Do we need a low-carb spud?

Anew potato with 40 per cent less carbohydrates and calories than ordinary potatoes has been launched in New Zealand.

Called Lotatoes, they will initially be launched this month in North Island Countdown supermarkets. A 2kg bag will cost $5.99.

The low-carb potatoes are grown at Pukekohe and Ohakune were created by crossbreeding different varieties.

Michelle Singh, of T&G (formerly Turners and Growers), said it had taken more than five years to create the Lotatoes. She said the new spud looked and tasted like ‘‘a top-notch potato’’ but without the carbs and calories.

But do we need a low-carb potato? Are ordinary potatoes so bad?

Healthy Food Guide nutritionist Claire Turnbull said eating too much of the wrong types of starchy foods can contribute to weight problems for many people. The easy answer was to eat less of them. ‘‘For a healthy main meal you are wanting half a plate of nonstarchy vegetables, a quarter a plate of starchy foods, (like potato, kumara, rice or quinoa), and a quarter of a plate of protein. ‘‘If you stick to that, then there’s no problem with ordinary potatoes.’’ She said Lotatoes was an interesting product, obviously driven by the interest in non-starchy or lower starch vegetables. ‘‘It’s not that potatoes are bad. No food is good or bad. It comes down to how you prepare them and how much you have of them.’’ How a potato was cooked was important. ‘‘You need the skin on and to be cooking it without a lot of extra saturated fat. That is the main thing.’’