All plants belong to botanical families or groups according to their characteristics. Legumes – members of the Leguminosae family – are all plants that produce their seeds inside a pod. But, are potatoes considered legumes?
Potatoes aren’t legumes. The potato plants aren’t part of the legume family, so they aren’t closely related to beans or peas. Potatoes belong to the nightshade family, making them more closely related to tomatoes and eggplants. Potato seeds can grow inside small tomato-like berries. Those berries are not edible; the food crop is the underground stem tuber.
Let’s now discuss why potatoes aren’t considered legumes and highlight some of the characteristics of legumes. We explain more about plants in the Solanaceae or nightshade family and why potatoes belong to this group.
Why Aren’t Potatoes Classified As Legumes?
Legumes and potatoes are both considered types of starchy vegetables. Both are high in carbohydrates.
Potatoes aren’t classified as legumes because they don’t belong to the Leguminosae family.
They aren’t closely related to legumes at all.
The potatoes that we eat grow underground. The tubers are the swollen underground stems of the plants.
Edible beans and peas are seeds or pods. Peanuts are legumes too, but their pods develop underground.
But where does the seemingly widespread confusion about potatoes being a legume come from?
It appears that many people get confused while reading dietary advice.
A popular weight-loss trend is to limit carbohydrates in your diet and increase your consumption of protein-rich legumes.
This advice leads people to wonder if potatoes are considered a legume or a carbohydrate.
Potatoes are starchy vegetables that provide carbohydrate and some protein. “Carbohydrate” describes a nutrient, not their botanical family.
Legumes contain carbohydrates too, but they contain more protein. So they are encouraged as part of a healthy diet.
What Are Potatoes Exactly?
Potatoes are considered a vegetable, but in dietary terms, they are classified as a carbohydrate or starch.
Vegetables are split into two groups – starchy and non-starchy. Potatoes are starchy vegetables.
Starchy vegetables, like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn, are generally higher in calories than non-starchy vegetables, like peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Potatoes Belong To The Solanaceae Family
Potatoes belong to Solanaceae, the nightshade family, along with tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Legumes belong to Fabaceae, also called Leguminosae.
The families have diverse flowers, so a single five-petaled or pea-shaped flower description is not a complete identification test. NC State’s potato profile identifies the species and its toxic parts.
Eat sound edible potato tubers, not the plant’s berries, leaves or stems.
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What Plants Are Classified As Legumes?
Legumes include beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas and peanuts, as well as many trees and ornamental plants. Belonging to the family does not make every species edible.
Some lupins are used in food, so the whole group should not be labeled non-edible. NSW Food Authority identifies lupin as a food legume and allergen. Use properly prepared food-grade products rather than eating unknown garden seeds; ornamental sweet peas are not edible peas.
Many legumes form root associations with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The amount of nitrogen contributed depends on the plant and growing conditions, not merely on family membership.
Why Are Legumes Healthy To Eat?
Many properly prepared edible legumes can be part of a varied diet. This does not apply to every plant in the family.
Edible beans and lentils provide nutrients such as magnesium, iron, potassium and folate; amounts vary.
Even though legumes contain a lot of starch, they are still healthy for you.
Many cooked beans, peas and lentils provide protein and fiber with little fat. Peanuts and soybeans have a different fat profile, so the same description does not fit every edible legume.
Another factor that makes legumes a great health food is fiber.
Legumes contain soluble and insoluble fiber, which is great for your digestive system.
Are Potatoes Healthy To Eat?
Potatoes can be junk food if you have them fried, mashed with loads of butter and cream, or slathered in sour cream.
However, baked, boiled, or roasted potatoes with the skin on them can be delicious, nutritious, and healthy.
Many people cut potatoes out of their diet (along with bread, beer, wine, and sweets) when they want to lose weight.
The logic is that potatoes are carbs and, therefore, bad for you.
The truth is that it’s not that simple.
A healthy diet should consist of a balanced combination of starchy and non-starchy vegetables.
We need carbohydrates to fuel our bodies. Beware of diets that recommend cutting out whole food groups.
Potatoes are rich in potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and fiber.
Eaten in moderation, just like anything else, potatoes can be a part of a healthy diet.
Healthier Ways To Cook Potatoes
If you’re attempting to eat a little healthier but don’t want to cut potatoes out of your diet completely, you should cook your potatoes using methods that don’t require a lot of oil or salt.
The following are healthier ways to cook spuds:
- Bake or roast them,
- Boil potatoes,
- Air fry them, or
- Slow cook/pressure cook potatoes.
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Are Sweet Potatoes Legumes?
Like potatoes, sweet potatoes aren’t considered legumes.
Sweet potato plants belong to the Convolvulaceae family, not the Leguminosae family.
They are more closely related to morning glory flowers or bindweed than to potatoes or legumes!
The edible part of a sweet potato is a thickened storage root, unlike a potato’s stem tuber.
Sweet potatoes don’t grow seed pods as legumes do.
In Africa, Asia, New Zealand, and North and South America sweet potatoes are a staple food because they are calorie-dense and are high in nutrients.
