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Japanese sweet potatoes are an absolute dessert! And they put all other sweet potatoes to shame ;)

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While it may not be a concern for you, I have become a connoisseur cause I just can't tolerate potatoes mostly. I really like Japanese sweet potatoes. I also really like Okinawan potatoes. They are a little different. The Okinawan are MUCH lower glycemic index so I can tolerate them better. We had a silly exchange about purple cauliflower previously. The Okinawan and Japanese potatoes are much better for you for some of the very same reasons.

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Mark I share your struggle with length! I keep to a strict mine 12 minutes/2500 word limit these but it’s a struggle and ten minutes/2000 would really be better.

I can’t believe half the potato crop goes to chips and fries. Holy moly!

Very glad to have the something else option this issue btw. The winner: potatoes au gratin!

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Thanks for reading and commenting Anne. My next post is 2540 (12) and the one after is 2215 (11) -- I have one in between about Substack Notes also which is a bit shorter. I like the 2500 limit and will trim 40 words from my next Monday post in deference to a bit of inspiration. The funniest part of this length challenge is I am exploring taking some of my deep topics and seeing what a 10,000 or 20,000 word short story would be like. Not a Substack thing, more exploring writing something long-form.

Those potato crop numbers of course are American. They are absurd for sure. I still love chips but they are an almost never thing nowadays. The last time I looked at a bag, the serving size was 1 oz, 8-9 chips -- that is the real problem I am afraid for me :(

As for potato choices, the Gratineed style I mentioned are RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY!

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Both Are True. Wait I could not resist urge to answer at least one time with that new power phrase you have given me. Reminds me of when my teenager went through a phase where if you asked her anything she would always say " I don't know". How long and how many times can you not know? Well the I dont know phase lasted several years... Im afraid The Dr Atkins Revolution ruined things for the huble potato and the bagel for several decades. Dr Atkins has passed away so I can say out loud I still love my sweet potatoes!

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Apr 18, 2023·edited Apr 18, 2023Author

We are two brainers (lizard and the cortex) -- makes us special but also gives us trouble. I love the newfound BAT also! Having raised three boys it is fun to look back on the journey and what it teaches all of us. I'm an evidence guy (to a fault) -- the silliness of absolutism in diet is kinda funny -- while potatoes don't make sense for me anymore, I still sneak in an occasional sweet potato or my favorite Okinawan purples (or the American hybridized knock-off) -- If you preach about food it turns people off so I try to keep it light. While not important in a written interchange, how do you pronounce your name, my guess is FAN-YOOF -- please correct me as necessary!

Will take a look at your Substack and browse. Welcome to this little corner of the Internet.

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Fan- off. Thanks for your reply!

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Love it, that's what I say to Google to toggle the fixture in the dinette "Hey Google, Fan Off" -- now I may find myself thinking of a 50+ Trainer Client :)

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My list of food intolerances is long. Even longer because of an auto immune disease and night shades are a no-no. Sometimes I take the potato plunge but a yam is always the better choice. This, I couldn’t take your poll.

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Apr 17, 2023·edited Apr 17, 2023Author

Thanks, "Aging Gratefully", for reading AND commenting. Your handle is fun! I recognize you as a newish reader, hooray! I write about food with some frequency. I am afraid I was everyman for a long time and pivoted to food as health a number of years ago. I am a bit more informed now and understand much better the range of impacts our food system can have. I include a poll in every post mostly because they are fun. I try not to lecture as everyone's relationship with food is different. I will never lose the love affair with cooking or baking but I just walk the line differently nowadays. On a rare occasion I eat a bit of Okinawan purple potatoes. They help scratch the itch once in a while.

The rise of autoimmune conditions, especially in the first world is a bit of a clarion call in my opinion. Congratulations on understanding what you need and what you must avoid. Introducing things into our environment including our food that is incompatible with our systems seems prone to ending badly. So glad to have you here.

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Thx. Looking forward to your future posts. From the girl who used to eat everything but is now limited. I am finding recipes that work.

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YES, YES, YES! While it may not be your thing, I did a post about the wonders of us in which I liken the only twenty ingredients in the pantry our bodies need to make everything! For me, I imagine a master chef who fashions the whole menu from just a bunch of ingredients. Lots of substitutions for me these days also. I have already started to peek at your Newsletter also. I read a lot of Newsletters I don't subscribe to -- mostly a weird coping mechanism to not feel overwhelmed. I hope you find some things you enjoy here and let me know when I am way off. While only a partially completed idea, I think what a person eats as a goto order at Chipotle might define their new limits. I am confident my go along to get along order there isn't typical :(

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They say variety is key. (Who is “They?”) I have many posts about my digestion issues and intolerances— with a comedic slant. Thx for peeking. I’ve subscribed to many many subs too. 😃

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I am looking forward -- if you figure out who they are then things get better cause we know what to ignore :) -- you sound healthier than me as I split between subs and many others that I just read constantly juggling what I think i can maintain -- ugh

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Don’t forget to write. (Reminding myself too.) 😃

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I can live without chocolate (I know, weird) but I will fight you on my potatoes. Truthfully, I know they are full of carbs, especially those made into french fries and potato chips. Which also happen to be my favorites. But because I know they are full of carbs I do limit them. Sigh. This was an entertaining rabbit hole to fall into. And I voted "something else." Because: French fries, of course.

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Thanks for reading AND commenting. My favorite potato take is the arrogance of humans. Having come from an Irish and Polish tradition, both cultures are QUITE FULL of themselves about their significant contributions to potato prep. Much like crediting Gutenberg for printing when China was printing on porcelain type CENTURIES before is typical for us. I still enjoy potatoes of all sorts and limit them due to my diabetes. My favorite takes are those things that are false which many are sure are true. The something else is often my favorite answer as Substack only allows five options.

I have not eaten milk chocolate in YEARS -- I am now a fan of dark chocolate and my dietary guide encourages a bit of dark chocolate every day! This makes me happy!

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My business partner is obsessed with dark chocolate and when we are teaching together she shares it with me. I confess I come home and buy some for a few weeks, then forget about it. I'm not all holier than thou when it comes to sweets, though. Set me in front of a tray of cookies and I can eat the whole thing.

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Chemistry and baking are a matched set. Measure carefully and the magic ensues. Even though I am mostly a spectator, I still like making stuff. My sense is when we eat a good cookie it mainlines into us finds some dopamine and shouts you are FREE!!!

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Amen to that! 🍪😂

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Yes the tater reminds of that comedian Ron White I think is the name. Protein imp yes Mediterranean diet one of the best. Two items ya gotta like, lemons and cous cous, may be your other for rice. Also chick peas very high in protein. The Med diet is on the best lists mostly because it highlights fruits and veggies, soups and spices. I take lemon with water about each morning for quite a while and honey with lemon best throat and cold-like remedy too. Eating more of whats truly good is the first step to never eating what's truly bad. Japanese eat meat but, in much smaller portions. Around the world eating one nutritional meal in the middle of the day is key. Colder climates and regions dictate diet.These are some of the tips I've learned in my spin around the planet. Interesting and informative read Mark

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Thanks for reading De! Will check in again later tonight.

Ron White is very funny! Mediterranean Diet pretty sensible. What sets these regions where we cop their diets is the mixture of food, activity, family circles and stress minimization. I haven't posted about it but the Blue Zones are a much more comprehensive assessment of life and health quality.

I have landed on plant-based eating with occasional deviations. There are only a smallish handful of complete protein plants like quinoa. I have settled on a nicely seasoned quinoa as a substitute base for noodles, rice and other starches. Works for me. My archive is full of absurd stories about foods like this one. I am sure I have eaten more beans i the last five years than the previous 15-20.

One of my daughter-in-laws from Okinawa. What a blessing to our family she has been including the food culture imperatives we have observed.

Please share either here or separately where you spin around the planet has taken you. I would be interested.

I have a note on my refrigerator "Nothing tastes as good as feeling great" -- as close to a food mantra as I might muster.

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Through parts of the states, all through Canada and parts of Asia and lived and worked in all except the States but was recruited for jobs in Maine and Colorado

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Thanks for sharing De! Your circuit sounds interesting and I believe each stop, whether living there, working there or just visiting leaves a mark.

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Potatoes are awesome!

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Apr 17, 2023·edited Apr 17, 2023Author

Sorry for delay -- thanks for reading and commenting. The potato has probably transformed life in many ways! I will check in again later tonight Jeannine. What is your favorite way to eat potatoes?

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Apr 17, 2023·edited Apr 17, 2023Liked by Mark Dolan

Scalloped (using low-fat milk, whole wheat flour, and veggies tucked between layers), as stuffing for knishes, and roasted. Did you know that people living in the Andes grow over 4,000 varieties of potatoes? (https://cipotato.org/potato/native-potato-varieties/) That's true dedication! 😉

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So fun Jeannine! Your recent gentle correction to a prior post about bacteria has inspired one of my upcoming. The variations in the potatoes is just crazy and transformational. As dumb as it might seem, the potato might have had more impact upon the Spanish return to Europe than the gold they hauled back!!! Bookmarked your link and will enjoy later.

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Well, of course potatoes are more valuable than gold. Gold doesn't taste anywhere near as good! I'm looking forward to your essay about itty bitty critters.

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Well I am glad I now have one person waiting. While bacteria talk might have been part of the inspiration, the greater tale remains a surprise.

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