The Vegetable Conundrum: Are We Getting Enough?
It's a common struggle for many of us: achieving the recommended daily intake of vegetables. In New Zealand, the latest health survey reveals a startling statistic - only 6.8% of Kiwis are meeting the vegetable quota. But is it really that hard to eat our greens?
The recommended amount of vegetables has evolved over the years. The well-known 5+ a day campaign has been updated, with the Ministry of Health now suggesting 5-6 servings for men and 5 for women, alongside 2 servings of fruit. That's a lot of veggies!
Shanti Mathias, a self-proclaimed vegetable enthusiast, decided to put her own diet to the test. She tracked her vegetable intake for a week to see if she was hitting the mark. Her findings? Well, they might surprise you.
A Week of Veggie Tracking
Shanti's week revealed an interesting pattern. She often fell just short of the recommended vegetable servings, usually managing around 4 servings per day. But here's where it gets controversial: Shanti's not alone. Many Kiwis are in the same boat, getting enough fruit but falling slightly short on veggies.
Paula Dudley, General Manager at the charitable trust 5+ A Day, highlights the importance of these 'just under' individuals. She believes the government's data doesn't fully capture this group, missing an opportunity to understand and address the vegetable gap. Independent research by the trust shows that while many don't meet the 5-a-day mark, a significant portion (39%) consume more than 4 servings of vegetables daily.
New Zealand's guidelines are among the highest globally, with the WHO recommending 400g of fruit and vegetables daily. The 5+ A Day trust has a partnership with Te Whatu Ora, providing fresh produce to schools, but the long-term impact on kids' diets is unclear.
Cost is a major barrier to increasing vegetable intake. While buying seasonal produce can help, removing GST from fruits and vegetables has been criticized as economically unworkable.
So, how aware are people of the Ministry's guidelines? And has increasing the recommended vegetable servings made a difference? The health survey only started tracking servings in 2021, leaving these questions unanswered.
One tip from Dudley for hitting your veggie target is to start the day with vegetables. Shanti's own experience supports this - the days she had vegetables for breakfast were the days she managed 5 servings.
The non-profit Vegetables.co.nz has a campaign encouraging people to 'Add One More Vegetable' to their meals, focusing on the quantity and variety of veggies consumed.
Eating more vegetables isn't just good for growers; it has significant health benefits. Just 2 servings of vegetables daily can reduce the risk of heart disease by 19%. Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption was linked to 3.9 million deaths in 2017, according to the WHO.
So, are we getting enough vegetables? The answer seems to be a resounding no, but with simple tips and a focus on increasing vegetable intake, we can make a positive change for our health and the health of our nation.
What are your thoughts? Do you think we should be doing more to encourage vegetable consumption? Let's discuss in the comments!
