# Never eating vegetables **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237 "2015-05-17T14:19:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/1 "2015-05-17T14:19:59Z")
Was listening to B&T on the radio last week, and a comedian claimed he has “never eaten a vegetable.” I forget who the comedian was, but I think he said he was 55 years old. Is it possible to be a healthy adult and _never_ eat vegetables? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/2 "2015-05-17T15:13:06Z")
What’s B&T ? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/3 "2015-05-17T15:20:00Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Was listening to B&T on the radio last week, and a comedian claimed he has “never eaten a vegetable.” > > I forget who the comedian was, but I think he said he was 55 years old. Jim Gaffigan (age 48) has a routine about hating vegetables (and fruits); the premise is that really everybody hates vegetables. Ha ha? ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/4 "2015-05-17T16:18:45Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > What’s B&T ? The Bob & Tom Show → [http://www.bobandtom.com](http://www.bobandtom.com) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/5 "2015-05-17T16:24:23Z")
Seems unlikely that anyone could eschew all vegetables. I could see someone never eating whole vegetables. However it said that some [Maasai eat nothing but raw meat, blood, and milk.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai_people#Diet) ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/6 "2015-05-17T16:58:19Z")
I have always eschewed vegetables, and most fruits (except in the occasional pie). I’m 57. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/7 "2015-05-17T17:00:44Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Is it possible to be a healthy adult and _never_ eat vegetables? It’s certainly possible to obtain all necessary nutrients and vitamins from meat, dairy, eggs, fruits, grains, and nuts, especially if you take supplements. (Maybe he excludes potatoes and ketchup from being “vegetables” too.) However, I assume his statement is more for comedic value than a literal fact. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/8 "2015-05-17T17:07:07Z")
Not even as a kid? Was he raised by wolves? I thought the number one duty of being a mom was making sure your kids eat vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/9 "2015-05-17T18:30:38Z")
Jay Leno also claimed in the past that he hadn’t eaten a vegetable since 1969: > [@](#): > > Michelle Obama makes Jay Leno eat his greens > First Lady Michelle Obama cajoled TV talk show host Jay Leno into nibbling on apples, sweet potato fries and a pizza made with eggplant, green peppers and zucchini on the “Tonight Show,” breaking his long-held aversion for all-things-healthy in his diet. > > 10:15AM GMT 01 Feb 2012 > Leno once told a magazine he hadn’t eaten a vegetable since 1969, and he insisted he tasted his last apple in 1984. That didn’t dissuade the First Lady, who’s promoting her “Let’s Move!” campaign to get kids excited about fitness and healthy eating habits. > Earlier, Mrs Obama poked fun at him in a Twitter post, hinting she would “get Jay to eat some veggies” on the NBC show. > He did. > **[Michelle Obama makes Jay Leno eat his greens](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/michelle-obama/9053567/Michelle-Obama-makes-Jay-Leno-eat-his-greens.html)** > > First Lady Michelle Obama cajoled TV talk show host Jay Leno into nibbling on apples, sweet potato fries and a pizza made with eggplant, green peppers and zucchini on the "Tonight Show," breaking his long-held aversion for all-things-healthy in his... ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/10 "2015-05-17T19:09:31Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It’s certainly possible to obtain all necessary nutrients and vitamins from meat, dairy, eggs, fruits, grains, and nuts, especially if you take supplements. (Maybe he excludes potatoes and ketchup from being “vegetables” too.) I suppose we need to clarify, for purposes of this thread, whether the term “vegetables” includes or excludes potatoes, fruits, cereals, mushrooms, lichens, and some varieties of Frankenfood. ETA: and ketchup. and nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/11 "2015-05-17T19:36:57Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I suppose we need to clarify, for purposes of this thread, whether the term “vegetables” includes or excludes potatoes, fruits, cereals, mushrooms, lichens, and some varieties of Frankenfood. > > ETA: and ketchup. > > and nuts. I’m pretty sure that someone who takes pride in not eating “vegetables” probably eats lots of french fries.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/12 "2015-05-18T16:39:38Z")
Former Baltimore Colt NFL lineman and media comic Art Donovan on his dietary habits: [Art Donovan Quotes](http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/art_donovan.html) “I don’t eat vegetables. I only eat food like cheeseburgers, spam, hot dogs and pizza.” “People tell me if I don’t eat vegetables I’m going to get scurvy. Well, what the hell…” Donovan might have been introduced to Spam in the WWII Marines, who he saw combat with in the Philippines and Iwo Jima. Presumably he threw away the vegetable part of his rations. That did not slow him down in the war, or in the NFL, where he had a Fall of Fame career which included two titles, one of them the immortal 1958 Colt overtime win against the Giants. Apparently Donovan had a natural immunity to scurvy and other forms of malnutrition since he lived to the age of 89. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/13 "2015-05-18T17:21:54Z")
> [@Nelson\_Pike](#): > > Apparently Donovan had a natural immunity to scurvy and other forms of malnutrition since he lived to the age of 89. If he drank a glass of orange juice with breakfast he’d get most of the necessary vitamin C, and even pizza sauce contains some. You don’t have to eat “vegetables” to avoid scurvy. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/14 "2015-05-18T17:43:05Z")
I know people who say they never eat vegetables, but they eat things with tomato-based sauces, potatoes, casseroles with vegetables as a ingredient, and soups and stews that are made with vegetable stock, even if they pick out some of the bigger chunks. They also eat a few fruits, occasionally, and once in a while drink juices. And they eat fruit pies, and things like sweet potatoes made with brown sugar and marshmallows. I’m a vegetarian, and I know it takes vigilance to avoid meat. Things that don’t appear to have meat are made with chicken soup stock, or gelatin. I know a few people who call themselves vegetarians (and I don’t argue), just because they don’t like meat, but for no other reason, so if something doesn’t particularly taste or feel like meat, they eat it, which means, the cheese with rennet, the candy with gelatin, the rice cooked with chicken stock, is all fine with them. Since I don’t actually know anyone with is some kind of ethical vegetable avoider, who reads labels, and avoids anything that uses say, beet juice for color, or a tomato-based sauce, even if it’s mostly a pasta-meat-cheese dish, I take claims that vegetables never pass a person’s lips with a grain of salt. Someone may never deliberately seek to eat vegetables, but they are in lots of unexpected places, and most people don’t pick tiny bits out of a beef stew, even if they avoid the big chunks. Anyway, it takes less vitamin C than most people think to avoid scurvy, especially if you get tiny doses throughout the day, and not one big dose in the morning. Someone who eats potatoes, the occasional fruit, and some grain for fiber isn’t eating an ideal diet, but won’t die of malnutrition. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/15 "2015-05-18T17:46:20Z")
[Inuits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_diet#Nutrition)seem healthy, even on a diet that has no vegetables for a large portion of the year. Part of the challenge in staying healthy would be eating a variety of meats, including organ meats. I doubt many Americans would be happy about fermented blubber and elk liver. (Hey, there’s one strategy to make broccoli look more appealing!) But I agree with the others that “no vegetables” probably just means cereals, legumes, potatoes and fruits. There’d be no problem getting a healthy diet out of that. Even if not healthy per se, at least it wouldn’t be bad enough to kill you from malnutrition. ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/16 "2015-05-19T01:49:08Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If he drank a glass of orange juice with breakfast he’d get most of the necessary vitamin C, and even pizza sauce contains some. You don’t have to eat “vegetables” to avoid scurvy. I knowwwwwwww about the low C requirements, and I would not be surprised if Donovan also knew. Not sure his regimen could be expected to permit fruit or vegetable juice. It doesn’t take more then a daily scrap of dried lime peel to avoid scurvy, I don’t think. Hence “Limey” as a nickname for RN tars who were among the first beneficiaries of the insight. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/17 "2015-05-19T02:20:05Z")
> [@Nelson\_Pike](#): > > I knowwwwwwww about the low C requirements, and I would not be surprised if Donovan also knew. Not sure his regimen could be expected to permit fruit or vegetable juice. Another quote from that page: [QUOTE=Art Donovan] Both sides of my family had come from Ireland in the 19th century for the same reason: There was nothing to eat over there. Since then, I’ve tried to make up for the potato famine by making the potato the only vegetable that passes these lips. [/QUOTE] Potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, and one serving contains almost 50% of the percent daily value for it. That’s based on a 2000 calorie per day diet, and I bet Art ate a lot more than that. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/18 "2015-05-20T19:47:35Z")
I thought vitamin C is destroyed by cooking, so unless you’re talking about raw potatoes, wouldn’t the effect be negligible? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/19 "2015-05-20T19:53:00Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If he drank a glass of orange juice with breakfast he’d get most of the necessary vitamin C, and even pizza sauce contains some. You don’t have to eat “vegetables” to avoid scurvy. Most foods are fortified (in the US), so I could definitely see how someone could say they never eat vegetables (or fruit). Myself, I have a very low in veggies and fruit diet and am at least quasi healthy and into my mid-50’s. As you and others have said, I think it was more for comedic value than an actual assertion (I bet the guy at a minimum eats beans and potatoes, two things on my own list of fine foods…and probably corn on the cob as well. That should satisfy is need for veggies, and if he eats an occasional pizza or spaghetti with sauce he’s got the fruit covered too. :p) ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237/20 "2015-05-20T19:58:13Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I thought vitamin C is destroyed by cooking, so unless you’re talking about raw potatoes, wouldn’t the effect be negligible? I think it depends on how you cook them. If you fry them, I think, that would probably destroy SOME of the vitamin C…but steamed or boiled? I don’t think so, though if some nutritionist on the 'dope knows it would be good info. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-eating-vegetables/720237.md?page=2)