Our Young People

[digitS']

I don't think this comes as astounding news to anyone. Still, I think it is of concern . . .

"U.S. teenage consumption of fruit and vegetables comes nowhere near the recommended four to five servings per day, health officials say."

Read more: (click)

"Overall, 28.5 percent of U.S. high school students consumed fruit less than once daily, and 33.2 percent of high school students consumed vegetables less than once daily . . ."

Now, are there any ideas of how, sometime in the not-to-distant future, those numbers might be made to look a little better?

Steve

 

[Kassaundra]

That is horrible, but I work w/ early 20 somthings all the time and they don't eat fruits or veggies either, and we live in a ruralish area where you would think more fruits and veggies would be consumed. There are several people I work w/ (and this is in the medical field) whose sole veggies are the catsup on their fries and the pickle on their burger.

I don't know any answers though, it's not quick but maybe natural selection will catch up feel free to me but I get very frustrated w/ them. As much knowledge we have about nutrition and health and how integral it is to good health and still they make the choices they do, and this is while transporting people back and forth to dialysis blind and legless, (from diabetes and eating poorly) totally incapacitated at 40 from diabetes, or transporting people who have to be lifted w/ a mechanical lift just to get them treatment at the hospital b/c they are so grossly morbidly obese they can no longer even stand for themselves, etc....

 

[lesa]

Funny you should mention this, right now. I had my two nephews among my Thanksgiving guests. Oh Boy! They will not try anything, they do not like anything! These kids don't eat potatoes! I am not going to get involved with a dispute with their parents, but OMG! I fear for the health of them and all the others who think "food" comes in packages with cartoon characters on them! I remember when my daughter was a teenager, we had one of her friends over for dinner. They must have been around 15. The guest had never had salad. What!!!! This is so crazy, it is scary!
I tried to have my nephews plant veggies, and harvest them with me. Nope- they will dig in the dirt, but they won't eat them! Makes me glad my daughter is grown!

 

[Kassaundra]

Our EMS service had to buy extra big cots called bariatric cots b/c our current ones rated at 650 lbs weren't big enough, hospitals have to keep buying bigger wheelchairs, they are now up to the size of a loveseat!!!! They have to buy bigger sturdier beds b/c people couldn't fit in a normal sized bed. It is not that uncommon to have fire cut walls for us to get people out of thier homes (it doesn't happen every shift but it isn't uncommon)

 

[Kassaundra]

lesa, When I was a child and we went to someones home for a meal, we ate everything we were served and did it w/ a smile and a thankyou or the consequences were not good!!!!! While home we ate what was prepared or we didn't eat until the next meal. We were only allowed snacks if we had eaten our food.

 

[Southern Gardener]

lesa, When I was a child and we went to someones home for a meal, we ate everything we were served and did it w/ a smile and a thankyou or the consequences were not good!!!!! While home we ate what was prepared or we didn't eat until the next meal. We were only allowed snacks if we had eaten our food.

Same here Kassaundra. We ate what my mom prepared and we were not allowed to leave the table until we ate at least part of our vegetable. Being one of eight kids we were not allowed to eat in between meals - my mom grocery shopped for a two week period and it had to last. My mom always cooked good healthy meals and we were expected to eat it or go hungry. My dad did not tolerate "I don't like this"

My youngest sister has three boys and not one of them has EVER tasted a vegetable - they eat peanut butter and jelly every night for dinner. It is unbeliveable!

 

[Carol Dee]

lesa, When I was a child and we went to someones home for a meal, we ate everything we were served and did it w/ a smile and a thankyou or the consequences were not good!!!!! While home we ate what was prepared or we didn't eat until the next meal. We were only allowed snacks if we had eaten our food.

I was raised the same and did so with my sons. They where not and are not picky eaters. I now have 2 grandsons. #1 gets bucky and won't eat, but it is still there when he gets hungry later. His baby brother eats everything! He was chowing down on brussel sprouts Sunday And will turn 1 in two weeks.

I also work for a school food service. We now offer 2 choices of fruit and 2 of vegtable every day. MANY more fresh choices than ever before. I am surprised at how delighted some kids are to get kiwi and melons. Maybe there is hope. (Unfortunately that bgger number takes it then tosses it with only a bite out of it.)

 

[vfem]

I'm not shocked... or even phased.

I do have to say I want to do something about it though!

 

[thistlebloom]

Oh boy this is a can of worms you've opened up Steve!
We can all say we were raised this way or that way ( and I was one who was raised in a clean your plate/eat your veggies home ) but it comes down to a personal decision, to what you will have in your home and what you will or won't put on your plate.

There is no denying that many people have the worst eating habits possible and it simply can't be ignorance, because it seems to me that we are bombarded with nutrition information constantly, and anybody who can read can avail themselves of knowledge.

Look at how many people choose to smoke and that's been "educated" to death.

Looking at my own family- 5 kids were raised in a gardening, mostly healthy eating, non smoking, non drinking home.
Two are smokers, one is an alcoholic and one drinks a lot ( the same two that smoke btw ). One of us is interested and involved in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and the remaining two are overweight, have health issues, and also eat a lot of processed food. Now we all grew up in the same, social environment went to the same schools etc. We all just made different choices.

I think it comes down to a personal responsibility issue. You cannot force someone to be healthy.

My own kids were raised eating healthy, gardening with me, and being very limited on "junk" food. One drifted a bit when he was old enough to have a job that required him to take a lunch or buy one. He bought it and it was fast food and lots of soda. Now he is a very health conscious young man. My other son eats very few fruits and vegetables now that he's an adult, even though when he was younger he loved fruit and ate his vegetables without complaint. They both know what's best for them, but only one chooses to act on that.

So what do you do?

 

[Kassaundra]

I totally agree w/ you thistle, personal responsibility and living w/ the consequences of your choices. I think education is important starting young and throughout the time students are in school all the way through graduation, health issues should be maintained in the curriculum. It should be being practiced in the school system, the lunches may have gotten better now but when I was in school they were horrible, full of empty carbs, over processed, high fat and sodium, practically inedible (I brought my lunch rather then eat the garbage they served for food). But I do not think legislation belongs in the kitchen if I make my own money I should be able to eat whatever I choose healthy or not. If however the government is buying my food, it should be restricted to healthy choices.