Hot Potato

Just this last week I read two articles about the poor, beleaguered white potato. Both articles were in the Wall Street Journal. The first was about how the FDA wants to completely eliminate white potatoes from school breakfasts and severely limit it's availability in school lunches to once a week. The second article was about how McDonald's restaurants need to stop marketing fast food (would you like fries with that?) to children because it is leading to the epidemic of obese children in America.

First off, let me say for the record that I am not a medical professional. Nor am I a potato farmer, or affiliated by birth of relation to any such person in the farming industry. I'm also not saying that potatoes should be served at every school lunch, five days a week- I'm just suggesting that we take a closer and reevaluate completely taking potatoes out of the picture.

Potatoes are high in fiber, full of nutrients and low-fat. They contain potassium and vitamin C. A humble baked potato can fill you up, rather inexpensively money-wise and calorie-wise (approximately 160 calories for a baked potato with skin). Also, a baked potato can be a "vehicle" to other vegetables- think baked potato with broccoli. With a vegetable-picky eater at home, this is a HUGE deal for me to get my child to eat- and enjoy- her veggies!

We each have a CHOICE as to what to eat and what to feed our children. We have a CHOICE as to where we go out to eat and what food choices we make when we are there. If you go out to McDonald's, just don't get the fries- get the apples, instead. Choose the fruit option, not the chips. Of course, potatoes are part of french fries and french fries have helped lead American children to the obesity epidemic we are currently facing. However, not ALL potatoes are bad. Ban french fries, not baked potatoes. Ban chips from school lunches, not potatoes found in the form of soups, stews and healthy, nutritious casseroles.

Give children a (healthy!) choice. Offer children (and adults!) a wide variety of vegetables, repeatedly. Mix vegetables into a daily, healthy lifestyle through salads, steamed vegetable sides, mixed in with other carbohydrates and lean proteins. Don't say that potatoes are bad when that is simply not true.

In other words, don't throw the baby out with the bath water.