The projected rise in atmospheric CO2 levels to 550 ppm by mid-century may reduce protein, iron, and zinc levels in certain cereal crops by 3–17 %. In China, staple foods provide nearly 50 % of total ...energy and 40 % of essential nutrients, and their cultivation exacerbates environmental stress; adjusting staple food consumption may bring environmental and health benefits. Using China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data, this study compared current staple food consumption (SBAU) to an optimized balanced diet scenario with the consumption of whole grains and legumes replaces excessive refined grains. Findings reveal that SBAU falls short of recommended nutrient intake (RNI), while the optimized scenario offsets the nutritional impact of the elevated CO2, exceeding 95 % of the RNI for zinc and iron from staple food. Additionally, transition to the optimized scenario also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and blue water consumption by 7 % and 39 %, respectively.
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Without a doubt, fruits and vegetables are important components of a balanced and healthy diet. However, their consumption is very low in the world, with the lowest figures being reported in ...sub-Saharan Africa. The low consumption of fruits and vegetables means unbalanced and unhealthy diets, which has been linked to various diseases and conditions associated with increased mortality rates in worst cases. Poverty is the major contributor to the low consumption of fruits and vegetables in the majority of cases. However, the world, including sub-Saharan Africa, is endowed with numerous wild fruit and vegetable species which can be exploited and incorporated into the diets and help solve some nutrition related concerns. Therefore, in this review, we explore literature on wild fruits and vegetables with a special emphasis on some of the poorest regions of the world and where the lowest consumption figures are reported; their nutritional compositions; the status of their consumption and their role in the diet with a view to uncover their possible role in delivering a healthy and balanced diet as well as helping lower food and nutrition insecurity. A total of 396 articles were downloaded and analysed but only 213 were considered for this review. The results of the search indicate that wild fruits and vegetables are nutritionally rich and high in phytochemicals, especially antioxidants and therefore can possibly play a significant and positive role in delivering a healthy and balanced diet. However, the major challenge is the acceptability, accessibility as well as a lack of interest in wild fruits and vegetables and sheer neglect. People need to be educated using various forms of media on the nutritional and health benefits of these wild food plants with a view to bring them from the forest to the plate. Researchers need to channel more efforts towards domesticating them for ease of access, among other reasons. Governments need to incentivise the subsistence or commercial production of wild fruits and vegetables in order to encourage farmers to cultivate them. However, seeds and/or seedlings need to be made available and affordable to the farmers. The ‘hidden treasures’ in the forests in the form of edible plants could easily play a positive and huge role in delivering a balanced and healthy diet, especially in poor parts of the world.
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•The world is endowed with numerous wild fruit and vegetable species that can help lower food and nutrition insecurity•Wild fruit and vegetables are rich nutritionally and in antioxidants•Wild fruit and vegetables can play a big and positive role in providing a balanced diet•Acceptability and accessibility of wild fruit and vegetables remain a challenge•Acceptable wild fruits and vegetables need to be domesticated•Wild fruit and vegetable seeds and/or seedlings need to be produced•Government needs to incentivise the cultivation of wild fruit and vegetables
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An increasing disconnect between livestock production and croplands has been observed in many world regions, including China, which has the world’s largest livestock production ...sector. Here we propose a cropland-based livestock production system to rebuild the linkage between livestock and cropland from both agriculture production and human consumption perspectives for China. In 2015, the total excretion nitrogen (N) generated by livestock production operations was 14.6 Tg N, and it would grow to 15.0 Tg in 2030 by extrapolating current trends. The optimal demand of total N by crops in China was estimated to be 23.0 Tg N in 2030, suggesting that Chinese livestock would be within the carrying capacity of cropland on national level, but substantial variations were found across provinces. The carrying capacity of cropland with regard to N input from manure would be exceeded in 74% provinces, under the assumption that manure providing half of the N supply for crops. Furthermore, from the perspective of domestic feed supply for livestock production, about 51% of feed N needs to be imported. If following the optimized dietary structure of China to manage livestock sector, livestock production could be reduced by 37% in excretion nitrogen, which would not only benefit the food security and human health, but also mitigate the agricultural pollution. Accordingly, policy regulations on reduction and spatially reallocation of livestock production on a regional scale could substantially reduce manure N loss from 10.5 Tg yr−1 to 1–1.2 Tg yr−1 under different recoupled scenarios.
Growing female athletes must consume nutritionally balanced meals to avoid health risks such as excessive calorie restriction. Furthermore, food education that encourages behavioral changes is ...necessary to acquire correct food knowledge and problem-solving skills throughout oneʼs life. We present a case study of high school female athletes who became aware of the importance of a balanced diet as a result of breakfast provided during a training camp.
Human subsistence is highly dependent on food. Food offers essential nutrients for the healthy growth and development of all cells in the body; as well as providing energy for day-to-day activities. ...A healthy diet focuses on balance. This refers to consuming the right foods in the proper proportions to maintain a healthy weight and optimize the body's metabolic processes. Today, the nutrition arena has evolved rapidly. In developed countries, nutritional deficiencies efforts have shifted to managing excessive calories, inactive lifestyles and stress. Nutritional and technological advances concurrently curbed nutrient deficiency diseases, while abutting the growing concerns on obesity, noncommunicable diseases and ageing. Acknowledging the nutritional guidelines worldwide, it is imperative to look at the “new-old” approaches to maintaining a wholesome diet to ensure a healthy lifestyle. In the 1980s, the University of Giessen came forward with the concept of ‘Wholesome Nutrition’ which is a concept of sustainable nutrition. It comprises health and the ecological, economic, social and cultural dimensions of nutrition. Later, sustainable nutrition incorporates the environment, economy, society, health and culture. On the other hand, past lessons and observing the good manners of the previous Muslims are recommended by Islamic principles. Among similarities in the core elements discussed by both are the preference for plant-based foods and minimally processed products. This article discusses the approaches by the West on the concept of sustainable nutrition; and eating habits by early Muslims in achieving wholesome nutrition.
•Chicken’s growth and performance is greatly influenced by feed formulation.•Alternative feed additives became a priority to the poultry industry.•Knowledge of chicken’s physiology enables the ...development of new feeding strategies.•Chicken gut microbiota characterization is essential to study feed impact.•In vitro models predict the impact of new functional feed formulations.
The animal’s diet is a crucial factor, as poultry feed formulations influences greatly their development, well-being and final products quality, i.e., meat and eggs. Therefore, the search for feed additives that provide concomitantly better performances, low-cost usage, guarantying the animal well-being and products safety, became a priority to the poultry industry. Although in an early stage, research has been focused on developing the optimal cost-efficient feed formulations, taking into account the chicken’s physiology and function of the gastrointestinal tract and intestinal microbiota. This review discusses a number of concepts and novel approaches towards the optimization of poultry’s feed formulations, by critically encompassing the animal’s growth and performance. Additionally, it highlights the in vitro gastrointestinal models capabilities as a potential solution to test highly nutritive, well-balanced and efficient feed formulations within a circular economy framework.
In order to research on the method for athletes to improve the training effect through a reasonable diet, the influence of nutrition intervention measures on athletes' nutrition intake and body ...composition is studied in this paper. In this research, 179 high-temperature training athletes were supplemented with nutritional interventions such as vitamins, minerals, collagen, and energy. Prospective observations of thermal energy and three major nutrient intakes before and after the intervention showed that the levels of carbohydrates and protein after the intervention were higher than before the intervention. The fat level decreased; after the intervention, the athletes' sugar, salt, water supply and sweating were higher than before the intervention, and their body fat percentage decreased. It shows that nutrition intervention based on athletes and environmental characteristics can improve athletes' energy utilization and appetite, and help improve training results. Key words: Nutrition, Acid Metabolites, Body Fat, Balanced Diet
The importance of balanced dietary habits, which include appropriate amounts of antioxidants to maintain the immune system, has become increasingly relevant during the current SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 ...pandemic, because viral infections are characterized by high oxidative stress. Furthermore, the measures taken by governments to control the pandemic have led to increased anxiety, stress, and depression, which affect physical and mental health, all of which are influenced by nutritional status, diet, and lifestyle. The Mediterranean diet (MD), Atlantic diet (AD), and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans all provide the essential vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds needed to activate enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant responses. However, viral pandemics such as the current COVID-19 crisis entail high oxidative damage caused by both the infection and the resultant social stresses within populations, which increases the probability and severity of infection. Balanced dietary patterns such as the MD and the AD are characterized by the consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, and whole grains with low intakes of processed foods and red meat. For a healthy lifestyle in young adults, the MD in particular provides the required amount of antioxidants per day for vitamins D (0.3–3.8 μg), E (17.0 mg), C (137.2–269.8 mg), A (1273.3 μg), B-12 (1.5–2.0 μg), and folate (455.1–561.3 μg), the minerals Se (120.0 μg), Zn (11.0 mg), Fe (15.0–18.8 mg), and Mn (5.2–12.5 mg), and polyphenols (1171.00 mg) needed to maintain an active immune response. However, all of these diets are deficient in the recommended amount of vitamin D (20 μg/d). Therefore, vulnerable populations such as elders and obese individuals could benefit from antioxidant supplementation to improve their antioxidant response. Although evidence remains scarce, there is some indication that a healthy diet, along with supplemental antioxidant intake, is beneficial to COVID-19 patients.
The relationship between the consumption of meat and health is multifaceted, and it needs to be analyzed in detail, with specific attention to the relevant differences that characterize the effects ...of the different meat types, as yet considered by only a limited literature. A variable but moderate energy content, highly digestible proteins (with low levels of collagen) of good nutritional quality, unsaturated lipids (mainly found in the skin and easily removed), B-group vitamins (mainly thiamin, vitamin B6, and pantothenic acid), and minerals (like iron, zinc, and copper) make poultry meat a valuable food. Epidemiological studies performed across the world, in highly diverse populations with different food preferences and nutritional habits, provide solid information on the association between poultry consumption, within a balanced diet, and good health. Consumption of poultry meat, as part of a vegetable-rich diet, is associated with a risk reduction of developing overweight and obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Also, white meat (and poultry in particular) is considered moderately protective or neutral on cancer risk. The relevance of poultry meat for humans also has been recognized by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), who considers this widely available, relatively inexpensive food to be particularly useful in developing countries, where it can help to meet shortfalls in essential nutrients. Moreover, poultry meat consumption also contributes to the overall quality of the diet in specific ages and conditions (prior to conception, during pregnancy up to the end of breastfeeding, during growth, and in the geriatric age) and is suitable for those who have an increased need for calorie and protein compared to the general population.
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