Food Alone May Not Provide Sufficient Micronutrients for Preventing Deficiency1

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) has stated that the best nutritional strategy for promoting optimal health and reducing the risk of chronic disease is to wisely choose a wide variety of foods. Seventy diets were computer analyzed from the menu of athletes or sedentary subjects seeking to improve the quality of micronutrient intake from food choices. All of these dietary analyses fell short of the recommended 100% RDA micronutrient level from food alone. Therefore, based on diets analyzed for adequacy or inadequacy of macronutrients and micronutrients, a challenging question is proposed: "Does food selection alone provide 100% of the former RDA or newer RDI micronutrient recommended daily requirement?

Position of the American Dietetic Association: total diet approach to communicating food and nutrition information

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that the total diet or overall pattern of food eaten is the most important focus of a healthful eating style. All foods can fit within this pattern, if consumed in moderation with appropriate portion size and combined with regular physical activity. The American Dietetic Association strives to communicate healthful eating messages to the public that emphasize a balance of foods, rather than any one food or meal. Public policies that support the total diet approach include the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, MyPyramid, the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), Dietary Reference Intakes, and nutrition labeling. The value of a food should be determined within the context of the total diet because classifying foods as good or bad may foster unhealthful eating behaviors. Alternative approaches may be necessary in some health conditions. Eating practices are dynamic and influenced by many factors, including taste and food preferences, weight concerns, physiology, lifestyle, time challenges, economics, environment, attitudes and beliefs, social/cultural influences, media, food technology, and food product safety. To increase the effectiveness of nutrition education in promoting sensible food choices, food and nutrition professionals should utilize appropriate behavioral theory and evidence-based strategies. A focus on moderation and proportionality in the context of a healthful lifestyle, rather than specific nutrients or foods, can help reduce consumer confusion. Proactive, empowering, and practical messages that emphasize the total diet approach promote positive lifestyle changes

A Comparative Study of Eating Habits and Food Intake in Women with Gestational Diabetes according to Early Postpartum Glucose Tolerance Status

BackgroundWomen with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at high risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD); continuous life-style intervention, especially diet, is central to managing T2DM and CVD. However, little is known about the dietary patterns of women with GDM after delivery. The goal of this study was to compare the eating habits and food intakes of women diagnosed with GDM during the early postpartum period.MethodsWe performed a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in 184 women with GDM between 6 and 12 weeks after delivery. Based on the results of the OGTT, the subjects were divided into three groups according to the American Diabetes Association criteria; normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (n=100), pre-diabetes (n=73), and diabetes mellitus (DM) (n=11). Eating habits and usual food intake after delivery were investigated using a questionnaire, based on 24 hour-recall, which was administered by a trained dietitian. The daily intake data were analyzed using CAN Pro 3.0. Blood tests were performed pre- and post-delivery.ResultsEating habits were not significantly different among the three groups. However, animal fat consumption was significantly different among the three groups. The intake ratio of fat calories to total calories was also significantly higher in the pre-diabetes and DM groups.ConclusionAlthough diet in the period 6 to 12 weeks postpartum did not influence glucose level, it may be important to educate women with GDM about the risks of excessive animal fat intake during pregnancy and the postpartum period in order to prevent later onset of T2DM

The consumption of protein-rich foods in older adults: An exploratory focus group study

Objective: Many older adults consume inadequate protein for their needs. This study explored the factors associated with the consumption of high-protein foods in older adults. Methods: Participants over the age of 65 years (n = 28) took part in 1 of 4 focus group discussions on meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, and pulses. Discussions were audio taped, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Numerous and various reasons for the consumption and non-consumption of high-protein foods were reported. Many of these reasons result from reductions in chemosensory, dental and physical abilities, and changes in living situation in the older population, and have impact specifically on high-protein foods because of their often hard, perishable and need-to-be-cooked nature, and high cost. Conclusions and Implications: Further work is required to establish the importance of each of thesereasons in relation to protein intakes, to prioritize those of likely greatest impact for increasing intakes. © 2013 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior

American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141469/1/ncp0792.pd

You are what you eat? Vegetarianism, health and identity

This paper examines the views of ‘health vegetarians’ through a qualitative study of an online vegetarian message board. The researcher participated in discussions on the board, gathered responses to questions from 33 participants, and conducted follow-up e-mail interviews with 18 of these participants. Respondents were predominantly from the United States, Canada and the UK. Seventy per cent were female, and ages ranged from 14 to 53 years, with a median of 26 years. These data are interrogated within a theoretical framework that asks, ‘what can a vegetarian body do?’ and explores the physical, psychic, social and conceptual relations of participants. This provides insights into the identities of participants, and how diet and identity interact. It is concluded that vegetarianism is both a diet and a bodily practice with consequences for identity formation and stabilisation

Comparing the effectiveness of a multi-component weight loss intervention in adults with and without intellectual disabilities

<p>Background: The prevalence of obesity in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) is rising, although the evidence base for its treatment in this population group is minimal. Weight management interventions that are accessible to adults with ID will reduce the inequalities that they frequently experience in health services. This short report compared the effectiveness of weight management in those with and without ID who completed nine sessions of a multi-component weight management programme.</p> <p>Methods: TAKE 5 is a 16-week multi-component weight management intervention for adults with ID and obesity [body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg m–2]. This intervention is an adaption of the weight management programme provided by the Glasgow & Clyde Weight Management Service (GCWMS) for adults without ID and obesity (National Health Service based). Fifty-two participants of the TAKE 5 programme were individually matched by baseline characteristics (sex, age and BMI) with two participants without ID of the GCWMS programme. Comparisons in terms of weight and BMI change and rate of weight loss were made for those who attended all nine sessions.</p> <p>Results: There were no significant differences between the groups in the amount of weight loss (median: −3.6 versus −3.8 kg, respectively, P = 0.4), change in BMI (median: −1.5 versus −1.4 kg m–2, P = 0.9), success of achieving 5% weight loss (41.3% versus 36.8%, P = 0.9) and rate of weight loss across the 16-week intervention.</p> <p>Conclusions: A multi-component weight loss intervention can be equally effective for adults with and without ID and obesity.</p&gt

Dietary assessment in minority ethnic groups: A systematic review of portion size estimation instruments relevant for the UK

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Nutrition Reviews following peer review. The version of record Almiron-Roig, E., Galloway, C., Aitken, A. & Ellahi., B. (2016). Dietary assessment in minority ethnic groups: A systematic review of portion size estimation instruments relevant for the UK. Nutrition Reviews, 75(3), 188-213. DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuw058 is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/nutrit/nuw058Context: Dietary assessment in minority ethnic groups is critical for surveillance programmes and for implementing effective interventions. A major challenge is the accurate estimation of portion sizes for traditional foods/dishes. Objective: To systematically review published records up to 2014 describing a portion size estimation element (PSEE) applicable to dietary assessment of UK-residing ethnic minorities. Data sources, selection, extraction: Electronic databases, internet sites, and theses repositories were searched generating 5683 titles from which 57 eligible full-text records were reviewed. Data analysis: Forty-two publications aimed at minority ethnic groups (n=20) or autochthonous populations (n=22) were included. The most common PSEE (47%) were combination tools (e.g. food models and portion size lists); followed by portion size lists in questionnaires/guides (19%); image-based and volumetric tools (17% each). Only 17% PSEE had been validated against weighed data. Conclusions: When developing ethnic-specific dietary assessment tools it is important to consider customary portion sizes by sex and age; traditional household utensil usage and population literacy levels. Combining multiple PSEE may increase accuracy but such tools need validating