New potatoes

New potatoes straight from the garden can be eaten by many diabetics. Having said that, we are all different. Some can enjoy unrefined-starches but others must avoid carbs; period.

Russets are to be avoided by all, along with any refined starches, as they cause an immediate spike in blood-glucose.

The trick for diabetics is to do a blood-prick test about sixty minutes after a meal of new potatoes; if it has not returned close to the levels before dinner then they should avoid all spuds.

This page was last updated on 7th February, 2024.

Your spuds are controversial if you are resistant to insulin. The problem is that there is a vast difference in the glycemic-index and load between varieties; and it depends on how you prepare them.

Boiled russets and particularly potato chips are a disaster for diabetics; and actually not good for any of us. Deep-fried in a seed oil simply adds to the inflammation.

Those who have no desire to be injecting themselves with insulin in the future should avoid them.

That extra glucose that is being let loose in the serum attaches to the red blood cells, forming what is known as an "advanced glycation end-product," or AGE; they are very damaging to capillaries and the great vessels. Over a half of diabetic men will suffer from impotence; 3.5 times more than controls. Nerves and the retinas of the eyes are affected too.

The joy of new potatoes is that they can be enjoyed in moderation by many diabetics; and for all those who love a spud straight from the garden they are so tasty. When you cut into them, they give off a satisfying crunching sound quite different to those from cold-storage.

What exactly can be called a new-potato?

Marketers cheat; in the UK and almost certainly elsewhere some spuds that have been in storage for over six months are being sold as new potatoes so it's a case of buyer-beware.

A new potato has a thin skin that can be easily scraped off with your nail; it does not keep so it should be eaten within three-days before the starch becomes highly glycemic.

So you will only get them in small-packets and thus they cost more; unless you grow them yourself. Lift only enough for today and perhaps tomorrow. Bring the children into the garden with you; they simply adore hunting for the spuds as you turn the sod.

Try to avoid having two-starches at the same meal; rice and potatoes would be your undoing.

New potatoes

New potatoes along with the reds are known as waxy as they have half the glycemic-load.

There is another good reason to enjoy new-potatoes; they are not sprayed with a herbicide like Glyphosate, marketed as Roundup, just days before harvesting to desiccate the plant. Scientists have changed the grading from "possibly" to "probably" causing tumours; residues are found in many of the foods we eat.

Monsanto the company that manufactures glyphosate is not happy. The European Court of Justice in March, 2019 forced them to release the studies that supposedly claim that Roundup is safe and has no detrimental effect on our well-being; up to now they have fervidly refused to allow anyone to peruse their research methods.

Now independent scientists have the opportunity to see if it is bogus lies based on falsification of the statistics; in short, fake news.

Do you ever wonder why almost every family is being touched by the big C or an autoimmune-disease? Our recommendation is to scrupulously avoid all the chemicals added to our food; treat the whole lot with suspicion. That puts one on the edge of orthorhexia but having witnessed personally so much metastatic sickness amongst patients and family, I have no desire to go out that way.

I would rather be labelled obsessive, a food-snob and a nut.

Remember new potatoes have much less starch than those that have been stored for months; about a half. Many diabetics report they cause no glucose-spike at all; test yourself.

Even better if you allow your new potatoes to cool overnight in the fridge and then reheat them, retrogradation links the molecules of the amylose together so that they pass through the small-intestine partially undigested.

Instead of being absorbed the starch reaches the colon for the microbiota that inhabit the intestine; that means less chance of getting an autoimmune-sickness like Parkinson's disease too.

If you have a problem with moles in your garden as we do, then do not plant your seed-potatoes in trenches; we have learned the hard way to set them out randomly. Otherwise, having discovered the first "chat" the little devils will devour the lot.

Actually moles do a lot of good in the garden, aerating the soil and devouring grubs but they can damage your new potatoes too. Planting our favourite tubers in mesh-bags certainly does help to keep them at bay but it's a schlep.

How to plant potatoes will help you get started; you will notice that we used to set them in trenches but no longer.

Old potatoes make great seed; keep your chats in a paper bag in a dark place for planting in the spring.

Paraquat

Paraquat is the most highly toxic herbicide used today^[1], particularly in developing countries like South Africa. It is banned in the EU and many other states but continues to be sprayed on our food as a preharvest-desiccant; on potatoes and many other crops.

It is just another reason to enjoy new-potatoes from your own garden; you can be sure that your spuds are free of very poisonous chemicals.

Since there is absolutely no testing of herbicide residues in food grown in SA, we should assume that paraquat is there in our commercial potatoes. An agri-chemicals salesman just confirmed it to me.

It is just one more reason why you should develop your own green home. Are we just becoming totally neurotic about our food? You be the judge.

Remember that refrigerating any carbohydrate overnight causes the starch to retrograde; molecules link together making it more difficult for the enzymes in the small-intestine to digest them. That's so important it is worth repeating.

The net result is a smaller blood-glucose surge and only a minor need for insulin from the pancreas; and so it is also less fattening.

Instead the good bacteria in the colon greedily feed on the residues to produce many necessary byproducts but little glucose; and more gas unfortunately. Read more about this at reheating resistant starch.

• Fast dinner recipes.
• Braised new potatoes
  

Let us state it candidly; if you want to live long in the land then avoid all processed carbohydrate and in general keep your total-starch to less than 150g per day.

Diabetics should be eating less than 50g per day; and even lower if they are unstable.

It is almost impossible to lose weight if you are obese, unless you cut your carbs below 50 grams per day. Insulin resistance turns even the healthiest of starches into enemies.

Research from Tufts University shows the average American is consuming nearly a whole cup of sugar per day, much of it hidden in sauces, soups and cereals; that alone is 171g.

A litre of the average cola contains around 150g of carb.

Taste of Home will teach you how to roast new potatoes^[2].

To those who are passionate on a theme and to myself on the subject of new potatoes and carbs in general, I'm reminded there is no virtue in turning ourselves in bores!

Losing a significant amount of weight permanently is one of the greatest challenges of life; it's as difficult as giving up smoking. In my experience it is a spiritual issue; rarely achieved until we grasp that refined carbs in the life of a believer can end our lives decades before our intended time on earth.

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The longevity diet promotes moderate to high unrefined starches but potatoes are not specifically mentioned. Nevertheless we would recommend sticking with those that are smaller and recently harvested.

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