Vegetables

Vegetables [1]

Why do we study dietary patterns of the population?

What we eat and drink has a direct impact on our health and well-being. By studying dietary patterns in the population (What foods are eaten? At what frequency? By whom?), we can identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to promote better diets. This knowledge helps address the risk of diet-related diseases and supports the development of healthy, sustainable food systems.
The current page is focused on general consumption of vegetables regardless their conservation and preparation method. More information on the comparison of the habitual intake of “vegetables” with dietary guidelines can be found here [2].

How do we study the consumption of vegetables?

Vegetable consumption was assessed, overall and for different population groups, using data from two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls. Trained interviewers recorded twice, on two non-consecutive days, all the foods and drinks that participants had consumed on the previous day using a specialised computer program (GloboDiet®).
The mean vegetable consumption (in grams/day) was then calculated using the average consumption, overall and by sub-categories of vegetables, over the two recall days of each participant. The top-10 most consumed vegetables were also derived from the 24-hour recall data. Since mean distributions are skewed, comparisons between population subgroups should be interpreted with caution.
In addition to the 24-hour recalls, participants (or parent in case of children) also completed a Food Frequency Questionnaire: they reported how often they consumed a specific food or food group in the last 12 months. On this page, we present the frequency of vegetable consumption using the following categories: “Never”, “less than once a week”, “1 time per week”, “2-4 times per week”, “5-6 times per week” and “once a day or more”.
The detailed methodology can be found here [3].

What is included in the group of “vegetables”?

This group is divided in the following subcategories:
- Leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, endive;
- Fruit vegetables such as tomato, pepper, eggplant;
- Tuber and root vegetables such as carrot, turnip, parsnip;
- Cabbages such as broccoli, cauliflower, white cabbage;
- Mushrooms such as button mushrooms, chanterelles, truffles;
- Grain and pod vegetables such as broad beans, peas, corn;
- Garlic, onion, shallot, and leek;
- Stem and sprout vegetables such as celery, asparagus, fennel, shoots;
- Salads and vegetable mixes such as prepacked cut vegetables, prepacked mixed salads.
Note that this group also includes vegetables eaten in soups or prepared in dishes such as spaghetti, waterzooi, etc.
The group of vegetables does not include vegetable juices.

KEY RESULTS

The mean vegetable consumption is 160 g per day

63% of the population aged 3 years and older consumes vegetables at least once a day

The proportion of the population consuming vegetables at least once a day is higher among children aged 3 to 9 (65%), adults aged 40 to 64 (68%) and adults aged 65 and over (66%), than among adolescents aged 10 to 17 (59%) and adults aged 18 to 39 (57%)

The proportion of the population consuming vegetables at least once a day increases with educational level from 55% in people with a low educational level to 65 % in people with medium-educational level and 78% in people with a high educational level

Tomatoes, carrots and, cucumbers are the most consumed vegetables