Potatoes are good for you, and Chris Voigt wants to prove it with an all-spud diet for the next two months.
Starting Oct. 1, the Washington Potato Commission executive director will eat only potatoes -- 20 a day -- to let people know just how healthful potatoes really are.
"Just potatoes,"he told the Capital Press. "Nothing else. Well, seasonings and some herbs, but no sour cream, no gravy, no salsa, no chili, no cheese, no broccoli -- just potatoes."
Voigt, who lives in Moses Lake, Wash., said he must eat about 20 six-ounce potatoes -- 7 1/2 pounds -- per day to maintain his weight of about 195 pounds.
Chtis Voigt
A nutritionist said Voigt's diet, though lacking in variety, will offer plenty of vitamins and minerals.
"I'm a believer in a great variety of foods, and I think potatoes are absolutely excellent food,"said Sue Butkus, Washington State University Extension Service nutrition specialist emeritus. "They are a very worthwhile food."
The only possible side-effect of eating only potatoes might be boredom, she said.
