Surprise! Men Eat Fewest Veggies

news you may not know

Careful -


It's A Trick Question...

You know it's important, but six in the morning?! Who made that decision? It's got to be a conspiratorial master plan that runs straight to the top. You've had your suspicions since you heard your wife on the phone with Oscar's wife - whispering, laughing, talking in hushed tones and using code words like "greens" and "root." You just didn't - oops, there's the bell.

You sidle into the classroom and take your seat alongside the 27 other court ordered "offenders." The teacher, an over exuberant morning person, greets you loudly and dives rights in. He holds up an oddly shaped, yellow object and asks if anyone can tell him what it is. And, lo and behold, some smart aleck at the front of the class shouts out, "It's a pepper!"

...Sometimes, life really sucks...

Is this the future for veggie-phobic men? Well, it depends - if they can find a way to distract their wives, they may stand a fighting chance of avoiding court ordered vegetable training. If not, the future looks pretty bleak - and green.

The CDC reports that Americans continue to disdain food that comes from the ground, opting instead for food that comes from large coin-operated metal machines. Less than one-third of Americans eat the recommended servings - or portions or cups or helpings or pieces - of vegetables each day. (Confused? See the links at the bottom for clarification of servings and portions and pieces...)

And...

Men are, once again, the worst offenders. Just over 1 in 5 men - 22% - eat the recommended, uhm... Well, eat enough vegetables each and every day. Many, of course, claim they are boycotting the entire vegetable process until the guidelines are stated in terms they can more readily understand - "A six pack of celery," or a "A big hunk of broccoli."

...The teacher seems relatively pleased with the level of knowledge exhibited and decides to step it up a level. He offers up a bonus question, for extra credit. Holding up a large, red tomato, he asks the most treacherous of all food-from-the-ground questions, "Is it a fruit - or, is it a vegetable?"

The smart-alecky guy at the front of the class leaps to his feet and shouts, "Ooh, ooh - I know! Ask me - ask me!"

To read more about the report, see this synopsis from MedPage Today. To read more about the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, see this from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.