04 February 2008, 15:55 PM
  • Many people mistakenly consider eating potatoes is a way of reaching their five-a-day fruit and vegetable target, new findings have revealed.

Research from the Health Food Manufacturers’ Association has discovered that two-thirds of Brits wrongly think potatoes count as one portion of vegetables for the day.

Nutritionist, Dr Marilyn Glenville, remarked that fruit and vegetables aren’t as rich in vitamins and minerals as they used to be. “Supplements can never be a substitute for a healthy diet but we know that compared to the 1930s, fruit and vegetables can be depleted in minerals by an average of 20% and that other foods like dairy have lost minerals such as iron in milk by over 60%,” she said.

Recent Food Standards Agency research found that only 16% of the population are achieving five portions of fruit or vegetables a day and has welcomed the government’s new obesity strategy.