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2012 Is the Year of The Potato

Posted on Jan 04, 2012 by Maggie LaBarbera
 

healthy vegetable year of the potatoHappy New Year and Happy Year of the Potato.

2012 has been dubbed the year of the potato according to Restaurant Hospitality. Potatoes are a nutritious vegetable and considered a gateway vegetable, meaning they are great for introducing other vegetables to the meal.

Some people lump potatoes in the same category with "starch" or low nutritious foods and that could not be farther from the truth.  Potatoes are a vegetable that contain a great deal of nutrients.  But just like any vegetable, if you deep fry it, you lose a lot of the nutrients and increase the fat content.

Here are the top 5 reasons why Potatoes Is This Year's Vegetable!

1. Potatoes are one of the top five dietary source of vitamin C.  A medium-size (5.3 ounce) skin-on potato has almost half your daily value of vitamin C and no fat, sodium or cholesterol – all for 110 calories. Vitamin C is especially important during cold-and-flu season.
 
2. You might be surprised to learn that potatoes have more potassium than a banana. Not only are potatoes a versatile vegetable, they are also the largest and most affordable source of potassium in the produce department.  Consuming a diet low in sodium and rich in potassium has been shown to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
 
3. Adding potatoes to your plate improves the overall diet quality. Research shows consuming non-fried white potatoes results in higher intakes of potassium and vitamin C and more total vegetable consumption.  With potatoes, making veggies half your plate becomes a lot easier.
 
4.  Potatoes are a healthy vegetable and can be part of a weight loss plan. The key is how you prepare them and cook them.
 
5. Potatoes offer seven unique potato types to choose from – Russets, reds, yellows, whites, blues/purples, fingerlings and petites –giving parents lots of choices and recipes!  
healthy potato for families recipes and facts

Potato Resources for Kids and Parents

In honor of this very popular vegetable, we have some new printables, recipes and nutrition education materials and games to share with you:

For Kids

New Tator Trivia and Fun Printables that promote the seven types of potatoes and teach children healthy facts about this vegetable.   

New Crossword Puzzle "Potatoes are Spuderific"

New Seven Types Of Potatoes Recipe Cards For Kids

New Farm to Table Potato Party Coloring Book

For Adults

We have a great article written by our dietitian about how to use the potato to introduce other vegetables to kids.  

Potato Facts page with some key information about potatoes

Potato Recipe page with 10 of Chef Solus favorite healthy potato recipes.

 

More resources

Find 100s of potato recipes from www.potatogoodness.com

 

 

1 Comment

 
Vince
Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 @ 07:16 AM

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Didn't know potatoes had more potassium than bananas !!!
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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