so tell me - does sweet potato count as a FAVU?

[Clary]

A colleague of mine wants to know. I know potatoes don't count, but is sweet potato actually potato? or is it yam which is something else? Anyone know?

it does count. :)

sorry but whats a favu?

oh sorry, fruit and vegetable unit, ie what we're trying to eat 5 a day of (should be 9 really but no-one dares tell us that!

9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I struggle with 5! I agree sweet potato is at least 1 though - maybe 3 per potato? (oh no, I think that's just the optimism speaking)

I thought potatoes did count, but only once (so you can't have your five portions from chips, jacket, mash, smiley faces & waffles!!!)

Would def. count sweet potato.

Ooh, I was wrong judging by NHS website:

"Potatoes and other related vegetables such as yams and cassava do not count. This is because they are classified as starchy foods"

i also thought that sweet potatoe count...

but understand normal potatoes dont count at all!

do pickled onions count?

No normal potatoes definitely don't count.
I guess pickled onions would if you ate enough of them (about two tablespoonsful?? )
Look's like the jury's out on sweet potato -anyone else?

I pickle my own so they are uite big ones and I eat around 5-6 each time so prob about 2 portions then!

I never understood why potatoes don't count, tbh ... I thought they had a fair bit of vit C?

In France it is 10 a day because most people already eat at least 5!

I eat around 10 a day. I live off fruit, veg and chocolate

Potatoes don't count because they're mostly eaten without skins, where all the goodness (vit c & D iirc) is I think. But yes, feel sure sweet potatoes count.

Ah, didn't know that WWW - that makes sense. Thanks :)

\link{http://www.5aday.nhs.uk/WhatCounts/WhatCounts.aspx\what counts apparently} GeorginaA, I may be making that up! but it says on that site that potatoes don't count because they're starchy foods, so it's to do with GI too then. Sweet potatoes are much better for you than ordinary potatoes though.

Hmm... interesting.

Do onions count? Mushrooms?

Am currently doing a sausage casserole which has a tin of condensed tomato soup in it - does that count towards 5 a day?

Reading that site makes me think that actually we do reach our 5 a day most days (I always thought we didn't) if onions and mushrooms and tomato saucy things count....

Carrying on from that thought ... could a good bolognese sauce (with lots of different veggies in it) include your whole 5 portions in one meal?

You know ... I think the A-household might actually be a little bit healthier than I thought, lol!

portion size is supposed to be around fist size.

Well the bolagnaise I did yesterday had
Carrot, swede, onion, pepper, tomatoe, mushroom & barley....so maybe?

Although it wasn't a full protion of each it ment the mindees (that ate 3 meals with us) had about 14 different f&v that day - i think that the variety is good as well

No, potato is carb.

georginaA I think you can count the veg in a casserole (and I have started making mine heavy on the veg an dlighter on the meat now) but you have to have enough. Eg if you used (say) one onion, a can of tomatoes and two carrots and shared it between 4 people, well I would say about 1 portion each. But if that was for 2 people then 2 portions etc.
Nikkie I easily eat 9-10 a day, take 4-5 portions of fruit and another couple of salad (handful of cherry toms and half a pepper) to work every day, plus veg/salad with lunch and green veg/pasta sauce in the pm.
I think if you eat a healthy and varied diet and cook a lot from scratch you probably eat more than you think.
BTW I always thought that tates don't cpunt because they are too yummy (chips, roasters mmmm, mashed tates mmmmmmm - you can tell I'm from Lincolnshire!)