Do some fruits "count" as vegetables when it comes to diet?
tshook12397
Posts: 16 Member
So this whole time I was thinking that squash, bell peppers, and green beans all fall under the "vegetable" category. Unsurprisingly I was wrong! But I was wondering if this is still true for our diets? To my understanding it's not good for you to eat more than two servings of fruit per day. I realized I eat a ton though since what I thought were veggies actually aren't. But do greens like green beans and peas still have the same benefits as vegetables? I'm just all turned around now about what a balanced diet looks like. 
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Replies
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Why do you say squash, peppers and green beans aren't vegetables?1
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Most of the fruits we think of as vegetables are in the veggie category because they have nutrition profiles closer to the vegetable group than the fruit group. The fact that they are botanically fruits isn't that important in terms of nutrition.
You are right to classify those foods as vegetables for diet purposes.5 -
Why should you only eat two servings of fruit? I usually group them all together as fruits/vegetables and try to get about 5 servings a day.4
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Squash and bell peppers are botanically fruits, but used culinarily as vegetables.
Whoever told you that you shouldn't eat more than two servings of vegetables a day was giving you one of the many myths about diet and nutrition.
If you like them, eat them. Eat enough to get your macros in. Don't eat more than you need for your calorie needs.
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You're making this way more complicated than it needs to be. Just don't eat too many calories - no matter what those calories are made of and you'll lose weight.10
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Don't overthink it! The Aussie recommendations are 2+5 - 2 fruit and 5 veg each day, but I'd be pretty happy to count capsicum (peppers), eggplant, tomatoes and other things that are technically fruits as a veggie in this context.
Aim for a variety of fruit and veg, stick within your calorie goal and you'll be fine.2 -
I knew that peppers were technically in the fruit family but green beans? That's a new one on me.
There's a quote I like: "Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad."6 -
God prefers that you eat vegetables, but he'll allow fruits as well.1
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Fruit has more (natural) sugars therefore it is better to get your nutrition from vegetables than fruit. Fruit are very bad for your teeth.0
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oh maan today i ate tomatoes (fruit), avocados (fruit) cucumbers (fruit), grapes, watermelon, and some blueberries.... (as well as beer, chips, bbq chicken, a smothie ect) there is no limit in a normal persons intake... and i dont meal calories. yes CICO is what matters... eating 0 or 10 servings of fruit doesnt make a difference.4
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Ready2Rock206 wrote: »You're making this way more complicated than it needs to be. Just don't eat too many calories - no matter what those calories are made of and you'll lose weight.
^^this2 -
Your body doesn't care about the botanical classifications of a food. It only cares about what is in the food you eat.
Recommendations to eat a certain number of fruits and vegetables, etc. may be somewhat helpful for those who don't understand nutrition to help them get some variety of nutrients but it's not at all scientific.
If you you really want to ensure that you're getting the nutrition you need, track your food intake and make sure you get enough protein, fat (mostly unsaturated), fiber, vitamins and minerals. As long as you get enough of those things, you're fine and your body doesn't care whether it comes from fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, supplements or whatever.
And of course the part that matters for weight loss is eating fewer calories than you burn.2 -
Rhubarb is a vegetable (botanically speaking) if that is any help! Although I have heard that it is classed as a fruit in the US. You can use it in a stir fry, but you would probably need a sauce with some sweetness to compensate for its tartness.0
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As long as you're hitting your calorie goals and it isn't crowding out anything else that you need, what's the problem with having more than 2 servings of fruit per day?
There is so much baseless information about nutrient/fitness out there. If someone tells you that something is bad for you, don't just accept it. Ask why and determine for yourself if it is valid advice.3 -
I eat a ton of fruit, some days I can eat, banana, blueberries, strawberries, orange and melon and a pear and apricots. My lunches are usually a fruit mixture xx0
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MakePeasNotWar wrote: »Most of the fruits we think of as vegetables are in the veggie category because they have nutrition profiles closer to the vegetable group than the fruit group. The fact that they are botanically fruits isn't that important in terms of nutrition.
You are right to classify those foods as vegetables for diet purposes.
This. Or basically because they are culinarily vegetables -- less sweet, and therefore fewer calories. Also typically more micros. (The only issue with eating lots of fruit, although I see no need to limit it to 2 servings if you are not eating them in place of veg or exceeding calories or lacking other necessarily things like protein and healthy fats, is that they tend to be higher cal.)
Peas and green beans are, I believe, technically legumes, although ones that culinarily also get treated as vegetables. Personally, I tend to think of peas (other than in the pod) interchangeably with beans, starches, and grains in a dish and green beans interchangeably with vegetables.
The precise botanical category isn't what the nutrition recommendations are referring to and makes no difference.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »As long as you're hitting your calorie goals and it isn't crowding out anything else that you need, what's the problem with having more than 2 servings of fruit per day?
There is so much baseless information about nutrient/fitness out there. If someone tells you that something is bad for you, don't just accept it. Ask why and determine for yourself if it is valid advice.
And this. Great advice.0 -
Why do you say squash, peppers and green beans aren't vegetables?
Because botanically, they are fruits. The ovary of a plant. Anything we eat that contains seeds is technically a fruit.
Vegetables are the vegetative parts of the plants: roots (carrots, beets), stems (celery), and leaves (lettuce, spinach, other greens), flower buds (broccoli, cabbage).
We tend to think of "fruit" as being sweet and "vegetables" as being more savory.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »MakePeasNotWar wrote: »
Peas and green beans are, I believe, technically legumes, although ones that culinarily also get treated as vegetables. Personally, I tend to think of peas (other than in the pod) interchangeably with beans, starches, and grains in a dish and green beans interchangeably with vegetables.
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Legume just describes how many ways the seed pod can split--the seed pod of a legume has two seams. It's still a plant ovary or fruit.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »MakePeasNotWar wrote: »
Peas and green beans are, I believe, technically legumes, although ones that culinarily also get treated as vegetables. Personally, I tend to think of peas (other than in the pod) interchangeably with beans, starches, and grains in a dish and green beans interchangeably with vegetables.
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Legume just describes how many ways the seed pod can split--the seed pod of a legume has two seams. It's still a plant ovary or fruit.
Sure, but legume is a more specific category.
Bigger point is that nutritionally it doesn't matter that they are botanically fruits. They aren't what is meant by "fruit" in something like the Dietary Guidelines (see, e.g., http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-3/).0 -
tshook12397 wrote: »So this whole time I was thinking that squash, bell peppers, and green beans all fall under the "vegetable" category. Unsurprisingly I was wrong! But I was wondering if this is still true for our diets? To my understanding it's not good for you to eat more than two servings of fruit per day. I realized I eat a ton though since what I thought were veggies actually aren't. But do greens like green beans and peas still have the same benefits as vegetables? I'm just all turned around now about what a balanced diet looks like.
If by diet you mean for weight loss then what matters is calories not whether it is a fruit or vegetable.
For nutrition just eat as much fruit and vegetables as you can manage and don't worry about their botanical classification. What I read suggested is eating 4 servings of fruits and 4-5 servings of vegetables a day not 2 servings. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Suggested-Servings-from-Each-Food-Group_UCM_318186_Article.jsp#mainContent
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Wow I didn't expect to get so many responses! A few of you answered my question, I now know that while they are still fruit, they can fall under the vegetable category when it comes to nutritional value. I wasn't asking for weight-loss but instead asking for nutrition purposes (I'm trying to eat better and wrap my head around the idea of a healthy diet, calories are unimportant since I could eat nothing but bread all day, stay under calories, and still feel like crap) I heard you should only eat 2 servings of fruit a day because they can be high in sugar. Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it! (: I will go back to eating the "vegetables" I like!1
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Carlos_421 wrote: »Your body doesn't care about the botanical classifications of a food. It only cares about what is in the food you eat.
Recommendations to eat a certain number of fruits and vegetables, etc. may be somewhat helpful for those who don't understand nutrition to help them get some variety of nutrients but it's not at all scientific.
If you you really want to ensure that you're getting the nutrition you need, track your food intake and make sure you get enough protein, fat (mostly unsaturated), fiber, vitamins and minerals. As long as you get enough of those things, you're fine and your body doesn't care whether it comes from fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, supplements or whatever.
And of course the part that matters for weight loss is eating fewer calories than you burn.
Thank you! I just wanted to know for nutritional purposes! (:0 -
Ready2Rock206 wrote: »You're making this way more complicated than it needs to be. Just don't eat too many calories - no matter what those calories are made of and you'll lose weight.
I'm not trying to lose weight at the moment. Just trying to eat healthy to feel better and help with my acid reflex but I figured I might as well learn a bit about what/how much I should be eating (:0 -
MakePeasNotWar wrote: »Most of the fruits we think of as vegetables are in the veggie category because they have nutrition profiles closer to the vegetable group than the fruit group. The fact that they are botanically fruits isn't that important in terms of nutrition.
You are right to classify those foods as vegetables for diet purposes.
Thank you so much! This answered my question (: That's what I was thinking but just wanted to be sure!0 -
smotheredincheese wrote: »I knew that peppers were technically in the fruit family but green beans? That's a new one on me.
There's a quote I like: "Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad."
"Charisma is being able to sell a tomato-based fruit salad."
"...guys, I found the bard!"3 -
smotheredincheese wrote: »I knew that peppers were technically in the fruit family but green beans? That's a new one on me.
There's a quote I like: "Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad."
"Charisma is being able to sell a tomato-based fruit salad."
"...guys, I found the bard!"
Actually, a tomato and watermelon salad with feta is AMAZING and perhaps the only way I like watermelon.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »smotheredincheese wrote: »I knew that peppers were technically in the fruit family but green beans? That's a new one on me.
There's a quote I like: "Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad."
"Charisma is being able to sell a tomato-based fruit salad."
"...guys, I found the bard!"
Actually, a tomato and watermelon salad with feta is AMAZING and perhaps the only way I like watermelon.
I once tried a recipe similar, also had onion in it as well as the above, IIRC. It was, surprisingly, better than i thought. If i can find it again I'll post it.0 -
TheChesireCat wrote: »Fruit has more (natural) sugars therefore it is better to get your nutrition from vegetables than fruit. Fruit are very bad for your teeth.
Why is fruit bad for your teeth?0 -
smotheredincheese wrote: »I knew that peppers were technically in the fruit family but green beans? That's a new one on me.
There's a quote I like: "Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad."
"Charisma is being able to sell a tomato-based fruit salad."
"...guys, I found the bard!"
A tomato-based fruit salad? Do you mean salsa?0
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