Hi
Hoping one of you super fit chickas can help me out here. My OH says popcorn counts as a vegetable since it comes from corn on the cob which is undeniably a vegetable. He reckons that if you air pop it and add a little salt then it counts. Just wanting to check because this always comes up when I'm on at him to eat some vegetables! He claims he gets his 5 a day from tomato ketchup, popcorn and the green peppers he has on pizzas!
Thanks
Heather

Sorry - I've always thought that popcorn is a carb - much the same as cornflakes and cornbread are carbs and I wouldn't think that all that salt is good idea on a regular basis.

I do know that there is something in cooked tomatoes (including tomato ketchup) which is very good for you but I somehow think that the people who tell us to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day didn't intend it to include popcorn or ketchup - and unless he has a lot of green pepper on his pizza then it probably doesn't amount to one serving.

Corn is a type of maize so it's a grain not a vegetable.

LOL I googled the topic and seems there is a huge debate... some even call it a fruit! I don't quite get THAT.

But in any case anyone having to count popcorn and ketchup as daily vegetables is really pushing the envelope and needs to work a bit on their nutrition... just MY opinion LOL

Super fit chickas...yes that must be meeeeee.

Potatoes count as a five a day as well, everyone knows that and wine it comes from grapes you know.

LOL about the wine!!! Hmmmmm.... let's think of what ELSE should count.... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm... how about....

The raspberry syrup (sweetened with Splenda) I use to make my raspberry mochas? That should count as a fruit.

Popcorn can count as a whole grain, but not a vegetable.

According to WHAT standard though? If you are referring to WW or another diet plan, not everyone is on that. Just curious...

I'm not talking about any diet plan. I'm talking about the definition of a whole grain. According to the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and the USDA, whole grains must contain the entire grain kernel: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. In the USDA Food Pyramid, 3 cups of popcorn counts as a one-ounce serving of whole grains.

http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/grains.html#

http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/J...WholeGrain.htm

(see the section under "What Are Whole Grain Foods?")

Thanks for finding the answer to that!!!

I agree - grain not veg!

However air popped popcorn is fairly low in calories so a nice treat, but don't get it at the cinema - thay add tons of butter and sugar to it!

Yey...finally I am right lol!!! I said he couldn't count it, next question, how do I make him eat more vegetables? Bearing in mind that this man has put on 5stone since coming to the UK and discovering fish and chips and chicken korma...would it be wrong to blend carrots in with his pizza topping (I make them at home)? He doesn't get that I'm not that bothered that he is overweight from an attractive point of view, I'm not Twiggy myself, but I don't want him to keel over and die in the next year from all the fats he puts into his body with no vitamins.

Heather - you can't make him eat them if he doesn't want to. Hiding veg in his food is treating him like a child. If he is aware he has an unhealthy diet and the damage that his diet is doing to his body and he STILL choses rubbish foods then after that I'm afraid its up to him.

What you can do is tell him that you will only prepare healthy food for him and if he doesn't like it then he can fix his own and make sure you only buy healthy foods - basically that means he will have to go out to buy his own rubbish foods and cook them himself, which is enough to put off most men.

Think of it this way, if he were an alcoholic would you go out and buy his booze and pour it in to a glass for him?

Hi Heva

FWIW I disagree with the idea of refusing to cook for him. IMO that will only make him more resentful, as I think it would most of us; it's human nature. I think your idea is right to add them to stuff AND find creative ways to fix them so he will like them. Probably best to stop pressuring him though, as again that will just make him dig in his heels. Even if it is treating him like a child, hey, if it works it works LOL. And most of us need people who love us to treat us like a child in some way or another since we all have plenty of weaknesses LOL

How about making some great casseroles or crockpot dishes which contain veggies as well as his favorite meats? There are some great recipe sites!

Oh and on the subject... I thought it was interesting that popcorn is a grain, but regular corn is a vegetable! This is good to know since at work they just let us sign up for a 6 week challenge of eating 5 fruits and veggies a day, and if we complete it will be in a $200 drawing for Trader Joe's! Now I know I can count corn, although I eat more than 5 so could still easily make it!

The problem with hiding veg in other foods is that he won't be learning better eating habits and, IMHO, if he finds out he has been lied to or fooled then it could make him think you can't be trusted in other areas of your life together.

I'm not suggesting you have a major confrontation about this. TBH, if I were you I'd just cook normal healthy balanced meals for both of you and just not mention the vegetable problem. Make the meal look colourful and appetising and just keep on dishing up the veggies. Try not to make a big deal about it. If he creates a fuss about veggies being on his plate then tell him that he's an adult, he knows what an unhealthy diet will do / has done to him and its up to him whether he eats them or not.

Whatever happens, don't let him persuade you to eat an unhealthy diet because that is what HE prefers. If he insists on eating unhealthy food then either he cooks his own or you cook two separate meals. Personally I don't buy unhealthy foods any more (because it would be too much of a temptation for me) so DH eats the same as I do (but a lot more of it).