Stephen A. Smith Says He Gets Protein From Eating Baked Potatoes

Potatoes are a great source of protein — said no one ever. Except if you’re Stephen A. Smith.

On a recent episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, the boisterous host responded to a random bracket called “Starch Madness” that pits potato-based foods against one another. How the idea to create a starchy tournament came to be on ESPN, who knows?

The list includes popular starchy meals like waffle fries, gratin, mashed potatoes, tater tots, and more. Smith humorously goes down the list of foods until he finds baked potatoes. “That’s what I’ma go with. Some protein in your blood. Give you a little extra energy. I just finished eating some last night by the way, getting myself in shape, gotta be right. Gotta have the potatoes, gotta have the potatoes,” Smith declared with confidence. 

Well, he’s right about one thing, potatoes are nutritious. It’s just that they just aren’t a good source of protein. In fact, according to Potato Goodness, one medium 5.3 ounce potato with skin contains only 3 grams of protein. The RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) for protein for the average sedentary adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, so if you weigh 165 pounds (75 kilograms), you require 60 grams of protein each day, per Mayo Clinic. 

That said, the little bit of protein that you do get from eating potatoes is healthy protein, unlike processed foods, fatty cuts of meat, and low quality protein powder.

Somebody tell Stephen A. that he has his nutrition facts wrong. If he’s working out to get in better shape like he says, he’ll need to get protein from the right sources. 

Feature photo: Wikimedia Commons / Keith Allison