Houston: Potatoes are a good source of potassium and provide 8 per cent of the recommended daily value of fibre, according to a new research which suggested its inclusion in children's meals for a healthy diet.
Children in US are not consuming enough vegetables, resulting in an inadequate intake of key nutrients, including potassium and dietary fibre, which are important for growth, development and overall health, researchers said.
Research published in the journal Advances in Nutrition showed that children one to three years of age consumed just 67 per cent of the dietary reference intakes (DRI) for potassium and 55 per cent of the DRI for fibre.
Elementary school students do not eat the majority of vegetables offered to them in school lunches, researchers found. However, plate waste for white potatoes was the lowest among any type of vegetables. "It's important that consumption of all vegetables, particularly those that are good sources of potassium and dietary fibre, be encouraged in children," said Theresa A Nicklas from Baylor College of Medicine in US.
"Dietary habits established during childhood often transition to adulthood, so it is hugely important to encourage children to enjoy vegetables as part of the diet in
order to reap the nutrition and health benefits provided by vegetables into adulthood," Nicklas said.
