Doesn't anyone each fruit and veg anymore?

I think salad is always looked at as a "diet" food - so people on diets think they have to eat it, then get sick of it! There are other ways to go besides salad - green beans and walnuts, Persian eggplant stew, baked sweet potatoes, roasted cauliflower....the possibilities are endless...

i eat 1-2 servings of fruit a day and 3-5 servings of veggies. some times they are included or 'hidden' in a recipe and might not have its own entry, but they are there.

I eat a lot of fruits/veggies. They're so easy! Just had 4 asparagus spears with lunch!

Ok, now I'll get on my soapbox.

I think one of the main reasons so many people don't eat (or don't eat enough) fruits, and especially veggies, is the way we train our kids from the very beginning. There are studies that show that our tastebuds/pleasure pathways are already beginning to be trained during pregnancy and before an ounce of "food" ever passes our lips. This means what mom eats also already starts training baby for preferences toward tastes - sweet, bitter, savory, etc. So if she's not eating veggies, or only eating certain veggies, baby will be more inclined toward not eating them as well.

The other issue is the foods we start babies on. It has become common since jar baby food came on the scene to start babies on fruits (bananas, anyone), rather than veggies. Or even if veggies are given, they are the "sweet" tasting ones (peas, carrots). Babies tend to like the sweet flavors better (don't you?) so they eat them easier/better (see above where baby's tastebuds have already been effected.)

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking those fruits and veggies. But the first foods baby tastes should at the very least be a variety of flavors. Our tastebuds are generally fully trained in the first year or two toward certain flavors. There is some variance for personal likes/dislikes, but we will tend to follow those preferences set in the first couple years. Tastebuds can also be retrained some, but it can be extremely difficult.

My son, 7, likes cookies and ice cream and candy, like most kids. But he also LOVES broccoli, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, and many others. The only vegetable we've found that he doesn't like is mushrooms. When I began feeding him solid foods, he started with a variety of flavors and didn't have any processed sugar at all until a year old. He only had what was in fruits. (Yes, I know, ironic that I was so intent on his healthy eating and have become so lax about mine - but I'm changing it.)

Fruits and veggies are important - even before we're born!

*climbs down* Thank you for listening! :bigsmile:

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.

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?