Shaping Up Your Plate: Q&A of the Day

Q:  Do starchy vegetables like corn count as vegetables on the MyPlate place setting?

A: Starchy vegetables are part of the vegetable group.  Starchy vegetables include potatoes, lima beans, corn and green peas.  Other vegetable sub-groups include dark greens like spinach and broccoli, red and orange colored vegetables like carrots and yams, as well as the special category of beans and peas like lentils and pinto beans.  Maximize the wide variety of nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals that you can get from different sub-groups of vegetables by choosing variety as you fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables.  Visit the website ChooseMyPlate.gov to learn how many servings from each of the five sub groups are recommended weekly for a person of  your age and gender.  For example, the dietary guidelines recommend that 19-30 year old males eat as much as 2 cups of dark green, 6 cups of starchy, 2 cups of red and orange, 2 cups of beans and peas, and 5 cups of "other" vegetables per week.