Kevin Smith reveals impact on his body when he tried the 'just potatoes' diet after having a heart attack

Kevin Smith has opened up about the effects of the extreme 'just potatoes' diet he adopted following the heart attack he suffered in 2018.

We're constantly bombarded with different diets that experts claim are the newest and most effective way to lose weight.

Whether it's the keto diet, intermittent fasting, or the latest social media craze, there's always a diet being hailed as the ultimate solution.

But American filmmaker Smith, 55, opened up about the bizarre diet he tried after suffering a heart attack eight years ago, which doctors say was caused by a 100 percent blockage of his left anterior descending artery.

His team attributed the blockage to a combination of lifestyle factors and genetics, which culminated in the near-fatal medical event.

So while looking to make real change in his life, he decided to try out the 'just potatoes' diet - and what you see is what you get with this one, honestly.

The filmmaker shared details of the bizarre diet he followed after his 2018 health scare. (Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)

"I ate them for two weeks - straight up, just potatoes," he explained while on the Joe Rogan podcast, of which clips are now re-circulating.

"You can bake them but you can't use anything to cook them, you can eat as many as you want, you just can't put anything on them, no butter, no salt, nothing."

The 55-year-old noted that the 'trick of the diet' is that you 'think you like potatoes' but that you actually get so bored.

He said: "I was like oh my god, 'I can do that, I love potatoes'.

The star realised he didn't like potatoes as much as he first thought. (Getty Stock Images)

"And then you realize you don't like potatoes as much as you like salt and butter and milk, and everything that goes into mash potatoes."

The star did the diet for two weeks, and claims to have lost 19 pounds (8.6 kg) in that time.

"It taught me more than just f*** I hate potatoes, it taught me to fast."

Instead, now he eats one meal a day around 3pm.

But speaking with the BBC, Nutritionist Fiona Hunter warned: "A diet of just potatoes will be deficient in vitamins A, E and K, the minerals calcium and selenium, essential fatty acids, protein and dietary fibre. Although they may provide enough iron for a man, they will not provide enough iron for women."

Smith rose to fame writing and directing the iconic 1994 indie film Clerks, in which he also co-starred as the silent, trench coat-wearing character 'Silent Bob'.