• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Now 7 a day

  • Thread starter Thread starter AnnieC
  • Start Date Start Date
A

AnnieC

Guest
From a recent study it is saying the recommendation of five a day fruit and veg although good more would be better so they are now saying have 7 or even up to 10 servings a day with more vegetables being slightly better than more fruit The study was done with people in all age groups eating various amounts of fruit and veg every day... also taking in to account things like smoking and alcohol .. and they found in general the ones eating the most were healthier and had less illness than those who ate very little in the way of fruit and veg.
Just wondering how this would work with those on a very low carb diet would this study make you think of eating more in the way of vegetables and fruit each day even if it would mean you having more carbs a day than you do at present
 
No change for me - I eat minimal fruit (mostly citrus and berries and never more than 2 serves a day), and already exceed 3 serves of non-starchy veg. As long as the veg you eat are mostly non-starchy, it shouldn't impact LCHF too much, especially if you're not actually counting carbs.
 
The study that they quote consisted of asking people what they ate on 1 day and then following various outcomes in the participants. It was therefore an observational study and took no account of other factors; they merely assumed that the fruit and vegetable consumption lead to improved health outcomes (because, hey everyone knows that fruit and vegetables are healthy).

Here is the BBC on this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26818377

If a 12 year old had come up with this you would be kind and supportive but point out all the possible problems; the fact that the 'study' was carried out and then immediately they concluded that more fruit and vegetables was better is slightly mind boggling; perhaps it's a counterblast to the Annals of Internal Medicine meta study saying fat has no correlation with heart disease?

Here are some problems with this type of issue just off the top of my head; perhaps people who eat more vegetables smoke less, or exercise more, or in a number of other ways behave in a healthy way (indicated by their consumption of lots of fruit and vegetables)? The people who ran the study say that they 'tried to account for that' - but what does that mean? Perhaps the fruit eaters are wealthier than the general population and/or have access to better health care? Perhaps being a fruit eater makes you more likely to go to your doctor regularly? All fruit and vegetables are not equal in macronutrient density; would this work if my 7 portions a day consisted of peaches rather than spinach? Have macronutrient variables been considered? How reliable is a 1 day 'snapshot' of what people say they eat? Might people who are towing the healthy living line be tempted to overestimate their fruit and vegetable consumption whilst people who don't won't? There is obvious selection bias on the part of the people carrying out the study; because they are working on the basis that fruit and vegetables are good for you; therefore more must be better.

I'm sure there are more issues.

As diabetics fruit is not our friend (small amounts of berries aside); because all fruit has been grown to be sweet and that's something we all have a problem with surely?

I'd go so far as to say that this is idiot science for people who like their science as free from facts as possible.

Best

Dillinger
 
The '5-a-day' was always the minimum amount that one should consume and more was better, today's news is encouraging and hopefully will encourage more people to eat much healthier, most days I'll eat over and above 7 portions of fruit & veg.
 
AnnieC said:
Just wondering how this would work with those on a very low carb diet would this study make you think of eating more in the way of vegetables and fruit each day even if it would mean you having more carbs a day than you do at present
Click to expand...

Speaking purely for myself I eat far more veg and fruit now that I'm on a low carb diet than I did when I was on the NICE guideline diet, massive amounts of green veg and salads, celeriac, swede, fennel, artichokes, lots of berries, kiwi's etc. certainly more than the five a day. I just stay away from the starchy veg or high sugar content fruit. Much of the carbs in green veg is fibre which does not affect BG's.



Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
AnnieC said:
From a recent study it is saying the recommendation of five a day fruit and veg although good more would be better so they are now saying have 7 or even up to 10 servings a day with more vegetables being slightly better than more fruit
Click to expand...

10, even 7 per day, is way too many servings for prunes and if you were to split them evenly between fruit and veg, say sprouts for example, the results are too terrible to contemplate.

A severe case of carotenosis (beta-carotene poisoning) from eating too many carrots:

 
My nuts must count as vegetable as they sure don't run around fields
 
A

I still believe eating plenty of fruit and veg is healthy for everyone not just diabetics
 
AnnieC said:
A


I still believe eating plenty of fruit and veg is healthy for everyone not just diabetics
Click to expand...

I do agree Annie, always try and get my kids to eat plenty.
 
AnnieC said:
Just wondering how this would work with those on a very low carb diet would this study make you think of eating more in the way of vegetables and fruit each day even if it would mean you having more carbs a day than you do at present
Click to expand...
It's a common misconception that low-carb means low-veg, but in fact it is usually high in vegetables compared with a normal diet. What I do for supper is to replace rice/potatoes/pasta with salad but leave the meat and (other) two veg unchanged from my previous diet. For lunch I have a large salad (at least two standard veg servings) instead of my previous sandwich. That gives me my five servings.

I would actually struggle to eat more vegetables, especially as I now can't manage root vegetables without raising my BG. Increasing leafy green veg by two serves would increase my carbs by only about 6g a day, so that wouldn't be the problem, but there's a limit to how much food I can bear to chomp through and digest. I suppose I could try vegetable juice, probably with vodka and worcester sauce.

I do plead guilty to the charge of not eating fruit. I'd love to, but all fruit now spikes my BG. I know it carries health benefits, but to me the risks that high BG brings outweigh them.

Kate
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…