# Do tomato sauce and pesto sauce count as vegetables? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514 "2009-02-26T15:48:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/1 "2009-02-26T15:48:38Z")
I’m a commited pastavore. I love to eat noodles with pesto and tomato sauce. Am I getting my daily dose of veggies from my toppings, or do I actually have to eat whole veggies for it to count? ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/2 "2009-02-26T16:23:13Z")
Ah, wishful thinking. So familiar, so comforting. If only we could make you real. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/3 "2009-02-26T16:42:39Z")
Sure it counts, just like a glass of V-8 juice counts. But it would probably have to be swimming in the stuff to equal a full serving. And your daily dose is 4-5 servings, if I recall correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/4 "2009-02-26T16:47:36Z")
The label should tell you what percent of the RDA of each nutrient a sauce gives you. If you’re making your own, though, it might be more difficult to figure it out. However, you do want to eat whole fruits and vegetables because dietary fiber is a good thing, and that’s mainly found in the skins and parts of the fruit/vegetable not used in sauces. Adding a nice green salad to your meals will help here, in addition to giving you B vitamins commonly found in the better green leafy veggies (not iceberg, more like romaine). ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/5 "2009-02-26T16:53:29Z")
No, you don’t need to eat whole veggies for it to count, but you do need to eat the equivalent of whole veggies. USDA [recommends](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Miniposter-1.png) 2 1/2 cups of veggies and 2 cups of fruit per day. Tomatoes would probably fall more under the “fruit” category than the veggie category. I’d guess basil can be considered a “dark leafy green”, but there’s no way in hell you’re eating the equivalent of 2 1/2 cups of basil every day from your pesto sauce, and if you _are_, you’re eating a very unhealthy amount of olive oil and parmesean cheese to go with it. Obviously, the lesson to take home is to eat a variety of vegetables, specifically: > [@](#): > > Eat more dark-green veggies like broccoli, spinach, and other dark leafy greens > > Eat more orange vegetables like carrots and sweetpotatoes > > Eat more dry beans and peas like pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/6 "2009-02-26T17:10:16Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Ah, wishful thinking. So familiar, so comforting. If only we could make you real. Please don’t do this. [QUOTE=General Questions Forum Rules] The purpose of General Questions is to get factual questions answered. In order to accomplish this we need the threads to stay on topic. We tolerate some joking, but that is generally acceptable only after the question has been answered. Please do not race to a thread to post that hilarious one-liner in response to the thread title, and don’t drive by just to drop in an anecdote that doesn’t answer the question. If you want to be funny while contributing to the thread, go for it. [/QUOTE] > [@](#): > > 1. Guesses, WAGs, and speculation. We permit some educated guessing. Truly wild guesses aren’t especially helpful. We have some experts who post here. If you don’t have much information, give an expert a chance to answer by waiting until a question is about to fall off the first page before making a guess. If you post a factual claim, be prepared to back it up with a citation. If someone asks for a citation, don’t take it personally, we’re trying to get to the facts here, and that’s how it’s done. > **[Factual Questions Rules & FAQs](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466202)** > > Please be aware of the general rules for the Straight Dope Message Boards, which applies to all forums: FAQ - Rules for Posting on the Straight Dope Message Boards includes how to report bad posts, copyright rules, forbidden topics, quoting other... **Gfactor** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/7 "2009-02-26T19:10:56Z")
Nutritional information for [raw tomatoes](http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/Foods/1100/11529/2/Food.aspx) and [tomato sauce.](http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/Foods/1100/43217/Food.aspx) It looks like a half-cup of tomato sauce is very roughly equivalent to one tomato, so you’re probably getting the equivalent of a serving or two of tomatoes from your tomato sauce. This isn’t likely with pesto, though, as **YamatoTwinkie** noted above. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/8 "2009-02-26T19:41:56Z")
The original question’s already been answered pretty thoroughly, so I won’t bother repeating what’s been said. What I will add, though, is that you should consider is adding some chunky veggie bits to make your pasta sauce more substantial if you’re concerned about your fruit and veggie intake. It’s a double benefit, really… first, you’ll be adding a greater variety of veggies to your diet and second, the veggies help fill you up and you’ll probably eat less pasta, thus cutting down on your carb intake. Win-win. 🙂 There are tons of veggies that are well-suited to a chunky pasta sauce and that are nutritious as well. Think peppers (fresh or roasted), carrots (grated, so they cook faster), spinach, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini… or all of the above, if you really want a boost. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/9 "2009-02-26T19:55:45Z")
Ketchup is not exactly the same as tomato sauce, but the Reagan administration seemed to think it was a vegetable in the context of school lunches. The Master Speaks: [Did the Reagan-era USDA really classify ketchup as a vegetable?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2517/did-the-reagan-era-usda-really-classify-ketchup-as-a-vegetable) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/10 "2009-02-26T20:16:40Z")
And chocolate is made from a bean, so we can count it as a vegetable, right? Please! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/11 "2009-02-26T20:26:12Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Ketchup is not exactly the same as tomato sauce, but the Reagan administration seemed to think it was a vegetable in the context of school lunches. > > The Master Speaks: [Did the Reagan-era USDA really classify ketchup as a vegetable?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2517/did-the-reagan-era-usda-really-classify-ketchup-as-a-vegetable) Nice. Cecil should’ve mentioned that the President caught a lot of grief over that especially because it happened at the same time as the Reagans were acquiring a big and very expensive set of White House china. Not a good juxtaposition, politically or PR-wise. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-tomato-sauce-and-pesto-sauce-count-as-vegetables/487514/12 "2009-02-26T21:09:15Z")
> [@](#): > > And chocolate is made from a bean, so we can count it as a vegetable, right? Dark chocolate actually contains a fair amount of various antioxidants. Just so long as you don’t get too much sugar with it, chocolate’s just fine.