Does a stew count as a healthy meal?

[TheGrinchIsComingToTown]

I'm having a bit of a debate with my mum.

I've made a chicken stew - chicken breast, carrots, peas, onions, potato and gravy.

She says it doesn't count as being "healthy", because of the potatoes. I think it does, because it's got a ton of veg and protein in it.

Basically just that. In the winter my healthy meal staples are stews and soups, but now I feel like they're not actually that good 😅

I think a healthy meal, especially as you retain all the nutrients in a way you do not always get with other cooking.

I'd say healthy but not low calorie - lots of nutrients

of course it is healthy
potatoes are healthy

Why does she think potatoes aren't healthy? In days gone by the British population got a lot of its Vitamin C requirements from potatoes, especially during the winter months. There's a lot of useful nutrition in the potato. Obviously when turned into chips or really luxurious buttery, creamy mashed potato or roast potatoes or crisps there's a high fat content but that doesn't apply to raw potato added to a casserole or stew or soup. I think your stew sounds like an excellent healthy meal.

Full of veg and protein. What would she define as healthy?

Nothing wrong with potatoes, especially in a stew. It's turning them into chips or buttery mash that makes them less healthy. We eat stews all the time in winter, loads of delicious vegetables.

I would ay so. Skip the dumplings if you are looking to lose weight but yes delicious and nutritional

Does your mum struggle with her weight?

For routine family meals this absolutely is a healthy meal but if you are cooking for someone with significant weight issues or who needs to keep carbs low for medical reasons (eg a ketogenic diet to control epilepsy) then it might be better to choose to serve potatoes on the side rather than in the stew so that those eating it can choose how much of them to have?

No such thing as an unhealthy food. It's diet that can be unhealthy, when you look at everything eaten over a period of time, both in terms of the foods eaten and the nutrients in them (or lack of them), and the quantities eaten, i.e. portion size, compared with the energy from food that person actually needs.

Sounds healthy to me. It might not be ideal for a diabetic as one without the spuds

Yes it does as long as the potatoes/other carbs are no more than 1/4 of the overall meal.

I tend to not put potatoes into stew myself though preferring swede, parsnip, carrots, onion, leeks, turnip if I can get it, and pearl barley with dumplings, not a diet food but good home cooking for people of normal weight and calorie intake

Of course it's healthy. Some people are hung up on low calorie = healthy, and thats not always true.

Yes it's healthy

It’s healthy. Potatoes are healthy, although you can cook them in unhealthy ways eg chips.

Of course it's healthy. Normal people eat potatoes and other carbs. It contains protein, veg and carbs and is tasty. I would never make stew with chicken though as it's not improved by long slow cooking. Beef is best for stew imo.

I assume your mum is one of those people who thinks healthy = low calorie?

As a family we struggle with weight, she's definitely a "carbs are the enemy" type of person

Calorie wise it's usually about 250 calories per portion, but then I won't tend to have anything with it unless I'm really hungry, then it's a roll and butter (which definitely isn't healthy!)

Potatoes are healthy. Chicken stew with lots of veg is also healthy. Your mum's being silly.

Liquidise it and call it chicken and vegetable soup. That’ll fuck her right up 😃

Potatoes are definitely healthy, they have loads of vitamins in them. Especially cooked in a stew without lashings of butter or oil!

I would usually use more veg than that in a stew - celery, swede, parsnip for example to up the variety of veg. I would serve a bigger portion than 250kcal worth though!

Chicken makes a great casserole when cooked on the bone IMO.

Am I the only one who is fascinated by how you have gravy in a stew?? Isn’t a stew already wet? #misses the point

Potatoes are unhealthy if you live on chips. Not in the occasional strew.

A stew with lots of different veg is incredibly healthy.

Potatoes are not the devil.

Yes of course it counts. Potatoes are not The Great Evil, and I'm even someone who has to watch carbs as I'm diabetic. There are lots of nutrients in potatoes and the good thing about a stew is you are unlikely to overeat on the potato element.

Your mum is probably unduly influenced by the low fat/low carb/diet culture she likely grew up in.

A wholesome, family winter meal. Less healthy if you’ve bought it pre-prepared so full of salt etc.