Andrew ‘Spud Fit’ Taylor is a man on a mission – to rid his life of food addiction.
And what better way to quit eating the foods you love by picking just one to eat. For a whole year.
On January 1 2016, Taylor ignored his doctor, shrugged off criticism and swore off foods like soft drinks, ice-cream cake, chocolate and pizza to embark on his potato-filled journey.
And despite Taylor telling News.com.au that the first two weeks of his potato diet were torture, he persevered, eating 3-4kg of potatoes each day in super-starchy meals like macadamia-milk and chilli mash, and potato pancakes.
“My health just continues to improve,” he claims, attributing his new lease on life to his potato diet.
“I had high cholesterol but now it’s low, my blood pressure has dropped and my sugar level has dropped,” he says.
“Every time I get a new blood test, it just gets better.”
Not only that, but Taylor claims that eating potatoes around the clock for almost 365 days has helped improve his health in other, unexpected ways.
“I’ve lost over 50kg, cured my depression and anxiety, I sleep better, have improved mental clarity and focus, my joint pains from old football injuries are gone, my cholesterol and blood pressure are way down and my blood test results continue to improve overall,” he writes on his Spud Fit blog.
“In short: I am fitter and healthier than I’ve ever been in my adult life.”
Taylor’s diet hasn’t been met with a positive response from dietitians, however, as many claim his diet is excluding vital vitamins and minerals he would get from eating other foods.
His diet has been labelled “extreme” by others.
“Being overweight, sick and depressed, that’s an extreme situation to be in and I think desperate times call for desperate measures,” he asserts, telling News.com.au.
“If you want extreme results, you have to do extreme things. Yes it’s extreme but what’s wrong with that?”
Come January 1, 2017, Taylor is hosting a party to mark the one year anniversary of his potato diet, and will be eating his first real meal since he started on the spuds.
“Potatoes have been really good to me this year and I plan to continue eating them.”
If you are considering changing your diet or fitness routine, consult your GP and dietitian first.
