.