Five fruits and veggies

[Georgepds]

I know we all concentrate on enough protein, calcium, and vitamins A E D and K, (mostly through supplements). But does anyone here try for enough fruits and veggies?

I'll get it started. Breakfast is my kickoff: steel cut oats with barberries, cinnamon, ground flax, walnuts, raisins and cranberries... ummm..( good use of the instapot, I make a batch of oats, and then reheat a bit daily in the microwave with a little water before mixing in the extras). If you count , that makes 5, but the portions, besides the cup of cooked oats , are only a table spoon or two

I decided if I was going to graze, it was going to be 5 fruits and veggies first. Yesterday that included

Frozen blueberries
Red cabbage cole slaw
A microwave yam
Raw carrots, with a little tzatziki (sp?)
Homemade bake beans

Beats the heck out of the alternatives, which is often potato chips, crackers, bread or pretzels. It's not so much the above 5 are "healthy" so much as they are healthy compared to the alternatives

I use a small bowl, saucer size for portion control. My "rule" is eat something different. Strictly speaking the recommended 5 fruits and veggies suggestion does not mean different fruits and veggies, but that's what I take it to mean

Hey, I know there are more pressing concerns, but this is something we can control.

So, does anyone think it is worth the trouble? Does having a DS mean the benefits don't accrue to us? Benefits, at least statistically, for the general population are lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

 

[southernlady]

I try to concentrate on protein. I eat one apple a day, and add veggies to dinner....sometimes.

Personally, I feel as long as you are at goal and your protein lab is in good shape (7 or above), you can add more variety.

 

[Munchkin]

I don't eat fruit at all. Well, maybe 10 bites a year. Too much sugar. I taste it occasionally and that's it. I do eat veggies every day though. The low carb ones.

Fruit is mostly sugar and water. So I avoid it. I miss bananas though.

Grains, sugars, and starches make me gain weight fast. I pretty much have to stick to 20 or so carbs a day. I am jealous you can eat all this stuff. But, men always seem to do better than women!

 

[southernlady]

I don't eat fruit at all. Well, maybe 10 bites a year. Too much sugar. I taste it occasionally and that's it.

I started eating an orange or an apple daily about a year ago. Mostly oranges in the winter. My weight has been stable. But I’m careful which fruits. And I eat them “raw”.

 

[Georgepds]

I don't eat fruit at all. ...
Grains, sugars, and starches make me gain weight fast. I pretty much have to stick to 20 or so carbs a day. I am jealous you can eat all this stuff. .....

Well... it is still early for me. I seem to have settled on a BMI just a tad over 25... stable for the last 6 months... I'd like lower.. but what the heck.. I'm less than half the size I was at my peak

I track my weight... if it goes too high... the oatmeal gets replaced by greek yogurt ( the mixers stay).. and the starchy vegetables go

My dad and paternal uncle went to cancer, not pretty deaths, so I'd like to reduce the chances of contracting it. Avoiding obesity is a biggie, maybe the fruits and veggies will help

 

[Georgepds]

I started eating an orange or an apple daily about a year ago. Mostly oranges in the winter. My weight has been stable. But I’m careful which fruits. And I eat them “raw”.

I like this "rule"

 

[aaa]

I eat a banana or an apple daily.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

I need to survive on a LOW-fiber diet. And a low-oxalate diet. And a low-residue diet.

So, my primary fruits and veggies are bacon.

 

[Georgepds]

I get the low oxalate (kidney stones) but why low fiber... and what the heck is low residue?

And, re kidney stones, I'm sure you know the trick of taking your calcium pill, even citrate form, with food. The trick is the calcium binds with the oxalate in the digestive track, preventing oxalate absorption, an subsequent problems

 

[southernlady]

I eat a banana or an apple daily.

I don’t do banana...way too much sugar for me. Hubby is eat a banana a day cause his potassium is on the low side (but still normal) and it was affecting his sleep.

 

[southernlady]

I need to survive on a LOW-fiber diet. And a low-oxalate diet. And a low-residue diet.

So, my primary fruits and veggies are bacon.

I remember why the low-oxalate (kidney stones) but why the other two?

 

[Spiky Bugger]

I remember why the low-oxalate (kidney stones) but why the other two?

Georgepds

Residue/Fiber:
“Foods that are high in fiber, especially “roughage,” tend to leave behind some plant particles in your colon that can’t be digested. This undigested matter mostly comes from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, though dairy products can also leave residue behind.

These leftovers don’t usually present a problem. In fact, it’s the residue that helps keep stools bulky and moving through the intestines. However, in situations when your bowel needs to be slowed down to allow for healing—for example, if you have digestive disorder...”

My current GI dx is IBS. Easier to spell than the alternatives?

 

[Georgepds]

For those of you who like studies, NHANES is the study I use for nutrition an heart health

For us meat eaters, processed meats will kill you, unprocessed red meats don't really matter (see fig 1 in the journal)... so better to eat that 20 ounce rib eye than the bacon bits. Even the quote below berates unprocessed red meat... but look at the effect 0.4 % compared to 9.5% for too much sodium and 8.2% for processed meats


Here is the simple reference

How dietary factors influence disease risk

Researchers found that eating too much or too little of certain foods and nutrients can raise the risk of dying of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

www.nih.gov

Here is my simple summary

~~~~AVOID
sodium .. ...<AVOID><<<<<<*<<
SSBs, and . ......<AVOID><<<<<<<<<<<<
Processed meats, .......<AVOID><<<<<<<<<<<

~~~~~~~ DO IT
nuts/seed .....<DO IT>
seafood omega-3 fats, .......<DO IT>
vegetables, .......<DO IT>
fruits, ... ....<DO IT>
Whole grains ....... <DO IT. -- DON'T CARE>

~~~~~ DON'T CARE
polyunsaturated fats (2.3%) and ....<DON'T CARE>
unprocessed red meats (0.4%).....<DON'T CARE>


Here is the journal article

Association Between Dietary Factors and Mortality From Heart Disease, Stroke, and Type 2 Diabetes in the United States - PubMed

Dietary factors were estimated to be associated with a substantial proportion of deaths from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These results should help identify priorities, guide public health planning, and inform strategies to alter dietary habits and improve health.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"The researchers investigated the relationships of 10 different foods and nutrients with deaths related to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. They also compared data on participants’ age, sex, ethnicity, and education. They found that nearly half of all the deaths in the United States in 2012 that were caused by cardiometabolic diseases were associated with suboptimal eating habits. Of 702,308 adult deaths due to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, 318,656 (45%) were associated with inadequate consumption of certain foods and nutrients widely considered vital for healthy living, and overconsumption of other foods that are not.


"The highest percentage of cardiometabolic disease-related death
(9.5%) was related to excess consumption of sodium.

Not eating enough nuts and seeds (8.5%),
seafood omega-3 fats (7.8%),
Vegetables (7.6%),
fruits (7.5%),
whole grains (5.9%),
or polyunsaturated fats (2.3%)
also increased risk of death compared with people who had an optimal intake of these foods/nutrients.

Eating too much processed meat (8.2%),
sugar-sweetened beverages (7.4%),
and unprocessed red meat (0.4%)
also raised the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes-related
"

 

[Georgepds]

Georgepds

Residue/Fiber:
“Foods that are high in fiber, especially “roughage,” tend to leave behind some plant particles in your colon that can’t be digested. This undigested matter mostly comes from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, though dairy products can also leave residue behind.

These leftovers don’t usually present a problem. In fact, it’s the residue that helps keep stools bulky and moving through the intestines. However, in situations when your bowel needs to be slowed down to allow for healing—for example, if you have digestive disorder...”

My current GI dx is IBS. Easier to spell than the alternatives?

Thanks...


But I always understood undigested fiber was consumed by bacteria in the large intestine. These are beneficial symbionts, in the sense that the bacteria produce the short chain fatty acids necessary for colon health

I know nothing about IBS, so I guess it is different for those who suffer it

 

[JackieOnLine]

I know someone with IBS and she can't eat a lot of stuff that's good. like garlic and onions. I forget what else, but lots of stuff.