Are sweet potatoes considered a vegetable serving?

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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Rice is too under that definition.

    I think of it as a starch in that I wouldn't have fish, sweet potato, bread as a meal, I'd have fish, sweet potato, and asparagus (and maybe some other non starchy veg).

    The only reason I think it matters is that in the average US diet people tend not to eat enough non starchy veg (often very few) but plenty of starchy sides. I think it's helpful for me that I grew up thinking of a complete meal as involving a pattern where you'd have some non starchy veg with every dinner (steak, corn, salad (with a variety of veg), perhaps). I currently try to have a significant portion of non starchy veg with almost every meal. I do think it's technically a veg (as is potato) and while I would also have a non starchy veg I don't think it's a big deal if someone doesn't, nutritionally, if their diet includes a reasonable amount of them regularly.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I think of potato and sweet potato as my non-veggie side. Like @lemurcat12, my meals tend to follow a protein, starch and veg patters where the starch is potato/sweet potato, rice, pasta, bread, couscous and then non-starchy veggies or salad. If I ate a meal that was potato or sweet potato without starchy veg, I wouldn't consider that I'd eaten enough veg that day.
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
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    I usually just consider anything that's botanically a vegetable as a vegetable. I also consider some savory fruit (eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, avacado, etc) as vegetables too.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    fuzzylop72 wrote: »
    I usually just consider anything that's botanically a vegetable as a vegetable. I also consider some savory fruit (eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, avacado, etc) as vegetables too.

    That's what I do too. Technically any edible plant or plant part is a vegetable but I generally don't think of nuts or seeds in that way. Starch has never been a factor for me.
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
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    fuzzylop72 wrote: »
    I usually just consider anything that's botanically a vegetable as a vegetable. I also consider some savory fruit (eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, avacado, etc) as vegetables too.

    I thought nightshades are vegetables...?
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    okohjacinda wrote: »
    I hope so because I didn't feel like cooking a lot of veggies tonight and felt like a sweet potato instead...according to the reports I got in a lot of fiber (52g in total) because of it so I am satisfied but lots of people say stay away from potatoes because they're starchy vegetables but I like sweet potatoes and I think they actually are helping my satiety and weight loss...white potatoes not so much.

    and those people would be wrong...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited January 2018
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    moosmum1972 wrote: »
    I'd say no to it being a "vegetable" and more of a complex carb like rice

    I would consider rice to be a vegetable as well...it grows.

    I would consider a potato or sweet potato to be a serving of vegetable...but I'd also make sure I was having other non-starchy vegetables as well.

    If I had a steak with a serving of potatoes and my usual double serving of non starchy vegetables and someone asked me how many servings of vegetables I had, I would say 3...
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    It *is* a vegetable but I use it interchangeably with bread/rice/pasta. If I'm making a meal of meat, green beans and potatoes I consider that my starchy carb that just so happens to be another vegetable.

    I meal prep on Sundays and I remember a FB group ripping me apart for having ONLY potatoes and sloppy joes for lunch (which I might add had a decent amount of tomato and onion inside!) for "not enough vegetables"
    It's important to remember most people lack nutritional knowledge, and also common sense.
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
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    Hamsibian wrote: »
    fuzzylop72 wrote: »
    I usually just consider anything that's botanically a vegetable as a vegetable. I also consider some savory fruit (eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, avacado, etc) as vegetables too.

    I thought nightshades are vegetables...?

    Botanically speaking, any seed bearing structure of a flowering plant is fruit.

  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
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    Love sweet potatoes! I will bake one and eat a little salt on it with grilled chicken and it's delicious. Sweet potatoes go nicely with chicken.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    If you're looking to fill out your micro nutrients, it's not very useful to just count "vegetable" servings, since vegetables vary wildy from one to the other.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    If you served me up meat and sweet potato, I'd also want some green veg, but I'd probably also want some sort of evil "white" food like potato, rice, or pasta.
  • LaurenD63
    LaurenD63 Posts: 57 Member
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    I used to load my baked potatoes up with sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, and butter. Since I've been doing my latest fast, I have actually added sauteed onions and chopped mushrooms as a topping with coconut oil. It tastes delicious!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Sauteed spinach is great on baked potato too.
  • okohjacinda
    okohjacinda Posts: 329 Member
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    megpie41 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    skinnyjingbb wrote: »
    There are nothing wrong with eating sweet potato, but I would think it more like a replacement for bread and pasta than vegetables

    OP, regarding fiber, I don't get how you would get 52 g of fiber from them (which would be an enormous amount). USDA says they have about 3 g of fiber (and 86 calories) in 100 g. But I would agree they are nutritious and would not avoid them!

    I agree about the fiber. No way a sweet potato has 52g of fiber (unless it's the size of a watermelon). There are about 5-6g/cup. For most people, 52g of fiber would cause some stomach/bowel distress since most aren't used to that much fiber (especially from one meal).

    Oh sorry I meant that it made my total fiber count for the day 52g because it has a good bit of fiber in it, not that the sweet potato actually has 52g of fiber (my bad).
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited January 2018
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    I love potatoes. They make up like 90% of my toddlers diet. Hahaha. I’m kidding but he really likes potatoes. Most meals the only part he eats is the potato and the meat. I don’t know what they are classified as. I normally include another vegetable with my meals in addition to potato.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    skinnyjingbb wrote: »
    There are nothing wrong with eating sweet potato, but I would think it more like a replacement for bread and pasta than vegetables

    This is how I think of it. I think tubers are wonderful, but would not use them as my vegetable course, but instead of grains (rice, oats, pasta, etc.). I would not have them in place of/as substitute for non starchy veg, at least not on a regular basis. I'd have both.

    In other words, technically they are a vegetable, but culinarily and nutritionally I consider them a starch.

    OP, regarding fiber, I don't get how you would get 52 g of fiber from them (which would be an enormous amount). USDA says they have about 3 g of fiber (and 86 calories) in 100 g. But I would agree they are nutritious and would not avoid them!

    This is pretty much how I treat potatoes and anything super starchy that's technically a veggie.
    Hamsibian wrote: »
    I eat low carb paleo, and I'm having baked sweet potato fries as part of my post workout snack. I love them! They are vegetables, but I count them as starches.

    how low carb are you? when I was doing low carb- there was no room for potatoes at all. Too many carbs?
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    edited January 2018
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    how low carb are you? when I was doing low carb- there was no room for potatoes at all. Too many carbs?

    Not that low, around 100g net. I can eat about 130 total, and fit a decent amount of fruits and vegetables as long as I weigh and portion them.

    I do it for health reasons, but I've healed a considerable amount, and my activity levels increased. So I was able to add a bit more the last couple of weeks without major issues ☺.

    Edit: I'm also gaining weight, and close to maintenance (finally!), so going too low carb wouldn't have helped much.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    hesn92 wrote: »
    I love potatoes. They make up like 90% of my toddlers diet. Hahaha. I’m kidding but he really likes potatoes. Most meals the only part he eats is the potato and the meat. I don’t know what they are classified as. I normally include another vegetable with my meals in addition to potato.

    I also eat a lot of potatoes, but I try to add additional vegetables as well. Tonight I am making pork carnitas along with sweet potato hash. I shred my sweet potatoes and saute them with onions, peppers, mushrooms and spinach (as well as any other additional veggies I want to use up) and seasonings. It's super tasty. My husband likes it for breakfast with eggs. I will also sometimes add any leftover meat that works (steak, chicken, sausage, bacon, etc.)
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    lporter229 wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    I love potatoes. They make up like 90% of my toddlers diet. Hahaha. I’m kidding but he really likes potatoes. Most meals the only part he eats is the potato and the meat. I don’t know what they are classified as. I normally include another vegetable with my meals in addition to potato.

    I also eat a lot of potatoes, but I try to add additional vegetables as well. Tonight I am making pork carnitas along with sweet potato hash. I shred my sweet potatoes and saute them with onions, peppers, mushrooms and spinach (as well as any other additional veggies I want to use up) and seasonings. It's super tasty. My husband likes it for breakfast with eggs. I will also sometimes add any leftover meat that works (steak, chicken, sausage, bacon, etc.)

    That sounds delightful. I want to try that. My husband hates sweet potatoes though :(

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