Cycling UK Forum

I wonder how those pesky Eskimos managed without following this advice at all for thousands of years. As you all know, just because your government tells you something doesn't mean it's correct.

I expect they grew frozen peas

Bonefishblues wrote:I shall religiously cut my fruit and veg in half from now on.

What, will you eat two and a half portions a day? What is a half portion?

Just think all the greenhouse gas released from the extra escapes.

Bonefishblues wrote:I expect they grew frozen peas

Nope - that's Iceland who grow those.

nez dans le guidon wrote:I wonder how those pesky Eskimos managed without following this advice at all for thousands of years. As you all know, just because your government tells you something doesn't mean it's correct.

Pesky Eskimos have an average life expectancy nine years less than average Canadians.
Pretty much matches the claims of the report. The report comes from Imperial College London not the government.
The government is happy enough for people to bumble on aspiring to aim towards contemplating five a day, so long as the criteria for what qualifies is extended to processed foods.

I now believe I manage the 10-a-day (based on what people have said about portion sizes).

However, I don't get the "range" of different veg that I suspect would be sought by those specifying the requirement.

This time of year I'm eating mostly carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and peas (in large quantities). For me, cooking two veg for a meal is complex enough (getting them cooked and ready at the same time as a sauce/non-veg portion).

I can envisage it being quite a challenge getting up to 10 each day without multiple/double/treble portions of the same veg(s).

Ian

Do you cook each veg in a separate pan?

It isnt difficult to add each different veg at its allocated time spot to the same pan.
I am not that familiar with using ovens, so I often cheat by part microwave cooking some things before they go in the oven.

meic wrote:Do you cook each veg in a separate pan?

It isnt difficult to add each different veg at its allocated time spot to the same pan.
I am not that familiar with using ovens, so I often cheat by part microwave cooking some things before they go in the oven.

Yes (max two) - mainly because of my "limited" cooking ability, I know how long to cook carrots and then how long into the carrot cooking to start the broccoli. To start adding broccoli to carrots part way through would then increase the carrot lime (to get them back to the boil) which would impact when they need to be added .... and I can manage what I do at the moment.

I did used to have a far wider range of veg, mainly in summer, when I'd mix onions, apples, pineapple, broccoli, bean sprouts, cucumber, tomato, dried fruit, etc. all chopped up, all raw with e.g. yoghurt. Great and easy but the volume I had to eat to get enough calories ...

Ian

meic wrote:

nez dans le guidon wrote:I wonder how those pesky Eskimos managed without following this advice at all for thousands of years. As you all know, just because your government tells you something doesn't mean it's correct.

Pesky Eskimos have an average life expectancy nine years less than average Canadians.
Pretty much matches the claims of the report. The report comes from Imperial College London not the government.
The government is happy enough for people to bumble on aspiring to aim towards contemplating five a day, so long as the criteria for what qualifies is extended to processed foods.

Might not be diet-related though

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/201 ... onger.html

Cyril Haearn wrote:

Bonefishblues wrote:I shall religiously cut my fruit and veg in half from now on.

What, will you eat two and a half portions a day? What is a half portion?

I've done experiments and everything and when I cut a carrot in half there are definitely two carrots. Having more trouble with my magic beans, but I'll perfect the technique soon, I'm sure.

"A new study shows Inuit life expectancy still trails that of the rest of the country, with self-inflicted injuries and smoking largely to blame" is the slug in the article you mention, just in case anyone can't be bothered to look it up. So not apples, 10 a day or the lack thereof but probably alcohol and suicides, just like all the other aboriginal populations who have suffered the dubious benefits of a soaking in Western culture. I think you and I might be on the same side of this argument. I'm afraid 10 a day, 5 a day, statistics that support low fat diets but weirdly exclude the French are all part of the hocus pocus that is cooked up by governments supported by food production vested interests and big pharma. Next, skimmed milk.

Great and easy but the volume I had to eat to get enough calories

That volume is certainly a big factor.
I cant help but be suspicious that the reason the study showed such benefits was because anybody managing to eat 800g of fruit and veg a day had no room left to consume any of the things that are causing so much harm to the nation's health.
I bothered measuring out 5 portions of 80g Carrot, courgette, broccoli, cauli and cabbage, when they were cooked they alone just fitted on a large dinner plate. It didnt leave much room for the rice which was piled on top.

It is probably easier to reach the target through "grazing" with little bits, mostly uncooked, through the day, rather than trying to eat it ALL in two sittings.

It probably involves people changing the way they eat in order to get the benefits. It may not be possible to change what we eat, without changing the way we eat.
Then the reasonable question for many is "Is it worth it" and the answer is probably no until something scares you into it.

Bonefishblues wrote:

Cyril Haearn wrote:

Bonefishblues wrote:I shall religiously cut my fruit and veg in half from now on.

What, will you eat two and a half portions a day? What is a half portion?

I've done experiments and everything and when I cut a carrot in half there are definitely two carrots. Having more trouble with my magic beans, but I'll perfect the technique soon, I'm sure.

Seems to me you are doubling your f+v intake by trying to halve it

nez dans le guidon wrote:I wonder how those pesky Eskimos managed without following this advice at all for thousands of years. As you all know, just because your government tells you something doesn't mean it's correct.

The non-pesky Eskimos/Inuit get a lot of vitamins from the livers and kidneys of animals where for example there are very high concentrations of vitamin D activity. I imagine they get berries and the like in summer. But they have survived thousands of years without lots of healthy vegs

There are other peoples the first nations in Australia for example who do very well on a diet that would seem strange to us