Estimation of greenhouse gas emissions from Japanese healthy meals with different protein sources

IntroductionDiets that promote people’s health and environment-friendly are essential for achieving a sustainable society. Protein sources are the main contributors of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), and lower intakes of livestock meat and more intakes of poultry meat and legumes are recommended. Although Japanese consume less meat than other countries, it is unclear whether the GHGE of healthy Japanese meals is sufficient to solve climate change. In addition, most previous studies have focused on general household meals, not necessarily healthy meals. Therefore, we explored recommended food choices of protein sources in both healthy and environment-friendly meals.MethodsWe used data on healthy meals provided by retailers certified under the “Healthy Meal and Food Environment” Certification System. We first examined the number of main ingredients in the staple, main, and side dishes. We then compared the GHGE of meals with different combinations of main ingredients of main dishes (protein sources). To estimate the GHGE, we developed a database of GHGE per food weight for each food in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan.ResultsData on a total of 509 meals were considered in the analysis. The mean ± standard deviation of the total GHGE of one meal was 1044.7 ± 614.9 g-CO2 eq/650 kcal. The minimum and maximum values were 412.5 and 4268.5 g-CO2 eq/650 kcal, respectively. Regarding meat, chicken was more likely to be used in meals with low GHGE.DiscussionThe healthy meals with the lowest GHGE in this study had the potential to contribute to solving climate change. Although healthy meals in this study were created with the same nutrient level criteria, a large difference existed between the minimum and maximum GHGE and it depends on the choice of protein ingredients. The findings may be useful to develop food guide for Japanese taking environmental perspectives into account

Determinants of Changes in the Diet Quality of Japanese Adults during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

This study evaluated changes in diet quality during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its association with variations in attitudes or behavior, as well as health status changes. Participants were Japanese adults aged 20–69 years who resided in 13 prefectures where specific cautions were announced to prevent the spread of the virus. An online survey was conducted in September 2021, and participants were those who shopped for food or prepared meals more than twice a week during the survey. Overall, 2101 participants were analyzed. An improved or worsened diet quality was determined based on changes in food consumption patterns, and participants were categorized into three groups (improved diet quality (IDQ), worsened diet quality (WDQ), and others). The IDQ group participants (10.2%) improved their dietary consciousness during COVID-19, cooked almost everything from ingredients, and increased their balanced meal eating frequency. However, the WDQ participants (11.1%) had worsened dietary consciousness and increased consumption of takeaway meals and alcohol but decreased balanced meal consumption. Cooking frequency changes were not independent determinants of variations in diet quality. Our results show that the diet quality changes during COVID-19 were possibly caused by changes in dietary consciousness or different levels of meal preparation practices

Differences in the Values and Related Factors of Eating a Balanced Meal among the Younger Generation in Japan

This study examined young Japanese adults’ values regarding the consumption of balanced meals consisting of staples, main dishes, and side dishes and how these values relate to demographics, socioeconomic status, nutrition knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviors, and diet-related quality of life. Data were obtained from the “Survey on Dietary Habits of the Younger Generation” (2000 responses, ages 18–39), of which 1888 valid responses were analyzed. The principal component analysis identified three value patterns: PC1—valuable yet burdensome; PC2—environment-reliant, weak initiative; and PC3—low value due to hassle. Both PC1 and PC3 were associated with prioritizing prices in food choices and knowledge of a balanced meal. However, PC1 participants valued balanced meals and possessed meal preparation skills, whereas PC3 participants valued balanced meals less and had negative attitudes toward eating them. PC1 was positively associated with the frequency of eating balanced meals while PC3 was negatively associated. PC2 individuals had positive attitudes toward eating balanced meals but were less concerned about nutritional balance when choosing foods themselves. This study highlights the importance of adopting an approach that aligns with the value patterns of the target population

Factors Influencing Changes in Food Preparation during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associations with Food Intake among Japanese Adults

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate factors associated with changes in food-preparation practices during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Japan and its associations to food-group intake. To examine this, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted in July 2020. Participants were 2285 adults aged 20–69 years who resided in any of 13 prefectures in Japan where specific COVID-19 regulations had been implemented. Self-reported changes in food-preparation practices when compared to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period were measured as “increased” (24.6%), “decreased” (7.3%), and “no change” (68.1%), respectively. Stepwise logistic regression analyses indicated that participants who increased the time and effort for food preparation were younger in age, partially working remotely, experiencing reduced household income due to COVID-19, but highly concerned the importance of diet. On the other hand, participants whose household income decreased, and household economic status worsened, as well as those whose importance of diet deteriorated due to COVID-19 were more likely to decrease time and effort for cooking. Although the increased group were more likely to prepare meals with raw ingredients, the decreased group showed higher frequency of using takeout. These results indicated major determinants of changes in time spending on food preparation in consequence of COVID-19, and highlighted essential targets for future nutrition education

Relationship between rice consumption and body weight gain in Japanese workers: white versus brown rice/multigrain rice

Increasing obesity rates have driven research into dietary support for body weight control, but previous studies have only assessed changes in body weight of Âą 3 kg. We investigated the relationships between white or brown/multigrain rice consumption and one-year body weight gain â Ľ 3 kg in Japanese factory workers (n = 437). Routine medical check-up data from a one-year nutrition and lifestyle cohort study were analysed. Participants were divided into white rice and brown/multigrain rice consumption groups and further classified by tertile of rice consumption. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed by tertile. At one year, high white rice consumption was significantly associated with increased risk of body weight gain â Ľ 3 kg compared with low white rice consumption, maintained after adjustment for age, sex and consumption of other obesogenic foods (p = 0.034). In the brown/multigrain rice consumption group, however, there was no significant difference in risk between high and low consumption, even after multivariate adjustment (p = 0.387). The consumption of white rice, but not brown rice/multigrain rice, was positively correlated with the risk of a one-year body weight gain of 3 kg or more. This suggests that brown rice/multigrain rice consumption is useful for body weight control among Japanese workers.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Dietary intake and weight status of urban Thai preadolescents in the context of food environment

Little attention has been devoted to the importance of understanding the association between dietary intake and childhood obesity in Thailand. This study aimed to explore food types affecting the weight status of preadolescents in urban settings, where obesity is remarkably prevalent. This study was conducted in 2015–2016 and assessed the dietary intake of 263 children aged 10–12years from Bangkok Metropolitan Regions through three- nonconsecutive-day 24h recall. Lifestyle and sociodemographic information was obtained using questionnaires. Participants were classified into non-obese and overweight/obese groups based on the WHO child growth standard curve. Foods were categorized into 13 groups based on Thailand's dietary guidelines and food environment context regarding two eating occasions (main and between meals) of children, which resulted in the newly classified “street-side snacks”. Data were examined using analysis of covariance and multiple linear regression analysis. After adjusting for sex and energy misreporting, overweight/obese participants had higher energy and macronutrient intake and consumed more cereal grains, meat/fish, flavored milk, and sugar-sweetened beverages during main meals and street-side snacks and confectioneries during between meals than non-obese participants. The consumption of street-side snacks had the highest beta coefficient on BMI z-scores among the food types in the model, adjusted further for energy intakes. Street-side snacks may be an important predictor of obesity in Thai children. A prospective investigation of the impact of accessibility and availability of this food item is needed. Keywords: Thailand, Preadolescents, Weight status, Dietary intake, Sugar-sweetened beverages, Snackin