Postprandial Glycemia and Satiety of Meals With Potatoes, With and Without Protein

A total of 30 participants (15 males, 15 females) will be recruited in this study at the University of Toronto. Each participant will attend 6 study sessions where they will consume meals consisting of a fixed amount of beef or vegetarian substitute "meat" balls providing 25 g protein with ad libitum access to one of mashed potatoes, fried French fries, or pasta. Questionnaires will be filled out to assess their recent food intake, physical activity, sleep quality, stress level, appetite, physical comfort, and energy/fatigue level, as well as palatability of the food. Blood samples will be collected at fasting and at various time points over a 3 hour period after eating the meals to measure blood glucose, insulin, active ghrelin and amino acid concentrations. After 3 hours, participants will receive an ad libitum pizza meal to assess their food intake compensation. Post-meal PPG and satiety will be measured for one hour after the pizza meal. Study hypothesis: 1. Consumption of potatoes in their most usual forms (mashed or deep fried), when compared with pasta in either meat or vegetarian based meals result in lower FI at the meal and lower PPG and insulin. 2. Compensation for the reduced FI in the mashed potato meal does not occur at a pizza meal 3h later. 3. Lower PPG and insulin post-test meal and second meal will be found. 4. The amino acid profile of different meals will be reflected in post-prandial plasma levels and the amino acid response to vegetarian based meals with potatoes will be more balanced compared to the vegetarian based meals with pasta. Primary objective: To investigate the effects of potato consumption served with either meat or vegetarian substitute "meat" on meal-time FI and PPG, insulin, satiety and FI compensation at a later meal in healthy and normal weight adults. FI and PPG are primary outcomes and satiety, insulin, active ghrelin, amino acid response and FI compensation are secondary outcomes. Specific Objectives: Objective 1: To simulate at home-style meals and determine their effects on FI, satiety, PPG, and insulin, over three hours. Meals will be served with a fixed amount of beef or vegetarian substitute "meat" balls providing 25 g protein with ad libitum access to one of mashed potatoes, fried French fries, or pasta. Objective 2: To determine the effect of at home-style meals with beef or a vegetarian substitute with mashed potatoes on FI compensation at an ad libitum pizza meal 3h later. Post-meal PPG and satiety will be measured for one hour. Objective 3: To compare the amino acid response for 3 h after the meat and vegetarian based meals served with mashed potatoes, French fries, or pasta.