Consumption Pattern of Carotene Rich Foods in Coimbatore District

Vitamin A under-nutrition is a global health problem and is the major cause of preventable blindness in many developing countries including India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Dietary interventions of including beta carotene rich foods seem to be the surest way of improving the vitamin A nutrition of individuals. Though Indian diets are based mainly on cereals, pulses, green leafy and other vegetables, deficiency of vitamin A may be attributed to the inadequate consumption of carotene rich foods and bioavailability of beta carotene from dietaries. Hence efforts are needed to find out the consumption pattern of carotene rich foods in Coimbatore district. Towards this effort, the present study was undertaken to find out the type of carotene rich foods like green leafy vegetables, other vegetables and fruits consumed in Coimbatore district, frequency of consumption, cooking methods adopted and oils used for cooking.