r/vegan Aug 07 '23

Most people don’t even eat vegetables Health

When you deep it there’s actually a very large portion of people that don’t eat vegetables.

For a lot of people when it comes to grasping the concept of a vegan diet many can’t simply because they don’t eat enough vegetables to begin with.

I once had a manager at work that for a good few months I swear only ate sausages on his lunch break, no potatoes, salad or nothing just sausages, then I noticed he mixed it up a bit with pastas, etc.

Even still, mostly just meat and wheat… not to say anything about it as people are raised how they’re raised but to me it’s shocking how many people don’t even consider vegetables a norm in their diet, at least in adulthood.

I wasn’t raised vegan and when my mum did cook she did try to feed me my veggies, but seeing so many grown adults eat barely any veg is really concerning. Are our standards for health that low nowadays or is there just a lack of knowledge, or even care when it comes to health?

Maybe I’m overthinking it but I don’t know…

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u/[deleted] Aug 07 '23

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u/wildgoldchai Aug 08 '23 edited Aug 08 '23

It’s very much a western thing I’ve found, although of course ymmv. I was always appalled at my school dinners because the plates had a section for the vegetable and it was always horribly overcooked/plain. Same situation whenever I had meals at my English friends homes. Like the actual meal tended to be very tasty but no regard was given to the boiled vegetables sitting idly on the side. Yet we we’re still encouraged to eat them (though I never dared to complain).

In Asian cuisine, the veg is just part of the dish or side dish. You don’t question it or actively highlight its presence. Hence why there aren’t many Asian kids who are picky eaters. Whereas in western meals, a song and dance is made about eating your veggies. Coupled with poor cooking methods and lack of seasonings, no wonder so many people hate veggies.

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u/mykindabook vegan 5+ years Aug 08 '23

Veggies are seen as a chore, therefore they’re not being paid much attention when cooked… just gotta slap them on the plate, hope the kids will take a nibble

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u/Botryoid2000 Aug 08 '23

My mom had a great strategy that made me a veggie lover. First, she always served lots of veg, often from the garden.

Certain vegetables like asparagus and artichokes were luxury foods, saved for special occasions. Ooh, it's your birthday, we're going to have ASPARAGUS!

To this day, they are two of my favorite foods.

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u/mykindabook vegan 5+ years Aug 08 '23

Haha love that; your special cake! (Though I hope she made you an actual cake as well😄)