DENVER – The US Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2020 to 2025 highlight the importance of eating more vegetables with potassium and vitamin C, and potatoes meet the mark, pointed out John Toaspern, chief marketing officer of Potatoes USA.  

"The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations focus on increased nutrient-dense vegetable consumption. Americans can take simple steps toward eating healthier by choosing potatoes,” Toaspern said. “As a nutrient-dense vegetable, potatoes support all three healthy eating patterns - healthy US, healthy vegetarian, and healthy Mediterranean - defined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Potatoes' versatility also means they can easily fit into meals across a variety of personal and cultural preferences for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” 

Potatoes are a good source of potassium, Toaspern noted, providing 15% of the daily value per serving in addition to being an excellent source of vitamin C, providing 30% of the daily value per serving. Potatoes can also help consumers feel full for longer periods of time due to the good carbohydrates found in potatoes. One serving of potatoes has 26 carbs and three grams of protein. 

"Many Americans are struggling with food insecurity and are not meeting recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake,” Toaspern said. “Research suggests that potatoes are an affordable, nutrient-dense vegetable that provides more nutrients per penny than most other vegetables.”