A detailed examination of separate surveys of 2,000 adults and 1,000 children between the ages of 6 and 16 revealed that children outshone their elders on most questions.
The survey found that 20% of young people knew about the 13 vitamins, but only 5% of adults, and that 38% of students were aware of vitamin D, which can be produced naturally in the body, but only 31% of adults.
Plus, young people are aware that vitamin D is good for their bones and vitamin A helps them see better in the dark, and, as the smart people at health food company Plenish have revealed, vitamins C and D are fantastic for the immune system.
Emily English, a nutrition guru who works closely with Plenish as its “chief nutritional officer”, said: “This research highlights a huge knowledge gap among UK adults about the importance of vitamins and how to take them.”
“As a nutritionist, I see the daily consequences of vitamin deficiencies and encourage adults to increase their knowledge of essential vitamins.”
“Incorporating these vitamins into your daily routine is easy — just eat a balanced diet, aim for your five vitamins a day, and add in a booster vitamin shot.”
To help adults, Plenish opened the Little Shot Shop on London’s Portobello Road, where children teach the public. These little masters tell the truth about vitamins and show adults tricky vitamin trivia.
Additionally, the survey found that the percentage of children who are confident in their vitamin knowledge is 37% versus 24%.The gap extends to other areas of nutrition, with over a quarter of adults (27%) incorrectly believing broccoli is a protein, and one in ten (9%) believing ketchup is one of their five-a-day foods.
Additionally, 24% had never even heard of the World Health Organisation’s ‘five meals a day’ campaign. Two in ten (21%) believed tomatoes were a vegetable, and 36% did not know that ginger is made from a root.
For those wanting to educate themselves on vitamins, Plenish has launched a vitamin quiz that could reveal whether Brits are smarter than their kids.
