Almost half of Australians failing to eat their five-a-day vegetables
Almost half of Australian adults are failing to meet the recommended daily intake of vegetables due to ‘lack of convenience’, according to a survey by kitchenware brand Tefal.
According to Tefal, the survey of 2,500 Australians revealed that 45 per cent of Australians failed to meet the recommended daily intake of five vegetable portions. Of these people, 39 per cent said that preparing and cooking vegetables wasn’t convenient as part of their busy lifestyle, and this was major impediment to vegetable consumption.
Publishing the survey’s findings this week, Tefal reported that the second biggest barrier to consuming vegetables was a lack of culinary skills, with 37 per cent of people stating that they often avoided vegetables as they weren’t confident about how to prepare and cook them. Of those surveyed, 15 per cent claimed they weren’t aware they should be consuming five portions of vegetables a day in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Commenting on the survey’s findings, Aloysa Hourigan, Senior Nutritionist for independent non-profit health organisation Nutrition Australia said, “Getting your ‘five veggies plus two fruit a day’ is essential for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the risk of lifestyle related diseases such as some cancers, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Australians must rekindle their relationship with vegetables to avoid potentially fatal diet-related diseases and to set a good example as role models for the next generation.”
