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Skinny Spuds You'll Like
By WLR Dietitian
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This month, the papers have been full of news about a new
spud that looks set to bring an end to couch potatoes! Naturally
Best, the Lincolnshire company behind Vivaldi Potatoes, has
discovered it’s humble spud contains on average, 26% less
carbohydrate and a third fewer calories, compared to other
varieties of potato.
In some cases, the Vivaldi actually has up to 38% less carbs
and 56% fewer calories – hence the claim that it contains half
the calories of other spuds.
According to the makers, the creation of this new ‘skinny’
spud has nothing to do with the popularity of low-carb diets
such as Atkins
or GI, the latter of which
recommends avoiding most potatoes as they have a high GI.
Instead, the idea was to create a ‘one-spud-fits-all’ product
that could be used for baking, roasting, boiling or mashing,
while still tasting great.
It took nine years to create this new breed of potato, but
despite the concerns of some members of WLR, Vivaldi potatoes
are not genetically modified – they are simply a new variety
that can be added to a long list that includes Maris Piper and
King Edward.
Vivaldi potatoes are already a favourite with chefs for
their taste and creamy texture, now their popularity is set to soar
amongst slimmers who can’t bear the thought of skipping spuds.
While the Vivaldi wasn’t designed to be a low carb or low
calorie potato, a recent nutritional analysis revealed the lower
calorie and carb content.
In fact, the findings are so new that the makers of Vivaldi
still haven’t had the opportunity to update the nutrition
information on their packaging – currently, packs of the Vivaldi
potatoes from Sainsbury’s contain the same nutrition information
as for regular spuds.
Furthermore, the makers say they are not
currently in a position to provide more information and so no
specific nutrition information for Vivaldi potatoes has been
released to date. They do, however, say that more information
will be given in the future. Ultimately, it’s a case of watching
this space.
WLR says:
Based on the recent claims, a 100g serving of boiled Vivaldi
potatoes should contain just 53 calories and 12.6g carbohydrate
compared to the 72 calories and 17g carbohydrate found in
regular spuds. However, these figures have not yet been
officially released and are not currently being used on
packaging.
It sounds like the makers of Vivaldi have
announced their findings before they’re really ready to support
them with scientific evidence. As a result, until the new
nutrition information has been made ‘official’ on packaging, I
would continue to count the calories that are currently listed.
In the meantime, let’s get things in perspective. As most WLR
members will already now, standard spuds are already quite low
in calories – just 72 calories for a 100g serving. And remember,
it’s the fat that’s added to spuds that doubles their calorie
content, for example, frying them to make chips, topping new
potatoes with a large knob of butter, adding cream to mash or
mixing them with mayo to make a potato salad. And it’s perhaps
this that will make Vivaldi potatoes a true hit with slimmers –
many members of WLR say these potatoes are so creamy you simply
don’t need to add butter to them!
You can buy Vivaldi potatoes – so-called because they’re
available ‘four seasons’ of the year – from Sainsbury’s. For
more information on Vivaldi potatoes, visit their website at
www.vpromo.co.uk |
