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Improvement of meal composition by vegetable variety

Bucher, Tamara ; van der Horst, Klazine ; Siegrist, Michael

In: Public Health Nutrition, 2011, vol. 14, no. 8, p. 1357-1363

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    Titre
    • Improvement of meal composition by vegetable variety
    Auteur
    • Bucher, Tamara. ETH Zürich, Institute for Environmental Decisions, Consumer Behavior, Universitaetstrasse 22, CHN J 78, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
    • van der Horst, Klazine. ETH Zürich, Institute for Environmental Decisions, Consumer Behavior, Universitaetstrasse 22, CHN J 78, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
    • Siegrist, Michael. ETH Zürich, Institute for Environmental Decisions, Consumer Behavior, Universitaetstrasse 22, CHN J 78, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Inglese
    Publié dans
    • Public Health Nutrition, 2011, vol. 14, no. 8, p. 1357-1363. Cambridge University Press
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:303478
    Summary
    Abstract Objective Our physical environment influences our daily food choices unconsciously. Strategic changes in the food environment might therefore be potential measures to influence consumers' food selection towards better nutrition, without affecting the consumers' freedom of choice. The present study aimed to examine whether increased vegetable variety enhances healthy food choices and improves meal composition. Design A randomised experiment. Setting Participants were instructed to serve themselves a lunch from a buffet of food replicas. Individuals were randomly assigned to one of three food combinations: condition A - cooked carrots, pasta and chicken; condition B - cooked green garden beans, pasta and chicken; condition AB - carrot sticks, green garden beans, pasta and chicken. Two one-vegetable conditions were compared with one two-vegetable condition. Data from Zurich, Switzerland, were analysed using one-way ANOVA. Subjects Ninety-eight students (fifty-three men; mean age 22·8 (sd 2·2) years, minimum = 19 years, maximum = 29 years). Results Participants who could choose from two vegetables derived significantly more energy (141 kJ) from vegetables compared with participants in the one-vegetable condition (104 and 84 kJ, respectively). Furthermore, in the two-vegetable condition, the relative energy of the meal derived from vegetables (10·9 %) increased significantly compared with the one-vegetable condition (8 % and 6·1 %, respectively). The total energy content of the meal (mean 1472 (sd 468) kJ) was not affected by the experimental manipulation. Conclusions Having a choice of vegetables increases a person's tendency to choose vegetables and leads to the selection of a more balanced meal. Serving an assortment of vegetables as side dishes might be a simple and effective strategy to improve food selection