When we ingurgitate onpotatoes — baked , fried , mashed , or otherwise — we often reassure ourselves that it ca n’t be too much of an self-indulgence . Potatoes are vegetable , after all , and vegetables are good for us , right ?
This wilful ego - deception may not be potential for much longer : Potatoes could potentially be reclassify and lose their veg condition .
Food & Winereports that the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is flirting with the idea of slotting potatoes into the grain class in its updated 2025 dietary guidelines in an effort to encourage more balanced nutritional profiles for Americans . ( The citizens committee recognizes fruits , grain , proteins , vegetables , and dairy farm . ) By eliminating potatoes as vegetables , it may lead people to consume more nutrient - dim , cruciferous choice like Brassica oleracea italica .
Potato advocator disagree with the proposal . voice from the National Potato Council and other pro - potato groups address before the citizens committee in September to fight the starchy carb . NPC CEO Kam Quarlesinsistedthat “ potatoes are a vegetable [ and ] not a grain . ” Quarles added that , unlike other starches , potatoes are rich in potassium and vitamin . A reclassification , he added , could mix up consumer and result in a “ helter-skelter outcome . ”
potato have long been a source of contention in nutrition circles . Under a strict definition , potato are the edible portion of a plant , and thus a vegetable . But they deport differently in the consistency . “ A tater is not a veggie from a nutriment power point of view , ” Harvard ’s Lilian CheungtoldCNBC . “ potato almost behave like a polished saccharide . It increases your ancestry sugar . ”
Othersregardpotatoes as a buckram vegetable , conjoin the likes of corn and lentils .
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines are a joint effort between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services . The current version was established in 2020 and is set to expire in 2025 . Theguidelinesfor 2025 to 2030 are currently under review . When finished , they ’ll serve inform nutrition education , nutrition guidance , and meal assistance programs .
As it stands , potatoes are the most - consumed vegetable in the United States . tomato plant are in 2d place ( despite technicallybeing a yield ) .
