According to a recent survey, around one in 10 adults in the UK are unable to identify pictures of some of the most common vegetables, such as kale or asparagus.

The study, conducted by FutureYou Cambridge, a nutritional supplement company, found that when shown pictures of a range of vegetables; many participants were unable to identify a wide range of produce from cabbages to watercress.  The results showed that around one in six respondents were unable to spot leeks and astonishingly one in five participants having trouble identifying fresh garden peas.

The survey found that the average adult in the UK eats around four different vegetables within their diet on a rotational basis.  We all know that we should be aiming for a minimum of five portions of fruit or veg per day, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).  However, as a nation we only seem to be consuming around 1.5 portions per day; even though around eight in 10 of us knowing that we should be consuming more as part of a well-balanced diet.

Chief Scientific Officer at FutureYou Cambridge, Dr Max Gowland said; ‘'We all know how important it is for our bodies to have the vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals you receive from vegetables, so these results are particularly alarming – especially when almost everybody knows they don’t eat enough of them.’

Regional differences were found within the results with Londoners leading the way with around 29% of participants eating between three to five servings per day.  This was in contrast to respondents in Scotland with 16% of respondents confirming that they did not consume any vegetables on a daily basis.

Crowned king of favourited vegetables was broccoli with peas, Brussel sprouts, asparagus and cabbage as close runners up.  However, lagging behind as the least liked vegetables included Swiss chard, watercress, pak choi, kale and Lettuce.

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Carrie Plummer - Editor & Content Manager