Doesn't anyone each fruit and veg anymore?

crystal_sapphire

My post was one of curiosity, and having interacted with many who are overweight and complain that they just can't lose weight and ask how I have done it.

When I ask what they eat they rarely seem to mention fruit/veg, they seem to have a lot of dairy (milky drinks, cheese etc), large portions of meat products, snacks (which they eat without being aware of the calorific content) etc, and they don't seem to be aware of what a correct food portion is.

As for smug - maybe I am based on what the word means. Had a look at the definition of smug "1. contentedly confident of one's ability or correctness 2.trim; spruce; smooth; sleek", so based on that yep I am.

Having been through the "weight loss journey" and finally (after many years of being a bad eater), realized how to beat my addiction to the wrong foods (yes I LOVED salty, sweet, fatty foods),

I felt I could "ask the question" regarding fruit and veg, as a (non-practicing) Dr I felt I had some knowledge on the impact of foods on the human body (which -yes- I had chosen to completely ignore for too long).

I think you would be surprised with those who say they are trying to lose weight but chose not to moderate what they eat... And too many use the "food allergies" as an excuse when they have no medically confirmed allergy (I have a sibling that did just that to get out of eating fruit).

Well I will step (stumble) down from my soapbox now (probably not to the applause of the masses )

I just get the feel of food policing from your initial post, which I noticed has become more prominent since the public food diaries are possible + more users.You should be so proud of yourself for everything you have achieved.

I'm not surprised at all by the amount of people who don't moderate what they eat when they're trying to lose weight. I personally think that the obesity epidemic is a lot more complex than people eating fruits and vegetables though. And I know you realize that as well.

coronalime

I eat fruit...ALOT of fruit. I eat veggies. There could be afew things going on.
1. SOme people dont log veggies..like me sometimes. I made a pork roast in the crockpot. I used carrots, tomatoes, onion homemade chicken stock and spices...I wrapped the roast in lettuce. I didnt enter any of those veggies. I feel they are miniscle.
2. Money. Its cheaper to eat potatoes, beans, rice. If your household doesnt agree on a veggie then alot of waste is involved
3. Cycle of familarity: Alot of us grew up in households of meat and potatoes. each generation is losing the "dinner hour".
4. Taste: Its been proven Americans have altered tastebuds from their nasty nutrition. We "need" salt and butter. So cooking veggies just doesnt give that satisfaction to most or they have to load it up with ****

That is just my take. I shove veggies in. We restricted alot of crap a few yrs back in my household when we did South Beach and we never really went back to much. I started a no starch, no sugar,no caffeine, no dairy (except greek yogurt), no processed food thing this yr and so far has been wonderful.

People who are big and need to lose weight know what they need to do....Its just doing it and doing it over and over and over.

Fat_Chopper

Double post

Fat_Chopper

To be honest though - who cares what others are eating? Does it really affect you personally enough to post about it? You come off kind of smug. Maybe whoever you are looking at has food allergies (and yes many people have allergies or intolerance to both). Maybe they really just hate vegetables and fruit. They are the ones losing out on the awesome benefits of eating them.

Wow... well for one I like to seem how others eat, I have learnt so much seeing how NOT to eat being on here. I think your comments are off the mark, I don't see anything smug in the post. 517 posts for 3 pounds lost, is that from typing?

Actually I have a diagnosed eating disorder and have lost and gained approx 20 pounds 4 times within the past year. I have a wealth of knowledge regarding nutrition, but it does not mean I can put it into use when I'm in a dark place of my ED.

Just a few weeks ago I had to change from 17 pounds down (lost in a healthy way back in the fall) to 3 because I'm coming back and working on recovery.

but thanks for the typing joke directed towards my weight loss. I hope you feel very good about yourself right now. It's so unfortunate how much MFP message boards have changed for the worse since I joined a while ago. The amount of food policing on this website since diaries can now be made public is astounding.

So let me get this right, you have now changed tact from accusing the OP from being smug to this being a MFP issue (no one can see your diary if you choose) and in the process hijacked an excellent, educational thread and made it all about you.

kimwig

My post was one of curiosity, and having interacted with many who are overweight and complain that they just can't lose weight and ask how I have done it.

When I ask what they eat they rarely seem to mention fruit/veg, they seem to have a lot of dairy (milky drinks, cheese etc), large portions of meat products, snacks (which they eat without being aware of the calorific content) etc, and they don't seem to be aware of what a correct food portion is.

As for smug - maybe I am based on what the word means. Had a look at the definition of smug "1. contentedly confident of one's ability or correctness 2.trim; spruce; smooth; sleek", so based on that yep I am.

Having been through the "weight loss journey" and finally (after many years of being a bad eater), realized how to beat my addiction to the wrong foods (yes I LOVED salty, sweet, fatty foods),

I felt I could "ask the question" regarding fruit and veg, as a (non-practicing) Dr I felt I had some knowledge on the impact of foods on the human body (which -yes- I had chosen to completely ignore for too long).

I think you would be surprised with those who say they are trying to lose weight but chose not to moderate what they eat... And too many use the "food allergies" as an excuse when they have no medically confirmed allergy (I have a sibling that did just that to get out of eating fruit).

Well I will step (stumble) down from my soapbox now (probably not to the applause of the masses )

I just get the feel of food policing from your initial post, which I noticed has become more prominent since the public food diaries are possible + more users.You should be so proud of yourself for everything you have achieved.

I'm not surprised at all by the amount of people who don't moderate what they eat when they're trying to lose weight. I personally think that the obesity epidemic is a lot more complex than people eating fruits and vegetables though. And I know you realize that as well.

Your assumption was that I had garnered my information from food diaries, however I do not look at my fitness diaries - my curiosity was from discussions and interactions with lots of people outside of this site.

There was no "food policing" in my comment, it was a comment on how diets seem to have changed, and how we (as a society) have shifted from fresh food to fast food. In my younger days (a long time ago I am afraid to say) kids always had fruit etc and sweet things and salty snacks were for special occasions. This does not seem to be the case now.

People "want" the mouthfeel and taste of overly salty or sweet foods because that is what they are no programmer to want. They don't need these foods to live. They are addicted to these (nutritionally bad) foods - and it is an addiction because they find it hard to stop eating them and eat better foods. I know it is an addiction because I have been through the "cold turkey" of breaking my food addiction (which for me was too large a portion of food each meal, to much sugar in my drinks, too much salt in each meal, and way to much in the way of cakes and cookies).

That is my take / opinion on the situation of the obesity epidemic (the stats say 7 out of 10 people are overweight).

I do not think it is complex, I think people try and make it complex. What is more simple that "eat less that you use in" order to lose weight. Simple maths and making simple decisions (ie do I really need to eat this or am I just doing it to make me feel good at this specific moment in time).

halobender

So let me get this right, you have now changed tact from accusing the OP from being smug to this being a MFP issue (no one can see your diary if you choose) and in the process hijacked an excellent, educational thread and made it all about you.

Seriously? I'm always amazed at how little thought people put into comprehension, responses or ... or ... just not being a ****!

Firstly, there's nothing excellent or educational about this thread. Whatever, no offense to anyone. The thread is a question, and a rhetorical one at that. It seems more an opportunity for pompousness, all in all. (And if this thread's question isn't rhetorical, then it is entirely without merit, because clearly people do eat vegetables and this hasn't encouraged conversation ...)

Seriously, what's educational about this thread? It hasn't even been disclosed as to how many fruits and vegetables one should consume in a day—which is now at about two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables for a 2,000 calorie diet. The average response is "I eat vegetables ..." There's no discourse regarding the average persons' eating habits, for the most part. In fact, all in all, there is ONE intelligent response to this thread. (Thanks for that ladyhawk00, that's something I think about. Also, healthy_is_best's second reply had some good and applicable thoughts to it.) Not that the others aren't in the least intelligent, but they're mostly just a casual response to a question that doesn't illicit conversation.

In fact, the only discourse anyone has engaged in is whether the OP should attack the eating habits of others' or not. And as it were, that's the one thing I'm not necessarily sure of in this context.

Furthermore, I'm not really sure what the difference between a non-practicing doctor and not-really-a doctor are ... wait, no, I am, but I'm not sure that either you, or the OP, are. [/cheap internet shot]

Finally, the obesity epidemic IS "a lot more complex" than people just not eating fruits and vegetables. It also pertains to processed foods, the fact that people are less active than they should be, genetics (probably ... to a degree ...) and, in my opinion the biggest contributor to the obesity epidemic ... government subsidies! (That is, the concept of, "Heck, let's make foods that ain't got no nutritional value cheaper than good foods!" plus my "booyah" search of "government subsidies making me fat" came up with this: http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/314/corn-subsidies-make-me-sick-and-fat )

All right, I'll leave it at that.

runningneo122

I was someone who saw eating as a chore to be gotten through quickly so I could get back to work/play/hobby/whatever. I ate a large serving of meat or fish and occasionally some taters or mashed or corn. Fruit was too time consuming and wasn't filling. Let's just get this over with.... I gotta do it again in a few hours anyway........

Now that I'm working on this from a new level of awareness, I love fruits and found that I like a lot more veggies than I thought I did. (fussy eater as a kid) I run every morning so I have so many calories to eat back that a fruit and veggie(or 2) with each of 5 meals makes a difference.

I hardly eat out at all....usually it's grilled chicken fill-it box at KFC for $5 or a Subway $5 footlong(which is two or three meals now) for a cheat day once in a while but, lately I can't even get over the total cals now that I upped the water intake. Junk food is history, fried food as well. My KFC meal is the only soda for the month cause I still love that Baja Blast. I can't drink more than half of it though, or I get a sore kidney. Once you get the soda out the body tells you not to go back to it. I cut out daily soda habit 10 years ago.

I haven't see anyone mention the "negative calorie" foods. These are foods that burn as many or more calories to digest them than are in them. Grapefruit, celery.... there are others but my mind went blank.

morganadk2_deleted

I love fruit & veggies - can't get enough of them!

Me too!

Black_Swan

When I started counting my calories I quickly realized that vegetables are THE thing for me - now I eat them 90% of the time actually. They are everywhere. I admit, I could have a little bit more of a variety, usually im stuck with tomatoes and corn and radishes or onion, but hey, better than rice:D Its really working for me and my health has improved.
I think most of the MFP who try to loose weight realize in time that when they count, vegetables are simply great - so few cals. So they start eating them more. But i havent seen that much diaries here:)

BoresEasily

I eat about three servings of spinach a day like my main man Popeye. :smokin:

I'm the same way. Spinach is a huge part of my day to day eating.

CLH00

I loves my fruit and vegetables. Using fruit and vegetables in my cooking makes me be more adventurous in the kitchen :happy:
I wasn't always like this, though. I used to be addicted to more starchy foods, like bread, and potatoes, and pasta. Although I still eat these, I apply a lot more moderation to my portion sizes (a maximum of two slices of wholemeal bread per day, only a handful of pasta, boiled new potatoes, etc). I noticed that my carbs overload made me sluggish, tired, and too full. Now, if I include LESS vegetables and fruit (particularly raw vegetables and fruit), I notice the effect this has on my mood, my energy levels, and the way I feel in general (this goes for exercise, too. I find that my mood plateaus if I don't exercise a little bit each week).

BUT, going in my favour in all of this... I'm a vegetarian. Ahah x

CherokeeBabe

I'm retraining myself towards more fruits and veggies, my parents and sister are and were obese for my childhood and before I was born, they were all processed food junkies, so it's been a lil difficult to get into a new habit the past few years after growing up that way, but it's happening, bit by bit. I especially love cucumbers, corn, carrots, peas, spinach, tomatoes, avocados, oranges, bananas, kiwis, apples...nothing too special, but mmmm, I'm enjoying the process!

downtome

I have to agree on most not eating enough fruits and veggies in their diets! I myself never really touched fruits and veggies untill I started eating healthier and now I love them, especially sliced apples by crunch pak! My sister's daughter who is 6 years old is very overweight. I feel so bad for her as her mother, my sister buys so much junk food every time she goes shopping. When my neice comes to my house she will eat carrots, apples, bananas and the like.My sister didn't even know that her daughter liked Salmon until I made it and fed it to her. Countless times I have told my sister that she actually likes and perfers those foods to her junk food choices, still, my sister choses to bring countless junk food items into her home. It really saddens me and I know that my neice will have a weight problem for life. It's not fair to her and her mother has no desire to change it. Because she doesn't have a weight problem she doesn't seem to care. It's unfortunate that the child has to suffer and will be ridiculed throughout school. I only occassionally bring sweets into my home for my kids, if they want it, we have to make an effort to go out and buy it! I know that when summer comes back around I will be trying out new and different types of veggies and fruits to add to my diet when in season. I can't wait because you get a lot for the calories and the health benefits are naturally great! Heres to the power of fruits and veggies!

BoresEasily

The great thing about veggies is that you can eat a ****load of them and not have to worry about going over on calories. Especially cucumbers/spinach/broccoli/peppers/greens and things of that nature.

twilitemist74

i live on frozen veggies!!!

VezNo1

Hi

I know what you mean, being new I have been looking at some food diaries for new ideas and was quite surprised by the amount of processed foods in them. It may well be a sign of the times, but moving away from processed foods can be an education in itself.

I have a great warm veg salad you can try with home made dressing:
Carrots, Cauliflower, brocolli, trimmed beans, parsley and a dressing of 2 tablespoons low fat nautral yogurt, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 teasponns runny honey and a half a crushed garlic.
Put all the dressing ingredients in a screw top jar and shake up.
Once the veg has been blanched for about 4 minutes, drain the water and chuck the dressing in along with a tablespoon of fresh chopped italian flat leaf parsley.
I normally have this as a side with some grilled Chicken or Fish, it looks colourful and tastes great.

If anyone reading this wants to share diaries to borrow ideas please add me
Thanks
Verity

yanicka

Maybe it was my own diary you looked at ;o)

I am learning, little by little to add fruits and vegetables to my diet. I have to say that I live in the middle of the north pole (AKA Montreal) and when it is cold outside, I find it challanging to eat fruits and vegetables. In summer it's another story since everything taste so much better!!!! But that being said, I still try. I won't change everything right away because I think it's the best way to fail.

iamkatyg

I eat loads of fruit and veg!!! I am trying to eat paleo at the moment, ie cutting out all grain related things and just eating lean meat anf fish, fruit, veg, nuts and seeds, and eggs (and a tiny bit of cheese for my sanity). Its not really a DIET but a lifestyle change... I have lost 7lbs since Christmas pretty much without trying! And now I'm going to the gym 4 times a week I'm hoping I can shape up in no time at all!! Some friends of mine run a personal training centre and the results from their clients who are eating paleo are outstanding... gotta be worth a try surely!

www.thepaleodiet.com

punkrawkcutie

I have to say that I live in the middle of the north pole (AKA Montreal) and when it is cold outside, I find it challanging to eat fruits and vegetables. In summer it's another story since everything taste so much better!!!!

Not only taste better in the summer but in Canada, fruits and vegitables are WAY more expensive in the winter then in the summer, so sometimes it is a case of what can the person afford. And like someone else stated, sometimes they aren't listed as "carrot-1" because they've been made into a sauce or a meal.
I agree people do not eat as many as they should, but truthfully who are any of us to judge other people for it?

dmags

anything special you have to do when baking a sweet potato...sounds yummy!

fit4lifeministries

Fruits and raw veggies are the staple for my meals, and have been for over 4.5 years now. They are unbelievable and have made an impact on my life in more ways than I can count: skin, immune system, energy level, vitality and weight. There is definitely something to be said for the right combination of fruits, veggies and lean protein mixed with the complex carbs of whole grains. Wow, who would have thought that the doctors of old had it right...exercise and eat a balanced diet. Huh? No science, no gimmics.

iwantmyskinnyjeans

I definitely do! I usually eat about 8 servings of fruit/veggies a day! Love 'em.

RMinVA

You're not looking at the right food journals then.
I eat a crap load for veggies and fruit.
I try to eat as much of the real food as possible.
I have my quick nights, like tonight where I eat my turkey burgers, but I usually have some a veggie with it.
I try to eats the least amount of processed foods as I can.
(baby steps sometimes!)
Steph:flowerforyou:

Ditto!!

The dirty little secret of losing weight is you have it eat...but it needs to be real food. Lots of people think they can just count calories and that often works for awhile, especially if you are younger, new to the game, or have a lot of weight to lose. But if those calories are nutritionaly void, weight loss will come to a screeching halt, and they may even start gaining again, because their bodies aren't getting what it needs.

Lazyboy09

Fruits and veggies.. what is that, some kind of hippie food?

egbkid

I know it is not a good excuse, but honestly i don't eat more fruit and veggies because it is just to expensive. Around here, almost everything is shipped in. The only local fruits we have are berries in the summer, and apples in the fall. Veggies are abundant in the fall, since i live in a place with lots of farming, but once Christmas passes, the prices skyrocket until July or August. It costs 3 or 4 dollars for something like an onion or green pepper, more if it is a yellow, red or orange pepper. Lettuce is close to 4 or 5 dollars a head, when you are on a limited budget, it is tough, and unfortunately you can't freeze everything. The best thing i can hope for is bananas, potatoes and carrots, they are cheap all the time. So usually I just get the pre-packaged food with as many veggies in it as possible, I read labels like a fiend and try to get the healthiest that i can for my few bucks, or if i end up buying lunch (not often, though) I go to Subway and get a veggie sub.

dmags

just curious, I always eat fresh asparagus, is the frozen any good?

jlsironen

I agree, people don't have their kids try veggies as much as they used to! Granted when my little one was a baby and started on baby food, we had to mix everything with sweet potatoes for her to eat it. Now she LOVES broccoli and it cracks me up! She isn't big on carrots for some reason but will steal everyone's broccoli and green beans

jillybeanruns

About 75% of my snacks are fruits/veggies. I also get in at least one serving of fruit/veggie at each meal...usually 2. It's hard to completely do away with processed foods, but I do the best I can...and I don't eat fast food (ughhhh disgusting habit!).

ladyhawk00

just curious, I always eat fresh asparagus, is the frozen any good?

I've tried a few frozen asparagus - seems to depend a LOT on the brand. I've had some that were awful (green giant) and some that was certainly not like fresh, but pretty good (pictsweet).

BeachbodyCoachFletcher

We eat fruit and veggies every day, but I understand why this question was asked. America as a whole is way too addicted to fast, cheap processed food. I was in a discussion with some people on FB the other day and this point became abundantly clear. One lady was from South Africa I believe and another said she was from Brazil. They each noted that they had only eaten hamburgers a couple times in their lives because they did not ready access to them until they got here. Now they really do not have a craving for hamburgers the way we tend to. But being brought up here, Americans have access to, and consume more food than almost any other country. We have unfortunately been trained that it is just easier and cheaper to hit the drive through on the way home. And it saves you time so you can have more family time, right? But what do we do with that family time? The kids go to their rooms and turn oon TV and the parents go somewhere else and turn on more TV. What about spending some real quality time preparing a great (better than drive through by far) meal with the kids and entire family together? This is actual family time and our kids will become conditioned to eat healthy. Overweight adults? hey, we did it to ourselves. Overweight kids? Breaks my heart to see our youth with health problems like diabetes, heart disease and sleep apnea.

Sorry about the rant but we can save our kids lives by saving our own. Most of you here seem to realize these things, but we have to reach out to those don't see the big picture yet. God Bless.