Do potatoes count towards my 5 A Day?
No. Potatoes are a starchy food and a great source of energy, fibre, B vitamins and potassium.
In the UK, we get a lot of our vitamin C from potatoes. Although they typically only contain around 11-16mg of vitamin C per 100g of potatoes, we generally eat a lot of them.
When eaten as part of a meal, potatoes are generally used in place of other sources of starch, such as bread, pasta or rice. Because of this, they don't count towards your 5 A Day.
Other vegetables that don't count towards your 5 A Day are yams, cassava and plantain. They are also usually eaten as starchy foods.
Sweet potatoes, parsnips, swedes and turnips do count towards your 5 A Day, because they are usually eaten in addition to the starchy food part of the meal.
Potatoes play an important role in your diet, even if they aren't cooked with salt or fat, even if they don't count towards your 5 A Day. It's best to eat them without any added salt or fat.
They're also a good source of fibre, so leave the skins on where possible, to keep in more of the fibre and vitamins. For example, if you're having boiled potatoes or a jacket potato, make sure you eat the skin too.
5 A Day: a wide variety
To get the most from your five portions, eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.
For 5 A Day recipe ideas, see 5 A Day recipes.
For more information about a healthy, balanced diet, see Food and diet.