Chris Voigt is just glad it’s over.

The chairman of the Washington State Potato Commission, Voigt wanted to prove to the federal government that the potato is a perfect nutritional food. It contains Vitamin C, potassium, fiber and minerals.

But as part of an effort to improve kids’ eating, the federal government has proposed limiting or barring potatoes under the federal Women, Infants and Children Act, a nutrition program for low-income women and their families. And the federal Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, has also asked the Department of Agriculture to limit the inclusion of potatoes in school lunch programs.

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For his diet, which began Oct. 1, Voigt had plain potatoes –no butter, sour cream or toppings. It worked out to about 20 potatoes per day. He did what he could to make the eating plan less monotonous by mashing and marinating the potatoes, but it didn’t help much. Still, he lost 21 pounds and his cholesterol level dropped an amazing 67 points.

Voigt told Today’s Matt Lauer that he had made the two-month sacrifice so people would realize how essentially nutritious the potato is.  “This is not the new fad diet,” he said. “It was really to make a bold statement, to remind people that the potato is truly healthy and nutritious.”

“If we are successful in convincing [the government] to put potatoes in the programs, then I’d call it a 100 percent success,” Voigt said. “But it’s been great that the publicity and the general awareness the public has now and how it’s drawn some attention to the nutritional value of potatoes. I just consider that gravy.” Funny guy!  (Today)

Always check with your doctor before beginning any dieting program.

Jane Farrell is a senior editor at BettyConfidential.