# The wonder potato



## Threevok (13 Nov 2019)

All those energy gels and drinks and for what ?

http://www.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.00567.2019

According to this, a potato can do just as well as energy gels in keeping you going


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## PeteXXX (13 Nov 2019)

They do look a bit dodgy if you tuck them up the leg of your bib tights, though, unlike a flat energy gel sachet! They barely show..


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## Threevok (13 Nov 2019)

The trick is to plan your routes around potato farms, markets and greengrocer shops.

Oh, and those dodgy vans that seem to sell sacks of them, usually parked in the worst places imaginable - like roundabouts


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## Sharky (13 Nov 2019)

OK for a crisp autumn ride


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## MartinQ (13 Nov 2019)

PeteXXX said:


> They do look a bit dodgy if you tuck them up the leg of your bib tights, though, unlike a flat energy gel sachet! They barely show..



Yeah, but your spuds may get admiring glances :-)


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## Cycleops (13 Nov 2019)

Just illustrates what a load of nonsense those energy gels/drinks are.


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## winjim (13 Nov 2019)

Spudboob.


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## Arjimlad (13 Nov 2019)

Excellent news, I can build some chip shop visits into longer rides now!


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## tom73 (13 Nov 2019)

PeteXXX said:


> They do look a bit dodgy if you tuck them up the leg of your bib tights, though, unlike a flat energy gel sachet! They barely show..





MartinQ said:


> Yeah, but your spuds may get admiring glances :-)



May make a mash of your nuts though


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## MichaelW2 (13 Nov 2019)

"We investigated the effects of potato purée ingestion during prolonged cycling on subsequent performance versus commercial CHO gel or a water-only condition"

The trick then is to insert mashed potatoes into your shorts in a form which permits extraction. Are they available in the form of mashed potato bars? Have I spotted a gap in the marketplace. Will a hungry Dragon care to go halves with me as I bring savoury energy bars to a marketplace that craves electrolytes but doesn't know what they are?


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## Heltor Chasca (13 Nov 2019)

One of our young things who is a bit handy on a bike and vegan takes roast spuds on his rides. He has also posted a ride on YouTube where he took along a piping bag of cookie dough to fuel his ride. Apart from audax he goes 24 hour TTing for a laugh.


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## tom73 (13 Nov 2019)

None beef dripping ones I take it.  Or even worse done in a deep fat fryer.


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## Broadside (13 Nov 2019)

I prefer whole food to gels on endurance rides, bananas are my usual weapon of choice however I will sometimes have a gel after 80 miles to get me home.

I will give this potato idea a shot, it’s a nice alternative to a gel and crucially it’s savoury not sweet, sugary foods get so boring on longer rides.

it says potato purée, does this mean cooked potato or blitzed up raw? I don’t know if cooking might change something in the proteins that would stop them being effective. Serious question btw.


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## Heltor Chasca (13 Nov 2019)

Aren’t raw potatoes going to make you ill? Is it that we can’t process the raw starch or something?


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## Broadside (13 Nov 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Aren’t raw potatoes going to make you ill? Is it that we can’t process the raw starch or something?



No idea! I was surprised that a scientific article didn’t specify if the potato was cooked or not.


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## Broadside (13 Nov 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> One of our young things who is a bit handy on a bike and vegan takes roast spuds on his rides. He has also posted a ride on YouTube where he took along a piping bag of cookie dough to fuel his ride. Apart from audax he goes 24 hour TTing for a laugh.



i like the idea of roast potatoes, nice and easy to carry too in a jersey pocket 👍


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## Pat "5mph" (13 Nov 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> He has also posted a ride on YouTube where he took along a piping bag of cookie dough to fuel his ride.





Heltor Chasca said:


> Aren’t raw potatoes going to make you ill? Is it that we can’t process the raw starch or something?


Well, I wouldn't do it, but if your pal eats raw dough without ill effects, probably raw potatoes are OK too.
Still, I would guess it takes a lot of stomach work to digest both foods.
Would that not make you very tired on the ride, instead of very energetic?


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## Heltor Chasca (13 Nov 2019)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Would that not make you very tired on the ride, instead of very energetic?



You would think so wouldn’t you? Raw potato though? Yuk!


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## Fab Foodie (13 Nov 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Aren’t raw potatoes going to make you ill? Is it that we can’t process the raw starch or something?


Raw Potato contains Solanine which is toxic to humans. Also raw starch from any source is pretty indigestible until cooked.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanine


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## Fab Foodie (13 Nov 2019)

Threevok said:


> All those energy gels and drinks and for what ?
> 
> http://www.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.00567.2019
> 
> According to this, a potato can do just as well as energy gels in keeping you going


Starch as fuel shocker!


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## classic33 (13 Nov 2019)

Fab Foodie said:


> Raw Potato contains Solanine which is toxic to humans. Also raw starch from any source is pretty indigestible until cooked.
> 
> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanine


Avoid green spuds.


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## classic33 (13 Nov 2019)

_"It is estimated that it would take 2–5mg per kilogram of body weight to produce toxic symptoms. A large potato weighs about 300g and has a solanine content of less than 0.2mg/gm That works out to around 0.03mg per kilogram for an adult, a hundredth of the toxic dose; A murderous wife would have to feed something like 67 large potatoes to her husband in a single meal to poison him."_


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## winjim (14 Nov 2019)

Broadside said:


> No idea! I was surprised that a scientific article didn’t specify if the potato was cooked or not.


That's just the abstract, the full article has the recipe and everything. It's baked potato mashed up with water and table salt to resemble the consistency of a gel. The problem I can see is that the portion sizes were normalised to carbohydrate content so they had to eat five times as much potato as they did gel, which is less convenient.

Potato protein content is very low - it's the carbohydrate load that they're testing.


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## Deafie (14 Nov 2019)

Does anybody know if carrying cooked potato around on a warm day would be as unwise as it is with rice?


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## classic33 (14 Nov 2019)

Deafie said:


> Does anybody know if carrying cooked potato around on a warm day would be as unwise as it is with rice?


Wouldn't that depend a lot on where you put it, and how hot it was?


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## Fab Foodie (14 Nov 2019)

winjim said:


> That's just the abstract, the full article has the recipe and everything. It's baked potato mashed up with water and table salt to resemble the consistency of a gel. The problem I can see is that the portion sizes were normalised to carbohydrate content so they had to eat five times as much potato as they did gel, which is less convenient.
> 
> Potato protein content is very low - it's the carbohydrate load that they're testing.


What Carb was the gel based on? On a dry matter basis they should be similar is. What was the extra bulk that meant 5x the consumption requirement? Am assuming is the swelling of the native starch granules and their ability to hold water, or is it the fibre? Maybe I should be arsed to read it!


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## MichaelW2 (14 Nov 2019)

Regarding cooking to remove solanine toxin, some people seem to be more sensitive to this chemical. I for one can't stand undercooked potatoes. I find typical fish n chip shop chips to be almost raw in the middle. I always cook for longer than advised and my roast pots are well liked by everyone.


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## winjim (14 Nov 2019)

Fab Foodie said:


> What Carb was the gel based on? On a dry matter basis they should be similar is. What was the extra bulk that meant 5x the consumption requirement? Am assuming is the swelling of the native starch granules and their ability to hold water, or is it the fibre?  Maybe I should be arsed to read it!


I'm not going to read it for you, I've got a biochemistry exam to get to, and it's not quite relevant enough to count as revision...


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## User169 (14 Nov 2019)

Prolly easier to carry a few gels than a kilo of spuds! The authors also measured an increase in abdominal discomfort and bloating with potato.

Having said that, I did once bump into a dutch friend on a sportief who produced a bag of cooked potatoes - utterly delish in the circumstances and made a welcome change from all the sweet stuff you get fed on those kind of rides.


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## Fab Foodie (14 Nov 2019)

winjim said:


> I'm not going to read it for you, I've got a biochemistry exam to get to, and it's not quite relevant enough to count as revision...


Oh no probs, I thought you had read-it! Good luck with the Biochem revision, it was my degree a long long time ago!


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## Fab Foodie (14 Nov 2019)

Deafie said:


> Does anybody know if carrying cooked potato around on a warm day would be as unwise as it is with rice?


It's probably not advisable with either unless you can keep them above 72C. 
The Rice thing and reheating is a particular case however, due to Rice carrying a spore-forming bacterium call Bacillus cereus. The Spores can survive the initial cooking process (even boiling) and will remain dormant. If the rice is rapidly cooled and then properly reheated (and held hot) there is no issue. However, if after the initial cooking it is held either at lukewarm temperatures, it will grow and produce a heat-stable toxin in the food which is the cause of warmed-rice related food poisoning. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_cereus


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## winjim (14 Nov 2019)

Fab Foodie said:


> Oh no probs, I thought you had read-it! Good luck with the Biochem revision, it was my degree a long long time ago!


I read enough of it to make the point I was making last night, but not all of it.
Exam's over now so I might read it properly later for some light relief. I think the ratio was about 50:50 potato to water to get the right consistency so a lot of it the bulk is just water.


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## Fab Foodie (14 Nov 2019)

winjim said:


> I read enough of it to make the point I was making last night, but not all of it.
> Exam's over now so I might read it properly later for some light relief. I think the ratio was about 50:50 potato to water to get the right consistency so a lot of it the bulk is just water.


Which makes sense. Hope the exam went well. I don't think I could fill in the details at the top of the paper correctly now....


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## winjim (14 Nov 2019)

Fab Foodie said:


> Which makes sense. Hope the exam went well. I don't think I could fill in the details at the top of the paper correctly now....


It was just core biochemistry, mainly multiple choice. One to get out of the way before we start the tricky stuff. I definitely passed.


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## johnblack (14 Nov 2019)

A few years ago my mates were out for a group ride with an F1 driver and he had a pocket full of new potatoes.


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## Threevok (14 Nov 2019)

I did a potato diet in the summer 

One of the instructions was "no excessive exercise" as you would not have the energy levels to cope

To be honest, I didn't notice any drop in energy levels 

Drove me mad though


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## Smudge (14 Nov 2019)

I'll stick with 'Blue Rat' energy drink.....
It has 'All the energy of a rat trapped in a can'


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## Deafie (15 Nov 2019)

Fab Foodie said:


> It's probably not advisable with either unless you can keep them above 72C.
> The Rice thing and reheating is a particular case however, due to Rice carrying a spore-forming bacterium call Bacillus cereus. The Spores can survive the initial cooking process (even boiling) and will remain dormant. If the rice is rapidly cooled and then properly reheated (and held hot) there is no issue. However, if after the initial cooking it is held either at lukewarm temperatures, it will grow and produce a heat-stable toxin in the food which is the cause of warmed-rice related food poisoning.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_cereus


Good to know, thanks


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## winjim (15 Nov 2019)

Fab Foodie said:


> It's probably not advisable with either unless you can keep them above 72C.
> The Rice thing and reheating is a particular case however, due to Rice carrying a spore-forming bacterium call Bacillus cereus. The Spores can survive the initial cooking process (even boiling) and will remain dormant. If the rice is rapidly cooled and then properly reheated (and held hot) there is no issue. However, if after the initial cooking it is held either at lukewarm temperatures, it will grow and produce a heat-stable toxin in the food which is the cause of warmed-rice related food poisoning.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_cereus


You cannot _B. cereus_.


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## Fab Foodie (15 Nov 2019)

winjim said:


> You cannot _B. cereus_.


They told us that one in 1982!


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## winjim (15 Nov 2019)

Fab Foodie said:


> They told us that one in 1982!


Oh, I never claimed to be original.


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## bridgy (15 Nov 2019)

This is a vaguely interesting but ultimately pretty pointless study imo. 

Potatoes are a good source of carbohydrate so its not surprising they gave similar performance results as gels really, but the whole point of energy gels for cyclists is to have a relatively lightweight, concentrated, easily digested source of carbohydrate energy to consume on the move. The participants in the study consumed half a kilo of potatoes over 2 hours vs 92g of gels, and those having potatoes had increased "abdominal pain, bloating and discomfort" vs those taking gels.

Imagine gels didn't currently exist and the best option we had was to lug half a kilo or more of potato puree around and suffer the associated stomach pain in order to maximise performance. And then this study comes out saying you can get the same energy/performance benefit from a few gels for a fraction of the weight/space, with fewer stomach issues - why on earth would you stick with the potatoes (unless cost rather than performance was your main motivation)?


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## Tenkaykev (15 Nov 2019)

I participated in the Comrades Marathon in 2012. Towards the end of the run there was an aid station with water and a big pile of Jacket spuds, halved and dipped in salt. It were proper luxury so I had two! they hit the spot and I powered onwards, floating like a Gazelle towards the finish, I entered the Stadium to roars of approval from the throng of spectators*

* This might not actually have been what happened, in reality I staggered on towards the finish in Durban, and the "roars of approval" might have been murmurs of "Crikey, look at the state of him, poor sod"


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