Do onions and leeks count?

[AuroraLily]

A silly question: do onions and leeks count as a vegetable when trying to achieve 5-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day?
I've also heard that onions and leeks have cancer fighting properties. Does anyone know of research to back this up?

Thank you :)

[Cougar]

Of course! (as veggies) I know a woman, whom everyone calls "Nana", who insists that an onion a day keeps the doctor away. She's 101 years old, almost 102, and she's sharper than most eighty year olds, and hasn't had any major health problems in at least ten years. I'm not sure about the specifics of onions, but I've heard that they prevent cancer.

[kristadb]

1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw of any vegetable is a serving :)

[Christy]

Good question. I wonder sometimes about potatoes, corn, and other starchy vegetables, too.

[AuroraLily]

I think those ones count but it's definitely better to have less starchy ones.

[dvmarie]

Yes they count - both of them have their share of vitamins and minerals.

Here is a good site that lists nutritional information on foods, and they even have things like amaranth etc.
http://www.gastronomique.org/nutrition/foodgroups/1100.html

[misq17]

Oh, and I'd say onions are a veggie that can be counted

sorry to be off topic but whats amaranth?

[dvmarie]

Amaranth can be eaten a vegetetable (kinda like spinach...sort of) and also a grain (cooks up like millet).

I adore it because you can grow it in summer (usually deep greens can only be grown in the coolness of spring or fall).

[Lothar M Kirsch]

Cougar: it won´t keep me away because I´m also fond of onions and leeks.
dvmarie: do you know if there is a canned variety of amaranth, I´ve neven seen it sold.

[Bobsy]

I've seen amaranth, as a grain, in my local health food store. It looks a bit like quinoa or millet, and I believe it's cooked the same way.

I've never seen it as a vegetable though.

I think it's also a complete protein source (contains all essential amino acids), though I may be wrong about that :)

[MollyGoat]

In my opinion, corn is ALWAYS a grain, not a vegetable, no matter how you eat it.

[smedley]

In my opinion, corn is ALWAYS a grain, not a vegetable, no matter how you eat it.
candy corn is neither grain nor vegetable. :D

[tearhsong2]

I think it all depends on how you eat the starchy vegetable. If it's fresh, then it counts as a vegetable. If it's dried, and then ground or processed into a flour then it definitely is a grain. Then it all depends on how the chef prepares the plant food in question. Say they make corn on the cob or polenta. Edamame or pita made from soy flour. Baked potato or potato bread. If that makes sense.

[dvmarie]

dvmarie: do you know if there is a canned variety of amaranth, I´ve neven seen it sold.

I've never seen canned Amaranth sold either (or frozen for that matter). Might be because it's not popular/well-known enough to support mass production.


I think it's also a complete protein source (contains all essential amino acids), though I may be wrong about that

It's not a complete source of protein, but it is high is Lysine (twice the amount in the average grain).

[MollyGoat]

But corn is a grain! Isn't it? That's its official classification, I thought, the same way a tomato's classification is a fruit and broccoli's is vegetable...but maybe I'm crazy.

[Mskedi]

No way! I always thought corn was a vegetable. :o Well, not corn meal, I guess.

It's good for me and tasty either way, so I suppose I don't really care. :)

[tearhsong2]

It's qualified as a grain because most often it is used as a grain, but there are situations like corn on the cob or corn chowder where it's used as a vegetable. It just depends on how it is used. It's sort of like how a tomato is technically a fruit, but culinarily it's almost always used as a vegetable (or a zucchini or eggplant is technically a fruit but they're used as vegetables). I had a bio teacher explain it this way--there's really no such thing as a vegetable, just roots, tubers, fruits, leaves, flowers, etc. Vegetable is a culinary term.