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2012 Is the Year of The Potato

Posted on Jan 04, 2012 by Maggie LaBarbera

healthy vegetable year of the potato Happy 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!