Thais don't eat enough fruit and vegetables daily

[soomak]

"The imbalanced consumption of vegetables and fruit in Thailand has resulted in more Thai people getting chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart and cardiac-related diseases, cancer and many others."

I would like to see how eating more mostly sweet fruits contribute to less diabetes. As well why should help fruit much for heart and cardiac related issues.

Fruit won't not cause diabetes unless you eat huge amounts. The 10s of millions of diabetic westerners eat lots of sugar and white flour (which has a high glycemic load), and little fruit and vegetables.

By the way, more than a few people have been cured from diabetes by switching to a high percentage raw diet - mostly fruit and vegetable. Google it or look in Youtube for examples.

[soomak]

I would like to see how eating more mostly sweet fruits contribute to less diabetes. As well why should help fruit much for heart and cardiac related issues.

Those fruits contain plenty of fiber and do not raise blood sugar much. Just check the glyemic load measurement. Most fruits are very low.

???? yes and now you explain me, how the Banana after the coke will reduce the risk of diabetes.

And how the fiber helps the heart? Yes it reduces cancer but a fat guy who it way too much sugar won't be any better off if he adds a mango because someone told him to eat more fruits.

If you eat/drink lot's of sugar and white flour, you will likely get diabetes.

But eating lot's of green leafy vegetable will reduce the chances of getting diabetes for anyone, even those who drink coke all day.

BTW I stopped drinking soda pop about 20 years ago, and have zero cravings for it, it's not that hard to quit.

[balo]

Well some Thais do have health problems and eat too much junk food and donuts / sweet cakes.

But the majority of the people eat fruiit/veggies daily , and they look slimmer and healthier than most westerners.

[sdanielmcev]

Another insanely moronic "study" designed to panic the blubbering idiots.

That's just garden variety anti-intellectualism. This study actually is further confirmation that Thailand has entered the globesity club.

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Anti-intellectualism? The core of any intellectual argument is disagreement. The OP shows no comparative or historical data. Nor does he show the scientific sampling. Also, what about the billions of people that don't, or didn't become obese. Those are hard facts.

[celso]

 

Another insanely moronic "study" designed to panic the blubbering idiots.

That's just garden variety anti-intellectualism. This study actually is further confirmation that Thailand has entered the globesity club.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Anti-intellectualism? The core of any intellectual argument is disagreement. The OP shows no comparative or historical data. Nor does he show the scientific sampling. Also, what about the billions of people that don't, or didn't become obese. Those are hard facts.

It is quite simple.

Fruit and vegetables are the two best sources to meet our daily micronutrient needs, vitamins and minerals -> Thais just eat 3 cucumber slices with their meal -> Not enough -> Vitamin and mineral deficiencies -> Chronic disease.

Here is a complete study, albeit for the region rather than only Thailand:

http://www.uccs.edu/~Documents/soc/companionspring2012/Ramakrishnan.pdf

Region Vitamin A Iodine Iron Zinc

Southeast Asia 69 41 99 71.2

-That is percent of the population that is deficient in that nutrient type. Unbelievable.

[Ajaan]

If you're looking for more vegies in your street food (and want an example of Thais eating LOTS of vegetables), don't eat Thai food, eat Lao food (so-called "Isaan"): almost every dish (laap, nam tok, sok lek, koy, tam mak hung, keng awm, etc.) includes within it or comes with a side of many types of fresh green vegetables, often raw. And remember that by far the largest minority group in Thailand is Isaan/Lao, about 20 million out of 60+ million total.

[Ulysses G.]

By the way, more than a few people have been cured from diabetes by switching to a high percentage raw diet - mostly fruit and vegetable. Google it or look in Youtube for examples.

There is no "cure" for diabetes, at this point in time. If one ever stops the raw food diet and returns to high carb foods, their blood sugar will go back to being out of control. A raw diet of mostly fruit and vegetables manages the disease in pretty much the same way as any other low carbohydrate diet does, but should also help to prevent heart disease.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[GinBoy2]

I have to say I was surprised to read this, but the range of comments may also reflect the diversity in diet across the country. In Isaan they eat a lot of green leaf veggies, but not a lot of root vegetables. Tomatoes are in every serving of papaya salad, and jeez they eat that every day, if not several times a day! Fruit, that can be iffy, but there is always plenty on sale in the market, if not much of the citrus variety.

Again as others have noted, I think a little bit more in the way of hard facts from the report might be nice

[boomerangutang]

Well some Thais do have health problems and eat too much junk food and donuts / sweet cakes. But the majority of the people eat fruiit/veggies daily , and they look slimmer and healthier than most westerners.

Yes, many stay slim, but the majority of Thais do not eat fruit and/or veges every day - unless you count a tiny bit of overcooked/overspiced limp vege bit on the side of heaps of rice. The average Thai eats essentially no fresh vege or fruit each day. In a real Thai or Chinese restaurant, you can't get a real salad (raw veges arrangement) - unless the management are familiar with farang oddities. You can get a real salad in a backpacker guest house, but it will probably be topped by mayonnaise.

If you're looking for more vegies in your street food (and want an example of Thais eating LOTS of vegetables), don't eat Thai food, eat Lao food (so-called "Isaan"): almost every dish (laap, nam tok, sok lek, koy, tam mak hung, keng awm, etc.) includes within it or comes with a side of many types of fresh green vegetables, often raw. And remember that by far the largest minority group in Thailand is Isaan/Lao, about 20 million out of 60+ million total.

Even Issan and Lao cuisine, veges are overcooked (limp and light green) and waaaaaay overspiced.

[xylophone]

There is an organic market in Chatuchak called the farmers market.

A recent survey looking at pesticides in food here found that some of the higher levels were found in so called "organic" and "farm fresh" vegetables.

So buying them at a farmers market means nothing!!

[soomak]

By the way, more than a few people have been cured from diabetes by switching to a high percentage raw diet - mostly fruit and vegetable. Google it or look in Youtube for examples.

There is no "cure" for diabetes, at this point in time. If one ever stops the raw food diet and returns to high carb foods, their blood sugar will go back to being out of control. A raw diet of mostly fruit and vegetables manages the disease in pretty much the same way as any other low carbohydrate diet does, but should also help to prevent heart disease.

Raw food diet is a very high carb diet. They usually try to follow the 80-10-10 diet, which means 80% of calories come from carbs, 10% from protein and 10% from fat. In normal american diet it might be 50-15-35 or something in that neighbourhood.

Don't know about Thai diet.

In any case, Raw Diet means very high carbs intake, and it can more likely than not cure a person from diabetes.

Of course it's difficult to follow, you need strong discipline and to re-design your life around your food.

[slipperylobster]

Bull....sheet. They do not stock all those fruits and vegetables in the market just to throw away. It is getting sold. If nobody is buying this then why are people selling so much?

[boomerangutang]

Bull....sheet. They do not stock all those fruits and vegetables in the market just to throw away. It is getting sold. If nobody is buying this then why are people selling so much?

Just because it's on the vendors' tables, doesn't necessarily mean it's getting sold. One 7-11 will have more sales of snacks and sugar pop, than a large market full of vendors trying to sell fresh veges. An average Thai town market (away from tourist and ex-pat residences) will not stock many fruits. They are unlikely to have avocado, pineapple, cavendish bananas, coconut, or other common fruits. An average Thai market will not have natural (unadulterated) fruit juice, it will not have 'fruit leather' (or other dried fruits), no berries, and will not have any kinds of tree-grown nuts, except cashews in rare cases.

Another thing you won't find in Thailand: vegetable plant starts. Where have you ever seen baby tomato (or other vege) plants for sale in Thailand? I have only seen it in one place, and that was where I stocked them as an experiment - to see if they'd sell. They sold a few, but the owner of the plant shop didn't want to continue stocking them because, as she said, "if Thai people want to grow vegetables, they will start them themselves from seed."

My answer is, "yes sure, some will start their own, but others may want to get starts."

Similar to changing oil in your car; Some people do it themselves, others are content to have it done for them.

Edited January 18, 2014 by boomerangutang

[Ulysses G.]

By the way, more than a few people have been cured from diabetes by switching to a high percentage raw diet - mostly fruit and vegetable. Google it or look in Youtube for examples.

There is no "cure" for diabetes, at this point in time. If one ever stops the raw food diet and returns to high carb foods, their blood sugar will go back to being out of control. A raw diet of mostly fruit and vegetables manages the disease in pretty much the same way as any other low carbohydrate diet does, but should also help to prevent heart disease.

Raw food diet is a very high carb diet. They usually try to follow the 80-10-10 diet, which means 80% of calories come from carbs, 10% from protein and 10% from fat. In normal american diet it might be 50-15-35 or something in that neighbourhood.

Don't know about Thai diet.

In any case, Raw Diet means very high carbs intake, and it can more likely than not cure a person from diabetes.

Of course it's difficult to follow, you need strong discipline and to re-design your life around your food.

That is not correct. Yes, the raw diet has a lot of carbs, but most of them are complex carbs that are very low on the glycemic index/load scale and do not raise bood sugar very high. While the diet might work well at controlling the disease, it does not "cure" anything. As soon as someone with diabetes eats a bunch of bread, potatoes or desserts, all the symptoms will come back.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[rice555]

Bull....sheet. They do not stock all those fruits and vegetables in the market just to throw away. It is getting sold. If nobody is buying this then why are people selling so much?

Just because it's on the vendors' tables, doesn't necessarily mean it's getting sold. One 7-11 will have more sales of snacks and sugar pop, than a large market full of vendors trying to sell fresh veges. An average Thai town market (away from tourist and ex-pat residences) will not stock many fruits. They are unlikely to have avocado, pineapple, cavendish bananas, coconut, or other common fruits. An average Thai market will not have natural (unadulterated) fruit juice, it will not have 'fruit leather' (or other dried fruits), no berries, and will not have any kinds of tree-grown nuts, except cashews in rare cases.

Another thing you won't find in Thailand: vegetable plant starts. Where have you ever seen baby tomato (or other vege) plants for sale in Thailand? I have only seen it in one place, and that was where I stocked them as an experiment - to see if they'd sell. They sold a few, but the owner of the plant shop didn't want to continue stocking them because, as she said, "if Thai people want to grow vegetables, they will start them themselves from seed."

My answer is, "yes sure, some will start their own, but others may want to get starts."

Similar to changing oil in your car; Some people do it themselves, others are content to have it done for them.

Hello All, there has been articles in Thai Ag magazines that have covered farms that sell grafted toms, and UG eggplants and chilies.

The Big produce market in Korat has a few seed/supply shops, they have for years. I was looking for bellpeper seeds there just a few days ago, they had about 20 72's plug trays of vege's and marigolds, you can also special order plants from them.

The small road side nursery where I get a lot of my coir has vegs and you can also order things.

rice555

[slipperylobster]

Bull....sheet. They do not stock all those fruits and vegetables in the market just to throw away. It is getting sold. If nobody is buying this then why are people selling so much?

Just because it's on the vendors' tables, doesn't necessarily mean it's getting sold. One 7-11 will have more sales of snacks and sugar pop, than a large market full of vendors trying to sell fresh veges. An average Thai town market (away from tourist and ex-pat residences) will not stock many fruits. They are unlikely to have avocado, pineapple, cavendish bananas, coconut, or other common fruits. An average Thai market will not have natural (unadulterated) fruit juice, it will not have 'fruit leather' (or other dried fruits), no berries, and will not have any kinds of tree-grown nuts, except cashews in rare cases.

Another thing you won't find in Thailand: vegetable plant starts. Where have you ever seen baby tomato (or other vege) plants for sale in Thailand? I have only seen it in one place, and that was where I stocked them as an experiment - to see if they'd sell. They sold a few, but the owner of the plant shop didn't want to continue stocking them because, as she said, "if Thai people want to grow vegetables, they will start them themselves from seed."

My answer is, "yes sure, some will start their own, but others may want to get starts."

Similar to changing oil in your car; Some people do it themselves, others are content to have it done for them.

Your information is wrong..... I find plenty of fruits and vegetables...everywhere I look.

Thailand has more fruit than you could possibly shake a stick at.

I have been to several towns...and live just outside of Udon...I cannot even count the fruit and vegetables available, and everyone is buying them. Fruit vendors are just everywhere.

Open your eyes.

[oldthaihand99]

I can say I eat avocados every week and reside in Thailand. Does that mean most farang eat avos every week? I also eat grapefruit 7 months of the year, and no one else (Thai or farang or Asian or Hill Triber) residing in Thailand eat grapefruit. Not only that, the grapefruit I eat is pink and seedless. How do I do it? I planted it in my yard, 15 years ago.

Can't recall seeing grapefruit in the supermarkets. Although Foodland & Villa Market around NEP in BKK sell the juice ("Florida's Natural" brand from the USA).

[oldthaihand99]

Not sure about Thais but I eat a lot of street food and really struggle to get enough vegetables in my diet. I get lots

of fruit at the grocery store, pommelo, pineapple. papaya and mango as they are easy to snack on. But vegetables

I find difficult. Sometimes find myself picking up a couple of chicken wraps after a night out because I am craving

the vegetables.

The supermarkets i mentioned earlier have plenty of both fresh & canned vegies.

I tend to stick with the canned from places (outside of Siam) i feel i can trust & follow the rule

"Cook it, peel it, boil it, or forget it"

when in countries like Thailand.

[balo]

Well some Thais do have health problems and eat too much junk food and donuts / sweet cakes. But the majority of the people eat fruiit/veggies daily , and they look slimmer and healthier than most westerners.

Yes, many stay slim, but the majority of Thais do not eat fruit and/or veges every day - unless you count a tiny bit of overcooked/overspiced limp vege bit on the side of heaps of rice. The average Thai eats essentially no fresh vege or fruit each day. In a real Thai or Chinese restaurant, you can't get a real salad (raw veges arrangement) - unless the management are familiar with farang oddities. You can get a real salad in a backpacker guest house, but it will probably be topped by mayonnaise.

This is just not true , maybe veggies but not fruit , every day Thais in my local soi stop by the fruit stalls and market to buy fresh fruit , and they eat fruit as a snack in between meals , its not difficult to observe this if you live where the locals are .

Edited January 18, 2014 by balo

[soomak]

By the way, more than a few people have been cured from diabetes by switching to a high percentage raw diet - mostly fruit and vegetable. Google it or look in Youtube for examples.

There is no "cure" for diabetes, at this point in time. If one ever stops the raw food diet and returns to high carb foods, their blood sugar will go back to being out of control. A raw diet of mostly fruit and vegetables manages the disease in pretty much the same way as any other low carbohydrate diet does, but should also help to prevent heart disease.

Raw food diet is a very high carb diet. They usually try to follow the 80-10-10 diet, which means 80% of calories come from carbs, 10% from protein and 10% from fat. In normal american diet it might be 50-15-35 or something in that neighbourhood.

Don't know about Thai diet.

In any case, Raw Diet means very high carbs intake, and it can more likely than not cure a person from diabetes.

Of course it's difficult to follow, you need strong discipline and to re-design your life around your food.

That is not correct. Yes, the raw diet has a lot of carbs, but most of them are complex carbs that are very low on the glycemic index/load scale and do not raise bood sugar very high. While the diet might work well at controlling the disease, it does not "cure" anything. As soon as someone with diabetes eats a bunch of bread, potatoes or desserts, all the symptoms will come back.

Just one last sentence, as you obviously don't know much about this subject:

Raw food diet is high in carbs, much higher than the normal American diet, and probably higher than in the diet of any western country. These carbs are mainly from fruit, so are not complex carbs, but mainly simple sugar and fructose.

This diet will most likely cure a diabetic person (diabetes type 2), as long as this person is not above a certain age, meaning that his body is able to cure itself. Of course my grandmother, who got diabetes around age 75, could not be cured as her body was already in a deteriorating state.

[belg]

people are getting noticeable fatter and fatter

eating more junk food & snacks, what they previously did not (10-20+ years ago)

thank you USA for importing all this slow death everywhere + chemicals + pesticides + ....

[Jingthing]

people are getting noticeable fatter and fatter

eating more junk food & snacks, what they previously did not (10-20+ years ago)

thank you USA for importing all this slow death everywhere + chemicals + pesticides + ....

Thailand is buying it and producing even worse themselves. Spinning this into a Yankee bashathon ain't gonna cut it.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[boomerangutang]

Just because it's on the vendors' tables, doesn't necessarily mean it's getting sold. One 7-11 will have more sales of snacks and sugar pop, than a large market full of vendors trying to sell fresh veges. An average Thai town market (away from tourist and ex-pat residences) will not stock many fruits. They are unlikely to have avocado, pineapple, cavendish bananas, coconut, or other common fruits. An average Thai market will not have natural (unadulterated) fruit juice, it will not have 'fruit leather' (or other dried fruits), no berries, and will not have any kinds of tree-grown nuts, except cashews in rare cases.

Another thing you won't find in Thailand: vegetable plant starts. Where have you ever seen baby tomato (or other vege) plants for sale in Thailand? I have only seen it in one place, and that was where I stocked them as an experiment - to see if they'd sell. They sold a few, but the owner of the plant shop didn't want to continue stocking them because, as she said, "if Thai people want to grow vegetables, they will start them themselves from seed."

My answer is, "yes sure, some will start their own, but others may want to get starts."

Similar to changing oil in your car; Some people do it themselves, others are content to have it done for them.

Hello All, there has been articles in Thai Ag magazines that have covered farms that sell grafted toms, and UG eggplants and chilies.

The Big produce market in Korat has a few seed/supply shops, they have for years. I was looking for bellpeper seeds there just a few days ago, they had about 20 72's plug trays of vege's and marigolds, you can also special order plants from them.

The small road side nursery where I get a lot of my coir has vegs and you can also order things. rice555

Do they have actual vege plant 'starts'? If so, that's good, albeit rare for Thailand. As for seeds, that wasn't the issue I raised.

Your information is wrong..... I find plenty of fruits and vegetables...everywhere I look.

Thailand has more fruit than you could possibly shake a stick at.

I have been to several towns...and live just outside of Udon...I cannot even count the fruit and vegetables available, and everyone is buying them. Fruit vendors are just everywhere. Open your eyes.

There are fruits available for sale in many places, but open your eyes, and you'll see that Thais don't actually buy/eat much of it.

Sorry to quote myself, but can you address the specifics of my statement:

They are unlikely to have avocado, pineapple, cavendish bananas, coconut, or other common fruits. An average Thai market will not have natural (unadulterated) fruit juice, it will not have 'fruit leather' (or other dried fruits), no berries, and will not have any kinds of tree-grown nuts, except cashews in rare cases.

Maybe the markets in your region have more of the aforementioned, but in Chiang Rai, where I reside, there's a dearth of what I listed. Example: how many tree-grown nuts will you find for sale in a regular Thai market. Answer: none, except maybe coconut. Question 2: How many types of berries are sold in regular Thai markets? Answer: none, depending on one's definition of a berry. How much unadulterated fruit juice (no salt, sugar, corn syrup or water added)? None. If it's a market with lots of farang customers, you may find fresh-squeezed OJ, but that's about it for real fruit juices. Why do Thais not relate to nat'l fruit juices or fruit leathers or other types of dried fruit? I don't know. But as mentioned, there are many tasty fruits grown in Thailand. Lots of potential for interesting, tasty, nutritious foods.

[maxme]

How about making a survey about how many are suffering from malnutrition and you will probably get your answer there.

Thais eat a lot of fruit, herbs, seafood and meat but vegetables serve as mere condiments on most plates. When a lot of kids eat moo bing with khao niew for breakfast more than a few times a week, that might be one of the clues to what's really going on.

[Munger]

people are getting noticeable fatter and fatter

eating more junk food & snacks, what they previously did not (10-20+ years ago)

thank you USA for importing all this slow death everywhere + chemicals + pesticides + ....

PATHETIC reply, you blame the USA for this. If the topic is too negative for you just avoid it

[boomerangutang]

How about making a survey about how many are suffering from malnutrition and you will probably get your answer there.

Thais eat a lot of fruit, herbs, seafood and meat but vegetables serve as mere condiments on most plates. When a lot of kids eat moo bing with khao niew for breakfast more than a few times a week, that might be one of the clues to what's really going on.

one of the biggest problems with Thai cuisine, is MSG. They're generally out to lunch (pun intended) regarding the effects of MSG. Granted, it probably affects Asians less than westerners, but it's been shown to cause irritability and other unpleasant symptoms. It's particularly not good for kids. Adults, go ahead and spoon on MSG and keep driving selfishly, talking speedily/haltingly/loudly, and drinking caffeine/alcohol, ....but give your kids a break, and cut out their MSG.

[glegolo]

Absolute rubbish, that's all most Thais do eat, plus rice and fish and a bit of meat.

agree to 100%..... Live in Chaiyaphum and cant speak about thais down south or elsewhere but in Isaan at least,

their breakfast/lunch or dinnerplate consist of 90% vegetables (to much cooked of course) and 10% protein.

I have measured the size of the meat on a bought portion of a thai-dish and I could fit the total amount of meat

on a dinnerspoon.....a dinner spoon..... that was all there was....way to little for a normal sized westerner...

Glegolo

[maxme]

Well just check the statistics:

Overall / Male / Female

111 Thailand 70.6 66.5 75.0

They have a shorter life expectancy than the average westerner. Now is that because they lead a healthy lifestyle or could the products such as vegetables sprayed with pestocide have something to do with it?

[Ulysses G.]

Just one last sentence, as you obviously don't know much about this subject:

Actually I do. I was on a raw food diet for several years, read all the literature and worked at a small raw juice factory in the Bay area. It is great for certain things like losing weight, but it does not cure diabetes. Nothing cures dibetes at this point in time. It can only be controlled. That is a fact.

Edited January 25, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[maxme]

Well just check the statistics:

Overall / Male / Female

111 Thailand 70.6 66.5 75.0

They have a shorter life expectancy than the average westerner. Now is that because they lead a healthy lifestyle or could the products such as vegetables sprayed with pestocide have something to do with it?

Or, or... they don´t eat enough vegetables...