Could potatoes lose their status as a vegetable? The debate has deep roots.

The Washington Post quoted Katherine Balantekin in a story reporting on news that the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is reviewing whether potatoes should really be considered a vegetable, or if they should be classified as a grain or part of some other food group. Balantekin said Americans need to eat a wider variety of vegetables and reduce their intake of processed foods. She also said potatoes can be “super nutrient dense” and that the field of nutrition in general has had a problem with “vilifying” foods. “I don’t think any public health person would say that people wouldn’t benefit from eating fewer fried potatoes. It would be good to eat fewer of them,” she said. “But I think that doesn’t have anything to do with whether it’s a vegetable or not.”