Since when are fruit and vegs not carbohydrates?

by Colin McNulty on 14 April 2010

I was appalled listening to BBC Radio4’s “You and Yours” programme at lunch time today, in which they had a slot saying that

“Nursery food – A big survey from the Local Government Organization has found that nurseries serve too much fruit and vegetables and not enough carbohydrates for growing toddlers. They’re calling for more guidelines.”

WTF!?! Since when are fruit and vegetables not carbohydrates?

It is shocking that people who don’t understand that very basics of dietary macro nutrients, consider themselves in a position of authority to dictate what children should and shouldn’t eat. Disgraceful.

{ 6 comments… add one }

Marcus 14 April 2010, 7:34 pm

I usually listen to You and Yours on my lunch break Col, sadly I missed it today. I’m not sure which I’m more disappointed with : the fact that Radio 4’s usually very good researchers missed the point, or that the supposed ‘experts’ don’t seem to understand where one of the three macronutrients comes from. Either way, I echo your comment : disgraceful.
Colin McNulty 14 April 2010, 7:46 pm

Hi Marcus. I agree, it’s things like this that perpetuate poor understanding of basic things, like food. There’s so much misinformation in dietary advice, and this slot has made matters worse, not better. BTW you can hear it again on iPlayer, if you’re so inclined.
Anavar 7 May 2010, 9:18 am

Almost everybody thinks that carbs are only bread, pasta and rice. These are just carbs for them. And if you don’t eat bread, you don’t eat carbs. That’s funny. I was surprised when I found out how many different carbs there is in food.
Howard 26 June 2010, 5:30 am

ok so it wasn’t worded correctly, maybe in a way simplified but what they were trying to state was that toddlers need much more calories than they were getting getting from the fruit and veg and that they were trying to give the kids more of an adult diet which wasn’t suited to growing toddlers.
Colin McNulty 26 June 2010, 8:48 am

Maybe you’re right Howard. Though if they’re after more calories, more fat is the easiest way to get them.

However, my point is that if you hold yourself up to be someone who can give nutritional advice, you need to get the basics right or you just end up confusing people.
Anadrol 13 October 2010, 1:30 pm

I concure, nowadays everyone is an expert on anything without knowing what they’re talking about
And fats are the most underrated and scorned food group. A diet without a reasonable amount of fat is far from healthy and right fats do not affect your bodyfat.

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Since when are fruit and vegs not carbohydrates?

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