Baked Potato

 

Baked potatoes are a great starch and full of nutrients. Many people who are trying to lose weight avoid these thinking that they are fattening.

It is not the potato you need to avoid, but all the stuff that is piled up on top!

Many bodybuilders will eat a baked potato immediately after training, it's a fast acting carbohydrate that gets right into the system, and that's the kind you want after an intense training session.

A 4 1/2 ounce potato (baked with skin) has the following nutrients:

128 calories
.2 grams fat
29 grams carbohydrates
3 grams fiber
3.5 grams protein

Do you see anything here unhealthy? No!

The trick is making sure you eat the correct portion, as we tend to get these huge, 1 1/2 pounders, not many people need that many carbohydrates at once. Go ahead and eat half a potato, share it with someone or save the other half for another meal.

I usually top mine with fat free sour cream, I really cannot tell the difference from the real thing, maybe because I have been eating it so long, my 16 year old son has never questioned it, and it's all I buy for the entire family.

Chives are great, and if you are close to a competition, or don't like sour cream, fresh lemon and black pepper is fantastic!