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krazykati... krazykati...
 

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 M¢47  Funded By Mahalo ? |  September 26, 2009 05:40 PM

Are pickles considered a vegetable?

In terms of healthy eating and the four food groups, are pickles considered interchangable with other vegetables health-wise, or does their salt and preservative content negate their nutritional value?
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Interesting: michelleldevon M$0.10

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michelleld... michelleld...
 
 September 29, 2009 09:35 AM
While others have answered correctly that botany-wise and biologically, pickles are 'pickled' cucumbers, which are fruits, pickles fall into a category of edible fruits that count as a vegetable when categorizing for food groups. The plant that makes the cucumber flowers and the cucumber has seeds, making the cucumber a fruit. When pickled, the cucumber become a pickle, and then is classified as a food group--vegetable.

However, it's important to note that pickles are catabolic--this means that it takes more calories to consume, digest and process a pickle than the pickle contains. This means pickled are a negative caloric intake food. This is good if you like pickles and are dieting to lose weight by counting calories.

Because of their sodium levels, you do need to be careful eating too many pickles though, because this can cause water retention and swelling in a normally healthy person and can exacerbate problems with heart disease and high blood pressure, and too much sodium can interact with some medications.

NutritionData.com lists the pickle as having:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/3006/2

*-----Quote:
""
The good: This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin A, Iron, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin K and Calcium.

The bad: This food is very high in Sodium, and a large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.

*-----/Quote

You can see the nutrition 'label' for pickles at the link above, and it has them classified as a vegetable for the food group.

Hope this helps.
Source(s):
Personal knowledge and printouts from my nutritionist (I'm on a special low-sodium diet for health reasons)

Asker's Rating:
• Thank you so much for your answer - I had no idea pickles were catabolic - and for clarifying that it's not so much fruit VS vegetable as it is which fruits are also vegetables.


Tags: food, pickles, groups

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Helpful: krazykatie, psionandy

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psionandy psionandy
 
September 29, 2009 11:16 AM
Although it should also be stated that the use of the word 'pickles' to refer to 'pickled' cucumbers is an Americanism.

In the UK, 'pickled' cucumbers would be called gherkins
Pickles would be anything that is pickled. Including gherkins, pickled onions, Pickled Red Cabbage, and sweet pickles and chutneys such as Branston Pickle

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ashasekayi ashasekayi
 
September 26, 2009 05:58 PM
Pickles are just cucumbers fermented in vinegar, brine and spices. And since cucumbers are fruits, it follows that pickles are also fruit. It seems the general way to tell if it is classified as a fruit it to see if it has seeds on the inside.
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber


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Unhelpful: krazykatie

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soundboy soundboy
 
September 27, 2009 01:54 AM
I would have thought a cumber was a vegetable, but you are right, it does have seeds so technically it must be a fruit. Still it seems like it should be a vegetable. Tomatoes should be vegetables too ;)

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ashasekayi ashasekayi
 
September 27, 2009 04:45 AM
Same here. The kid in me still swears only sweet foods could possibly be fruits.

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krazykatie krazykatie
 
September 27, 2009 04:04 PM
while you corrected the fact that cucumbers are vegetables and not fruit, you did not answer my initial question.

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ashasekayi ashasekayi
 
September 27, 2009 04:14 PM - New Source
Sorry about that, I didn't actually see the rest of the question. But, the answer is yes pickles do have nutritional value and would count towards the 5 (some recommend 7) fruits and vegetables a day count. Some of the healthful properties include:
low calorie
low fat
high fiber
flavanoids
iron and magnesium
calcium
antioxidants
low sugar (depending on the brand)

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/pickles-a-healthy-snack-with-snap-61701.html

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michelleld... michelleld...
 
September 29, 2009 09:55 AM - Fact Refuted
soundboy et al:

Pickles and tomatoes both are botanically a fruit but are considered vegetables in their food groups. There are a few other items that are both a fruit botanically and a vegetable by food group. What makes a fruit is the flowering and the seeds... many common 'fruit' vegetables include:

The squash family, zucchini, pumpkin, butternut squash, tomato, cucumber, green beans, and even walnuts.

"Vegetable" is a culinary terminology. There are no botanical 'vegetables'. They are simply plants that are edible, or roots that are edible in the case of carrots, etc.

The distinction here is to realize that 'fruit' is a botanical term and 'vegetable' is a food group term, with no scientific botanical counterpart.

I think the confusion comes because 'fruit' is both 'botanical' and 'food group' while vegetables are only a food group. If we wanted to simplify this, it would be better to say that 'fruits and vegetables' all belong to the same food group category, and then there is no need to clarify between the two.

For example, 'vegetables' include roots, stems, seeds, leaves and fruit of a plant as part of the food group.

So it's really not a question of whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable: it's both! A pumpkin is both a fruit and a vegetable. Cucumbers and pickles are both a fruit and a vegetable!

I hope that makes sense... I need some sleep!

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