Stupid question about the 5+ (or 9-12) a day
Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 7:40 pm
OK, at the risk of being forever shunned for stupidity, can I please ask for clarification of exactly what counts and doesn't count as a fruit/vegetable in the 5+ (or 9-12) a day?
I hear you all laughing. But I suspect there are others here who aren't sure and I know for certain that people out in the regular world don't know.
Fruits pretty obviously count as fruit. Given what Jeff has posted about the marginal differences between fresh, frozen and even canned fruits, probably all of these count.
We all know that the salad-type veggies count: carrots, lettuce, celery and other "rabbit" food. Tomatoes would be counted here or as fruits.
It's my understanding that grains (wheat, rice, oats, etc) are not counted as a vegetable, however healthy they might be. Although since wild rice is actually a grass seed, I wonder if that makes a difference...?
But what about the tubers and winter squashes and corn and peas? I've had a nutritionist tell me that my potatoes and corn don't count in the 5+ a day because they're starches, not vegetables. Taking that stuff out means I would rarely get to 9 servings of fruit/veg a day. I would include these as part of the veg group, myself.
And legumes? On the back of my trusty standby baked beans tin, it says it counts for 2 of my 5 servings. Huh? There ain't enough tomato in it to explain that - so they must be counting the beans. Although this is a place where a tablespoon of ketchup counts as 1 serving, so maybe it is the tomatoes?
This 5+/day guideline is a specific one that is frequently referred to without explanation of exactly what is and is not included. It would be nice to know if I really should be upping my fruit and salad veggies enormously to achieve the fruit/veg levels that are associated with good health as discussed in the latest article by Jeff (Triage).
And while I'm doing this, what's with serving sizes for fruit/veg? I've heard the "fits into the palm of your hand" rule, but also others that vary quite a bit from that.
I shall now go and sit on a stool in the corner with my Dunce cap on.
I hear you all laughing. But I suspect there are others here who aren't sure and I know for certain that people out in the regular world don't know.
Fruits pretty obviously count as fruit. Given what Jeff has posted about the marginal differences between fresh, frozen and even canned fruits, probably all of these count.
We all know that the salad-type veggies count: carrots, lettuce, celery and other "rabbit" food. Tomatoes would be counted here or as fruits.
It's my understanding that grains (wheat, rice, oats, etc) are not counted as a vegetable, however healthy they might be. Although since wild rice is actually a grass seed, I wonder if that makes a difference...?
But what about the tubers and winter squashes and corn and peas? I've had a nutritionist tell me that my potatoes and corn don't count in the 5+ a day because they're starches, not vegetables. Taking that stuff out means I would rarely get to 9 servings of fruit/veg a day. I would include these as part of the veg group, myself.
And legumes? On the back of my trusty standby baked beans tin, it says it counts for 2 of my 5 servings. Huh? There ain't enough tomato in it to explain that - so they must be counting the beans. Although this is a place where a tablespoon of ketchup counts as 1 serving, so maybe it is the tomatoes?
This 5+/day guideline is a specific one that is frequently referred to without explanation of exactly what is and is not included. It would be nice to know if I really should be upping my fruit and salad veggies enormously to achieve the fruit/veg levels that are associated with good health as discussed in the latest article by Jeff (Triage).
And while I'm doing this, what's with serving sizes for fruit/veg? I've heard the "fits into the palm of your hand" rule, but also others that vary quite a bit from that.
I shall now go and sit on a stool in the corner with my Dunce cap on.