Give peas a chance: 1 in 20 haven’t had ANY green veg in over a month

FOR most of us, a spinach leaf doesn’t quite make the mouth water like a slab of sizzling steak.

But even the most dedicated saladdodgers may be shocked to learn that one in 20 Britons have not eaten a single green vegetable in a month or longer.

While 4 per cent had managed to avoid anything green for at least four weeks, a survey of 1,500 found 68 per cent have not eaten leafy veg for more than a week.

Experts recommend a diet rich in green leafy vegetables due to their important health benefits, including protecting bones from osteoporosis and helping to prevent inflammatory diseases. Their high-antioxidant content means greens are hailed as one of the best cancer-preventing foods. But according to the poll, it is not just green veg that Britons shun. The average adult consumes just three of the recommended five to ten portions of fruit and veg a day.

The research into the nation’s diets found sprouts are still the nation’s least favourite veg, followed by celery. Even trendy kale and avocado, lauded by millennials, are still widely disliked by the country as a whole.

We generally avoid other unusual offerings, too, with 53 per cent having never tried okra, 37 per cent steering clear of artichokes and 36 per cent shunning celeriac.

Just 37 per cent could boast they had a healthy diet. Some 6 per cent admitted they eat badly all the time and 17 per cent said they feel guilty due to their diet. As many as 16 per cent feel ‘unhealthy’, while 13 per cent said their diet made them unhappy.

According to the poll by campaign group Organic UK, the average Briton has not eaten a meal made mostly of fresh produce in four days. It also revealed that white and starchy carbohydrates, including chips, pasta and potatoes, make up 35 per cent of British dinner plates – contrary to the advice of health experts, who insist plates should be filled with fruit and veg.

Aileen Nicol, campaign director at Organic UK, said: ‘We were astonished at the results of this poll, which show that a large proportion of Brits are clearly not getting enough fresh, organic foods in their diets.’