Weight loss diet: Why you should BEWARE these three vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are a vital source of vitamins and minerals, according to the NHS.

They recommend they should make up just over a third of our daily food intake.

It has traditionally been recommended we consume five portions a day.

However, earlier this year it was suggested that people should actually be aiming for ten.

A study by Imperial College London found that people who did reduced their chances of dying from a heart attack or cancer.

The researchers also discovered that cruciferous vegetables – such as broccoli – were particularly beneficial.

While fruit and vegetables are undoubtedly nutritious, some should be treated with caution.

Sweet potato

The vegetable contains nutrients such as beta-carotene, potassium, niacin, riboflavin and fibre, as well as vitamins A, B5 and B6.

They are also fat-free, low in sodium and contain fewer calories than white potatoes.

However, sweet potatoes are very high in carbohydrate for a vegetable, which brings up the calorie content.

Eating them as fries also makes them particularly calorific.

What’s more, according to the Mayo Clinic, people who are susceptible to kidney stones may want to avoid them as they contain oxalate, which can contribute to kidney stones.

Tomatoes

They are a rich source of vitamin C, biotin, molybdenum and vitamin K, and also contain lots of copper, potassium, manganese, fibre, beta-carotene, vitamin B6, folate, niacin, vitamin E and phosphorus.

However, tomatoes are a nightshade vegetable.

There have been concerns that a compound they contain, solanine, is toxic and can cause inflammation.

Spinach 

It is famously a great source of iron, but the green leafy vegetable also contains lots of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and folic acid.

However, it also contains oxalic acid – or oxalates – which can interfere with the absorption of calcium.

Cooking the vegetable will break the oxalic acid down.

Additionally, if oxalates overaccumilate inside the body they can risk causing kidney stones.