Written question asked by Christopher Chope (Conservative) on Thursday, 18 December 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 5 February 2004. It was answered by Melanie Johnson (Labour) on Thursday, 5 February 2004 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list in respect of all vegetables their carbohydrate content; and which are regarded by his Department as having too much carbohydrate to qualify for inclusion as vegetables in a healthy diet.

Answer: Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list in respect of all vegetables their carbohydrate content; and which are regarded by his Department as having too much carbohydrate to qualify for inclusion as vegetables in a healthy diet. [145535] Miss Melanie Johnson: Carbohydrate content of vegetables is given in McCance and Widdowson's `The Composition, of Foods' (Sixth summary edition), copies of which are available in the Library. Government guidelines for a healthy diet, set out in the Food Standards Agency's `Balance of Good Health' model, recommend eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and also plenty of foods rich in starch (carbohydrate) and fibre. Potatoes and yams, cassava and plantains are usually eaten as the main source of carbohydrate in a meal and, for the purposes of the `Balance of Good Health', are grouped with other starchy foods in the `bread, other cereals and potatoes' section. Vegetables eaten in addition to the main starchy food are covered by the `fruit and vegetables' section.

Secondary information