Enhancing Vietnamese Students’ Acceptance of School Lunches Through Food Combination: A Cross-Over Study
2025
An Thanh Truong | Anh Thi Lan Pham | Thy Quynh Nguyen | Tan Duy Doan | Tuan Nhat Pham | Yen Thi Hai Hoang | Ryosuke Matsuoka | Shigeru Yamamoto
Background/Objectives: Vegetable leftovers constitute more than half of Vietnamese school lunch waste, partly due to limited ingredient variety, which may reduce meal acceptance. Methods: This cross-over study assessed the impact of diversifying vegetable options on intake and satisfaction among 40 students at a suburban Vietnamese primary school. Five new menus were developed by redistributing a 100 g vegetable portion into smaller servings of multiple vegetable types, combining them creatively with protein-rich foods or rice while maintaining nutritional value and cost. Students alternated between current and new menus over four weeks. Sensory evaluations using a 5-point hedonic scale and food weighing were conducted daily. Results: Most students increased vegetable intake during the new menu period. Mean intake was significantly higher with new menus (81.5 g: 95%CI: 77.1&ndash:85.9) compared to current menus (71.1 g: 95%CI: 65.2&ndash:75.1) (p <: 0.001). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that enhancing vegetable variety in combination can significantly improve intake and sensory characteristics without additional costs. This scalable strategy offers a practical solution for schools to foster healthier eating habits among students.
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