Despite living in a relatively wealthy country, as many as 99 percent of Taiwanese are suffering from a lack of essential vitamins and minerals, according to a survey released yesterday by a nutritionist.
The poll was conducted between Feb. 5 and Feb. 19 among 657 individuals aged between 25 and 64, including 350 people who prepare their own food every day and 307 who mostly dine out.
“About 72 percent of the respondents believed they had a nutritionally adequate diet, while on average, only one out of every 100 of them managed to consume enough servings from all the six food groups — vegetables, fruits, dairy, oils, grains and protein foods — on a weekly basis as recommended by the Ministry of Health and Welfare,” Taipei City Hospital’s Department of Dietetics and Nutrition director Chin Huei-min (金惠民) told a news conference in Taipei.
Chin said the respondents gave the highest average score of 4.14 to dietary habits when asked to rate on a scale of one to five the respective importance of diet, sleep (3.52), exercise (3.42), stress (2.79) and interpersonal relations (1.64) in regards to health.
However, only 12 percent and 21 percent ate sufficient fruits and vegetables per week respectively, the survey found.
As for the other four types of foods, just 14 percent of those polled had enough dairy, followed by oils at 32 percent, grains at 38 percent and proteins at 59 percent.
Of more concern was the gap between conception and action, Chin said, with 66 percent of respondents aware of the significance of adopting a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods from each food group each day, but only 22 percent trying to put it into practice.
“A survey of the nutrition intake of Taiwanese between 2005 and 2008 found that more than half of the population lacked important micronutrients and substances such as potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, Vitamin E, and dietary fiber,” Chin said.
Chin said long-term micronutrient deficiencies could have a negative effect on metabolism, cause the body to become more prone to fatigue, make recovery from an illness more difficult, and lead to immune regulation imbalance.
According to the ministry’s daily dietary guidelines, people are advised to consume two to four servings of fruits, three to five dishes of vegetables, 1.5 to four servings of grains, three to eight servings of protein foods, 1.5 to two cups of dairy products, as well as three to seven teaspoons of oils and one serving of nuts.
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