‘One vegetable children’ are least likely to ignore: Potatoes

U.S. children are not consuming enough vegetables, resulting in an inadequate intake of key nutrients, including potassium and dietary fiber, which are important for growth, development and overall health. Research published (January 2016) in a special supplement of the peer-reviewed journal Advances in Nutritiondemonstrated that children ages 1-3 years of age consumed just 67 percent of the dietary reference intakes (DRI) for potassium and 55 percent of the DRI for fiber. An overarching conclusion from the various papers included in the supplement, “Science and Policy: Adopting a Fruitful Vegetable Encounter for Our Children,” is that potatoes are a vegetable that tends to be well-liked by young children and are a good source of potassium and provide 8 percent of the recommended daily value of fiber. In fact, a study of elementary school students demonstrated that students are not consuming the majority of vegetables offered to them in school lunches. However, plate waste for white potatoes was the lowest among any type of vegetables; thus, including potatoes in school meals is one important way to help ensure children receive those key nutrients of concern. More