The recently published results of the “Survey of Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables” show, among other things, which vegetable Poles eat most often, which ones they like most and what benefits they perceive in them. More and more people are recognizing the link between a healthy vegetable-based diet and immune support, yet only one in five Poles knows how much fruit and vegetables should be in their daily diet. The survey was conducted by the research firm Kantar Public.
Studies show that Poles’ knowledge about a healthy diet leaves much to be desired. It turns out that only 19% of respondents can correctly answer the question of how many fruits and vegetables a day we should eat. Among other things, due to a lack of proper awareness of the beneficial effects of a proper diet on our bodies, most of us simply eat too few vegetables.
Meanwhile, nutritionists constantly remind us that in a healthy, balanced diet, half of each of our meals should be vegetables and fruit. In other words, we should eat a minimum of 400 g of vegetables and fruits, preferably in 5 portions. Proper diet is important, among other things, to ensure the proper functioning of the body, building immunity, or cancer prevention.
“We hear that we should increase our consumption of fruit and vegetables, but only a few people realize how great the benefits of doing so can be. Vegetables and fruits are healthy, that’s obvious. Most argue this by the presence of vitamins and minerals in them which is also true. However, if we look deeper into the composition of individual plant materials, we will see that they abound in a huge number of active compounds, which are invaluable in cancer prevention”, Monika Stromkie-Złomaniec – clinical dietician emphasizes.
The most commonly consumed vegetables over the years have been potatoes, tomatoes, and onions. The same was in 2021. These vegetables are followed by carrots and cucumbers. Each of the 5 above-mentioned vegetables is served on Polish tables at least once a week, during the season by more than ¾ of the respondents (77%).
The results are slightly different when asking Poles about their favorite vegetables. It turns out that most Poles indicate tomato as their favorite vegetable.
The full ranking of 2021’s favourite vegetables:
- Tomato – 39%
- Cucumber – 23%
- Potato – 15%
- Cauliflower – 10%
- Carrots – 10%
- Lettuce – 10%
- Pepper – 7%
- Cabbage – 6%
- Broccoli – 6%
- Onion – 3%
- Radish – 2%
- Beet – 2%
- Zucchini – 2%
- Beans – 2%
- Pumpkin – 1%
One in 100 respondents (1%) say they like all vegetables and 2% say they like none. 4 percent of respondents report that their favorite vegetable is another vegetable not listed above.
The article was written as part of the campaign “Moc Polskich Warzyw” (The Power of Polish Vegetables), which was initiated by the Association of Pepper Producers of the Republic of Poland (ZPPRP). In addition to ZPPRP, which coordinates the program, the National Union of Fruit and Vegetable Producer Groups, the Association of Producers of Tomatoes and Cucumbers under Cover, the Raspberry King Association, the Cultivated Mushroom Industry Association, and the Galician Garlic Association are also participating in the project. The campaign is funded by the Fruit and Vegetable Promotion Fund.