Sports Dietitian Champions Potatoes on TV and Radio Stations Across the Country for National Nutrition Month

Kelly Jones, a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, recently shared a message with TV and radio audiences across the country for National Nutrition Month: Swap in potatoes to get more vegetables.

“I tend to find that people take things out of their diet when they’re trying to eat well, and then it becomes really boring, and they’re back to square one,” she said. “So, I encourage everyone to do the opposite: We want to add things in that we love.”

• Results: Kelly, a regular on broadcast news, participated in 26 TV and radio interviews on behalf of Potatoes USA in cities spanning the country.
  • Cities in Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Washington, Florida, Ohio, Missouri, Louisiana, Arkansas, Indiana, and California broadcast segments with Kelly
  • Kelly was also featured on the nationally syndicated radio show What’s Cookin’ Today, which aired on hundreds of radio stations across the country

Here’s one of our favorite appearances, which aired on the CBS affiliate in Springfield, Mo.

Her message is that potatoes are a nutrient-dense vegetable that provides nearly one-third of our daily value of vitamin C, 15% of our daily potassium, 3 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fiber.*

Kelly also highlighted the resistant starch in potatoes, which forms when they’re cooked and cooled and can act as fiber — a timely reminder, as gut health is a trending nutrition topic.

Among the ways people can swap in potatoes to add more vegetables to their meals, Kelly suggested:

• Crispy Roasted Potato Croutons – an easy way to boost a salad’s veggie count
• Hashbrown Toast – using frozen patties for a veg-forward alternative to bread that can be topped with avocado or eggs
• Hashbrown Crusted Quiche – using hashbrown shreds instead of pastry crust to add protein and reduce fat

With airings continuing throughout March, Kelly’s swap-in message is reaching millions of viewers and reinforcing potatoes’ place as a nutrition powerhouse.

*Based on a 5.3oz skin-on potato