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Objectives: To investigate the relationship between vegetable intake, knowledge of recommended vegetable servings and self-assessed achievement of vegetable intake recommendations. Design and setting: Cross-sectional nutritional study in a university setting. Method: Students answered a set of standardised questions. Vegetable intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Knowledge of recommended vegetable servings was determined by asking how many servings of vegetables should be part of the daily diet. Self-assessed achievement of vegetable recommendation was operationalised using the behavioural stages of the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA). Results: Mean vegetable intake was 176 ± 165 g/day for women and 179 ± 153 g/day for men. Overall, 7.3% of women and 9.8% of men achieved the recommended vegetable intake. Recommended vegetable servings were correctly identified by 68.5% of women and 47.1% of men. About 34.1% of women and 23.5% of men believed they could achieve the recommended intake of vegetables. However, of these, only 18.7% and 33.3% actually achieved the recommended intake. These students did not differ with respect to their knowledge of recommended vegetable servings from those who stated they achieved the recommended intake but in fact did not. Conclusion: Our study identified a potential target group who did not know that their vegetable intake was below the recommended level. It may be concluded that students have difficulty correctly estimating amounts of vegetables. From a health promotion perspective, this creates the need for the practice-oriented communication of dietary recommendations.

Background: Evidence suggests that an insufficient fluid intake impairs cognitive performance. Drinking policies at schools--especially drinking during lessons--is a point of controversy. To provide a scientific base for this debate, more empirical evidence is needed on which aspects of fluid intake are crucial for cognitive performance. This study makes a contribution by investigating associations between quantitative and temporal aspects of fluid intake and cognitive performance in everyday school life. Methods: The study comprised 125 children (age: mean = 10.98 years, SD = 0.38). Amount of fluid intake and time span between fluid intake and completion of cognitive tests were determined on basis of self-reports. Cognitive performance was assessed by standardized tests. Results: Quantitative and temporal aspects were associated with cognitive performance: The more fluid the children consumed and the shorter the time span between their last fluid intake and test completion, the better they performed. Conclusions: The amount of fluid intake should be adequate and moreover the time span between intake and cognitive efforts should be as short as possible. Schoolchildren are thus recommended to drink at regular intervals and also during lessons.

Although university members are largely aware of the recommendation for vegetable consumption, the intake is significantly below the recommendation. A large proportion is unmotivated to achieve the recommendation. In addition, there is a discrepancy between actual and self-assessed vegetable consumption. There is a need for a practical, setting-based approach to the topic of vegetables and the implementation of environmental preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book "Food and Nutritional Education in Daycare Centers" by Methfessel, Höhn, Miltner-Jürgensen, and Schneider discusses the topic of food and nutrition in daycare centers. It provides a comprehensive overview of nutritional, developmental, and didactic aspects, as well as practical pedagogical concepts and recommendations for daycare center practice. The book examines the topic from various perspectives and emphasizes the importance of food and nutrition for the physical, psychological, and social development, as well as the education of children. It is a recommended textbook for educational professionals and a foundational work for anyone interested in the topic of food and nutrition. [Extracted from the article]