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The foods associated with the greatest weight gain over the 20-year study period included potato chips (for each one increased daily serving, +1.69 lb more weight gain every 4 years), other potatoes (1.28 lb), sugar-sweetened beverages (1.00 lb), unprocessed meats (0.95 lb), and processed meats (0.93 lb). Of note, several foods associated with less weight gain when their consumption was actually increased, including vegetables (−0.22 lb), whole grains (−0.37 lb), fruits (−0.49 lb), nuts (−0.57 lb) and yogurt (−0.82 lb). Evaluating all changes in diet together, participants in the lower 20% of dietary changes gained nearly 4 lbs more each 4 years than those in the top 20% —an amount equivalent to the average weight gain in the population overall. For diet, focusing only on total calories may not be the most useful way to consume fewer calories than one expends, say the researchers. Other yardsticks, such as content of total fat, energy density, or sugars, could also be misleading. Rather, they found that eating more healthful foods and beverages—focusing on overall dietary quality —was most important. More here

This has me rethinking potatoes and planning on making some yogurt, but ii might be over reacting

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I find it hard to believe that increasing consumption of nuts would contribute to losing weight. Unless they were displacing the consumption of something worse I suppose... – Henny Jun 23 2011 at 23:03

6 Answers

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People who eat potato chips and other potatoes (fries) also eat a bunch of other junk that we know is bad.

People who eat whole grains and yogurt typically eat more healthy relative to above.

No causation here.. just classic correlation.

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Spot on. Classic case of correlation. – ben61820 Jun 24 2011 at 1:26
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Maybe you should reconsider meat too?

What was the weight muscle, fat, glycogen, water?

This study shouldn't make you rethink anything, its junk science.

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plus one........but i still wont eat potatoes – The Quilt Jun 23 2011 at 23:16
Nice post Cliff! – Eric Nov 21 2011 at 5:34
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I'm going to guess it's not so much the potatos and more the garbage that they cook them in and add to them to make them 'tasty'.

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"Other potatoes" - That covers a lot of ground. French fries? Huge, high glycemic baking potatoes. Small, waxy potatoes like I eat. I'm Irish, I have to eat potatoes.

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It's very probably not the potatoes that make potato chips and fries, home fries, and "other potatoes" unhealthy, but the bombs of oxidized vegetable oils that come with them.

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The way your typical PaleoHacker eats potatoes bears little resemblance to the way your average American eats potatoes.

For instance...

A small portion of "safe starch" at night, in the context of a low-fat meal, after a particularly grueling workout.

Versus...

Sitting around all day, "grazing" on Pringles, and then going to a bar after work to chase cheese fries down with a pitcher of beer.

Bottom line, my perspective on potatoes was not affected by this study.

If they found out that potatoes contain radioactive polonium-210 (the radioactive substance in cigarettes that the tobacco companies tried to cover up) then I might reconsider.

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