Food and Health Communications

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Tuber 101: Brand New Fact Sheet

I'm back with another sneak preview from the newest course in the online schoolPlant-Based Eating Pattern: Vegetables.Today I've used a tiny bit of the content of this course to create two brand-new fact sheets! Tuber 101 and Tuber 102. Tuber 102 is for members only and can be accessed in the post Tuber 102: The Facts Continue.Tuber 101 is available right here, right now!Here it is...What is a Tuber?The dictionary definition of a tuber is “a much thickened underground part of a stem or rhizome, e.g., in the potato, serving as a food reserve and bearing buds from which new plants arise.”As the definition suggests, potatoes are tubers. This includes red potatoes, sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes, and baking potatoes.Yams are also tubers, as are Jerusalem artichokes, taro, jicama, and cassava.Fun Facts!You may be surprised to learn that potatoes are not only fat- and cholesterol-free, but are also loaded with health-promoting nutrients. Potatoes are a good source of dietary fiber, which is important for digestion and which may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also high in the antioxidant vitamin C.Potatoes are even a rich source of potassium, and a diet rich in potassium (while also low in sodium) helps prevent high blood pressure and stroke.Yams and sweet potatoes top the charts in terms of beta carotene content. Beta carotene is also known as vitamin A and it plays a key role in heart health and heart disease prevention. Did you know that a single cup of chopped sweet potatoes contains over 375% of your daily value for vitamin A?And now, without further ado, here is the free PDF handout with all this great content!tuber-fact-sheetPlus, here are some other vegetable resources that could make your life easier...[shopify embed_type="product" shop="nutrition-education-store.myshopify.com" product_handle="vegetable-poster-slicing-chopping-and-cooking-guide" show="all"][shopify embed_type="product" shop="nutrition-education-store.myshopify.com" product_handle="i-heart-fruits-and-vegetables-poster" show="all"][shopify embed_type="product" shop="nutrition-education-store.myshopify.com" product_handle="fruit-and-vegetable-challenge-tool-kit-with-powerpoint-shows" show="all"]