Category: Strange

Food, Potatoes, Strange, Tater Talk

Spud Fit

Sarah Paasch

Once upon a time, a man lost 117 pounds by eating just potatoes. YES, POTATOES. True story. This is a diet I can get behind.

Andrew Taylor, an Australian dude (I suddenly appreciate Australians immensely), reevaluated his life and realized he needed to make a change. Since he couldn’t abstain from all food, he decided to abstain as much as possible. Despite the horrible rep that potatoes get, they’re actually packed with tons of nutrients (!) He also took a B12 vitamin to make up for the lack of protein, but that’s beside the point.

He declared it…the Spud Fit Challenge! It’s even a book now, too!

Within this diet, he tried a combo of all different kinds of potatoes, while using minimal herbs, spices, and fat-free sauces. He only drank water, and began exercising after the first month. Even before he began exercising, he managed to lose 20 pounds.

The Rules

  • Eat a combo of potatoes, including sweet potatoes, but only use a minimal amount of herbs, fat-free sauces, and spices. Take a B12 supplement if you plan on doing it for more than a few months. Avoid oils and anything fatty, like meats, cheeses, eggs, or dairy products. If you must use milk for mashed potatoes, use soy milk.
  • Don’t restrict or count calories! Eat as much as you’d like, as often as you’d like, and do not go hungry if you can help it.
  • Do your own research and make educated decisions – consult a doctor to make sure everything is going well for you.

Mostly, he made either mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, or baked potatoes. He did not have set things made for each meal, but rather made a big batch and ate it until it was gone.

Surprise, surprise, he didn’t get bored of eating straight potatoes! A man after my own heart, obviously.

If you want, you can order his book here. I may or may not be considering it…

This man just goes to show the importance of eating your potatoes. I think we can all learn something from him.

Food, Potatoes, Strange, Tater Talk

Six Alternate Ways to Use the Potato

Sarah Paasch

Although I would rather not admit this to myself, there are some people whose fancy is not tickled by potatoes. While I cannot fathom this idea, I suppose that I should be inclusive of all people on the potato loving spectrum. Maybe through this post, I can turn even the most dedicated potato hater into a spud supporter. I present to you, alternate ways to use a potato:

  1. Mail them to a friend!For the small price of $9.99 (or the price of a potato, a sharpie, and shipping if you’re into DIY things), you can send a note to a friend while also providing them a snack! In case you haven’t heard of this, there is a service called Potato Parcel that will write a note, print a picture, or make a postcard on a potato for you. This is 100% anonymous, too! I’ve had a few of these mailed to me by a good friend, and let me just say that receiving this is a dream for a girl with a potato passion. They even will send sweet potatoes to your sweetie around Valentine’s Day. Mother’s Day is May 13th, just in case you want to show your mom how much you care.
  2. Launch them with a potato launcher! While suggesting this to you all pains me, I suppose that every potato has a purpose. I’m willing to bet that certain potatoes sprout knowing their purpose in life is to be launched. If you’re looking for a way to take out your aggression on potatoes, look no further. You can even find instructions on how to make one of these bad boys here.
  3. Make a potato clock! Unfortunately for me, my science teachers never thought that I needed to learn about this potato phenomenon. Have no fear, you can learn here how to rig one up. If creating an electrical current with a spud isn’t your forte, you could always just buy one on Amazon like the one over there. Either way, I won’t judge you. If you have a clock powered by potatoes, you’re already cooler than most humans I know.
  4. Removing excess salt from soup! Are you finding that your soup is just too dang salty? Wash and cut up a raw potato and throw it into your soup or stew. After a few minutes, remove the potatoes. The potatoes should have soaked up the excess salt, leaving your soup a lot more tasty. 
  5. Keep your goggles and windows from fogging up! Do your windows, ski goggles, or swim goggles often fog up and annoy you? This problem, like many others, can by solved by a spud. Simply cut a potato in half and rub the insides on your goggles or windows, which will fix the fogging.
  6. Remove berry stains from your hands! Ever dreaded using strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries because they would stain your perfect hands? By simply rubbing a raw potato between your hands, you can remove berry stains and leave behind perfectly clean paws.

Potatoes are pretty cool, huh? I hope that someday, you call all appreciate these spuds as the main dish they deserve to be. Thanks for reading!