Parents who want to encourage healthy eating habits will be interested to know that researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle have uncovered an interesting fact about children’s consumption of vegetables, reports UPI.
After reviewing data from more than 11, 500 children, ages 5 to 18, and information on more than 57,000 individual meals – in which white potatoes could be bakes, boiled, mashed or roasted, but not fried – researchers concluded that children who eat more white potatoes generally ate more vegetables.
One medium-size potato, including the skin, has 110 calories and contains more potassium than a banana, plus half the daily value of vitamin C, and contains no fat, sodium or cholesterol, according to lead researcher Adam Drewnowski.
"Potatoes belong in the diet,” said Drewnowski. “Children who consume white potatoes have more nutrient-dense diets, overall, and they actually eat more of other vegetables.
"There were no differences in the prevalence of overweight or obesity between children who did and did not consume potatoes."