Colorado POTATO FACTS AND NUTRITION

Colorado Potato Nutrition:

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines provide Americans with important recommendations on food sources, along with essential vitamins and nutrients necessary for a healthy diet. Potatoes contain many of these essential nutrients that the dietary guidelines recommend Americans increase in their diet.

In fact, one medium sized potato, eaten with the skin on:
· Is just 110 calories.
· Has nearly half of the Daily Value for vitamin C.
· Is one of the best sources of potassium and fiber in the produce section.
· Is a great way to eat your veggies
 

Nutrition on a Budget

Fresh produce doesn’t have to break the budget, particularly when you count on potatoes to. One serving–a medium, 5.3-ounce potato—will only set you back about $0.21. Pound for pound, potatoes continue to be are one of the greatest values in the produce department. 

According to the USDA My Pyramid guidelines:
1 medium skin-on baked potato = 1 cup starchy vegetables
Colorado Potatoes: The Next Super Food?

 Carbohydrates for Health

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends choosing fruits, vegetables and whole grains often, while staying within energy needs, for health. These foods, as well as dairy products, provide carbohydrate as well as protein. 

Some people hold the misconception that they need to cut down on carbohydrates to manage body weight. But mainstream science advises that excess calories are to blame for weight gain, regardless of what foods they come from. Those calories come from three sources: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Fats contain the most -- 9 calories per gram; protein and carbohydrates each contain 4 calories per gram.
Depriving yourself of carbohydrate from vegetables, like potatoes, denies your body of essential nutrients. One medium-sized potato, for example, contains zero fat and cholesterol for a satisfying 110 calories. Eaten with the skin, the potato is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium and vitamin B6. 

 

FACT SHEET
POTATO NUTRITION
 

• One medium potato (5.3 ounces) with skin is a good source of potassium, providing 620 milligrams or 18% of the recommended daily value (DV) per serving. 

• Potatoes rank highest for potassium content among the top 20 most frequently consumed raw vegetables and the top 20 most frequently consumed raw fruits.

• Eating just one medium potato – about the size of a computer mouse – can get you well on your way to meeting your daily potassium requirement.

• Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C (45% of the DV), which is more vitamin C than one medium tomato (40% DV) or sweet potato (30% DV).

• One medium potato (5.3 ounces) with the skin contributes 2 grams of fiber or 8% of the daily value per serving.

• Potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6 with 10% of the recommended daily value.

• One medium potato provides 6% of the recommended daily value of iron.