A Million Adults 'Never Eat Vegs' (UK)

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 1-15-2004 | Celia Hall

[blam]

A million adults 'never eat veg'

By Celia Hall, Medical Editor
(Filed: 15/01/2004)

Nearly a million adults never eat any fruit or green vegetables and more than 3.5 million eat them only once or twice a month, according to a survey published today.

Despite government campaigns to encourage people to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, a small percentage of the adult population resolutely refuses to do so. The poll among 1,000 adults for the charity, Cholesterol UK, found that while 90 per cent said they always or generally ate a healthy diet, 2.5 million ate chips or crisps daily, six million had take-aways once or twice a week and 500,000 had take-aways every day. The figures are based on an adult population of 40 million.

Heart UK and the Cardiac Patients Association have joined forces to create Cholesterol UK and campaign for a reduction in national blood cholesterol levels. The charity said the public was largely unaware of the dangers of raised cholesterol levels.

Dr John Reckless, a consultant endocrinologist and chairman of Heart UK, said the average cholesterol level in the UK was between five and six mmol/l but one in 40 adults had levels over eight.

In China where there are low rates of heart disease people's cholesterol levels are 3.5 on average. Dr Reckless said a level of less than five was desirable.

[Spiff]

When I eat vegetables I only eat fresh, raw vegetables. Since I was a child I've been unable to eat most cooked vegetables. My parents could not understand how I could sit for hours refusing to eat the cooked vegetables on my plate. What I couldn't quite describe to them is that cooked vegetables literally make me gag. Just the smell of some vegetables and I'm gagging. They nauseate me. I've read that this is some kind of known medical condition, but there's nothing I know that can be done about it. The taste and smell of cooked vegetables, to me, is nearly identical to the smell of rotten vegetables. Imagine the smell of vegetables left to rot in a hot garbage can for a few days - that is how cooked vegetables smell to me. And I've compared the two.

However, I've found the some oriental vegetables, if stir-fried just right, are fine and I will eat them when they are available. But, most of the time I just eat raw veggies - lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet onions, carrots, celery, peppers, etc. Oh, and the raw veggies must be very fresh.

I've theorized that I'm somehow very sensitive to the chemicals or enzymes or whatever that are present as the vegetables break down in their rotting process. And that those same chemicals or enzymes or whatever are also released when the veggies are cooked.

I just live with it. My kids love veggies - they fight over the last serving broccoli even. I guess I didn't pass it on to them.

[brewcrew]

I have heard that some people can smell asparagus in their urine literally minutes after they've eaten it. Is your condition related to that one?

[Spiff]

I have heard that some people can smell asparagus in their urine literally minutes after they've eaten it. Is your condition related to that one?

I wouldn't know. I have never been able to eat cooked asparagus. Never. Just the thought of it makes me sick. It is on my most-hated cooked veggies list. Ewwwwww

[Spiff]

Oh, and I don't make a habit of smelling my urine. But, hey, different strokes for different folks, y'know....

[brewcrew]

I don't think cooked vs. raw matters, and I'm not talking about sticking one's head in the toilet - just the normal smells associated with using the loo, dear. 8^D

[Triple Word Score]

The Eskimo survived eating meat only for months at a time because they ate the ENTIRE animal, and generally uncooked. You will become malnourished if you tried to live on only the meat cuts you can get at the supermarket meat counter.

The Eskimo has not fared very well on the Western diet. When carnivores start on sugar and processed starches, their teeth deteriorate very fast. But once you have grocery stores, you use them...you don't go sit in ice water to find a seal any more often than you must.

[perfect stranger]

I agree.

I am pointing out the fact that they have managed to survive for generations without an abundance of the veg.

[cricket]

"In China where there are low rates of heart disease people's cholesterol levels are 3.5 on average. Dr Reckless said a level of less than five was desirable."

. . pulleeze! We know chickens feet are low in cholesterol!. . .So the Chinese populations has low cholesterol - they also are responsible for 'cooking up SARS'. . .

We are in a war trying to bring up a country to a Democracy; while here in our local ranks; we have those who are doing thier best to re-fashion our democracy into a totalitarin model.

Stop the madness. . .

[cricket]

"We are in a war trying to bring up a country to a Democracy; while here in our local ranks; we have those who are doing thier best to re-fashion our democracy into a totalitarin model."

Let my try that one more time, without the typos. . .

We are in a war trying to bring up a country to a Democracy; while here in our local ranks; we have those who are doing their best to re-fashion our democracy into a totalitarian model.

. . .a little better. . .

[Petronski]

I have heard that some people can smell asparagus in their urine literally minutes after they've eaten it. Is your condition related to that one?

Truly, this is one of the strangest questions I have ever read on Free Republic.

[Sloth]

Oh, and I don't make a habit of smelling my urine.

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!

[Billthedrill]

I have heard that some people can smell asparagus in their urine literally minutes after they've eaten it.

Oh, it's quite true. Sulfates. A little sulfur's good fer ya. And some people can tell when they've drunk red wine because their stools...uh...how did we get on this topic, anyhow?

[olivia3boys]

I always smell asparagus in my urine after I eat it. I thought everyone did.

[blam]

"Oh, and I don't make a habit of smelling my urine. But, hey, different strokes for different folks, y'know...."

I used to have a Korean engineer working for me that said he could smell that I took a vitamin B complex. I think we get vitamin B from vegetables.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Nearly a million adults never eat any fruit or green vegetables and more than 3.5 million eat them only once or twice a month, according to a survey published today.

These figures apply, I assume, to the U.K., or possibly just England. Certainly the figures are much higher in the U.S.

Green veggies are one thing that Atkinites and low-fat people can agree on. Your Mom was right. Eat your vegetables. Vitamins, minerals, fiber, and low cal to boot. If, that is, they're prepared intelligently, which is to say raw, steamed or otherwise lightly cooked.

Okra breaded and fried is not a health food. Nor is a casserole of broccoli in cheese sauce or canned mushroom soup topped with buttered bread crumbs. Nor that favorite of my native South -- green beans cooked to mush with a hunk of fatback.

Eat your veggies! But use your head, too.

[theirjustdue]

'I always smell asparagus in my urine after I eat it. I thought everyone did.",

Not a topic I ever thought I would reply to here on FR, but in the interest of science, so did I.

[oyez]

.... The Korova Milk Bar sold milk plus - milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old Ultra-Violence....

[oyez]

[brewcrew]

Truly, this is one of the strangest questions I have ever read on Free Republic.

What's your point?

Seriously, my wife told me that she heard it's a genetic thing, and that about 20% of the population has this unique "talent."

[brewcrew]

See my last post #39.