Do you know why you should eat your vegies?

Most of us know we’re supposed to eat five serves of vegetables a day, but how many of us actually do it? About 6%, according to a recent study, whose author suggests that most of us don’t understand enough about the nutritional benefits of vegetables, and better labelling could provide the answer.

With a few exceptions — it’s commonly known that carrots are good for vision and spinach contains iron — a survey conducted by University of Sydney PhD candidate Reetica Rekhy found that respondents did not have a good understanding about specific nutritional benefits of most vegetables.

“It’s possible that with labelling the health benefits of specific vegetables on retail packs, point-of-sale advertising and other marketing collateral, this could change,” she said.

Rekhy, from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at The University of Sydney, said the knowledge that you should eat your vegies has not proven sufficient; consumption even in developed countries falls short of the daily intake recommended by the World Health Organisation.

The findings of the study have been published in Nutrition & Dietetics.

Did you know?

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends people eat two to eight serves of vegetables and legumes each day, based on age, physical activity levels and body size.

One serve of vegetables is described as about one cup of uncooked or half a cup of cooked or canned vegetables/beans. Potatoes and other starchy tubers are not considered vegetables for the purposes of the requirements but tomatoes, although officially a fruit, are included in the vegetable count.

Some of the benefits that could be promoted more widely include:

1. Carrots: Healthy vision; heart; bones and joints; brain and nervous system; immune system; skin.

2. Broccoli: Healthy bones and joints; brain and nervous system; heart; immune system.

3. Asparagus: Healthy bones and joints; brain and nervous system; heart; hydrate your body; immune system.