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AIBU?

To shout is loud from the rooftops, potatoes do could as one of your 5 a day

34 replies

Margiemar · 09/09/2015 13:15

In the report they decided to say they didn't purely because they thought some people would eat chips and crisps and think they are healthy.

A baked or boiled potato contains many vitamins and minerals and so is really part of your 5 a day

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catzpyjamas · 09/09/2015 13:17

Yay Grin

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Squidiot · 09/09/2015 13:19

Is this a UK thing that people don't count potatoes as vegetables?Confused

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evilcherub · 09/09/2015 13:20

Why are people on MN obsessed with "shouting" everything?

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WeAllFloat · 09/09/2015 13:21

Oh good! i do hate being bullshat. Nothing erodes trust like a good dose of pure bullshit for your 'own good'.

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Theycallmemellowjello · 09/09/2015 13:21

No, NHS guidance says they don't count, no matter how they're prepared: www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/Whatcounts.aspx

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Squidiot · 09/09/2015 13:24

But potatoes are vegetables

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Margiemar · 09/09/2015 13:29

Yes the NHS says that as they follow the same advice from the government report.

The NHS are useless at health stuff, they are still promoting low fat diets a d aritfical sweeteners.

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WeAllFloat · 09/09/2015 13:30

Hang on, the nhs are basing this on the way meals are usually eaten.....as in, it's in place of bread so now it's not a veg!? But because a parsnip is not in place of a carb that slips under the net.

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GrouchyKiwi · 09/09/2015 13:36

Watch out, cauliflower and spiralised courgette: you're next to be demoted from vegetable status.


Roast potatoes are properly healthy, right?

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Zucker · 09/09/2015 13:37

If we all relocated to Australia, the humble potato would count as a serving.

Australia 7 a day

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DoJo · 09/09/2015 13:37

Do you have a link to the original report?

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iPaid · 09/09/2015 13:40

Someone is going to point out that potatoes are carbs and therefore the work of the devil! Ignore and enjoy your lovely tatties Grin

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W00t · 09/09/2015 13:40

Fine, but it's meant to be more like 7or 8 a day, but NHS thought people wouldn't be arsed in Britain...

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iPaid · 09/09/2015 13:43

Well the French say 10 a day Shock

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KittyandTeal · 09/09/2015 13:43

Woohoo! I love potatoes in all forms. I'm proper happy I can count them too Grin

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GrouchyKiwi · 09/09/2015 13:44

Yy, W00t. They decided 5 was the maximum number they could reasonably encourage Brits (and Kiwis) to consume. Which points out how rubbish the whole campaign is, but I suppose a numbered target is easier to push than simply "eat loads of fruit and veg".

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LaurieMarlow · 09/09/2015 13:45

Mumsnet's obsession with what counts as your 5 a day is one of my favourite things about it.

Thanks OP Grin

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LaurieMarlow · 09/09/2015 13:49

From a marketing POV, it is a great campaign. People like certainty & clear goals - 'eat loads of fruit & veg' is much too vague - wouldn't have made anything like the impact.

5 felt like a good number for the UK to aim for. And it stuck. Good job all round. Hopefully we can become a bit more ambitious in time.

I don't really give a f* whether potatoes 'count' or not. They are a nutritious food. But then I'm Irish, so I would say that.

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raisin3cookies · 09/09/2015 13:51

I wouldn't listen to anything the NHS has to say about eating healthily, tbh.

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Margiemar · 09/09/2015 13:56

Yes the report did say 7 a day but they decided not to push for this as its unachievable for most.

Is it uk wide? I once heard a comedian joke about Scotland and one a day and assumed this was a joke, but a Scottish guy at work spoke of having a single vegetable a day in all seriousness.

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LovelyFriend · 09/09/2015 14:05

I guess they excluded the potatoes because some people would think their 5 a day is fulfilled by one large daily serving of chips.

Which kind of defeats the point of the 5 a day campaign.

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LovelyFriend · 09/09/2015 14:07

the report did say 7 a day but they decided not to push for this as its unachievable for most.
So they settled on 5 as most people either were or would meet it?

It's a joke really.
Guidelines sidelines.

If you were really health conscious you would be eating more than 5 a day. 5 a day is bare minimum.

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AliceScarlett · 09/09/2015 14:11

Potatos are carbs and therefore evil. Any evil food eaten will take the in-out calculation and throw it in the bin, along with science.

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WorktoLive · 09/09/2015 14:19

In the US, pizza and chips appears to count as two of your five a day, by virtue of potatoes and the smear of tomato paste on the pizza (no mention of a proper vegetable topping, eg peppers and mushrooms).

link.

I suspect the industrially produced school dinner pizzas are a far cry from lovingly home made with loads of veg efforts.

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raisin3cookies · 09/09/2015 14:23

If by the in-out calculation you are referring to the calories in-calories out mantra, then yes, throw it out. Utter claptrap.

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