‘Because white potatoes are classed as a starch, so they are actually a carbohydrate and do not count towards one of your five a day.’ So, although you don’t need to swerve the classic white spud (they do taste great after all!), you could swap white potatoes for sweet potato.
Do potatoes count toward your 5 a day?
When eaten as part of a meal, potatoes are generally used in place of other sources of starch, such as bread, pasta or rice. Because of this, they don’t count towards your 5 A Day. Other vegetables that don’t count towards your 5 A Day are yams, cassava and plantain.
Nor do any other potato dishes, though sweet potato does count . Try sweet potatoes in mash (you don’t need to add any butter), baked whole, or baked in wedges brushed with just a little oil.
Another frequently asked question is “Do sweet potatoes count as 5-a-day?”.
Sorry to break it to you, but regular white potatoes are too starchy to count towards 5-a-day totals . Their sweet orange cousins, however? They are on the list. “Sweet potatoes have a lower starch content than their white counterparts, and are a source of several nutrients including vitamin A and vitamin C,” says the expert.
We learned sweet potatoes, parsnips, swedes and turnips do count towards your 5 A Day because they’re usually eaten in addition to the starchy food part of the meal. Potatoes play an important role in your diet, even if they don’t count towards your 5 A Day. It’s best to eat them without any added salt or fat.
How much potato should I eat a day?
For potatoes, given they have a bit of extra energy than the usual green leafy variety, go easy and aim for half a medium sized potato on your plate. This also goes for other starchy vegetables like sweet potato, taro or cassava. Getting enough vegetables also means getting enough variety.
Do potatoes count as a vegetable?
A: Potatoes, yams, cassava and plantain are vegetables , but don’t count towards your 5 A Day. This is because they mainly contribute starch to your diet.
How many portions of food should I eat a day?
The guide below will give you an indication of typical portion sizes for adults. Children should also eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. The amount of food a child needs varies with age, body size and levels of physical activity. As a rough guide, 1 portion is the amount they can fit in the palm of their hand.