Potatoes--Packed
with Good Nutrition!
oreto es hilve be en a big part of school menus for decad es
bec a use they're a fa miliar and favorite food, yet oh so nutr itious and
de Iicious. Potatoes are regu larly featu red in school lunches beca use of
th e ir nutrit ional value, low cost, and overwhelming popularity with studants. A med ium
(5.3 oz) skin-on potato has 110 calories, 2 grams of fiber, IS an excellent source of vita min C
and is a good so urce of vitamin B6 and potassium.
Scientists and government agencies involved in setting the nation 's nutrition""
policy rec:ommend including fruits and vegetables, like potatoes, in a healthy diet.
The federal government's 2005 Dietary Guidelines found children and adolescents aren't getti ng
enough potassium, making it a "nutrient of concern." The fact is,
:.:.v ~"o:t ;,~ potatoes have the highest potassium content among th e top
Tater Trivia: Join the wo rld in
:========3(~tJ~ .20 most fr",qut>ntly consumed raw vegetables and the top
celebrating 2008 as the Inte rnat io nal
~-)-'- ' 20 most frequently consumed raw fruits, according to the
Year of the Potato as declared by the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
United Nat ions! Visit http://www.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets
po tato2008.org for more information .
nutr ient sta nda rds for school Iunchos and roqu ires that Iunches
comply with the U,S. Diet;;ry Guidelines recommendations. That means lunches must prov ide , o n average
~aJ~"~, th roug ho ut the week, at least one-third of the daily recom mended allowances fo r protein, iro n, calcium ,
__
and vitamins A and C. USDA's MyPyramid food gu;dance system recommends that sch oo l-aged kids get
1 Y2 to 3 cups of ve geta bles pe r day. The great news is that on e medi um (5.3 02 ) potato counts as 1 cup of
••
:?ii,-.~
~~t~ ve gg les! To heir kids eat more fruits and vegetables, as recommended by th e Centers for
Dise ase Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Produce for Better Health Foundat ions' campaign, "Fruits and
Veggies; More Matt ers, " try th es e creative and tasty ideas at home;
Pair a perennial favorite with a new vegetable, such as potatoes roasted with butternut
•
sq uash, carrots, or sweet yellow beets.
Make veggies easy to eat-dish lip mashad potatoes beside peas or steamed greens, or add
fun flavorings like Parmesan cheese.
H ow to R ea d
0..
N u t r ition Fa c t s La b el
Nut rition lab els 9 i v ~ you th e- kn owledq e to choose the be st foods.
Check out ho w potatoes st ac k up nutritionally. below.
C-a:I C
Hles and
Ca, lc'l'1 es lrom
Fat tell how
H1il.nyr: :.J!Orll;lo
31e in a:SI;!'Ylng...
(en'
he-alth and energy.
Nutrition Facts
Ser"ing Size
tfJllf,.V'Ju Ul ~
6n'Iot>ul"lt P . , S O, VI!'Wt
ttXJD typically
5l ·: \'ill!-lSi ~ ,:' J,.:ot:'lc 1 1 ~'l''''''' :iC' ''' (
amount of
C '''' ( ' ''~ ; '('' f1 · 1- iJ t 0
e-aIOt'lQIo 110
eatecat
one time.
and how many
01 tnese
C<Jr hQhytt { ~ \~
~ n en:JY
9i\'(:!
to yOlif
CalciUl'1lis ~
mineral that
h'3'lp,sbUild 'S trong
bones, Kids nine
and eicer ncec et
leaSI 1.300 rng 01
calClum a day.
and lowfat cheese.
Potatoes are so beloved by kids
that the School Nutrition Association
designed one of its "Vote for School
Lunch" characters after the special
spud ' Her name is Pippa Potato
and she enjoys debating hot potato
top ics-like the causes of childhood
obe~ity-so she can spread the word
~I (lo n e ~
cornetrorn fat.
brainfor thin'k. ing
(ill(,l to ~ofJr mus­
cles. for ~ X'+,;n::f:;'ing
Reinvent the meal-top a baked
potato with cauliflower, broccoli
fl
'.~ I :\ ~ i n
v~~,
C::.I-,:JI~ITI
2~ ~
T~ ' ~"" ' "
A '~
\ '11.<1 '1'111 1 (: ..t.•.~ .j.
Ir(X"'tv
R , ~ ~ J I,,~- t
~
2" ,
~ ;,t::' "
8~ ~
vnemm (l .. 1:)'""
t=-::J 1(l 1 ,~
~'~
' ~ I )('; ::: O ~I :)I f I U ~ ' 6 -,
l" ~-:'
c-,
Copper "'~ ~
r<" ~~ : I:' ) ""~ >l ; ;n
t>~; ,
o
vltanun
KBePS your
QlJmsh>:alttli
tor a beauufut
smile.
about the hea Ithfulness of school
lunches. To learn more about how
schools <Ire participating in the "Vote
for School Lunch" campaign, visit
WW \.1l. VowF'orSchooi[,Ul ldl.org.
Twice-Baked Potato Cook-Off
Pot ato es are nat urally fat -fre e and sod ium-free, hig h in vit ami n C, and a good sou rce o f
po t assium . Mak e the mo st of this healthfu l t reat by t rying th is ta sty, nut riti ous op tio n.
;. 4 medium russet potatoes
i.
1 cup st eam ed broccoli
1. Wash potatoes. Pierce the potatoes with a fork .
I . 1(, cup fat-free sour cream
2. Preheat oven to 450 °.
!. 1 cup grated, reduced-fat I,I
cheddar or Monterey Jack
3. Microwave the potatoes on high for seven minutes.
i,
cheese
4. Remove the potatoes. When they' ve cooled dow n, slice them in
half lengthwis e down the center.
,
Kids can he
'- ------ ----:-,-,­---­---­-.-.t:p'
,
5. Scoop out the center of the potatoes . Mix the portion you've
scooped out with the steamed broccoli, sour cream, and 3f1 of the
cheese. Mash the mixture until creamy.
6. Scoop liB of the mixture back into each pot ato ski n . Top with
remaining cheese. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake
for eight minutes. Enjoy !
l.
Makes 4 s e rvincs .
Per se rving: 1i :j calo ries, )3 9 pro tein, 24 9 carbo hydrm8, 2 9 tota l fat, 236 mg sodium,
29 fiber.
Attention Parents:
Grant Money Available
for Your School! The u.s.
Potato Board (USPB ) is teaming
up with SNA's Schoo l Nutr ition
Foundation (SNF) to launch its
first-ever School Wellness
Grant Program. Ten grants of
$2,500 each will be awarded to
public elementary schools in the
United States.
The program has been developed to help schools find healthfu l,
tasty vegetable options that students will enjoy eating, and to provide
opportunities for more school-based physica l activity. Grant award
recipients can spend awarded funds toward :
Purchasing school foodservice equipment for preparing potatoes in
healthy ways .
Purchasing physica l activity equipment for school playgrounds or for
physica l education programs.
A unique feature of th is grant program is th at it allows schools to
allocate funds toward the improvement of either the nutr ition or
physical activity of students-or both-depending on what their
students need the most.
Applying is as Easy as One Potato, Two Potato!
App lications are availab le on line at j'1ttp :/ /wwl/v.heal thrpotato.com or
http://'lll/II II',!.Bc.lloolnlltl'itioll.org and must be complete d by April 15,
2008 , Winner s will be a nno unce d at the 2008 School Nutrition
Association Annual National Conferen ce .
1. Heat oven to 450 °.
2. Slice potatoes lengthwise
3/4-inch thick, then cut each
slice into 3J4-inch long sticks.
3. Place in la rge bowl. Drizzle with
oil and sprinkle with herb seasonin
an d salt; toss to coat evenly.
4. Arrange potato pieces in a single layer on
nonstick baking sheet or baking sheet coated
with vegetable cooking spray.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until potatoes are
golden brown, turning once after 15 minutes.
6. Serve immediat ely, w it h optional salsa for
dipping .
Ma,~ es
4 se rving s.
Pe r servinc : 110 ca lo ries, 2 a protein /
19 9 GJ rb;hyd rate, 4 9 1Ota1 fat,
149 mg so d.'u.rll, 2 9 fiber
Resources
For more informat ion about eating good foods, visit:
www.healthypotato.com • www.schoolnutrition.org
www.mypyramid.gov • www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov
SNF
SC H O OL
SC HO O L
N U T R IT I O N
N U T R IT I O N
F OU N D A T I O N
A S S O C I AT IO N
fJ;II"M~(,.""Jl>I.,f.i',,JS«d.,~I· r
UN ITE D S T AT ES
.J1~Z(('-
. •
i. . . .'• • •
..
.... "
••
-'