Dr. Jonathan D. Shenkin Speaks Out Against Potatoes in Maine

In an editorial published in the Maine Morning Sentinal on September 19, Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Jonathan D. Shenkin spoke out against potatoes being served in school lunches. 

He said, “Currently, there are no restrictions on the frequency in which potatoes can be served. As a result, potatoes are the most commonly consumed vegetable in public schools, served 75 percent of the time in the form of french fries. This translates to 7.5 million children eating french fries every day.”

Dr. Shenkin is alarmed by this consumption pattern stating that potatoes, specifically the starch contained in them, has been linked directly to obesity in a study recently published by Harvard University. He further asserts that the study showed the three leading foods to cause the most weight gain were potato-derived with french fries being number one.

He continued, “The U.S. Department of Agriculture has established new school nutrition guidelines for 2012 based on the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine. The changes regarding potatoes in school lunches involve moderating its consumption to one cup, or two servings, per week.”

Dr. Shenkin is a public health advocate for children and a pediatric dentist practicing in Augusta, Maine. He also serves as the National Media Spokesperson on Pediatric Dentistry for the American Dental Association and has previously spoken out about school nutrition and soda consumption. He feels that Maine lawmakers are not taking the health dangers of potatoes seriously, and are instead backing the Maine potato industry.

To read more about Dr. Shenkin’s viewpoint on this issue, which he has dubbed “Potato-gate” visit the Morning Sentinal website.