According to WHO, what amount of fruits and vegetables should a person consume per day to prevent the risk of non-communicable diseases?

Appeared in: NHM UP Staff Nurse-2023 shift 1st

Explanation

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum daily intake of 400 grams of fruits and vegetables.
This 400-gram recommendation is practically translated into five portions (or servings) of 80 grams each, commonly known as the '5 a day' rule.
Adequate consumption is a cornerstone of preventing chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
It is important to note that starchy roots like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cassava are not included in this recommendation due to their high starch content.

Option A: Consuming only three portions of fruits and vegetables is below the minimum daily amount recommended by the WHO for effective NCD prevention.
Option B: An intake of two portions is significantly less than the WHO's '5 a day' guideline and would not provide sufficient nutrients to substantially reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Option C: While better than two or three, four portions still falls short of the evidence-based recommendation of five portions (400 grams) needed for optimal health benefits.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain WHO dietary guidelines for preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses use the '5 a day' guideline as a simple and effective tool for patient education on healthy eating, particularly for individuals at risk for or diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease.
In community health settings, this recommendation forms the basis of health promotion campaigns aimed at reducing the national burden of NCDs through dietary modification.
What if? If a patient has chronic kidney disease (CKD), the nurse's advice would be more nuanced. While fruit and vegetable intake is still important, the nurse would need to educate the patient on choosing low-potassium options and monitoring their intake carefully, as many fruits and vegetables are high in potassium, which can be harmful in CKD.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key entities in the question: 'WHO' (World Health Organization), 'fruits and vegetables', and 'prevent non-communicable diseases'.
Recognize that this is a factual recall question asking for a specific public health guideline.
Access your knowledge of major global health campaigns. The '5 a day' campaign is one of the most well-known dietary recommendations from the WHO.
Evaluate the given options. The number 'Five' directly corresponds to this widely promoted guideline.
Eliminate the other options (Two, Three, Four) as they represent an insufficient intake according to this global standard.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: WHO dietary guidelines for preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
Stem keywords: WHO, fruits and vegetables, consume per day, prevent risk, non-communicable diseases
Lead-in keywords: what amount
Negative lead-in flag: false

QbhVHyTmjm_1m6mUSktDR8

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart C (pp 404-604 of 604) p. 30-32

Practise the full NHM UP Staff Nurse-2023 shift 1st

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.