Significance of wild vegetables in micronutrient intakes of women in Vietnam: an analysis of food variety

Abstract

The association between food variety and nutrient intake/health status among rural women was tested in two agro‐ecological settings in Vietnam. Special emphasis was placed on the significance of wild vegetables ‘Rau Dai’ in micronutrient supply and on the usefulness of food variety analysis in determining their current role. Data from 7‐day food frequency interviews and a nutrition/health survey with 93 and 103 rural women in the Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands, respectively, were used in the analysis. Energy and nutrient intakes in the groups with the highest food variety score (FVS) (high = ≥ 21) in the two regions were compared to those with the lowest food variety score (low = ≤15). The high FVS groups in both regions also had a more diversified diet in terms of food categories. With the exception of low iron and riboflavin intakes in all groups, the high FVS groups had relatively adequate diets. A large variety of vegetables was used and only approximately half of the vegetable species were cultivated. In both regions the high FVS groups used a significantly greater variety of vegetables than the low FVS groups. Wild vegetables contributed significantly to the overall micronutrient intakes, mostly carotene, vitamin C and calcium intakes, but only the contribution to carotene intake was significantly higher in the high FVS group. Overall, we conclude that a food variety analysis is a useful tool in capturing the dietary role of wild vegetables.