Promoting healthy dietary intakes through sustainable procurement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prince Chikwere ◽  
Godwin Uzoma Chikwere
2017 ◽  
Vol 87 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
Riyadh A. Alzaheb ◽  
Norah Alatawi ◽  
Khawla A. Daoud ◽  
Naema Altawil

Abstract.Background: Establishing understanding of infants’ dietary intakes can support interventions to improve their diets and overall health. Because information on the dietary intakes of infants aged ≤12 months in Saudi Arabia is scarce, this study examined the diets of infants aged 6 and 12 months in Saudi Arabia and determined their main dietary sources of total energy and macronutrients. Methods: A crosssectional dietary survey employing a single 24-hour recall was performed between May and December 2015 with a sample of mothers of 278 healthy 6-month-old and 259 12-month-old infants. An analysis of the dietary intake data determined the nutrient intake adequacy and the percentage contributions of foods to energy and macronutrient intakes. Results: The respective mean daily energy intakes of the 6-month-old and 12-month-old infants in the study were 703 kcal and 929 kcal. Both age groups recorded adequate nutrient intakes, with the exception that the 6-month-olds’ mean vitamin D intake fell below the recommended Adequate Intake (AI), and the 12-month-olds’ intakes of omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin D were also below the AI, along with their iron intake which fell short of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). Conclusion: The data generated here will assist health professionals in planning interventions which aim to improve infants’ diets and to offer guidance to parents on the appropriate selection of food for their infants.


2015 ◽  
Vol 85 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 129-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Heidari ◽  
Awat Feizi ◽  
Leila Azadbakht ◽  
Nizal Sarrafzadegan

Abstract. Background: Minerals are required for the body’s normal function. Aim: The current study assessed the intake distribution of minerals and estimated the prevalence of inadequacy and excess among a representative sample of healthy middle aged and elderly Iranian people. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the second follow up to the Isfahan Cohort Study (ICS), 1922 generally healthy people aged 40 and older were investigated. Dietary intakes were collected using 24 hour recalls and two or more consecutive food records. Distribution of minerals intake was estimated using traditional (averaging dietary intake days) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) methods, and the results obtained from the two methods, were compared. The prevalence of minerals intake inadequacy or excess was estimated using the estimated average requirement (EAR) cut-point method, the probability approach and the tolerable upper intake levels (UL). Results: There were remarkable differences between values obtained using traditional and NCI methods, particularly in the lower and upper percentiles of the estimated intake distributions. A high prevalence of inadequacy of magnesium (50 - 100 %), calcium (21 - 93 %) and zinc (30 - 55 % for males > 50 years) was observed. Significant gender differences were found regarding inadequate intakes of calcium (21 - 76 % for males vs. 45 - 93 % for females), magnesium (92 % vs. 100 %), iron (0 vs. 15 % for age group 40 - 50 years) and zinc (29 - 55 % vs. 0 %) (all; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Severely imbalanced intakes of magnesium, calcium and zinc were observed among the middle-aged and elderly Iranian population. Nutritional interventions and population-based education to improve healthy diets among the studied population at risk are needed.


2007 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 376-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
de Souza Genaro ◽  
de Paiva Pereira ◽  
de Medeiros Pinheiro ◽  
Szejnfeld ◽  
Araújo Martini

Vitamin D is essential for maintaining calcium homeostasis and optimizing bone health. Its inadequacy is related to many factors including dietary intake. The aim of the present study was to evaluate serum 25(OH)D and its relationship with nutrient intakes in postmenopausal Brazilian women with osteoporosis. This cross-sectional study comprised 45 free-living and assisted elderly at São Paulo Hospital. Three-day dietary records were used to assess dietary intakes. Bone mineral density was measured with a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometer (DXA). Blood and urine sample were collected for analysis of biochemical markers of bone and mineral metabolism. Insufficiency of vitamin D was observed in 24.4% of the women and optimal levels (≥ 50 nmol/L) were observed in 75.6%. Parathyroid hormone was above the reference range in 51% of the participants. The mean calcium (724 mg/day) and vitamin D (4.2 μ g/day) intakes were lower than the value proposed by The Food and Nutrition Board and sodium intake was more than two-fold above the recommendation. Higher levels of serum 25(OH)D were inversely associated with sodium intake. Dietary strategies to improve serum vitamin D must focus on increasing vitamin D intake and should take a reduction of sodium intake into consideration.


2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 0206-0217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyedeh-Elaheh Shariati-Bafghi ◽  
Elaheh Nosrat-Mirshekarlou ◽  
Mohsen Karamati ◽  
Bahram Rashidkhani

Findings of studies on the link between dietary acid-base balance and bone mass are relatively mixed. We examined the association between dietary acid-base balance and bone mineral density (BMD) in a sample of Iranian women, hypothesizing that a higher dietary acidity would be inversely associated with BMD, even when dietary calcium intake is adequate. In this cross-sectional study, lumbar spine and femoral neck BMDs of 151 postmenopausal women aged 50 - 85 years were measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Renal net acid excretion (RNAE), an estimate of acid-base balance, was then calculated indirectly from the diet using the formulae of Remer (based on dietary intakes of protein, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium; RNAERemer) and Frassetto (based on dietary intakes of protein and potassium; RNAEFrassetto), and was energy adjusted by the residual method. After adjusting for potential confounders, multivariable adjusted means of the lumbar spine BMD of women in the highest tertiles of RNAERemer and RNAEFrassetto were significantly lower than those in the lowest tertiles (for RNAERemer: mean difference -0.084 g/cm2; P=0.007 and for RNAEFrassetto: mean difference - 0.088 g/cm2; P=0.004). Similar results were observed in a subgroup analysis of subjects with dietary calcium intake of >800 mg/day. In conclusion, a higher RNAE (i. e. more dietary acidity), which is associated with greater intake of acid-generating foods and lower intake of alkali-generating foods, may be involved in deteriorating the bone health of postmenopausal Iranian women, even in the context of adequate dietary calcium intake.


2012 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer K. Fowler ◽  
Susan E. Evers ◽  
M. Karen Campbell

Purpose: Eating behaviours were assessed among pregnant women in a mid-sized Canadian city. Methods: As part of the Prenatal Health Project, we interviewed 2313 pregnant women in London, Ontario. Subjects also completed a food frequency questionnaire. Recruitment took place in ultrasound clinics at 10 to 22 weeks of gestation. The main outcome measures were number of daily servings for each food group, measured against the minimum number recommended by the 2007 Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide (CFG), the proportion of women consuming the recommended number of servings for each and all of the four food groups, and factors associated with adequate consumption. We also determined the number of servings of “other foods.” Analysis included descriptive statistics and logistic regression, all at p<0.05. Results: A total of 3.5% of women consumed the recommended number of servings for all four food groups; 15.3% did not consume the minimum number of servings of foods for any of the four food groups. Women for whom this was their first pregnancy were less likely to consume the recommended number of servings from all four food groups (odds ratio=0.41; confidence interval=0.23, 0.74). Conclusions: Very few pregnant women consumed food group servings consistent with the 2007 recommendations. Strategies to improve dietary behaviours must focus on the establishment of healthy eating behaviours among women of reproductive age.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-51
Author(s):  
Chuenjai Sratongfaeng ◽  
Nithipun Suksumek ◽  
Nithikoon Aksorn ◽  
Pithi Chanvorachote ◽  
Kulwara Meksawan

Astaxanthin, a potent antioxidant compound, is well recognized for its beneficial effects to protect from oxidative stress and free radicals. However, the effects of long period of use of astaxanthin on biological parameters, health indicators, and energy intake are still largely unknown. A total of 33 healthy participants aged 21–54 years with body mass index in the range of 18.50−24.90 kg/m2 were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial and were assigned into astaxanthin and placebo groups. The participants in the astaxanthin group received 4 mg of astaxanthin once daily for 12 consecutive weeks. Dietary intakes, as well as blood levels of astaxanthin and biological parameters, were investigated at baseline and week 12. The significant elevation of blood astaxanthin level in the astaxanthin group was notified at week 12. Regarding basic characteristics of blood biochemical parameters, results indicated that the fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were not significantly different between astaxanthin and placebo groups at week 12. Interestingly, the significant decrease in total energy and carbohydrate intakes of the participants in the astaxanthin group (P < 0.05) was found after 12-week supplementation, compared to the baseline. The findings support the safety of long-term supplementation and reveal potential dietary intake lowering effect of astaxanthin in healthy individuals.


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