7 a day scare story

[Viking Warrior]

So now we are being advised that we need to eat 7 or even more portions of vegatagbles or fruit dependent on which news outlet you listen to

 

While it might be good advice how realistic is it giving only 65K were surveyed

 

Also have these so called scientists done their research on how much produce will need to be produced for us to become a nation of veggies?

given that the climatic group said yesterday we are about to suffer great droughts, flooding etc,

 

A portion of vegatable or fruit is 3ounces, 7*3 = 21 oz or 1ibs 5 oz a day or 10lb.5oz a week . that is a lot of fruit and veg that will need to be produced just for the uk alone

 

On a lighter note someone posted the following on the BBC coments page following this story/ (t wasnt you was it bearsy?)

 

I have managedto convince my wife that fruit flavoured condoms are part of your 5 a day, I think I'm going to struggle to provide 7 a day at my age

[Minty]

There are actually different guidelines across many different countries. Bottom line generally is the more fruit and veg people the better. The whole 5-a-day thing was primarily a marketing exercise, just to try and encourage people to eat more, but if everyone just tried to increase the amount they had, rather than aim for a specific number, then that would be a start.

[Minty]

Oh, and it really isn't a scare story - just common sense.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

When you see/hear the phrase "so called scientists", you can generally tell how it is going to end.

[niceandfriendly]

Oh nooooes, humans gotta eat fresh living foods to be healthy? Whoda thunk it?

 

People thinking that being told to eat more food which isn't going to f*cking POISON you is a scare story? That's classic.

 

No doubt if we were told to consume more pies, burgers, soft drinks or any other processed crap a large part of the human population has been tricked into consuming on a regular basis by corporations, the news would be met with joy. Congrats to those good old scientists looking out for us! Now let's all get extra large Maccy D fries!

 

People really just do not have a clue what they're putting inside their human bodies and the effect it is having. So much so, that news about the need to consume more whole, fresh, raw, living foods is met with cries of "conspiracy"! "Let nothing at all disturb our status quo of deep fried, dead, sugary, processed ****e packed with chemicals for breakfast lunch and dinner. It's our RIGHT damn it."

[alpine_saint]

Yaaawn.... More emotional blackmail.

[niceandfriendly]

Yaaawn.... More emotional blackmail.

 

These latest findings not so great for you, are they tubby-chops? Eating 5 grapes per day was a struggle enough right, how are you gonna get those extra 2 in?

 

Probably bull**** anyway, food is just protein, fat and carbs... nothing else to it than that... right?

[Patrick Bateman]

It's alright is you like fruit - weirdly enough I actually hate fruit!!

 

It's just cold and annoying. Yes, I'm odd.

[Pancake]

It's alright is you like fruit - weirdly enough I actually hate fruit!!

 

It's just cold and annoying. Yes, I'm odd.

 

No your not. Fruit (well, 95% of them) dont do it for me either.

[Minty]

Why do you think that is? Bad fruit-related experience as a child?!? I dread to think actually...

[norwaysaint]

Been seven a day here for ages, there is no exact amount, it's just an attempt to help people eat healthily. It can only be a good thing if people try to balance their diets a little.

 

i think it'd be worse if there was no education about healthy eating.

[Pancake]

Why do you think that is? Bad fruit-related experience as a child?!? I dread to think actually...

 

Yes, probably more a phobia for me than anything else.

[Viking Warrior]

Minty

re

Oh, and it really isn't a scare story - just common sense.

 

It might be common sense minty, but in my opinion it is still a scare story, As the underlying theme is that you if you dont have your 5/7/9/11 a day then you are more susceptible to getting cancer or heart disease. So to me that is worrying Minty

 

We have enough scared and paranoid people in the world as it is by all these public annoucements and what they eat The other week it was about taxing sugar,

 

My take is that my body needs energy to work normally and keep me alive. I get this energy from nutrients in the food that I eat - mostly, carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Minerals and vitamins etc

It is important we get the right balance between these different nutrients to get maximum health benefits. I have always been pretty fit over the years including having fish and chips curries , pies going on the pop a lot. I dont always eat my 5 a day , I have regular pasta dishes, full of carbs

 

I have seen a friend who was mega fit just drop down dead on a basket ball court , he was seriously fit.

 

what about all those folk who suffer from anorexia / bulimia .

 

Yes I agree common sense prevails. but eating your 5 a day dosent stop you getting cancers or heart disease. In some cases it will increase your survival rates but in many it will not, such as Breast and prostrate and Cervical cancers,

[dellboypete]

Just back from the dentist and he tells me I'm eating too much fruit!

[Minty]

It might be common sense minty, but in my opinion it is still a scare story, As the underlying theme is that you if you dont have your 5/7/9/11 a day then you are more susceptible to getting cancer or heart disease. So to me that is worrying Minty

 

There will always be exceptions, but the underlying theme is that if you eat healthier then you lessen the chance of dying earlier and/or from a specific nasty.

 

That is still common sense to me. If it scares you then I would suggest that is less the stories fault than your own interpretation of what they are saying.

 

There is still much we don't know about our bodies, about health conditions, about what we inherit from our ancestors or not, so it would always be wrong to suggest that healthy eating is the be-all and end-all. But rather than looking at it as a scare story, perhaps you should consider it to be more like highlighting the potential benefits of a healthy diet as we currently understand it?

[Viking Warrior]

Minty

 

I eat quite healthly thanks , but you can not prescribe one size fits all, Look at the international rugby players and a few Years back England when the one the world cup. The experts stated many of them were morbidly obese. based on BMI stats that are still used today by many clinicians and diabetic consultants.

and this is not a glib comment, but comes from 2 consultants at RBH Reading

 

Every day we have stories about this that and the other is not good for you,

 

there has been a weekly food scare story of some discription or another

 

Merat and Cheese bad for you

Barbecued meat and the traditional British fry-up could speed up the process of dementia, according to a study.

 

Researchers claim chemicals produced when browning meat suppress a protective anti-ageing enzyme.

 

Fatty and sugary foods could also be playing a part by boosting levels of these harmful compounds - known as advanced glycation end-products (Ages).

 

The compounds can also be derived from cheese, eggs, white bread, pasta, and sugary treats such as pastries, cakes and biscuits.

 

Professor Derek Hill, from University College London, said: "There is a great deal of public interest in the way that diet can cause, or prevent, serious diseases in older life.

I think the answer is to close all fast food stores kebab house, curry house etc

 

Am i bovered not really . tomorrow some researcher will announce to the world that you are more likely to have a heart attack while playing sport

 

 

there are several thousands who have heriditary heart disease who eat healthily but still have heart attacks

 

Sorry Minty I totally accept your points but it is about striking the right balance in life.

No I dont cramm loads of puiesm bacon sarnies, crisps etc into my daily activities, Although I did have wieght watchers beans on their own last night only becuase I had no wholemeal bread left

[Minty]

Minty

 

I eat quite healthly thanks , but you can not prescribe one size fits all

I wasn't commenting on your personal diet VW. And I completely agree one size does not fit all - hence the point I repeatedly make on various subjects... people need to stop taking media reports as gospel, and go and do their own research and decide for themselves on the best path. But that still doesn't change my original point that eating healthily will, on average, lead to a healthier life and less chance of disease etc.

 

Am i bovered not really .

Well there you go then, it's clearly NOT a scare story for you, because you've looked at it and made your mind up.

 

So for the third and final time... this is all about common sense. There will always be studies that 'discover' new things or claim others. Just like a Saints result, people need to stop overreacting when it's potentially 'bad news', but not get their hopes up so much if it's 'good news'. It all comes down to education and using these stories as a starting point to learn more and have a balanced view.

[Give it to Ron]

Problem I have is on the 5:2 diet a banana is 100cals so eating 7 will take me over my 600 for the day :-)

Its all about a balanced diet isn't it and coupled with exercise and don't need a uni lecturer telling us that.

[Bearsy]

if baby jesus wanted me to eat fresh vegetables he would have made them taste more nice. I quite like fruits, but fruits is v.difficult to catch right with regards to ripeness, i.e. with bananas you only have like a 20 minute window between when they're too green & they're too yellow, and you never know when that's gonna fall. Quite often it's like at 2am or whatever.

[Give it to Ron]

I'm with you Bear...when I go to the supermarket why should I pay for ripen at home surely all the money I am paying the lazy b8stards should do it for me in the shop?

[Bearsy]

i deffo throw away more fruits + veg than i actually eat. I mean some vegetables i suppose aren't such a problem, such as potato chips or tomato ketchup, but something needs to be done about fruits in particular. I'm looking at you, pears!

[norwaysaint]

The stupidity on this thread is incredible.

 

A large amount of health problems can be prevented or lessened through good diet. Prevention is far more cost effective than treatment, so to save our taxes, there should be plenty of preventative advice out there. Then people can choose whether to follow it or not. That's basic common sense. To help people know the optimal amount of fruit and veg to eat, they condense it to a useful, easily understandable number. It's not exact science, it's not supposed to be, it's an easily digestible guideline. If they then find that research shows that guideline can be improved, fair enough that they do that. They aren't putting out a law here, they are giving a healthy eating guideline for the masses. Good idea.

 

 

then we get morons who act like it's some kind of ridiculous conspiracy and use silly phrases like "scare story" and "emotional blackmail". Laughable.

[buctootim]

It's alright is you like fruit - weirdly enough I actually hate fruit!!

 

It's just cold and annoying. Yes, I'm odd.

 

No your not. Fruit (well, 95% of them) dont do it for me either.

 

Doesnt it say that fruit is nowhere near as good for you as vegetables? and fruit juice is no good at all - which is a bummber for me because Ive been swigging the stuff thinking it was an easy way to get the five a day in.

[buctootim]

morons who act like it's some kind of ridiculous conspiracy and use silly phrases like "scare story" and "emotional blackmail". Laughable.

 

What they haven't quite grasped is that the information is put out for their benefit. Obviously a flawed assumption in Viking and Alpines case that they might want information to be healthier and live longer. The only people who might care if you drop dead at 65 and never draw your pension is you, your friends and family.

Edited 1 April, 2014 by buctootim

[Lord Duckhunter]

I'm ****ing sick to death of do gooders and governments telling me what is good for me and what isn't. What is the point in Food tech at schools if they then have to spend Government money on "information"? I know drinking too much, smoking and eating certain food does me no good, I don't need telling every 5 ****ing minutes.

[Bearsy]

we're just worried bout you LD.

 

Oh, LD ain't it. Is that why you chose ur avatar? I only just got that!

[Wes Tender]

i deffo throw away more fruits + veg than i actually eat. I mean some vegetables i suppose aren't such a problem, such as potato chips or tomato ketchup, but something needs to be done about fruits in particular. I'm looking at you, pears!

 

Here is the root of the problem, where intelligent people like the Bear can't tell what is fruit and what is vegetable.

[Bearsy]

I was applying the v.simple test bout fruits taste nice + vegetables taste bad. It does sometimes cause confusion tho i appreciate that not all things is easily categorise, i.e. sometimes vag is fruit, sometimes vag is veg. It depends on the preparation i spose.

[Whitey Grandad]

I had more than that this evening. Five potatoes, several asparagus spears, two or three twigs of broccoli and a tomato. Must have been about 13 or 14 portions

[Halo Stickman]

Visit any portsmouthfc website for your more than recommended daily intake of vegetables and fruit loops.

[Viking Warrior]

Steady on Norway . I take exception to being called a moron . I know what is good for me and what is not .

I have not referred to any form of conspiracy . Maybe I used the scare story in the wrong context but there is almost a daily story where some expert has done limited research and we are told this that and the other is not good for you

And it is this constant stream of doo gooder advice that is a tad frustrating .

 

On BBC Scotland this morning some expert was adamant that if the government had put a minimum price on a unit of alcohol it would have saved 60 lives . The chances are the price would not have mattered and those individuals would still have died because of alcohol abuse . Just like smoking putting the price up has not deterred everyone . And you see more youngsters smoking

 

So Norwaysaint . I'm not a moron and have a medical background so I know what is good and what is bad for from a dietary aspect .

Andy re my comment about not being bothered . That is in response to all the studies about what is good and what is bad . . There's appears to be no consistency of approach and or external validation of these studies mentioned in these reports that I can see .

[norwaysaint]

I'm ****ing sick to death of do gooders and governments telling me what is good for me and what isn't. What is the point in Food tech at schools if they then have to spend Government money on "information"? I know drinking too much, smoking and eating certain food does me no good, I don't need telling every 5 ****ing minutes.

 

so rather than make more attempts at preventing ignorant people getting ill, which costs comparatively little, you'd like your tax money spent on treating them for the diseases that occur more frequently with poor diet, which is far more expensive? How very odd.

They aren't do-gooders, you loon, they are people paid to do the job of lowering rates of heart disease and other nutrition based illnesses to save tax money being thrown away on treatment that shouldn't have been necessary. Nobody can or wants to force anybody else to eat differently, but they should certainly take the basic measures of making sure the information is out there. Has it really been told to you by these people every five minutes, or has the BBC chosen to run a story on it that you have chosen to look at.

[Viking Warrior]

Backtootim

 

I thought you would jump on the bandwagon . Firstly don't label me with the likes of alpine .

Where I am also frustrated is that I can't do the exercise and sport I used to do because my left knee is well wrecked . I'm told I need a knee replacement but I'm to young . If I had the knee replacement I would be significantly more active than I am now . I have always been very fit . I try to play hockey and can only run for a few metres before I'm in total agony . But I grit my teeth and tolerate the pain . Then the next 7 days or so I can hardly walk . I did the merrick trail last week but I'm suffering for it this week . Getting back on track my point is eating five portions of fruit of veg will help a bit but also maintaining fitness and stamina good sleep patterns and a good work lifestyle balance will go along way to keeping you healthy

 

There are a lot of ingredients that cam make you healthy not just 5 or 7 a day fruit and or veg

[buctootim]

my point is eating five portions of fruit of veg will help a bit but also maintaining fitness and stamina good sleep patterns and a good work lifestyle balance will go along way to keeping you healthy

 

There are a lot of ingredients that cam make you healthy not just 5 or 7 a day fruit and or veg

 

And absolutely no-one has said that isnt the case. If you find it hard to exercise then your more likely to suffer heart and circulation problems and things like diabetes. That makes the diet more important, not less.

 

I dont eat that healthily - lots of red meat and fat. I just find it really odd people are objecting to being informed so they can make their own choices. As I said earlier its no skin off my nose if someone wants to eff themselves up and die prematurely.

[doddisalegend]

Listening to this on the radio at lunch time interviewing various (wo)Man on the street about eating fruit and veg and the most common excuse was fruit and veg is to expensive for people to eat that much. I never thought fruit and veg was that expensive compared to other food stuffs or I'm missing something? I mean I can pick up 1 kg bag of carrots and a big bag of onions for less than a frigging happy meal.

 

Bummed about fruit juice I like fruit juice and thought it was good for me. The wife tells me frozen veg is also now bad for you...

[Viking Warrior]

Yes I do find it hard to exercise due to the knee being well ****ed through many years of playing regular decent level sport . Being fit in the forces etc but I do my best to keep as physically active as I can dispute the discomfort I'm planning on walking around Orkney again later in the year in 8 days . Grit and determination will get me through . Yes I could have a heart attack but that will be down to work related pressures if anything . I just wish I could have the knee replacement . I gave told the consultant delaying it for another 5 years will be counter productive as by then I will be on crutches and using a bloody wheel chair . Which I will avoid at all costs . I don't want a knee replacement in 5 years time when I'm 67 . Yet i know if folk who are 50 obese and totally unfit who gave them . Bloody hell I was still running combat fitness tests and marathons at the age of 55 .

I want to be fitter and keep fit but it becoming very difficult running when your running bone on bone . . Oh and I gate swimming

[buctootim]

Bummed about fruit juice I like fruit juice and thought it was good for me. The wife tells me frozen veg is also now bad for you...

 

Dont think its bad for you - its just that you don't get anything like the benefits you do from fresh whole fruit and veg.

[Viking Warrior]

They say tinned fruit is bad for you both in a syrup and in their own juice . I love my tinned pineapple in its own juice .

So I went to the supermarket tonight to buy a pineapple . They didn't have any . Sob sob

[Sheaf Saint]

So somebody comes out and says something so fundamentally simple but the whole western world seems to have forgotten - that eating stuff produced in a factory rather than stuff that grows on trees might have an adverse affect on your health - is considered a 'scare story' is it?

 

[Whitey Grandad]

Modern vegetables have a mere fraction of the nutrients that they used to contain half a century ago. I blame the supermarkets.

[buctootim]

Modern vegetables have a mere fraction of the nutrients that they used to contain half a century ago. I blame the supermarkets.

 

Supermarkets demanded new vegetable varieties that prioritise appearance and shelf life over content and farmers use of chemical fertilisers means trace elements aren't returned to soil they way they were with muck.

[Whitey Grandad]

Supermarkets demanded new vegetable varieties that prioritise appearance and shelf life over content and farmers use of chemical fertilisers means trace elements aren't returned to soil they way they were with muck.

 

Things are getting worse:

 

http://www.nutrition-matters.co.uk/free_docs/changingdietconsequences.htm

 

There's an interesting comment about flooding restoring nutrients.

[Kingsland Codger]

dellboypete in post 14 raises an uncomfortable problem. I await with eager anticipation the study report that is bound to be published in a year or two - that eating too much fruit and veg is bad for you.

 

Despite all the stories about us not eating enough f&v the undeniable fact remains - we are living longer.

[Viking Warrior]

How much public money was spent doing that research which most of knew about years. Ago

 

Diabetes is not only caused by bad diet . Drinking etc . Other things causes it like viruses and other illnesses

 

Okay I change the title if this thread if so how do I go about it

[Lord Duckhunter]

so rather than make more attempts at preventing ignorant people getting ill, which costs comparatively little, you'd like your tax money spent on treating them for the diseases that occur more frequently with poor diet, which is far more expensive? How very odd.

They aren't do-gooders, you loon, they are people paid to do the job of lowering rates of heart disease and other nutrition based illnesses to save tax money being thrown away on treatment that shouldn't have been necessary. Nobody can or wants to force anybody else to eat differently, but they should certainly take the basic measures of making sure the information is out there. Has it really been told to you by these people every five minutes, or has the BBC chosen to run a story on it that you have chosen to look at.

 

Do me a favour, there can't be a person over the age of 12 that isn't aware booze,fags and some food is bad for you. Why do we need people paid to tell us the bleeding obvious. Next it'll be "dont play on the motorways,you may get run over".

 

Tell people in schools ,instead of bothering grown adults with this nonsense. Units of alcohol, what's all that nonsense about? Bloody do gooders trying to turn us all into metro sexuals. If some numpty goes hiking and breaks an ankle the NHS looks after him,if some sandal wearer falls off their iron horse riding to work, they get treated. If I want to drink too much, eat too much and generally enjoy my short time in this earth, I dont need nobody lecturing me. 7 a day, my arse, looks at Keith Richards, he's fitter than most lettuce lovers.

[Viking Warrior]

sky news stating the obvious

 

Air quality is expected to plummet to its lowest possible level in parts of the UK today, as the country continues to feel the effects of desert sandstorms.

 

The elderly, people with lung problems and adults with heart conditions have been told to avoid strenuous physical activity, as plumes of dust blown in from the Sahara and deposited by rain send air pollution soaring.

 

Im not sure either health conditions would allow you to undertake strenous physical activity

 

but as norway has said Im a moron, I could well be wrong

[Dig Dig]

Do me a favour, there can't be a person over the age of 12 that isn't aware booze,fags and some food is bad for you. Why do we need people paid to tell us the bleeding obvious. Next it'll be "dont play on the motorways,you may get run over".

 

Tell people in schools ,instead of bothering grown adults with this nonsense. Units of alcohol, what's all that nonsense about? Bloody do gooders trying to turn us all into metro sexuals. If some numpty goes hiking and breaks an ankle the NHS looks after him,if some sandal wearer falls off their iron horse riding to work, they get treated. If I want to drink too much, eat too much and generally enjoy my short time in this earth, I dont need nobody lecturing me. 7 a day, my arse, looks at Keith Richards, he's fitter than most lettuce lovers.

 

I think you should get yourself checked out, a rant like this could be a sign of a food related disease of the brain.

[jjsaint]

I'm on a no-fruit-or-veg diet in order to achieve that 'scurvy chic' look.

[Halo Stickman]

Howdy partner. I’m staying out of the sunshine in order to achieve that bandy-legged rickety cowboy look.

[Halo Stickman]

Things are getting worse:

 

http://www.nutrition-matters.co.uk/free_docs/changingdietconsequences.htm

 

 

Hey Whitey, when I read that link I was struck by the following and wondered whether it was accurate:

 

Evidence suggest Life expectancy has reduced in recent times, not increasing as is commonly reported. When the comparison is made with all those who get to 20 years old (it was the young dying in the olden days that skewed the figures) - then we are dying younger, it seems. Our own evidence would suggest an increase in degenerative disease in younger people now.

 

The following link shows how the National Statistics Office eliminates the problem of childhood death figures skewing their results.

There are some interesting graphs of life expectancy since 1841 under the Trends in Average Life Span section

 

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/mortality-ageing/mortality-in-england-and-wales/average-life-span/rpt-average-life-span.html#tab-conclusions