spud enews 8
November 2013
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APRE mark
Greetings!

It was great to see so many of you in Houston at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' 2013 Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo. The conference was a great success for APRE with nearly 200 people attending Texas A&M's presentation on APRE-supported school plate waste research and tremendous interest by our booth visitors in new resources and handouts. APRE gave away more than 1,000 new "flag" pens and hundreds of copies of our recently published mini-poster. We are very pleased that so many of you planned to share or use these materials with your clients and patients. Be sure to visit the link in this issue of Spud Nutrition eNews to download your printable copy of the mini-poster.

Also, please do visit our website at www.apre.org for even more great potato nutrition science resources. As always, we welcome your feedback, so please feel free to send your comments and suggestions to us at [email protected].  
 
Maureen Storey, PhD
APRE President and CEO

APRE On the Road

APRE-Sponsored Research Presented at APRE Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo Booth in Houston 
FNCE 2013 
(From left) McCain Foods' Joe Bybel visited with APRE president and CEO Maureen Storey, PhD, and Texas A&M's Peter Murano, PhD, at APRE's "Meet the Experts" booth event.
     

Nearly 200 people attended Texas A&M University's October 20 session, "School Lunch: What is Served, What is Wasted?" at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' 2013 Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) in Houston. Texas A&M researcher Peter Murano, PhD, presented early findings from an APRE-sponsored study investigating the consequences of limiting starchy vegetables in schools.

 

The plate waste pilot study measured vegetable consumption by type (starchy vs. non-starchy vegetables) among elementary school students in Texas, before and after implementation of the 2012 USDA Nutrition Standards for School Meals guidelines. Dr. Murano's presentation covered issues concerning costs, nutritional values of meals, and overall vegetable intake, as well as the value of plate waste data collection. Texas A&M expects to submit the findings for publication in 2014.

 

FNCE 2013 
(From left) APRE consultants Catherine Nnoka, Suzanne Farrell, MS, RD, and Andrea Carrothers, MS, RD, engage with registered dietitian attendees at FNCE 2013 in Houston.
Following the session, Dr. Murano fielded questions about the study by Expo booth visitors in APRE's "Meet the Experts" corner. Two of APRE's nutrition communicators, Suzanne Farrell, MS, RD and Holley Grainger, MS, RD, were on hand to speak with other registered dietitians and attendees who visited the booth. Several of APRE's educational materials were big hits with visitors. A top draw was APRE's new "flag" pen, which features a pull-out educational banner with a graph of the potassium content of various fruits and vegetables and potatoes in all forms. Another popular item was APRE's new mini-poster "Make a Perfect Plate with Potatoes," which shows how potassium-rich potatoes can be served at any meal. APRE also distributed free reprints of the executive summary paper from the Advances in Nutrition supplement, "White Vegetables: A Forgotten Source of Nutrients." 

Nutrition News Bites

A Must-Read Myth-Busting Article Sets the Record Straight on Diabetes and Diet
   

 

It's common knowledge that diabetes is an epidemic in this country, writes Jill Weisenberg, MS, RDN, CDE, in the November issue of Today's Dietitian. However, while there's a wealth of credible scientific information available about the disease and proven strategies to treat and manage it, she writes, there are also many misconceptions circulating among nutrition professionals about the types of foods clients and patients should eat and what they should avoid.

Weisenberg's well-referenced article, "Set the Record Straight-Experts Dispel the Top Five Myths About the Diabetes Diet," serves up the facts based on the latest research and interviews with experts in the dietetics field.
Among the myths addressed is the directive "don't eat white foods," which experts say is too literal. "Color doesn't predict content of nutrients or phytochemicals," says University of Minnesota's Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, who is quoted in the article. "Potatoes, for example, are high in potassium and vitamin C, and are a good source of fiber. Since fiber and potassium are shortfall nutrients in US diets, excluding potatoes only makes nutrient deficiencies worse."

The article also debunks the notion that to avoid risk of diabetes one must avoid any food with a high glycemic index. While both the quantity and source of carbohydrate influence postprandial glucose levels, notes the author, the total amount of carbohydrate consumed at a meal or snack is a stronger predictor of glycemic response. Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, adds that there is great potential for someone to miss out on healthful, nutrient-dense foods when they select foods based solely on the GI. "For example, potatoes, bananas, and whole wheat bread have GI scores that many people consider too high," Brown-Riggs states. "So it's imperative for nutrition professionals to teach patients that the GI score alone doesn't suggest the suitability of a food in a diet for diabetes management." Read more... 

  

family mealtime
The Dining Table: More than Just a Place for Eating

A recent study by Cornell University researchers examined the relationship between dining environment and body mass index (BMI) among 190 parents and 148 children. The researchers found that families who ate dinner in the kitchen or dining room had lower BMIs for adults and children compared to families who ate elsewhere. Eating with the TV on was positively associated with higher BMIs among adults. Reasons for these links are unclear, but family meals and their rituals may play a role in obesity prevention. Read a summary of the study at Cornell University's website or read the study abstract at Obesity.

Nutrition Science for You

APRE Launches Science Series Videos  


APRE is pleased to introduce the first two videos in its new Science Series available on the APRE website. The series' inaugural videos feature interviews with leading nutrition scientists and experts who authored papers in the peer-reviewed Advances in Nutrition supplement, "White Vegetables: A Forgotten Source of Nutrients," published in May 2013.
  • In "Color Your Nutrition with White Vegetables," Johanna Dwyer, DSc, RD, Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, and Mario Ferruzzi, PhD, explain from a scientific standpoint how white vegetables, including white potatoes, are just as important to human health as more "colorful" vegetables.
  • In "White Vegetables are Nutrient Powerhouses," experts detail how white vegetables are needed for heart, kidney, bone, and digestive health. Interviewees Joanne Slavin, PhD, RD, Maureen Storey, PhD, and Stella Lucia Volpe, PhD, RD, discuss the critical nutrients provided by white vegetables, including white potatoes.

Free Paper on White Vegetable Nutrition         
Advances in Nutrition May 2013 cover

APRE is pleased to offer you free access to the Executive Summary paper of the newly released supplement to the May 2013 Advances in Nutrition, "White Vegetables: A Forgotten Source of Nutrients." Co-authored by supplement editor Connie Weaver, PhD, distinguished professor of nutrition science at Purdue University, and Elizabeth T. Marr, MS, RD, the paper provides an excellent overview of the  supplement's contents, which takes an in-depth look at the state of the nutrition science on potatoes
and other white vegetables, from nutrient values to health benefits.

Education and Outreach

APRE Potato Immersion Day Offers Farm-to-Fork Experience, Insights        
 
(From left) APRE Nutrition Communicators David Grotto, RD, and Sophia Kamveris, MS, RD, were among the invited nutrition media communicators who experienced farm-to-fork potato production first-hand during APRE Potato Immersion Day on Prince Edward Island.

As part of its educational outreach programs, APRE sponsored a select group of nutrition influencers and media communicators from the U.S. and Canada to attend its first Potato Immersion Day on Canada's Prince Edward Island in October. The special event offered the nutrition experts an in-depth, first-hand look at all aspects of the farming, harvesting and production of potatoes from farm to fork. The event featured onsite tours of R&L Farms, a Cavendish Farms processing plant, and Canada's Smartest Kitchen at the Culinary Institute of Canada. The communicators also attended a series of educational sessions detailing aspects of potato production, nutrition and research.

 

The attendees reported a number of takeaways from the experience, including gaining new insights into the care, passion and dedication of farmers to produce the highest-quality potatoes, the complexity of what goes into potato farming and harvesting, and the simplicity of the process of making French fried potatoes. 

Resources & Downloads

APRE Blog: 3 Diet Rules to Ignore       

      

Three rules you can ignore and one delicious recipe that you shouldn't are served up in APRE's most recent blog post, "3 Diet Rules to Ignore." Registered dietitian and media spokesperson Suzanne Farrell, MS, RD, offers some surprising advice related to commonly held beliefs about white foods, fast foods and grocery shopping. As Farrell states, recommending that consumers simply "avoid" something is rarely helpful advice; it's more about achieving balance on the plate. Be sure to get the recipe for Baked Truffle French Fries, too! Read more ... 

     

Did You Know?
  • Potatoes are a "gateway" vegetable. Potatoes increase the consumption of other vegetables, supporting USDA MyPlate's dietary recommendation to "Make half your plate fruits and vegetables."
  • Potatoes offer culinary versatility. From baking and roasting to mashing to frying, there's a preparation method to meet any health and lifestyle need. 
Partner Power

Free Mini-Poster: Make a Perfect Plate with Potatoes       

APRE has published a new free mini-poster that shows how potatoes contribute to a perfect healthy plate-breakfast, lunch or dinner. The colorful poster not only promotes the USDA MyPlate message, "Make half your plate fruits and vegetables," but provides quick nutrition facts and infographics on why the potato is a nutrient-rich vegetable option that makes any plate great for all ages.

 

Click on the "Make a Perfect Plate with Potatoes" mini-poster thumbnail above to download your free PDF.  


APRE is a National Strategic Partner of the USDA's MyPlate campaign. Partnering organizations have a health mandate consistent USDA MyPlate National Partner logowith the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion. As a partner, APRE promotes the DGA and MyPlate messaging, such as "Enjoy your food, just eat less." 

 

Connect with APRE


social media network APRE regularly shares a variety of digital links, resources and news with dietitians, health professionals and the nutrition science community through its social media channels.

There are lots of ways to connect with us--LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter--and we invite you to take a moment to Link, Like and Follow us today!

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The Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE) is a not-for-profit organization 100%
dedicated to expanding and translating scientific research into evidence-based policy and education initiatives that recognize the role of all forms of the potato-a nutritious vegetable-in promoting health for all age groups. APRE is actively building the science foundation concerning the nutritional benefits of the white potato; creating partnerships with critical health professional organizations in the United States and Canada; and providing dietitians and health professionals with the latest scientific research and information on potato nutrition, consumption, and affordability.
For more, visit www.apre.org