Checking Vegetable Intake with Numbers: What is the New Form of Nutrition Education, the "Veggie Meter"?
We are often told to "eat more vegetables" for the sake of our health, but it is difficult to know how much we are actually consuming. Recently, a device called the "Veggie Meter," which allows people to objectively measure their vegetable intake, has been gaining attention.
Released in 2016, the Veggie Meter is a device that quantifies vegetable and fruit intake by measuring the amount of carotenoids in the body simply by placing a fingertip on the sensor. Until now, nutrition education has primarily focused on abstract calls to "eat plenty of vegetables," but this device allows individuals to confirm their health status in concrete terms.
A major feature of this device is its ability to capture changes resulting from dietary improvements in a short period. Research shows that when people begin a lifestyle of consciously eating vegetables, changes in their readings can appear in as little as two weeks. Seeing one's efforts reflected in numbers serves as motivation to maintain improved dietary habits over the long term.
Moving forward, it is expected that such technology will be incorporated into health management in schools and workplaces. This new form of nutrition education—which goes beyond just "eating vegetables" to facing one's own body and aiming for a healthy lifestyle while tracking data—may gradually begin to spread across Japan.