Nutrition psychology. Potatoes: The case for Reward sensation, GI/GL and Welfare diseases.

On February 6, Dr Rebecka Earle presented the lecture - Potatoes and the Pursuit of Happiness - at Swedish Collegium for advanced study (SCAS). Dr. Earle told how various potentates around Europe marketed the potato, the consumption of which was assumed to be associated with experiencing the psychological phenomenon of happiness (happiness) which is also expected to be the same as well-being (Well-being). The potato was introduced in Sweden in the middle of the 17th century, and was planted in Uppsala University's medicinal garden, now known as the Linneträdgården. The potato's Glycemic index (GI) is between 63-78. Above 70 are considered high. Its Glycemic load (GL) is ~20. This indicates that consumption of large quantities of potatoes may result in welfare diseases. What people in the 18th century and onwards assumed was about the experience of happiness was probably in fact about a reward experience that was explained by blood sugar going through the ceiling after munching on too many 'Peruvian night treasure'. The problem with potatoes is not the potatoes themselves, but the amount that ends up on the plate. Potatoes should be seen as a complement to meat or fish. A simple way to regulate the consumption of potatoes is price. 4 pages.

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On February 6, Dr Rebecka Earle presented the lecture - Potatoes and the Pursuit of Happiness - at Swedish Collegium for advanced study (SCAS).

“Her [Dr Earles] current research explores the cultural significance of food and eating in the modern world. At the Swedish Collegium, she will be writing a global history of the potato. This project uses the emergence of the potato as an Enlightenment superfood to explore the connections between everyday life and new ideas of individualism, political economy and the state. The overall aim is to explain the genesis of our current obsession with balancing individual dietary freedom with the health of the body politic”.

The seminar was a historical description of what can best be described as a marketing process for potatoes:

“Abstract. Eating acquired a new political importance during the Enlightenment, as writers began to link individual diets to the strength and wealth of nations. This talk examines the eighteenth-century career of a foodstuff that became emblematic of these developments: the potato. Politicians, statesmen and philosophers across Europe enthusiastically promoted the potato as a means of strengthening the body politic. They framed this promotion within a language of choice and the individual pursuit of happiness. In so doing they laid the foundations for today’s debates about how to balance personal dietary autonomy with the demands of public health. The roots of the current neoliberal insistence that healthy eating is fundamentally a matter of individual choice thus lie in the Enlightenment”.

Dr. Earle told how various potentates around Europe marketed the potato, the consumption of which was assumed to be associated with experiencing the psychological phenomenon of happiness (happiness) which is also expected to be the same as well-being (Well-being).

For example, in 1747, Sweden's King Fredric I propagated that the people should eat more potatoes. Every leadership scholar understands the impact of such a statement.

The potato has been cultivated in South America for ~10,000 years, i.e. since the last major climate change from the Pleistocene (2.58 years before present - 11,600 years before present) to the Holocene (11,600 - ). The potato arrived in Spain ~1539 via the 'conquistadoren Gonzalo Jiminez de Quesada (1496, 1506, 1509 -1579) who discovered it during his explorations of northern South America. The potato was introduced in Sweden in the middle of the 17th century after the seven-time professor Olof Rudbeck the Elder (1630-1702), through contacts in Europe, obtained a potato and had it planted in Uppsala University's medicinal garden, now known as the Linneträdgården. Dr. Rudbeck called the earth apple (jordäpple) 'Peruvian Night Treasure' ('Peruansk Nattskatta').

Nattskatta is an annual herb that is found all over the world and has been used as a medicinal plant since the Middle Ages. Swedish poison information centre (Giftinformationscentralen) writes the following about the night taxa:

“The plant contains i.a. solanine which has irritating properties. Ripe berries have a lower content than unripe ones. Poisonings are uncommon”.

“Växten innehåller bl.a. solanin som har irriterande egenskaper. Mogna bär har lägre halt än omogna. Förgiftningar är ovanliga”.

In Sweden, the potato was marketed by the super-entrepreneur Jonas Alströmer (1685-1761). He is wrongly associated with the introduction of potatoes but should be better known for his contributions to Swedish industry and academia in general. In true IKEA spirit, Alströmer was so successful that he was opposed by textile merchants in Gothenburg who felt that Alströmer's manufacturing methods threatened their livelihood. But his enterprise led to a deficit in the trade balance being changed to a surplus. In 1739, Alströmer co-founded the Royal Academy of Sciences (KVA). Another of the founders was none other than Carl von Linné (1707-1778) after whom the Linné garden is named. We thus eat potatoes because they have been heavily marketed by governments and potentates around Europe for centuries. But how good are potatoes for health?

The potato's so-called Glycemic index (GI), which indicates how different carbohydrates affect a person's blood sugar, is between 63-78. GI below 55 is considered low and values above 70 are considered high (Harvard Medical School).

Another measure is Glycemic load (GL) which is GI multiplied by the proportion of available carbohydrates in a certain item. This means that the amount you eat affects GL:

“For one serving of a food, a GL greater than 20 is considered high, a GL of 11–19 is considered medium, and a GL of 10 or less is considered low. Foods that have a low GL in a typical serving size almost always have a low GI. Foods with an intermediate or high GL in a typical serving size range from a very low to very high GI”.

The potato's GL value is around 20. This means that the GI or GL value indicates that consumption of large quantities of potatoes has a significant impact on blood sugar, which in turn triggers the release of the fat-storing hormone insulin. It usually results in welfare diseases.

In this context, it is interesting to take a look at the concept of happiness, which was central to the marketing of the potato in the 18th century.

Happiness is a complex concept that traditionally includes both the experience of reward (dopamine-driven) and harmony (serotonin-driven). Lustig (2017) divided the concept into two subcategories:

• Reward sensation - I like this, I want some more (dopamine).
  
  
• Mental harmony - I like this, I had enough (serotonin).

Conclusion. What people in the 18th century and onwards assumed was about the experience of happiness was probably in fact about a reward experience that was explained by blood sugar going went through the ceiling after munched in too many 'Peruvian night treasure'. The problem with potatoes is not the potatoes themselves, but the amount that ends up on the plate. Potatoes should be seen as a complement to meat or fish. A simple way to regulate the consumption of potatoes is price.

Also read:

Österberg (2019. Nutrition psychology. What is the future for sustainable food? The case for prospective thinking (UH).

Österberg (2019). Nutrition psychology. Can we have a Conversation about Food Preferences and Work Environment? An outlook from HELSUS survey on Vik campus (UH).

Österberg (2020). Nutrition psychology. What’s the Prospect of sustainable Food? The Case for mental health (Abstract from presentation).

Österberg (2020). Nutrition psychology. Reframing the result from food questionnaires - animal source food is still good for you.

Österberg (2024). Nutrition Psychology. A series of lectures for people who are interested in expanding their knowledge about food and mental health

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