I don't feed my children vegetables...

[gib65]

...I feed them only fruit.

I found over the years that while it can be difficult to get my kids to eat their vegetables, it's easy to get them to eat fruit. So I figured: why not just feed them fruit? Fruits are, after all, just vegetables with a higher concentration of sugar.

^ Is this right though? Am I causing my children an imbalance in their diet by feeding them only fruits and no vegetables?

[Phi for All]

41 minutes ago, gib65 said:

Fruits are, after all, just vegetables with a higher concentration of sugar.

If there's a mistake in your reasoning, it's probably here. I know there are many compounds found in fruit that aren't easy to get in vegetables, like lycopene and hesperidin, and I'm sure it goes the same way in reverse. Biologically, fruits and vegetables are completely different parts of the plant. I think it's a mistake to suggest they're the same except for the sugar content.

[Sensei]

2 hours ago, gib65 said:

I found over the years that while it can be difficult to get my kids to eat their vegetables,

Make salad with vegetables with mayonnaise.

 

Found recipe on the net, and used Google Translator:

"Cut the (cooked!) carrots, parsley, celery and potatoes whole. Remove the peeled vegetables and cut into small cubes, then gently squeeze out the excess water.
    Boil the hard-boiled eggs and cut into small cubes.
    Pickled cucumbers, if they have a hard skin, peel and cut into a cube of the same size, gently press the excess water.
    Put all ingredients in a bowl, add drained peas and mix gently.
    Season with salt and pepper. Add mayonnaise and mustard. Mix.
    Place the salad in the fridge for about 2 hours to cool"

 

In my version of salad, don't use eggs, but canned corn, canned peas (excess water out), don't use mustard. But there must be enough of mayonnaise. Use more pickled cucumbers.

It can be kept in the fridge even couple days 3-4.

 

It's dish for breakfast and supper, with bread, with ham and cheese.

Edited December 10, 2017 by Sensei

[jkin]

...I feed them only fruit.

I found over the years that while it can be difficult to get my kids to eat their vegetables, it's easy to get them to eat fruit. So I figured: why not just feed them fruit? Fruits are, after all, just vegetables with a higher concentration of sugar.

^ Is this right though? Am I causing my children an imbalance in their diet by feeding them only fruits and no vegetables?

Although I can't tell you if there would be a deficiency in a fruit-only diet...this article compares differences in a few of the essentials that a child would need.  Iron ,Fiber, Folate, Vit C, Calcium etc.  The writer uses data to compare the amount of nutrients in certain vegetables vs fruits and at least from her selection; the vegetables wins hands in nutrients compared to the same amount of servings in fruit.  

https://scienceofmom.com/2011/12/22/fruits-vs-veggies-are-they-nutritionally-equivalent/

If anything, the imbalance would be too much sugar from the fruit.  Don't give up on the vegetables!  there's got to be something that they find a liking to. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2018 by jkin

[Velocity_Boy]

On 12/10/2017 at 2:18 PM, gib65 said:

...I feed them only fruit.

I found over the years that while it can be difficult to get my kids to eat their vegetables, it's easy to get them to eat fruit. So I figured: why not just feed them fruit? Fruits are, after all, just vegetables with a higher concentration of sugar.

^ Is this right though? Am I causing my children an imbalance in their diet by feeding them only fruits and no vegetables?

I believe children are better served....pardon the pun...with an all fruit and no veggie diet rather than the other way around.

My nephew is a fruitarian and he does triathlons and set swimming and track records in school.

Any vitamin deficiency your kids incur from eating a diet bereft of veggies can easily be rectified by taking some of those specialized kids gummi vitamins that are specifically cocktailed for veggie hating children.

Besides...so poor is the nutrition state of most store bought veggies these days! Mostly from the depletionbof nutrition the played about soils they're grown in. Veggies are mainly now only good for fiber. Anything else they have..or used to have...you can glean from fruits.

[StringJunky]

6 minutes ago, Velocity_Boy said:

I believe children are better served....pardon the pun...with an all fruit and no veggie diet rather than the other way around.

My nephew is a fruitarian and he does triathlons and set swimming and track records in school.

Any vitamin deficiency your kids incur from eating a diet bereft of veggies can easily be rectified by taking some of those specialized kids gummi vitamins that are specifically cocktailed for veggie hating children.

Besides...so poor is the nutrition state of most store bought veggies these days! Mostly from the depletionbof nutrition the played about soils they're grown in. Veggies are mainly now only good for fiber. Anything else they have..or used to have...you can glean from fruits.

+1 for the funny.

[CharonY]

50 minutes ago, Velocity_Boy said:

Besides...so poor is the nutrition state of most store bought veggies these days! Mostly from the depletionbof nutrition the played about soils they're grown in. Veggies are mainly now only good for fiber. Anything else they have..or used to have...you can glean from fruits.

Ok, so that is not how it works. Metabolites that we call vitamins are synthesized by the plant, not taken up by the soil. If the soil is too depleted for necessary metabolic function, the plant will not grow sufficiently in the first place. On top of it, a fruit only diet may be too high in sugar content, compared to other nutrients. 

If we take for example vitamin C, we will find that broccoli has roughly 1.5 times the amount compared to oranges, for example (and no, the values have not changed). And even if that was the case, why the heck would vegetables be specifically depleted but not produce such as fruit? 

Edited May 8, 2018 by CharonY

[Velocity_Boy]

1 hour ago, StringJunky said:

+1 for the funny.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/

1 hour ago, CharonY said:

Ok, so that is not how it works. Metabolites that we call vitamins are synthesized by the plant, not taken up by the soil. If the soil is too depleted for necessary metabolic function, the plant will not grow sufficiently in the first place. On top of it, a fruit only diet may be too high in sugar content, compared to other nutrients. 

If we take for example vitamin C, we will find that broccoli has roughly 1.5 times the amount compared to oranges, for example (and no, the values have not changed). And even if that was the case, why the heck would vegetables be specifically depleted but not produce such as fruit? 

Good point.

Both are somewhat depleted...but veggies suffer more due to their less-nutrients-to-begin-with status. Vegetables crops are also more usually of the annual sort, where a new crop is planted every season. Norco much with fruit. In layman's terms....the veggie soils are simply more depleted and spent, thus causing them to lose a higher percentage, generally speaking, than fruits.

Fructose is of course far far better for nutrition Bryan defined sugar. Indeed, tis the best source for the human body.

[CharonY]

17 minutes ago, Velocity_Boy said:

Both are somewhat depleted...but veggies suffer more due to their less-nutrients-to-begin-with status.

Where did you get that idea? That is simply.... not correct.

[YaDinghus]

On 5/8/2018 at 3:33 AM, Velocity_Boy said:

Fructose is of course far far better for nutrition Bryan defined sugar. Indeed, tis the best source for the human body.

First of all, what do you mean by 'far better'?

Second of all, Fructose is most efficiently absorbed into the blood stream in presence of Glucose. 

 

Quote

When fructose is ingested as part of the disaccharide sucrose, absorption capacity is much higher because fructose exists in a 1:1 ratio with glucose. It appears that the GLUT5transfer rate may be saturated at low levels, and absorption is increased through joint absorption with glucose. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose)

Naturally, it's anyone's own responsibility how to raise their children. My parents never had to force food on me, I loved veggies and I still do, but I do know plenty of choosy kids, and they're not really at a disadvantage, except that they're missing out on some really tasty stuff

[John Cuthber]

I just wonder how the OP (and his kids) stand on the issue of tomatoes.