Now, let us point out one thing. Whole potatoes are great. But they are not at all the most satiating food items in the world.

Which, for some reason, still gets repeated every now and then.

They do provide good acute satiety and plenty of good nutrition and food volume. And while the SPC score is good, it’s a middle-of-the-road food item as far as a positive SPC range goes. Potatoes provide good acute per-meal satiety, but it doesn’t last as long as other, higher-scoring SPC items.

This is perfectly fine. Whole potatoes are nutritious, filling, and not detrimental food items at all. If you enjoy them as we do, include them on a daily or weekly basis. It´s healthy, extremely affordable, and so versatile.

It´s just not the world’s most filling food item.

Boil, bake, slice, mash.

You can boil your potatoes, smash, mash, or bake them whole.

Slice them up, and get creative. It is such an amazing food staple, and there is no need to obsess about the acute blood sugar response at all.

Mind you, I am talking about whole potatoes, not the bastardized modern-day fast food stuff that people confuse with potatoes.

We do it all.

Sometimes we boil them first, only to fry them quickly and lightly in some vegan butter. Potatoes are so versatile. Some people consider potatoes a poor food choice, and it is true that in some studies, high potato consumption can be associated with weight gain. All true. But boiled, smashed, or baked whole potatoes are nutritionally good food choices.

So why the strange association with weight gain?

Well, for starters, a majority of people today get a ton of daily nutrients from junk food. In Sweden, around 30% of young people’s nutritional intake comes from junk food.

Hold that current-day stat in your mind as you remind yourself that Sweden is a country of very fit people, on average, compared to most other nations. Now, consider countries like the USA, where people’s daily consumption is made up of upwards of 80% ultra-processed junk food with a low nutritional content per unit of energy, and you can quickly see why potatoes get a bad rep.

 Whole potatoes are a good addition to an otherwise higher-SPC meal that´s rich in protein and micronutrients. But today people think they eat potatoes when they are in fact consuming crisps, and strips, or any other fast food version that contains way too much energy per unit of nutrient.

Tweak One.

Toss the vegan cheese to the side if you wish to improve upon this meal in any way at all. Everything else is as good as it gets.

Tweak Two.
If you absolutely need to lower your daily energy intake, replace the edamame spaghetti with cabbage, lettuce, and more vegan mince. Because the edamame pasta provides most of the energy.

Tweak Three.

You can also add more veggies and fruit to this meal. Slice up some melon and lemon and add it to your plate for a fresh taste sensation and even more micronutrients.

And since this salad is based around sweet potatoes, why not add some regular ones too and see them complement each other’s micronutrients and flavor.

A tablespoon of olive oil, some baby tomatoes, and other delicious greens will add endless variety to this meal.