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Asekenye et al. | Journal of Clinical and Translational Research 2023; 9(6): 398-413 407
Table 8. Summary of the key survey outcomes
Survey outcomes Ankole sub‑region Teso sub‑region
Consumption of vegetables
Most frequently eaten vegetables Amaranthus spp., Brassica oleracea, Phaseolus vulgaris, Vigna unguiculata, Cleome gynandra, Hibiscus sabdariffa,
and Solanum nigrum and Amaranthus spp.
Collection time and vegetable state Evening hours, prepared fresh Afternoon hours, prepared fresh (during wet season) and dry
during preparation (during dry season)
Preparation methods Usually one vegetable specie (at a time) prepared by Usually one or two vegetable specie (s) (at a time) prepared by
steaming on top of bananas, mixing with other foods (like boiling (for some with soda ash), mixing with roasted sesame/
bananas, cassava) and other stews (such as beans and fresh groundnut paste.
groundnut paste).
Quantity served and frequency eaten/ At most three servings, as side sauce, alongside another At most five servings as main sauce. Eaten for more than 5
week main source. Eaten for<3 days/week. days/week.
Purpose Eaten as a side sauce, as alternative in time of need, for Eaten as main sauce, for food security, nutrition, and
nutrition. medicine.
Availability Throughout the year Only in wet season and preserved (by drying) for dry season.
Cultivation Intercropped in plantations, grow voluntarily in the Grown in gardens, grow voluntarily in compounds and in the
compounds and in the wild. wild.
Prevalence of hyperglycemia
Prevalence 35.5% 19.5%

leaves, local salt called “Abalang” (filtrate from ash obtained from at all [50]. This method of preservation works by reducing water/
burning of dry banana peelings, mature cotton stems, and mature moisture to a percentage low enough to prevent or delay bacterial
amaranths plants) is added, and then, sodium chloride is added to growth and reduce the vegetable weight. However, it is not
taste. This can be eaten at this stage, or sour milk, groundnut, or encouraged because it results in loss of vegetable nutrients such
sesame paste/butter are added depending on household preference as β-carotene and vitamin C up to 58 and 84%, respectively [50].
to spice it [29]. Cleome gynandra in particular is almost always Instead, drying in a shade with sufficient aeration was advised [51].
eaten pasted with groundnut paste, and if eaten when it is simply It is however a very rare practice in Ankole sub-region since most
boiled, it was for relieving body ache, that is why participants vegetables are intercropped in banana and coffee gardens, and
in Teso sub-region called it “plant ibuprofen.” Later, in 2021, during dry season, water/moisture loss is reduced by mulching
Nakaziba et al. also listed it along with Corchorus spp., Vigna of gardens with thick layers of grasses, coffee husks, and dry
unguculatta, and H. sabdariffa among the medicinal vegetables banana leaves and stems, and some farmers store water in built
in Northern region (which includes Teso sub-region), having underground reservoirs with tarpaulins inside, [52,53]. In 2006,
positive effects on the various systems in the body [42]. The Musinguzi et al., explained the further decline of preservation of
addition of either groundnut/sesame butter does not only make vegetables in Ankole sub-region as a result of limited available
the vegetable stew tasty but also complements on its nutritional knowledge on their nutritional content since more emphasis
and medicinal value. Groundnut seeds are reported to contain are placed on commercial, high yielding exotic plants (such as
nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, oil, and minerals. These coffee, pineapples and bananas) by both the agricultural extension
nutrients are indispensable for nourishing the body. Moreover, officers and farmers.
the oil has high density lipids that are considered the “good” In this study, 86% of the respondents consumed less than the
cholesterol because it removes the “harmful bad” type from the minimum recommended five servings of vegetables per day,
blood, thereby reducing its deposition, and in turn reducing body which is in agreement with reports from the largest population-
weight gain, a risk factor of hyperglycemia [43,44]. Sesame on based world- wide and the nationwide cross-sectional survey to
the other hand contains a great deal of fiber content in addition to examine the prevalence of low vegetable consumption [54,55].
the minerals, making it ideal for improving nutritional status [45]. According to most participants in Ankole sub-region (especially
It is also endowed with a range of phytochemicals [46] beneficial in town councils), steamed vegetables are usually served as a side
for diabetes. The influence of these phytochemicals has been dish, that is, a portion (maximum of 2 serving spoonfuls) is served
reviewed in different study deigns including clinical trials and on the plate alongside other foods like cooking bananas (matooke),
has been shown to positively affect the glycemic makers and posho (corn meal which is a dish of maize flour cooked with water
metabolic parameters [47,48]. A noteworthy compound in sesame to porridge or dough), cassava, rice and sweet potatoes, and eaten
is pinoresinol; it helps to control blood glucose by repressing the with stew on the same or another plate [24], whereas in Teso sub-
activity of maltase enzyme in the stomach [49]. region, five or more servings of vegetables is eaten with foods
Drying in direct sun is a traditional preservation method often such as kalo (bread made of cassava and millet flour), cassava,
applied by participants in Teso sub-region to increase the shelf life sweet potatoes, and posho. Clearly, consumption of vegetables
of vegetables up to dry season when they are scarce or not available is still higher in Teso sub-region than in Ankole sub-region just
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18053/jctres.09.202306.23-00096