October 2015
Quick Links
Connect with APRE
APRE mark


At the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' 2015 Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo™ (FNCE�) this month, APRE was pleased to distribute its latest fact sheet, Potatoes Make the Grade for School Meals. We know that food waste is attracting attention in school cafeterias as an issue with both nutrition and economic impacts. The good news is research suggests that schools may be able to reduce plate waste and save money by optimizing entrée and vegetable pairings.

The fact sheet highlights a study conducted at Texas A&M University that demonstrated that pairing entrées with popular vegetables such as white potatoes-served as oven-baked French fried potatoes, tater tots, and potato wedges-resulted in the least amount of plate waste. What's more, four out of five of the food pairings with the lowest overall plate waste included white potatoes. If you didn't get a chance to attend FNCE 2015, please feel free to download the fact sheet here to learn more.
 
P
lease visit the APRE website at www.apre.org to access the latest science-based potato nutrition resources, as we frequently update the content online. As always, we welcome your feedback, so feel free to send your comments and suggestions about what resources are most helpful to you and your practice via email to [email protected].  
 
Maureen Storey, PhD
APRE President and CEO

FNCE 2015

APRE Creates Buzz About Potato Nutrition Science at FNCE 2015 

Mr. Spudie was a big hit at the APRE booth: (From left) Maureen Storey, PhD, Kim Galaez, RDN, CD, Robyn Flipse, MS, MA, RDN, Holley Grainger, MS, RD, Suzanne Farrell, MS, RD, and Lauren Shelar, MBA, RD.
With a prime location and new #SpudSelfie activity, APRE took Nashville by storm at this year's Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo™ (FNCE�), held October 3-6 in Nashville, TN.

FNCE is the largest annual gathering of registered dietitians in the U.S., and this year attracted more than 10,000 nutrition professionals. Exhibiting at FNCE is a prime opportunity to meet face-to-face with key nutrition influencers, and APRE seized the moment to share the latest potato research updates and news about the role that nutrient-rich white potatoes play in a healthy diet. We featured a new School Nutrition Fact Sheet, Potatoes Make the Grade in School Meals, and had numerous conversations with school nutrition professionals about plate waste and how potatoes can help schools achieve healthy, affordable meals.
 
Andrea Carrothers, MS, RD, poses with Mr Spudie at the APRE booth. Photos were shared via Twitter on #SpudSelfie.
Especially popular this year was the new #SpudSelfie booth, which offered attendees the opportunity to share their love for potatoes in all forms by having their photo taken with "Mr. Spudie," a life-size potato standing in front of a gorgeous potato field backdrop. This sparked quite a social media buzz, driving attendees to the booth throughout the conference to take and post their own #SpudSelfies, many of which were accompanied by a positive potato nutrition message regarding the potato's versatility and nutrient content. Plus it was tons of fun!

Once again this year, APRE partnered with a fantastic team of nutrition communicators to share facts about potato nutrition research and how this affordable nutrient-rich vegetable fits into a variety of healthy eating plans to meet the needs of the whole family. Registered dietitians Holley Grainger, MS, RD, Suzanne Farrell, MS, RD, Robyn Flipse, MS, MA, RDN, Andrea Carrothers, MS, RD, and Kim Galaez, RDN, CD joined APRE President and CEO Dr. Maureen Storey to share their passion for potatoes with their colleagues.
 
APRE Blog

New Research Serves Up Food for Thought in APRE Blog      

 
Suzanne Farrell, MS, RD
In "Potatoes: A School's Secret Weapon Against Plate Waste," APRE nutrition communicator Suzanne Farrell, MS, RD, discusses food waste in school cafeterias, a growing problem across America that raises both nutrition and economic concerns. She highlights a recent study published in Food and Nutrition Sciences that suggests that pairing entr�es with popular vegetables can actually be an effective strategy in reducing overall plate waste and increasing the nutrient intake of students.

The study demonstrated that pairing entr�es with popular vegetables such as white potatoes-served as oven-baked French fried potatoes, tater tots, and potato wedges-resulted in the least amount of plate waste. What's more, four out of five of the food pairings with the lowest overall plate waste included white potatoes.

What does this tell us? "The white potato is one of the most popular vegetables served in school meals," notes Farrell. "Fortunately, the white potato is nutrient-rich and contains many of the same key nutrients found in the vegetables that more often ended up in the trash. Specifically, white potatoes are one of the highest sources of two shortfall nutrients-potassium and fiber-and are a good source of vitamin C and magnesium. In fact, a small serving of oven-baked French fried potatoes-the type served in more than 90% of schools-contributes 10% of the daily value for potassium and 8% of the daily value for fiber in just 116 calories and 3.6 g of fat." Read the blog...

 
Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD, FAND
In his Sept. 29 APRE Blog post, "Starchy Veggies? It Might Be Better to PICK Them Than to Pick ON Them," Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD, FAND, takes a closer look at recently published studies on fruit and vegetable nutrition that send mixed messages to consumers.

One of these cohort studies found that eating more fruits and vegetables was "associated" with weight loss, but eating starchy vegetables was "associated" with weight gain. However, the amount of weight gain associated with eating starchy vegetables was extremely small over a four-year period. In fact, he adds if one looks at these results another way, people who ate starchy vegetables gained LESS weight than the total cohort.
 
Ayoob, an internationally known nutritionist and associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, cautions that making broad nutrition recommendations based on population studies is tricky and usually a bad idea. Once people hear the term "associated with," he says, they can easily and inappropriately make the leap to "cause-effect," and that's a mistake.

"As a clinician and practitioner, I have to look at the larger and more real-world picture, not just the statistical one. Starchy vegetables-such as potatoes, peas, beans, and corn-are not new foods. They were around long before the obesity crisis, when we actually ate more of them. Moreover, they are absolutely loaded with nutrition. Read the blog... 

APRE RESOURCES FOR YOU

APRE's New Tip of the Week Series

Check your email in-box or visit our Facebook page or the APRE website to see APRE Tip of the Week posts!

These quick-read briefs highlight science-based nutrition facts about the affordable, versatile and nutrient-rich white potato. Each tip features useful links to resources or further information so you can dig deeper to learn more.

 

SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE ALERT

New Journal Supplement Explores Roles of Dietary Fats and Oils in Health, Innovation
 
Are dietary fats and oils really good for us after all? And if so, what types and how much should we consume to achieve a health benefit? How realistic is the dietary advice about fats and oils? These questions and more are discussed in the scientific supplement  "Fats and Oils: Where Food Function Meets Health," published May 15 in the peer-reviewed journal, Advances in Nutrition

The authors find that the answers are not always clear due to continued consumer confusion about the role of dietary fats and oils. Ongoing controversies about using and replacing fats and oils in the food system that impact diet quality and product innovation also pose challenges.


The supplement features papers from the University of Massachusetts Roundtable on Fats & Oils: Where Food Function Meets Health, held November 18-19, 2013, in Chicago, IL. The roundtable was funded by an unrestricted education grant from APRE.  
  
The Fats and Oils: Where Food Function Meets Health supplement is available from the Advances in Nutrition website.  
 
 
Penny Kris-Etherton,
PhD, RD 
FEATURED PAPER:
In the coming months, we'll feature links to each individual supplement paper on APRE's website and in Spud Nutrition eNews. This month, we link to the abstract, "Emerging Nutrition Science on Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease: Nutritionists' Perspectives," by Penny M. Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD and Jennifer A. Fleming, Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.

The authors explore the challenges associated with recent dietary guidance for heart health, which recommends a nearly 50% reduction in saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake. The aim is to reduce LDL cholesterol and to decrease risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends substituting unsaturated fat--both polyunsaturated (PUFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)--for SFAs.

However, while there is evidence for the cardioprotective benefits of some PUFAs and MUFAs, these substitutes alone will not meet the SFA reduction goal due to the relatively low amounts that can be incorporated in the diet. The paper details the evidence and level of impact that dietary carbohydrates and/or protein have as SFAs replacements. A key question that remains, say the authors, is what is the optimal mix of macronutrients to maximally reduce CVD risk. Read the abstract...
 
GET THE FACTS
 
Did You Know?
  • Contrary to popular belief, white potatoes are not over-consumed. Vegetable intake, including potatoes, is about 50% below dietary recommendations.
  • In fact, nutrient-rich potatoes are a pathway to increased vegetable consumption.
  • On average, people who eat potatoes consume higher amounts of potassium and eat more vegetables.
PARTNER POWER

Timely Tips to Help Increase Your
Vegetable Consumption                                               
ChooseMyPlate.gov's newly redesigned website is more accessible than ever, with updated content and features that highlight how to keep your diet healthy and well-balanced.

Check out the new Tips to Help You Eat Vegetables page for advice on how to get the most out of these important servings. For example, one way to get the best nutritional value is to select vegetables with more potassium, such as white potatoes!

USDA MyPlate National Partner logo
APRE is a National Strategic Partner of the USDA's MyPlate campaign. Partnering organizations have a health mandate consistent with 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 "Make half your plate fruits and vegetables." 
 
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!

View our profile on LinkedInFollow us on TwitterLike us on Facebook 
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