nicoles blog JUNE 09
Speaking of spuds…
When I see errors or misinformation about food in the media, if I have half a second I’ll let them know in the spirit of setting the record straight. Heaven knows this could become a full time job with all the myth and fiction about food and nutrition around, but when I see a quick win I’ll grab it! The Sunday Magazine (Sunday Telegraph) published my letter telling them their ‘Roasted’ cartoon by Andy Riley had sold potatoes short by saying they weren’t counted as a serve of vegetables. Any Accredited Nutritionist would know the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and the national fruit and vegetable promotion campaign ‘Go for 2 n 5’ both include potatoes as vegetables. I have quite a soft spot for spuds and believe they have been much maligned in popular culture. Of course the real culprit in tarnishing the reputation of the potato is fast food. Of course when you take a vegetable, slice it thinly, deep fry it in either beef tallow or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil high in saturated and or trans fats, and then douse them in salt, they are a mere shadow of their healthy selves! Ten points to fast food companies using trans-free vegetable oil for cooking their chips, and forward-thinking companies now selling roasted and baked potatoes and plumper potato wedges that are much healthier. It is companies with an eye on health, and now the environment, as well as convenience which will command loyalty from discerning consumers.
