How do I know I'm eating enough vegetables?

Ari Kestler · 01-24-2008, 03:22 PM

I don't really weigh anything out, so when I eat a meal, it's pretty much a hunk of meat and as much veggies as I can pile on...Is there a minimum? For instance, most meals will either be an entire bag of frozen veggies from TJs, or 2 heads of broccoli, or an entire bag of spinach, etc, etc... So if I'm only eating 2 meals a day, is this enough?

Mike ODonnell · 01-24-2008, 03:32 PM

I really don't think there is a "magic" number here. Of course it all has to do with health...the more phytonutrients, minerals and vitamins from vegetables, the healthier you will probably be. Some people may need alot of nutrients as they are compromised...others not so much. The less junk you eat...the less damage you also do to your body...so you probably need less nutrients for repair. Also environmental factors can come into play as far as cellular degredation and destruction. Then compare the content of organic or frozen veggies, with depleted minerals in the soil are you really getting the same amount with each serving.....don't you love all the variables.

In the end....eat as much as you can per meal....and you'll be better off than 95% of the people out there....

Garrett Smith · 01-24-2008, 04:29 PM

You're one of the few people I actually say this to. Sounds like you're eating enough veggies. Try to get as much variety as you can, other than that you're doing very similar amounts to what I do.

Scott Kustes · 01-27-2008, 10:55 AM

I'm in agreement with Dr. G. I typically answer "How many vegetables should I eat?" with "More," but you're eating about the same amount as me.

Dan Heaney · 01-28-2008, 02:53 AM

Ok I have a bit of a spin off question becuase I do a similar thing except I eat 4-5 x a day. At breakfast I eat: 12 strawberries, 1 small banana, snack: 1 med apple, Lunch ; bag of Broc or Broc medley, bag spinach, Dinner; bag of veggies, bag of spinach and apple. This gets me about 200g CHO. I want to back my CHOs to 100g so I have to cut that in half. If I do is this still enough. So it will be 12 strawberries, 1 bag of veggies, 1 bag of spinach, 1 apple, and I think I ditch the banana because I have a PWO that includes 34g CHOs. That puts me around 100 after other CHOs are included. Am I eating enough? I also upped my F and P

BTW I want to cut the CHO becasue I am bloated all the time. I may give IF a shot on my non training day

Garrett Smith · 01-28-2008, 05:56 AM

Dan,
I think you'll feel a lot better once you reduce both your carbs and your meal frequency.

Dan Heaney · 01-28-2008, 08:44 AM

Thanks! I hope so. Do you think I should go lower than 100g? I know on non-training days I will under 100 because I won't be having any PWO carbs. How low can I go before ketosis? Thanks

Garrett Smith · 01-28-2008, 10:56 AM

Ketosis isn't a bad thing, it's ketoacidosis that's a problem. See this article for more on that.

If you really want to avoid ketosis, the only way to know is to get some Keto-Stix and keep track.

Ari Kestler · 01-28-2008, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Heaney

Thanks! I hope so. Do you think I should go lower than 100g? I know on non-training days I will under 100 because I won't be having any PWO carbs. How low can I go before ketosis? Thanks

Could easily cut down on CHO by cutting down on the fruit...

Dan Heaney · 01-28-2008, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ari Kestler

Could easily cut down on CHO by cutting down on the fruit...

That's what I was thinking. I'll drop the apple next.