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Cucumbers - fruit or vegetable?
Steelpit202
Posts: 51 Member
I've learned that cucumbers are technically a fruit, but I've also heard of it being counted as a vegetable. Do you count cucumbers as vegetables? Depending on the size, I can eat a whole cucumber. Would those be servings of fruit or vegetables?
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When counting macros, food group doesn't really matter. That's a benefit of macros, IMO.
Personally, I would count it as a veggie because it's pretty low in sugar. The same with tomatoes.2 -
I tend to count them as a vegetable. But if you're worried about hitting your 5 serves of veg and 2 of fruit a day, and that's why you're asking - the recommendation is 5 veg and 2 fruit because they thought that people would be more likely to follow that than "eat 7 serves of veg a day". It really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
Tomatoes, capsicum and avocado are all also technically fruit.0 -
Olives are apparently a fruit. Not that I called them a vegetable. Olives were just olives in my eye. My bad lol2
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Does it really matter? I call it a vegetable but I try not to make things overly complicated....2
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In Canada the recommendations don't differentiate between fruits and vegetables. Seven servings a day of any combination. I still struggle to meet it.2
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Olives are apparently a fruit. Not that I called them a vegetable. Olives were just olives in my eye. My bad lol
Haahaa you know, I've never even thought about that, I eat them all the time and olives are just olives to me. I guess I almost think of them like a condiment, rather than a fruit or veg? Weird.1 -
"Vegetable" is a culinary/food term....not a scientific term. Whether a plant or fungus (including the plant's fruit) is a vegetable depends entirely on its culinary use.2
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I just count the calories. Fortunately cucumbers don't have many.2
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Botanically, anything with seed in it is a fruit. Corn kernels, zucchini, and pea pods are fruits too! Culinary or nutritionally speaking, its more dependent on its usage. I like the idea of just going by macros instead. But I'd consider cucumber a veggie. In a pinch, I'd use sugar content as the differentiating factor.1
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Whether something is a vegetable depends on whether you're a chef or a botanist. Technically there are no vegetables (kiwis have seeds, so do tomatoes, much like cherries and olives). Mushrooms are a fungus, corn is a grain, etc.
But for chefs and normal people, fruits and vegetables are divided by sweetness/sugar and/or calorie count. I count cucumbers as a veg because I wouldn't eat it right before a big workout for fuel like I would a banana. Ymmv.0 -
This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, which I have had on my MFP profile for years.
"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." - attributed to Miles Kington17 -
Botanically, anything with seeds is a fruit. What we call vegetables are plants where we eat the vegetative parts--leaves (lettuce, spinach) stems (celery, rhubarb, asparagus), flower buds (artichoke, broccoli), and roots (carrot, turnip).
Also, botanically, cucumbers are a berry, but blackberries aren't true berries.3 -
Culinarily it is a vegetable, because it is less sweet than what is culinarily a fruit (and related to that it's low cal). Nutritionally it is considered a veg too, although I don't think it's as high in micros as many (not a knock, I love cucumbers and eat them a lot, especially in the summer). Botanically it is a fruit, but that's not really what the vegetable recommendations focus on.
I don't think it matters much, but personally I do try to get 7+ servings of vegetables a day (or just 2 or more per meal, which works out--I don't really count servings that rigorously, though, and go with what seems like a good amount). I eat fruit too but don't consider it quite the same or a replacement for vegetables.0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »Olives are apparently a fruit. Not that I called them a vegetable. Olives were just olives in my eye. My bad lol
Haahaa you know, I've never even thought about that, I eat them all the time and olives are just olives to me. I guess I almost think of them like a condiment, rather than a fruit or veg? Weird.
Heh, I'm the same. I love them, but just think of them as a fat source, without counting them as a veg. Too high cal and indeed more of a condiment.
(Avocados get counted by me as a fruit, though, although a fruit I consider extra beneficial despite the calories because of the fat. Weird.)0 -
This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, which I have had on my MFP profile for years.
"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." - attributed to Miles Kington
Although a tomato/watermelon salad is one of the more delicious salad options. (Add feta too.) I suppose I wouldn't call it a fruit salad, though, despite the fact it is! ;-)0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »I eat fruit too but don't consider it quite the same or a replacement for vegetables.
Why do you differentiate? Until recently, I did too. Fruits seem like an easier path. Cheating almost. But I'm coming around to the idea that despite the fact that they tend to be packaged with a bit of sugar, they are roughly equal in terms of fibre and nutrients.
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bananas are technically herbs. But I wouldn't treat them in the same way I did, say, rosemary.0
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girlinahat wrote: »bananas are technically herbs. But I wouldn't treat them in the same way I did, say, rosemary.
A banana is an edible fruit and botanically a berry. Although a banana tree is classified as an herbaceous plant, that is not the same as saying the fruit of the banana tree is an herb.2 -
girlinahat wrote: »bananas are technically herbs. But I wouldn't treat them in the same way I did, say, rosemary.
The plant as a whole is a herbaceous plant. (It's not a tree.) The banana part we eat is the fruit/berry. In culinary terms, herbs come from the leafy part of a plant while spices come from other parts that have been dried and crushed. So, the part we eat is a fruit for sure, and would qualify as a spice if you used it as such. The banana leaves could be herbs, if used that way, but not the fruit.2 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »Olives are apparently a fruit. Not that I called them a vegetable. Olives were just olives in my eye. My bad lol
Haahaa you know, I've never even thought about that, I eat them all the time and olives are just olives to me. I guess I almost think of them like a condiment, rather than a fruit or veg? Weird.
Heh, I'm the same. I love them, but just think of them as a fat source, without counting them as a veg. Too high cal and indeed more of a condiment.
(Avocados get counted by me as a fruit, though, although a fruit I consider extra beneficial despite the calories because of the fat. Weird.)
Yep and technically olive oil is fruit juice hehe I still can't get my head around that one.2 -
TanyaHooton wrote: »Whether something is a vegetable depends on whether you're a chef or a botanist. Technically there are no vegetables (kiwis have seeds, so do tomatoes, much like cherries and olives). Mushrooms are a fungus, corn is a grain, etc.
Corn--the part we eat--is a fruit. It has the potential to become a grain by drying it, as is the case with many other grass fruits/seeds.1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, which I have had on my MFP profile for years.
"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." - attributed to Miles Kington
Although a tomato/watermelon salad is one of the more delicious salad options. (Add feta too.) I suppose I wouldn't call it a fruit salad, though, despite the fact it is! ;-)
Fact is that the expression itself "fruit salad" sounds strange to Latin ears, because a "salad" (insalata in Italian) is supposed to be "salted". In fact, we use a different word for the sweet one (macedonia)
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Does it really matter?1
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goldthistime wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »I eat fruit too but don't consider it quite the same or a replacement for vegetables.
Why do you differentiate? Until recently, I did too. Fruits seem like an easier path. Cheating almost. But I'm coming around to the idea that despite the fact that they tend to be packaged with a bit of sugar, they are roughly equal in terms of fibre and nutrients.
I think most vegetables have a lot more micros, and of course have fewer calories. To me vegetables are essential (unless you have a health issue with them, like some with Crohn's) and fruit is great if you like it, but not that important for a diet to include.
I love fruit and eat a lot in the summer especially, but in the winter I tend to eat it much more sporatically -- frozen berries if I eat something with them, maybe "fresh" blueberries, especially if I have oatmeal, occasional apples, clementines when I buy them, sometimes bananas -- I do eat more tropical fruits in general as I don't eat them in the summer when I focus on what's in season.
This is just me, though, not saying it's what others should do. I just don't think about fruit that much when it's not in season or unless I happen to buy some bananas or clementines, whereas for me having a significant portion of vegetables is an essential part of any meal.
(On the other hand, pork chop with apple is IMO the perfect fall or winter meal, so...) ;-)1 -
For a while I stopped eating fruits almost completely because I was watching my sugar consumption and I didn't want to give up the few sweet treats I indulged in. Rethinking that lately.
Most of the time I have trouble eating vegetables in isolation. I often pair them with a fat (butter, cheese, olive oil) to make them more appetizing. Thinking about it that way, the extra calories/sugar that fruit is packaged with doesn't seem so bad at all.
I did a search on nutrient dense foods and found this list. Surprisingly, my beloved blueberries didn't make the cut.
Watercress (Score: 100.00)
Chinese cabbage (Score: 91.99)
Chard (Score: 89.27)
Beet green (Score: 87.08)
Spinach (Score: 86.43)
Chicory (Score: 73.36)
Leaf lettuce (Score: 70.73)
Parsley (Score: 65.59)
Romaine lettuce (Score: 63.48)
Collard green (Score: 62.49)
Turnip green (Score: 62.12)
Mustard green (Score: 61.39)
Endive (Score: 60.44)
Chive (Score: 54.80)
Kale (Score: 49.07)
Dandelion green (Score: 46.34)
Red pepper (Score: 41.26)
Arugula (Score: 37.65)
Broccoli (Score: 34.89)
Pumpkin (Score: 33.82)
Brussels sprout (Score: 32.23)
Scallion (Score: 27.35)
Kohlrabi (Score: 25.92)
Cauliflower (Score: 25.13)
Cabbage (Score: 24.51)
Carrot (Score: 22.60)
Tomato (Score: 20.37)
Lemon (Score: 18.72)
Iceberg lettuce (Score: 18.28)
Strawberry (Score: 17.59)Radish (Score: 16.91)
Winter squash (Score: 13.89)
Orange (Score: 12.91)
Lime (Score: 12.23)
Grapefruit (pink/red) (Score: 11.64)
Rutabaga (Score: 11.58)
Turnip (Score: 11.43)
Blackberry (Score: 11.39)
Leek (Score: 10.69)
Sweet potato (Score: 10.51)
Grapefruit (white) (Score: 10.47)
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/41-most-nutritious-fruits-and-vegetables-2014-60 -
Setting aside how they did it (which I haven't looked at), not surprised that greens in general score so high, but am surprised about parsley which I think of as just a garnish. I get it from my farm in season, but I usually worry least about getting it eaten -- didn't know it was as much a nutritional powerhouse as other greens. Cool, I'll be better about using it too, then. ;-)0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »... not surprised that greens in general score so high, but am surprised about parsley which I think of as just a garnish. ...
I use parsley (both flat and curly - and, yes, they do taste different) as more of a veg than a garnish. Cut the stems off (and throw that in the freezer for use in making stock) and chop the whole bunch to add to a pan of mushrooms or a pot of soup. Add a bunch to spanakopita to up the flavor. Add to bulgur, lentils and feta for a hot, complete meal tabouli. Turn it into a pesto with walnuts. Use it anyplace you might use spinach like in gnocchi or gnudi.
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I grew up thinking the 4 basic food groups was something that has always been the case. Guess what? No. The USDA guidelines have changed a lot over the years. They used to have separate groups for green and yellow vegetables and red and orange ones. There was a food group for butter!
So I'm not sure it matters if you look at cucumbers one way or the other.0 -
not_my_first_rodeo wrote: »So I'm not sure it matters if you look at cucumbers one way or the other.
Just don't look at them "that" way....
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