Posted on 10/18/2011 10:10:04 AM PDT by jessduntno
Spuds. Just another topic for debate in the U.S. Senate.
In the hyper-partisan atmosphere of Washington, lawmakers from both parties found something they could agree on: potatoes.
"Here are some nutritional facts about potatoes that are often overlooked," Sen. Susan Collins, Republican from potato-producing Maine, told her colleagues on Monday.
"We both believe potatoes have gotten a bad rap," added Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat from Colorado, another potato-producing state. "The truth is, when prepared properly, the potato can provide critical nutrients to students that will help them lead healthy lives and be ready to learn in the classrooms."
They are fighting proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture nutrition rules to limit the consumption of starchy vegetables, including potatoes, in schools.
For Collins, Udall and other lawmakers from potato-producing states, the issue is, well, no small potatoes. Potatoes represent tens of millions of dollars in business for their states.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
Potatoes get a bad rap as a bad starch, but truth is that potatoes contain crucial vitamins and minerals and actually help to slow down digestion due to fiber content in the skin.
To outlaw potatoes as food in our schools is a travesty. If they want to do something productive, stop frying the damn taters and bake them with some sort of potato bar with all the fixins. Better for you and still tasty!
Potatoes in schools ping.

"It was a bad rap, see?"

"It was a bad rap, see?"
>> Spuds. Just another topic for debate in the U.S. Senate.
Senate... that’s the serious, deliberative chamber, right?
Not like those superficial, hotheaded populist yahoos in that *other* chamber.
Potatoes are a very good food, especially for diets to lose weight (they are very filling per calorie). It’s the junk that gets piled on top that causes problems.
Good and good for you. Moochelle keeps two fifty pound sacks in her fanny pack at all times.
People died in the 19th century for lack of potatoes.
The idjuts in charge these days probably don't know you can cook taters without frying them.
The power to control the number of potatoes schoolchildren eat must be in the 927th or 928th amendment to the Constitution.
Depends on the side of the coin you’re talking from too.
I dropped over 100 lb. a few years ago with no carbs. I did some research on vegetable vitamin and mineral densities, and many vegetables contain fat-soluble vitamins and minerals that are more readily absorbed if paired with fats like butter or sour cream.
I personally slather butter and garlic salt on my veggies, and I’ve not gained any weight from it. I enjoy the occasional baked potato with sour cream and chives. The cheese and bacon bits throw it over the edge for me personally.
I think they should just make it easy on themselves and hire some hospital “nutritionists”. Seems like that’s where they’re heading. Food with no fat, no salt, no sugar, no starches, etc etc.
GAG.
That's great. Different things work for different people. If people want to lose weight the traditional way by lowering calories, potatoes are a great choice.
Completely agree with you!
Someone on here was commenting just the other day about losing several pounds over a week where they ate more potatos than normal. Kind of runs against the common theme that starchy potatos are calorie packed and bad for you.
Personally, I take mine baked and loaded with everything they can put on it......cheese, jalapenos, picante, bacon, brisket, sour cream, onion. But it’s only occasionally that I eat a baked potato so it’s okay.
And I pulled a Dan Quayle there, you see......
Potatoes are full of potassium...yum...they are good for you!
PotAtoes!
I thought Potatoes have more complex carbohydrates than simple sugars, so it takes longer for the body to metabolize them.
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