Abstract
This study reports a nutritional education program involving tasting vegetable dishes, presented by a company to their employees. We recruited volunteers.
A nationally registered dietitian and staff in charge of the healthcare section of the company planned the program, and the dietitian decided on the educational contents.
At first, we explained the relation between lifestyle-related diseases and the amount of vegetable intake in Japanese people, as well as the nutrients contained in vegetables. Then, three recipes containing vegetables were selected for the sample dishes.
A questionnaire about the frequency of eating vegetable dishes was implemented before the program. Most people ate salad (44. 7%), stir-fried vegetables (71. 1%), and boiled vegetables (47. 4%) once or twice a week. Another common dish was Ohitashi (57. 9%),which was traditional Japanese way of cooking spinach or green beans by boiling and then adding a soy sauce mixture. However, the most common way that volunteers consumed vegetables was by eating miso-soup. A significant portion of the volunteers (42. 1%) reported eating miso-soup with vegetables 5 to 7 times a week. As for dishes including many beans, the rate of volunteers who didn’t eat this type of dish at all was the highest. After tasting the three healthy vegetable recipes (vegetable gratin with mayonnaise, noodles with boiled pork, and salad with beans), the rates of those who answered “I want to eat it again” were 52. 6, 57. 9, and 57. 9%, respectively. There were many positive comments, such as “I was able to receive dietary education in an enjoyable way” or “I was able to raise my own consciousness of health”.
Further studies are needed to promote an increase in levels of vegetable intake on an everyday basis.
