Since injuring my teeth, I haven't been eating as much vegetable food as I used to. (I'd already given up fruit, since it's one of the worst things for giving me acid reflux.) Why? I have a hard time chewing them--just like my mother, who has several bad teeth and a partial. Bad teeth are a sign of bad health and are associated with diabetes and low socioeconomic status. And they make it hard to chew certain foods.
Sure, you can go to the trouble and expense of juicing, but people who do that are outliers who are probably doing several good things for their health. And V-8 is a bit like oatmeal for most people: the only reason they consume it is because they think it's good for them. For most people with bad teeth, it's just easier to eat tuna casserole and mashed potatoes or a hamburger and fries.
Someone who's being funny might look at my case and say, "Aha! She became tired and weak and had several medical appointments around the time she stopped eating leafy greens." Absurd, yes, but no more so than many other associations that researchers confuse with causation.
Sure, you can go to the trouble and expense of juicing, but people who do that are outliers who are probably doing several good things for their health. And V-8 is a bit like oatmeal for most people: the only reason they consume it is because they think it's good for them. For most people with bad teeth, it's just easier to eat tuna casserole and mashed potatoes or a hamburger and fries.
Someone who's being funny might look at my case and say, "Aha! She became tired and weak and had several medical appointments around the time she stopped eating leafy greens." Absurd, yes, but no more so than many other associations that researchers confuse with causation.
Comments
I take a multivitamin (GNC Hair, Skin & Nails), D3, K2, calcium, magnesium and iron. Except for the B and C vitamins and magnesium, those nutrients aren't very plentiful in veg. Vitamins D3, K2, B12 and retinol are entirely absent. Some people do better on a more planty diet (Denise Minger and Dr. Davis come to mind), but I eat vegetables mostly for the taste and texture.
I have heard that getting nutrients directly from food is far superior than vitamins and then the next study will say unless you grow your own food and know it truly is organic than you are better off taking vitamins. I have no direct experience with either/or. I sometimes take vites when run down such as B12, zinc, etc. and then stop not knowing for sure if they are what I need or not. I know we are each unique and have to find our own way. I don't think there are any bloggers in their 80's and 90's that are sharing what works well for them.
The organic issue is more complicated than it's often made out to be. A book called The Truth About Organic Gardening by Jeff Gillman is a good introduction to the subject.
I don't know how old Jenny Ruhl of the Diabetes Update Blog is, but she calls herself an "old lady." Dr. Richard Feinman, who blogs, likewise doesn't strike me as a spring chicken. Jack LaLanne lived to a ripe old age (he exercised, ate good food, and avoided sugar and junk food). Dr. Richard Bernstein (book author) has managed to live with Type 1 diabetes since 1946--ain't many people who can say that. (BTW, he hasn't eaten a piece of fruit since the 1970s.)