The Political Spud
Who
knew the potato could cause such controversy? This week, the United
States Senate blocked an effort by the White House to limit the amount
of potatoes and other starchy vegetables such as corn, lima beans, and
green peas served to children who participate in the National School
Lunch and Breakfast programs. Congressman unanimously adopted an
amendment to the 2012 spending bill for the United States Department of
Agriculture to prohibit the department from setting any maximum limits
for vegetables.
On
the surface, this sounds like a great move, although some may see it as
a little “big brother”. Here’s the nutritional reality - potatoes and
their skin do contain valuable nutrients, such as potassium, vitamin B6,
vitamin C, protein, and dietary fiber. Even if the potato is peeled and
mixed with other ingredients, it still retains some of its healthy
attributes. Frying further dilutes the health benefits of potatoes,
turning a fairly healthy food into one that is too high in fat to be
deemed a healthy choice. The bottom line is potatoes are a healthy
choice when they are absent additional ingredients such as fat, salt,
and sugar that make them less healthy. They can be part of a healthy
diet.
They
key is moderation, and the White House is responding to
population-based research that proposes that people who eat potatoes
more often are less healthy than those who do not. We know a variety of
vegetables needs to be incorporated into our diet to achieve the maximum
benefits of the disease fighting properties in vegetables. Some schools
either have not gotten the message or do not understand this concept,
or are probably more focused on the bottom line and less focused on
offering a variety of vegetables. French fries and mashed potatoes are
often served on school lunch lines multiple times each week because they
are relatively inexpensive. And then there is the issue of children not
liking fruits of vegetables, partly because of a lack of repeated
exposure at home and away from home.
Unfortunately
the real nutrition message here will be lost - fried potatoes and high
fat mashed potatoes should be ‘sometimes food’ but baked potatoes can be
part of a healthy diet that incorporates other varieties of vegetables
and healthy components and balances total carbohydrate intake between
whole grains and starchy vegetables. Or more simply put - eat a variety
of colors of vegetables (that advice is especially important for your
kids) and not just potatoes and ketchup.