i eat masses amounts of vegetables like 15 serves each day (not ic.fruit)
im wondering if you can eat to much vegetables........ i eat loads of steamed green beans heaps of carrots and tones of raw mushrooms ....... is this okay?

If you're not having unpleasant side effects, I think you're safe.

Too many carrots can turn your skin orange (harmless, but embarrassing), and I've read that you large quantities of raw mushrooms can make you sick, but I think most of the side effects of eating "too many" vegetables are unpleasant enough that you would notice (you can't exactly overlook orange skin, stomache cramps, and diarhea).

I agree that it is close to impossible to eat too many vegetables. I eat all I want of them, but am finding more and more that I don't want or need so many snacks as before. There are those who say you can eat too many but really... have any of us REALLY gained this weight by eating too many vegetables? Personally I don't think that is our problem!!

The only way it would be "too many" is if it's at the expense of other nutrients - like fruits, whole grains, and protein. I noticed your other post said you were a recovering anorexic. I'm in a similar situation, but I refuse to eat vegetables (haha...I had enough servings to last a lifetime when I used to practice my ED). Vegetables can be a part of healthy meal plan, but it sounds like you are using them as low-calorie "fillers" to satisfy the desire to feel full but not consume many calories. In this sense, I feel you are eating too many vegetables. However, if you really like them, I don't think there is any harm doneby eating a lot ofvegetables (unless they give you gas!). From my perspective, I think you need to look at why you're choosing vegetables instead of, say, a bowl of oatmeal, a fresh apple, or side of brown rice...

Oh that is an excellent point, mandagemini! Yes we definitely need to have balanced nutrition!!

Well, vegetables do have calories. So you could theoretically eat so many vegetables you gain weight. Probably not the biggest worry for most people, though.

I still struggle to get my 5 a day in, and this from an ex-vegetarian!

"Theoretically" being the key word here. Personally I just think it is highly unlikely.

Well, Misti, I think it also depends on how the veggies are prepared! Broccoli in cheese sauce and fried okra will add up quickly as compared to either one steamed or grilled! =D

But, I don't think that's the problem in this case.

LOL Manda I almost came back and posted the same thing... you can't count french fries. But in those cases it is NOT the veggies that are the problem.

hehe thanks guys i just have them steamed mostly or raw with a tiny bit of falx oil and tomato salsa , thanks for writing back and i do eat other foods , but for the most part my diet is veggies (inc. beans) as veggies/ protein

well said manda.

Being primates, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes --- these are the things we are designed to eat. You cannot (within reason) overdose on vegetables, but, as the old saying goes, too much of any 1 thing is bad for you.

1 thing being a particular type of food. For a couple of examples, lets look at carrots and potatoes.

Carrots are extremely high in Vitamin A - a fat soluable vitamin that builds up in your body, unlike B & C vitamins which are water soluable and excesses will simply be expelled in your urine. Long-term overdosing of Vitamin A can lead to headaches & blurred vision, or in extreme cases organ failure, fetus developmental problems & death.

Potatoes, contain a toxin called solanine which overdosed can cause anything from headaches to hallucinations.

Note that except in extremely rare cases, you will never get close to reaching dangerous levels by eating carrots or potatoes. If you were to eat, for example, 5 large carrots (3 cups, chopped) every single day for months or years, then you would be pushing it. North American & European potatoes are very low in solanine - it concentrates in the green bits you cut out of old potatoes.


Weight Gain from too Much Fruits or Vegetables:

It is virtually impossible to gain weight from fruits & vegetables - especially vegetables. With a couple exceptions (such as potatoes, which are comparatively high in starch & contain an large amount of calories for a vegetable), your body will burn as many calories or more just to digest and pass them through your system.

Fruits are packed with complex carbohydrates (good sugar). Still, the amounts are trivial compared to most processed foods & foods made with things humans aren't very good at eating - such as wheat or meat - and miniscule when compared to a meal at a fast-food restaurant. Fruits have immeasurable goodness in them, including the ability to help you lose weight by the sugar in them, as these carbohydrates can be used to convert stored fat into energy, whereas without your body will eat away at your muscle tissue, which can be readily converted to energy without carbohydrates.

Here's some examples in the caloric differences in "regular" North American food (i.e. fast food) vs the fruits & veggies that 100 million years of evolution have guided us towards:

3,500 calories is the equivalent energy of 1 lb of fat. So in order to consume 1 lb worth of calories you could eat any one of the following:

Fruits:

70 Apples
25 Banannas
14 lbs of Grapes
30 lbs of Strawberries

Vegetables:

24 lbs of Broccolli
22 lbs of Carrots or onions
55 lbs of Mushrooms
10 lbs of Potatoes

And don't forget, this is not taking into account the energy that your body would expend to digest say, 22 lbs of Carrots (it would be much much more than the 3500 calories from the carrots)

Fast Food:

6 Big Macs
5-6 orders of McDonalds french fries - super-sized
8-9 KFC thigh's
4 Pizza Hut "Personal Pan" Pizzas
4-6 Subway Foot-long subs with no sauces
3 Dairy Queen medium cookie dough blizzards

Hope this helps.