Losing our veg

Kale may be king, but no one’s eating enough produce

Find your new favourite bottle, daily reviews and expert advice at nationalpost.com/ wine When was the last time you ate the recommended two to three cups of vegetables a day?

Chances are you can’t remember: Last week, a study — which was commissioned by Subway to mark National Eat Your Veggies Day on July 17 — indicated that the average American eats about 2.3 servings of fruit and vegetables per day. The stats in Canada are somewhat less damning: according to a 2013 survey, on average Canadian men eat around 3.5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, while women eat 4.5 servings.

And while there is no concrete data to suggest why Canadians are refusing to eat sufficient greenery, the Subway study did give our neighbours to the South the opportunity to explain themselves. But they didn’t, really — the vast majority, when asked what held them back from eating enough fruit and veg, deferred: 47% responded “nothing.”

But there is almost no question to which the accurate answer is “nothing.” “Nothing” is a reply readily offered by children who have erred but aren’t willing to cop to the “something” they did. So, too, is likely the case of the Subway study: by saying you have no reason not to eat more vegetables but nonetheless do not eat more vegetables, you have revealed the reason why you do not eat more vegetables. It is because you are lazy.

Look no further than Canada’s Food Guide for evidence. The Guide has revised practically everything about itself but its recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake: Canada’s first guide, called Food Rules and issued during the Second World War, recommended “at least” five servings; the 5-10 servings recommendation was implemented in 1992 and has remained since. What’s important to note here, though, is what constitutes a serving: four brussels sprouts, 20 grapes, two figs, a single ring of pineapple. A half cup of basically any fruit or vegetable is a single serving, and 125 mL of anything is practically — but not literally — nothing.

It would almost seem more difficult to avoid produce than to actually eat it, given these tiny portion sizes. But avoiding produce is actually what many people do, because produce is hard to cook. It’s unwieldy, it’s not naturally delicious the way most proteins are, it requires some finesse and panache and attentiveness, particularly if you’re not amenable to the idea of boiled, steamed or raw vegetables. And why would you apply all those adjectives to what

Why not just warm some bread in the toaster, and enjoy the outcome?