Fruit and vegetable intake in the Mexican population: results from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006.

OBJECTIVE To quantify fruit and vegetable (FV) dietary intake in the Mexican population and compliance with international recommendations. MATERIAL AND METHODS FV dietary intake (FV-DI) and compliance with international recommendations were obtained in a representative sample of a Mexican population ages 1-59 years old using dietary data from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006 (ENSANUT 2006). RESULTS Average FV-DI for different age groups range from 61 to 72 g for fruits and 26 to 56 g for vegetables. Average total FV intakes were 88.7 g in preschool-age, 103.1 g in school-aged children, 116.3 g in adolescents and 122.6 g in adults. The lowest intakes were observed in the northern region and among the population with the lowest wellbeing levels. CONCLUSIONS Less than 30% of the Mexican population had adequate intakes of FV. Developing and implementing strategies aimed at increasing intake of these food groups is a national priority.