By 2050, the world's population will reach 9.7 billion, with a large majority of the increase occurring in low- and middle-income countries (1). Economic development and increased urbanization is ...predicted to cause a rapid growth of protein consumption, especially of animal-derived proteins. Meeting the demand for proteins while respecting environmental limits is a huge challenge. Diversification of protein sources is mandatory, with partial substitution of animal proteins with alternative sustainable protein sources. However, animal proteins are regarded as a reference in terms of nutritional quality and attention should be paid to quality when considering new protein sources, particularly with the view of lowering global protein intake. Nutritional quality can be...
Context: Evidence that menu labeling influences food choices in real-life settings is lacking. Reviews usually focus on calorie counts without addressing broader issues related to healthy eating. ...Objective: This systematic review assessed the influence of diverse menu-labeling formats on food choices in real-life settings. Data Sources: Several databases were searched: Cochrane Library, Scopus, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Food Science and Technology Abstracts, Biological Abstracts, CAB Abstracts, EconLit, SciELO, and LILACS. Study Selection: Articles reporting experiments, quasi-experiments, and observational studies using control or preintervention groups were selected blindly by two reviewers. Data Extraction: Data was extracted using a standard form. Analyses differentiated between foodservice types. The quality of the 38 included studies was assessed blindly by two reviewers. Data Analysis: The results were mixed, but a partial influence of menu labeling on food choices was more frequent than an overall influence or no influence. Menu labeling was more effective in cafeterias than in restaurants. Qualitative information, such as healthy-food symbols and traffic-light labeling, was most effective in promoting healthy eating. In general, the studies were of moderate quality and did not use control groups. Conclusions: Calorie labeling in menus is not effective to promote healthier food choices. Further research in real-life settings with control groups should test diverse qualitative information in menu labeling.
Food exchange lists have been widely used in dietary practice in health and disease situations, but there are still no exchange lists for sports foods. The aim of this study was to apply a previous ...published methodology to design food exchange lists to the development of a sports food exchange list, with sport products available in Spain. A cross-sectional study of the nutritional composition of sports foods, regarding macronutrients and energy, was carried out. A total of 322 sports foods from 18 companies were selected, taking into account their interest in sports practice and with nutritional data provided by companies. Sports foods were divided into seven groups: sports drinks; sports gels; sports bars; sports confectionery; protein powders; protein bars; and liquid meals. A sports food composition database based on portion size usually consumed by athletes and/or recommended in commercial packaging was created. Within each sports foods group, different subgroups were defined due to differences in the main and/or secondary macronutrient. The definition of each exchange list with the amounts-in grams-of each sports food within each group and subgroup, was done using statistical criteria such as mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and Z value. Final exchange values for energy and macronutrient have been established for each group and subgroup using a methodology to design food exchange lists previously published by the authors. In addition, those products with high Z values that can provide greater variability in dietary planning were included. The usefulness of sport foods lists as well as the use of an exchange system in the dietary practice of sports nutrition is discussed, and examples of how to use them with athletes are presented. This first sport foods exchange list showed in this study, with commercial sports products available in Spain, can be a novel tool for dietetic practice and also can allow sport nutrition professionals to develop another sport food list using the methodology described in this paper. Its management would allow dietitians to adapt dietary plans more precisely to the training and/or competition of the athlete.
Food choice behavior plays a large role in achieving sustainability goals. Meat in particular has a negative environmental impact as compared with plant-based food – and is more frequently chosen in ...restaurant contexts. To increase plant-based meal choices in restaurants, we tested three nudges for menus that are likely to be implemented by restaurant owners: a hedonic label (e.g., artisanal vegetable burger), a chef's recommendation (specifying the vegetarian option as the chef's favorite), and a salience nudge (a box around the vegetarian option). In an online experiment, we showed participants (n = 513) in four conditions (no nudge, hedonic label, chef's recommendation, and salience nudge) five menus with four meal options each, one of which was vegetarian. We asked participants to choose a meal and subsequently to rate these meals on how tasty and indulgent they were (taste and indulgence attributions). We then revealed which nudge was used to the participants and asked how participants received it. Results show that the hedonic label and chef's recommendation nudge (but not the salience nudge) both increase vegetarian meal choices. The hedonic label increased participants' attributions of indulgence of the meal, but not of tastiness. This finding fits with restaurants' gastronomic, pleasure-seeking context and shapes future directions of labeling interventions, namely that indulgence attributions can be increased in vegetarian foods. Furthermore, the nudges were generally well accepted and participants' intention to return to the (virtual) restaurant was high. Finally, customers expected the hedonic label nudge to be more effective in promoting vegetarian food choices than the other two nudges, partially corresponding with our findings of actual effectiveness.
ABSATRCT Objective This study aimed to investigate the main criteria used by nutritionists to plan school menus within the framework of the Brazilian National School Feeding Program. Methods ...Nutritionists from 21 municipalities in Southern Brazil were interviewed. Municipalities had between 20,000 and 70,000 inhabitants and were located in different mesoregions. Data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire and subjected to content analysis using NVivo® software. Results Sixteen criteria were identified, grouped into four categories: (1) food habits, culture, and acceptance; (2) nutritional characteristics; (3) food availability; and (4) management and execution. Brazilian National School Feeding Program regulations were recurrently cited within all identified categories, which demonstrates the influence of the program on nutritionists’ activities. Conclusion Brazilian National School Feeding Program regulatory guidelines for the development of school menus seem to influence the decision making of nutritionists. However, food purchase from family farms and calculation of meal nutritional value seem to be incipient criteria.
RESUMO Objetivo Explorar os principais critérios utilizados na elaboração de cardápios escolares na perspectiva de nutricionistas que participam do Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar. Métodos Foram entrevistadas nutricionistas responsáveis pela alimentação escolar de 21 municípios de diferentes mesorregiões da região Sul do Brasil que possuíam entre 20 e 70 mil habitantes. Utilizando um questionário aberto, as nutricionistas foram interrogadas sobre os critérios utilizados na elaboração dos cardápios. O conteúdo dos questionários foi analisado com auxílio do software NVivo®. Resultados Dezesseis critérios foram identificados e agrupados em quatro categorias: (1) hábitos, cultura alimentar e aceitação; (2) características nutricionais; (3) disponibilidade de alimentos; (4) gestão e execução. A regulamentação do Programa foi um critério recorrente em todas as categorias, demonstrando sua influência nas atividades das nutricionistas. Conclusão Os critérios estabelecidos pela legislação do Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar para a elaboração de cardápios parecem influenciar a tomada de decisões das nutricionistas. O cálculo nutricional dos cardápios e a compra de alimentos produzidos pela agricultura familiar, no entanto, parecem ser critérios ainda incipientes.
To lower environmental impact of human food consumption, replacement of animal proteins with plant-based proteins is encouraged. However, the lower iron bioavailability of plant-based foods is rarely ...considered when designing healthy and sustainable diets by using diet modeling. The estimated absorbable iron content of vegetarian and vegan menu plans might therefore be too optimistic.
The main aim of this study was to investigate and compare the impact of various methods to estimate absorbable iron intake on the nutritional adequacy of omnivorous, vegetarian, and vegan menu plans designed for women of reproductive age.
A diet model was developed to design menu plans consisting of a selection of meals that best complied with nutritional requirements. Meals used for modeling were created based on food intake data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). For each meal, absorbable iron concentrations were estimated by using 2 constant absorption factors (18% and 10%) and 2 diet-dependent absorption equations (Conway and Hallberg). For each absorption method and diet type, we used the diet model to design the optimal menu plan. Retrospectively, menu plans were evaluated by estimating the absorbable iron content by using the other absorption methods.
Retrospective diet-dependent absorbable iron estimates were consistently lower than estimates based on constant absorption factors. Using diet-dependent estimates increased absorbable iron by optimizing enhancer and inhibitor concentrations.
Iron bioavailability should be considered when modeling diets.
Poor dietary quality is a leading contributor to mortality in the United States, and to most cardiovascular risk factors. By providing education on lifestyle changes and, specifically, dietary ...changes, hospitals have the opportunity to use the patient experience as a “teachable moment.” The food options provided to inpatients and outpatients can be a paradigm for patients to follow upon discharge from the hospital. There are hospitals in the United States that are showcasing novel ways to increase awareness of optimal dietary patterns and can serve as a model for hospitals nationwide.
It is widely accepted that meal size is governed by psychological and physiological processes that generate fullness towards the end of a meal. However, observations of natural eating behaviour ...suggest that this preoccupation with within-meal events may be misplaced and that the role of immediate post-ingestive feedback (for example, gastric stretch) has been overstated. This review considers the proposition that the locus of control is more likely to be expressed in decisions about portion size, before a meal begins. Consistent with this idea, we have discovered that people are extremely adept at estimating the 'expected satiety' and 'expected satiation' of different foods. These expectations are learned over time and they are highly correlated with the number of calories that end up on our plate. Indeed, across a range of foods, the large variation in expected satiety/satiation may be a more important determinant of meal size than relatively subtle differences in palatability. Building on related advances, it would also appear that memory for portion size has an important role in generating satiety after a meal has been consumed. Together, these findings expose the importance of planning and episodic memory in the control of appetite and food intake in humans.
It is often assumed that children avoid fruit in school cafeterias because of higher relative prices and preferences for other foods. Interviews with children reveal that eating whole fresh fruit can ...be difficult for those with small mouths or braces. Older girls find whole fruits messy and unattractive to eat.
To determine the effect of offering pre-sliced fruit in schools on selection and intake.
Three of six schools were assigned randomly to serve apples in slices. Three control schools served apples whole. Selection, consumption, and waste of apples were measured prior to and during treatment.
Cafeterias in six public middle schools in Wayne County NY in 2011. Participants included all students who purchased lunch on days when data were collected.
Treatment schools were provided with a standard commercial fruit slicer, and cafeteria staff members were instructed to use it when students requested apples. Trained researchers recorded how much of each apple was consumed and how much was wasted in both control and treatment schools.
Daily apple sales, percentage of an apple serving consumed per student, and percentage of an apple serving wasted per student.
Data were analyzed in 2012. Schools that used fruit slicers to pre-slice fruit increased average daily apple sales by 71% compared to control schools (p<0.01). The percentage of students who selected apples and ate more than half increased by 73% (p=0.02) at schools that served pre-sliced fruit, and the percentage that wasted half or more decreased by 48% (p=0.03).
Sliced fruit is more appealing to children than whole fruit because it is easier and tidier to eat. This study applies the principle of convenience from behavioral economics and provides an example of a scalable, low-cost environmental change that promotes healthy eating and decreases waste.
PDF
