Consumption of fruits and vegetables remains low particularly among children, a situation confirmed by results of the 2003 Food Consumption Survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology.
The survey, the most recent on the subject, showed per capita intake of fruits at 53 grams in 2003 compared to 104 grams in 1978. Intake of vegetables also dropped from 145 grams to 110 grams during the same period.
The low intake of fruits and vegetables can be attributed to rising prices of food and other basic needs of families such as housing, education, healthcare, and other utilities.
The survey also revealed that ordinary Filipino spent the bulk or 67.7 percent of the budget for food on meat (29.9 percent) and rice (36.8 percent). This means that only 33.3 percent of the food budget is spread on all other food needs.
The same spending pattern was also recorded 10 years ago based on the 1993 Food Consumption Survey, which found that the average Filipinos' budget for food was spent mainly on rice and meat at 28.9 percent and 37.4 percent, respectively.
In the 1993 and 2003 Food Consumption Surveys, the food peso value for vegetables remained the same at 7.8 percent of which only 1.8 percent was for green, leafy and yellow vegetables. The remaining 6 percent went to other non-leafy vegetables.
Food peso value for fruits declined from 4.8 percent in 1993 to 3.2 percent in 2003. Vitamin C-rich fruits had a share of only 2 percent in 1993 and dropped to 0.8 percent in 2003.
It came as no surprise that mean per capita nutrient intake of iron, calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin C reached less than 80 percent of requirements. The result of the survey is consistent with the low intake of fruits and vegetables that contain such nutrients.
Moreover, the survey results showed that iron deficiency anemia remains a public health problem among children 6 months to 5 years old, and 6 to 12 years old at 32.4 percent and 37.4 percent prevalence, respectively.
There was also a three-fold rate increase of obesity from 1998 to 2003 among children 0-5 years old, from 0.4 percent to 1.4 percent.
Among the 6 to 12 years old, obesity increased from a negligible rate in 1998 to 0.4 percent in 2003. Obesity's increasing prevalence could be associated to children growing accustomed to fast food diets.
Fast food-based diets are loaded with extra calories that are stored as body fat but are very low in vitamins and minerals.
Limited knowledge particularly among mothers and caregivers on the importance of fruits and vegetables to health is another factor for the low intake rate. This is aggravated by the limited skills on preparing these foods.
Older children and even adults tend to choose what they eat based on what they remember liking during their early years, says Dr. Paula Zeigler, principal scientist at Gender Products Company based in Fremont, Michigan, USA.
Citing the study of Krebs-Smith, Zeigler noted that fruit and vegetable intakes in childhood are the strongest predictors of fruit and vegetable intakes in adulthood. This makes it important that children be exposed to eating fruits and vegetables at early age.
The early years of life represent formative years when eating practices could influence much of the eating habits during adult life. Young children need nutrients from fruits and vegetables to meet increased requirements for rapid growth and development.
The early years provide opportunity for parents to develop their children's eating habits and act as role models for healthy eating habits. (Mildred O. Guirindola, Research Specialist)
