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There are many reasons why potatoes are a nutritional powerhouse, providing fuel and replenishment for athletic performance. This new graphic illustrates key nutrition attributes and benefits of potatoes for performance all in one visual. This resource will be useful when you are recommending potatoes to your athletes and looking for quick nutrition soundbites about the performance nutrition of potatoes.
Potatoes USA partnered with the Collegiate & Professional Sports Dietitian Association (CPSDA) at FNCE to host a member breakfast about best practices for fueling athletes in a culturally competent way. After enjoying a potato-centric breakfast, Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN shared her experiences working with athletes around the world and talked about how athletes of all levels and from all backgrounds love and enjoy potatoes. She highlighted examples of how potatoes are common in dishes around world and led a discussion tapping into this potato inspiration for ideas for athletes’ menus and training tables. For potato fuel inspiration, check out these potato performance recipes.
Hundreds of nutrition professionals virtually joined renowned sports dietitian Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, as she presented “Produce for Performance: Benefits of Plant-Based Diets for Athletes” for My Sports Dietitian subscribers. Throughout this webinar, Leslie highlighted the benefits of a plant-based diet for optimizing performance to help athletes play well and stay well, and reinforced that a plant-based performance eating plan can deliver on macro-, micro- and phytonutrients as well as promote a healthy lifestyle.
Leslie encouraged the audience to be “spud studs” and reinforced the nutrition attributes of potatoes for performance, including that a medium (5.3 oz.) skin-on potato has 3 grams of plant-based protein. She said, “Potatoes are so ‘spudtacular.’ They’re an easy-to-prepare, convenient and portable way to optimize energy and nutrient density in the diets of our athletes.” The webinar recording is available HERE.
A panel of carbohydrate researchers, educators, clinicians, and food chemists discussed the concept of carbohydrate quality and the many factors that should be considered when assessing the quality of a carbohydrate-containing food or meal. The summary of their discussion was published this month in Nutrition Today. The panel and study manuscript were supported by funds from the Alliance for Potato Research and Education. The panel of experts are aligned that carbohydrate quality is a multifactorial issue and that no one or two metrics accurately define the quality of a carbohydrate-containing food. The panel did not, however, reach a consensus on a definition and more research on the factors that can be used to assess carbohydrate quality is needed.
Potatoes are a perfect example of why it’s important to consider all the factors that impact carbohydrate quality, especially related to the macronutrient content of the dish, the lifestyle and dietary patterns of the person eating the potatoes. Factors such as the glycemic index will vary greatly based on how the potato is prepared and what the potato is served with and the levels of resistant starch will vary based on any cooling of the potato and the temperature it is ultimately consumed at. As a definition for what constitutes a high-quality carbohydrate containing food continues to develop, potatoes will be central to putting it into perspective.
Potato Puree is a Promising Race Fuel for Athletes – Medical News Today
Should I Eat Potatoes While I Run? – The Atlantic
Can Mashed Potatoes Fuel Your Run as Well as Energy Gels? – Food & Wine
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