Diet For Teenagers - Powerful Weight Loss With Potatoes

Potatoes are Fattening, Right?

That's the myth, but a medium-sized baked potato is only about 160 calories by itself. When you think of a baked potato, you probably think of all of the toppings that typically come piled on top: butter, cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits.

Of course the extras are fattening, but the potato itself can be a healthy part of a diet for teenagers. If you need some extra flavor you can always use low-fat or fat-free sour cream, chives, and sprinkle some black pepper on top.

How Potatoes Aid Weight Loss

Consistently keeping hunger at bay is a powerful way to lose weight, and potatoes can help your teenager do that very effectively because they're quite filling. Potatoes will leave you feeling full because the skins are loaded with fiber and potassium. Leave the skin on the potato to get the full benefits out of them.

Potatoes are also a good source of complex carbohydrates, vitamin B1, vitamin C, protein, and iron. The carbohydrates from potatoes will break down slowly and will keep your teen satisfied for awhile until their next meal.

Avoiding Bad Potatoes

It's commonly known that potato chips and French fries are unhealthy ways to prepare potatoes, but even lesser known baked potato chips should be avoided in a healthy teen diet. The reason they should be avoided is because of the extra salt in them that will cause their bodies to retain excess water weight.

Read the labels of your potato products to see that there isn't an excessive amount of salt in them. According to the Mayo Clinic the average American gets 77% of their sodium from processed and prepared foods.

Combine Water-Rich Foods with Potatoes

To further aid in powerful weight loss with potatoes, combine them with fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water volume. Some examples of water-rich foods are:

* Celery, 96% water * Watermelon, 92% water * Cucumber, 96% water * Iceburg Lettuce, 96% water

Potatoes themselves are approximately 80% water, and 20% solid mass too. There are plenty of other foods that are mostly water that can be combined for a creative way to aid your teen's weight loss.

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