Perceived intolerance of vegetables among the elderly.
Perceived intolerance of 17 cooked and 14 raw vegetables was investigated in a sample of 66 elderly Meals on Wheels participants. In home-conducted interviews, participants were questioned on vegetables that "disagreed with them," the associated gastrointestinal symptoms, and acceptability of taste. Cooked vegetables were better tolerated than raw ones, and the Brassica genus of vegetables was not perceived to be well tolerated. Severe gastrointestinal symptoms of intolerance, such as diarrhea and nausea/vomiting, were infrequently experienced. Comparison of tolerators with intolerators showed that although both groups rated the taste acceptability of vegetables similarly, more vegetables showed an association between tolerance and high taste acceptability. (The intolerators were those participants who did not tolerate one or more of the tested vegetables.) Some of the well tolerated and acceptable tasting vegetables in this study were less available to the Meals on Wheels participants. This study suggests that feeding programs for elderly persons should offer a wide variety of nutritious vegetables, both raw and cooked, and make exceptions only in confirmed cases of intolerance or disease-related problems.
D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D005522:Food Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013649:Taste; D014675:Vegetables