News

Only 6.8% Meet Vegetable Recommendations

The Australian Bureau of Statistics found only 6.8% of Australians met the recommended usual intake of vegetables in its 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey.

The survey had more than 12,000 participants, aged two years and over, and found that 75% reported eating vegetable products and dishes, but based on self-reporting of usual consumption, only 6.8% met the recommendations.

Sixty percent of people reported eating fruit products and dishes the day before the survey interview, with 54% meeting the recommendations for usual fruit serves.

The survey also found 29% of Australians said they had taken a dietary supplement the day before the survey and almost half, or 49%, of women aged 71 years or over had taken a supplement.

Fifty percent of supplement-takers had only taken one type, 26% had taken two difference supplements and 24% had taken three or more.  Multi-vitamins were the most commonly taken at about 16% of the population and calcium and vitamin D were taken by between 3% and 4% overall.

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Source: pharmacydaily.com.au, Monday 12 May 2014