My daughter Alice asked us in the family text thread “What is everyone’s favorite veggie?” Her favorites are raw carrots and steamed broccoli.  One of my sons said “celery” and my oldest kiddo responded “potato”, which sparked a whole discussion: Is a potato really a vegetable? 

The number one complaint that parents that I work with is this: “My kid won’t eat veggies, unless a French fry counts!”  I’m pretty sure that parents are thinking of veggies as GREEN things like green beans, spinach, kale and avocados.  

But did you know that the word vegetable is a culinary term and not a true categorization of produce?  Carrots are roots. Celery is a stalk. Spinach are leaves and tomatoes are fruit (fruits contain seeds). And our friend the potato is a tuber. 

We tend to describe savory produce as vegetables and sweet plant products as fruits.  Among the families & kiddos that I work with, potatoes are often the only veggie that they like.  

So What’s Up With the Potato?

The poor potato has gotten a bad rap (along with pasta & bread—but that’s another blog completely).  Potatoes have a higher amount of starch (a type of carbohydrate) and that’s where “Diet Culture” has convinced us that carbs = bad and should be avoided completely. 

Consider this: a medium potato contains 163 kcals, 37 g carbohydrates, 25% of an adult’s DRI of potassium (which helps your nerves, muscles & heart), 70% of an adult’s DRI of Vitamin C (helps to absorb iron & aids in wound repair) and 30% of an adult’s DRI of Vitamin B6 (important for brain development).  

Frying potatoes is one of the less healthy ways to prepare a potato so try making them in an airfryer. 

For the record: my favorite veggies are asparagus (a stalk), roasted cauliflower (immature flower buds) and roasted sweet potatoes (a tuber). 

Reach out at Karen@CoastalFamilyNutrition.com or call the office at 603-674-2479. I’m happy to help.

Snack Idea: Potato wedges (air fried) & dip

Please feel free to share this with someone who may like to learn more about feeding kiddos!