WEBVTT
1
00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:10.080
Welcome back to Chasing Eating, the podcast where we rediscover
2
00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:12.720
what it means to eat like humans were designed to.
3
00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:17.640
I'm your host, Carolyn Thompson, and today we're talking about
4
00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:23.280
one of the world's most beloved and misunderstood foods. The potato.
5
00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:28.800
Potatoes are comfort food. They're mashed at Thanksgiving, fried at
6
00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:32.320
fast food chains, and hidden in the crispy edges of
7
00:00:32.359 --> 00:00:37.039
potato chips. But according to food archaeologist, chef and author
8
00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:40.640
doctor Bill Schindler, we've strayed far from the way our
9
00:00:40.679 --> 00:00:44.960
ancestors prepared and ate them. So today I'm going to
10
00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:47.799
take you on a journey through the history of potatoes,
11
00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:52.479
The surprising dangers of eating the wrong kind, yes, even
12
00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:55.880
that green potato chip you may have crunched without thinking,
13
00:00:56.600 --> 00:01:01.359
Why French fries and can be toxic landmine when fried
14
00:01:01.399 --> 00:01:04.680
in seed oils, and how you can reclaim potatoes in
15
00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:09.239
your diet the way nature intended. Well. Also talk about
16
00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:13.239
how to grow your own and a powerful biohack, how
17
00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:18.359
freezing cooked potatoes can blunt their glucose spike, making them
18
00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:22.159
healthier than you might imagine. If you've ever loved French
19
00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:26.480
fries or feared them. This episode will blow your mind.
20
00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:36.280
Let's dig in. Well, potatoes, according to historical data, originated
21
00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:40.640
in the Andes, not what you might expect. I actually
22
00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:45.439
thought they originated in Ireland, How about you. The potato
23
00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:50.400
is native to the highlands of South America, cultivated by
24
00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:55.040
the Inca people thousands of years ago. They grew hundreds
25
00:01:55.040 --> 00:02:00.319
of varieties, each adapted to different altitudes and soil. Would
26
00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:06.879
be really surprised at potato diversity. Peru still boasts over
27
00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:13.280
four thousand varieties of potatoes. Colors range from deep purple
28
00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:19.840
to golden yellow, nutrients vary. Purple potatoes, for instance, are
29
00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:27.280
rich in anthocyanins, antioxidants also found in blueberries, so you
30
00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:32.759
might be surprised to hear how our ancestors ate potatoes.
31
00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:40.919
Potatoes were never eaten raw. Indigenous people used methods like soaking, fermenting,
32
00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:46.280
and even freeze drying, a method they called chuno to
33
00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:51.360
reduce toxins and make starches digestible. So even back in
34
00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:58.199
that time, they understood how to treat the potatoes prior
35
00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:03.360
to consuming them in order to maximize absorption and aid
36
00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:10.120
in digestion. Doctor Schindler reminds us this we have to
37
00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:15.639
remember that every single plant we eat has a defense mechanism.
38
00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:21.280
Our ancestors learned how to neutralize those defenses, but today
39
00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:28.479
we've forgotten those skills. Potatoes contain natural toxins called glyco alkaloids,
40
00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:33.719
especially in the skins or when exposed to light, which
41
00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:39.240
makes them turn green. Ancient preparation methods were designed to
42
00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:44.360
minimize those risks. Now, I don't know if you've heard
43
00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:48.319
about the diet craze. I'm trying to remember the name
44
00:03:48.360 --> 00:03:51.439
of the doctor, but it just isn't I can't think
45
00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:54.520
of it right now. But he has written a book
46
00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:57.080
and he has a lot of videos online and warns
47
00:03:57.120 --> 00:04:01.240
people against the plants and plant foods and how they
48
00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:04.520
will attack your gut and actually put holes in your
49
00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:11.039
stomach and cause leaky gut. So his diet actually tells
50
00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:13.919
people advises them to avoid all of these foods, and
51
00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:18.360
that includes potatoes because of the skins and how they
52
00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:22.480
have this. They don't call it a glycoalkaloid. He actually
53
00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:28.240
calls it something else, maybe just for easier wording for
54
00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:32.360
people to understand. So there are several other things like
55
00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:36.600
tomatoes that also have these defense mechanisms in them, and
56
00:04:36.759 --> 00:04:40.399
people will go to great links to prepare them properly
57
00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:43.040
so that they can still consume them. I have a
58
00:04:43.079 --> 00:04:50.120
friend who actually will cook her potatoes in a pressure cooker,
59
00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:53.199
saying that that's the only way to kill what she
60
00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:58.879
calls lectins in the tomatoes. She will also freeze them,
61
00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:02.839
and she says that that also aids in killing the lectins,
62
00:05:02.839 --> 00:05:06.800
so then she can consume them without them affecting her
63
00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:14.040
digestion or her gut health. So anncient preparation methods were
64
00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:18.800
designed to minimize the risks. But potatoes, in case you
65
00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:24.920
didn't know, have a fairly decent nutritional profile. They actually
66
00:05:24.920 --> 00:05:28.600
have macro nutrients in them. Now we do know that
67
00:05:28.639 --> 00:05:34.959
they are primarily a starch carbohydrate. They're very low in fat.
68
00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:39.639
It's a moderate protein. There's about two grams per medium potato.
69
00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:43.480
But believe it or not, they have a surprisingly complete
70
00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:49.759
amino acid profile. They don't just have macro nutrients, they
71
00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:56.800
also have some micronutrients. Potassium. Potatoes actually have more potassium
72
00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:03.279
than a banana. They have vitamin C. Historically, sailors would
73
00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:07.720
save them and eat them, and they help them to
74
00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:13.519
prevent them from getting scurvy, Vitamin B six, magnesium, and
75
00:06:13.560 --> 00:06:18.920
iron are also in a potato. Surprisingly, now, with certain
76
00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:23.920
varieties there's different benefits. For instance, sweet potatoes, though technically
77
00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:28.120
not really potatoes, but they're considered a cousin of the potato,
78
00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:32.959
are rich and beta caroteene. The purple potatoes, some of
79
00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:35.839
you might know if you're into the different eating the rainbow,
80
00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:41.519
they're high in antioxidants. The white and yellow potatoes, now,
81
00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:47.319
these are energy rich, potassium dense foods, these particular types.
82
00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:52.240
But there's a catch, and you probably already know this.
83
00:06:53.639 --> 00:06:57.720
Potatoes are high on the glycemic index. And for those
84
00:06:57.759 --> 00:07:01.879
of us who don't want to spice are glucose levels
85
00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:10.879
who have been diagnosed with things like resistant type weight loss.
86
00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:14.879
Maybe you have an issue with losing weight even though
87
00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:18.319
you diet and you're being really really good, and you
88
00:07:18.360 --> 00:07:20.120
go to the doctor and he says, you know, you're
89
00:07:20.199 --> 00:07:25.399
metabolically resistant or you're pre diabetic, then potatoes would be
90
00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:27.879
something you would be advised most likely to stay away
91
00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:32.439
from it because it's a starch. So they can be
92
00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:34.600
a bit demonized right now because there's a lot of
93
00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:38.759
people out there eating low carb and the carnivore diet.
94
00:07:38.759 --> 00:07:41.680
It's pretty big right now. The keto diet got really
95
00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:45.079
big with doctor Burg and I'm not sure if he
96
00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:49.160
advises eating any potatoes at all, or if so as
97
00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:53.279
a very small amount eaten in large amounts, especially if
98
00:07:53.319 --> 00:07:58.879
fried potatoes can spike your blood sugar and that we
99
00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:01.639
as we know it leads to crashes and long term
100
00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:09.240
metabolic stress. There is a hidden danger in potatoes that
101
00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:12.560
a lot of people don't know, in the green potatoes.
102
00:08:12.759 --> 00:08:19.399
So what's a green potato? When potatoes are exposed to light,
103
00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:28.639
they produce chlorophyll and glyco alkaloids like solanin. The danger
104
00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:36.279
is that the solanine is toxic, so the symptoms are nausea, vomiting,
105
00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:41.399
and neurological effects. So if you're you've got a bag
106
00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:45.360
of potato chips and you come across a green potato chip,
107
00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:50.080
believe it or not, it might not kill you, but
108
00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:55.519
it can deliver enough glycoalkaloids to upset your body. So
109
00:08:57.000 --> 00:09:02.120
most people don't realize that the potato plant itself, the leaves, stems,
110
00:09:02.279 --> 00:09:08.440
and unripe tubers, is actually poisonous. We only eat the
111
00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:13.080
underground tuber and even then only when properly harvested and prepared.
112
00:09:14.519 --> 00:09:18.279
Doctor Schindler would call this another example of how disconnected
113
00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.360
modern eaters are from their food. We trust the bag
114
00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:25.600
of chips at the gas station forgetting that one green
115
00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:33.240
chip may be carrying a hidden toxin. Now, if you've
116
00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:39.039
listened to my podcast on seed oils, this isn't going
117
00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:42.559
to surprise you. If you haven't, you might want to
118
00:09:42.600 --> 00:09:47.200
go back and listen to that because the French fries
119
00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:52.960
that you're getting at fast food restaurants are most likely
120
00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:59.279
most always fried in seed oil. So French fries, we
121
00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:03.519
love them, The whole world loves French fries, but they
122
00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:09.240
become nutritional disasters thanks to industrialization and I like to
123
00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:14.840
say capitalism, because seed oils are very inexpensive to come
124
00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:20.240
by and the fast food chains really like to use them. Now,
125
00:10:20.279 --> 00:10:24.000
most of the chains fry the potatoes in industrial seed
126
00:10:24.039 --> 00:10:30.039
oils like soybean, canola, or corn oil. These oils are
127
00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:34.440
high in omega six fatty acids. They are oxidized at
128
00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:39.840
high frying temperatures. They're linked to inflammation, heart disease, and
129
00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:47.000
metabolic dysfunction. The healthiest way to enjoy your fries is
130
00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:51.399
by using traditional fats like beef, tallow, duck fat and
131
00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:55.960
coconut oil. Cut and fry your potatoes fresh, not pre
132
00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:00.000
frozen or coated, and pair them with protein and fiber
133
00:11:00.360 --> 00:11:08.120
to blunt the glucose spikes. Doctor Schindler warns, it's not
134
00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:12.279
the potato itself that's the problem. It's how we process it.
135
00:11:12.679 --> 00:11:16.360
When you take a whole food, strip it down, fry
136
00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:19.919
it in seed oils, and load it with additives, it's
137
00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:25.559
no longer a food. It's a science experiment. Have you
138
00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:29.840
ever thought about growing your own potatoes? Why grow them? Well,
139
00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:37.360
they're cheap, they're easy, they're abundant, one of the few
140
00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:45.600
crops that can sustain life in hard times. Freshly grown
141
00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:51.679
potatoes taste far richer than stobot So how do you
142
00:11:51.720 --> 00:12:00.320
grow them? Plant seed potatoes with eyes in well drained soil.
143
00:12:00.679 --> 00:12:03.840
Mound soil over the stems as they grow to protect
144
00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:09.799
tubers from light. Avoiding the green potatoes. You can harvest
145
00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:13.279
when the plants flower and die back. You can store
146
00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:17.399
them very easily in a cool, dark place. Now, never
147
00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:24.440
refrigerate raw potatoes. They convert starch to sugar, altering taste
148
00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:30.879
and nutrition. So you may have heard of this resistant
149
00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:36.600
starch hack because it's become a bit viral and common
150
00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:41.159
on social media. So before I talk about this, I
151
00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:44.320
want to say that every time I get a loaf
152
00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:49.080
of sour dough bread, it gets thrown in the freezer first.
153
00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:56.639
And this is why it's a starch hack. It helps
154
00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:03.559
to lower the glycomic impact of that starch. So when
155
00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:07.240
potatoes are cooked and then cooled, some of the starches
156
00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:13.240
turn into resistant starch. These fibers can resist digestion in
157
00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:17.840
the small intestine. The benefit is a lower glucose spike,
158
00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:24.679
and it feeds healthy gut bacteria. It improves insulin sensitivity.
159
00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:28.159
So how do you do it? You can boil or
160
00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:31.120
roast your potatoes. You can let them cool in the
161
00:13:31.159 --> 00:13:35.879
fridge and then reheat gently or eat cold. Think potato salad.
162
00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:40.960
The modern hack, and I like this one, is freezing
163
00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:45.759
and thawing the potatoes because that increases the resistant starch
164
00:13:45.799 --> 00:13:49.559
even more. It's a strategy for biohackers so that we
165
00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:57.840
can enjoy potatoes without the sugar. Roller coaster. Potatoes are
166
00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:01.960
one of the world's most important foods. They've fueled empires,
167
00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:08.000
ended famines, and comforted families, but they also hold hidden
168
00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:14.759
dangers green toxins, industrial frying oils and blood sugar crashes
169
00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:19.000
that keep us hooked. Doctor Bill Schindler reminds us that
170
00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:23.080
the potato itself isn't the enemy. The problem is how
171
00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:27.000
far we've strayed from ancestral preparation, how we've turned a
172
00:14:27.080 --> 00:14:31.399
nourishing tuber into a toxic fast food experiment. The good
173
00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:36.120
news you can take potatoes back, grow them yourself, fry
174
00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:40.240
them in real fats, cool and reheat them for resistant starch,
175
00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:44.279
and above all, respect the wisdom of nature and history.
176
00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:48.960
If this episode opened your eyes, please subscribe to Chasing
177
00:14:49.159 --> 00:14:51.679
Eden and share it with a friend who loves French fries.
178
00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:55.679
For show notes and resources, you can visit our website
179
00:14:55.720 --> 00:14:59.879
at Chasing Eden dot net. Until next time, may your
180
00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:03.440
food behold, your fries be fried in tallow, and your
181
00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:06.279
potatoes never be green. Thanks for joining me.