scholarly journals Nutrient Profiling of Romanian Traditional Dishes—Prerequisite for Supporting the Flexitarian Eating Style

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 514
Author(s):  
Lelia Voinea ◽  
Dorin Vicențiu Popescu ◽  
Teodor Mihai Negrea ◽  
Răzvan Dina
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Eating Behavior ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Eating Style ◽  
Traditional Diet ◽  
Nutrient Profiling

Currently, most countries have to deal with multiple discrepancies that have arisen between the constraints of sustainable development and the return to traditions, involving food producers, as well as consumers, aspects that are also easily noticed in Romania. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional quality of the Romanian traditional diet using a nutrient profiling method based on the Nutri-Score algorithm, applied to several representative Romanian traditional dishes. Because this algorithm has the capacity to highlight the amount (%) of fruits, vegetables, and nuts from a certain dish, it might be considered an indicator of the sustainable valences of the selected meals. The results showed that the traditional menus do not correspond to a balanced and sustainable eating behavior; thus, it is recommended to improve the Romanian pattern of food consumption and to ensure its sustainable basis. In order to achieve this goal, we propose the development of a new paradigm of the contemporary Romanian food style incorporating three main directions of action: acceptance, adaptation, and transformation.

scholarly journals Prospective associations of four nutrient profiles with weigh gain, overweight and obesity risk

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Egnell ◽  
B Neal ◽  
C Ni Mhurchu ◽  
M Rayner ◽  
A Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Nutrient Profiling ◽  
Nutrition Policies ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Dietary Indices

Abstract Background Nutrient Profiling Systems (NPSs), including the UK Food Standards Agency NPS and its variants are used to classify foods according to their nutritional composition for nutrition policies. The prospective validity of these NPSs requires however further investigation. The study investigates the associations of the original Food Standards Agency (FSA)-NPS and three variants - the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC), the Health Star Rating (HSR) system NPS and the French NPS (HCSP-NPS) -, which are used as a basis for nutrition policies, with weight status. Methods Dietary indices based on each of the four investigated NPSs applied at the food level were computed at the individual level to characterize the diet quality of 71,178 French individuals from the NutriNet-Santé cohort. Associations of these Dietary Indices (DIs) (as tertiles) with weight gain were assessed using multivariable mixed models, and with overweight and obesity risks using multivariable Cox models. Results For the four NPSs, participants with a lower diet nutritional quality were more likely to have an increase in body mass index over time (median follow-up of 3.14 ± 2.76 years, beta coefficients positive, all p ≤ 0.0001), and an increased risk of overweight (HRT3vs.T1=1.27 [1.17-1.37] for the HCSP-DI, followed by the original FSA-DI with HRT3vs.T1=1.18 [1.09-1.28], the NPSC-DI with HRT3vs.T1=1.14 [1.06-1.24] and the HSR-DI, HRT3vs.T1=1.12 [1.04-1.21]). Whilst differences were small, the HCSP-DI appeared to show significantly greater association with risk of overweight compared to other NPS. Conclusions Less healthy diets defined using the Food Standards Agency-NPS and related systems were all associated with weight gain and overweight risk. Demonstrating this association with health outcomes is an important indicator of one validity dimension of NPSs and supports their use in public policies for the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases. Key messages Nutrient profile models of foods and beverages allow capturing the nutritional quality of diets and are prospectively associated with weight gain and obesity. The French NPS which underpins the front-of-pack Nutri-Score appeared to have a small but significant higher performance.

scholarly journals Evaluating the healthiness of chain-restaurant menu items using crowdsourcing: a new method

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenard I Lesser ◽  
Leslie Wu ◽  
Timothy B Matthiessen ◽  
Harold S Luft
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Registered Dietitian ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Large Scale Data ◽  
Nutrient Profiling ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Scale Data

AbstractObjectiveTo develop a technology-based method for evaluating the nutritional quality of chain-restaurant menus to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of large-scale data analysis of food items.DesignUsing a Modified Nutrient Profiling Index (MNPI), we assessed chain-restaurant items from the MenuStat database with a process involving three steps: (i) testing ‘extreme’ scores; (ii) crowdsourcing to analyse fruit, nut and vegetable (FNV) amounts; and (iii) analysis of the ambiguous items by a registered dietitian.ResultsIn applying the approach to assess 22 422 foods, only 3566 could not be scored automatically based on MenuStat data and required further evaluation to determine healthiness. Items for which there was low agreement between trusted crowd workers, or where the FNV amount was estimated to be >40 %, were sent to a registered dietitian. Crowdsourcing was able to evaluate 3199, leaving only 367 to be reviewed by the registered dietitian. Overall, 7 % of items were categorized as healthy. The healthiest category was soups (26 % healthy), while desserts were the least healthy (2 % healthy).ConclusionsAn algorithm incorporating crowdsourcing and a dietitian can quickly and efficiently analyse restaurant menus, allowing public health researchers to analyse the healthiness of menu items.

scholarly journals Nutrient Profiling Is Needed to Improve the Nutritional Quality of the Foods Labelled with Health-Related Claims

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urška Pivk Kupirovič ◽  
Krista Miklavec ◽  
Maša Hribar ◽  
Anita Kušar ◽  
Katja Žmitek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
World Health ◽  
Considerable Proportion ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sales Data ◽  
Nutrient Profiling ◽  
Health Related

Health-related claims on food products influence consumers and their food preferences. None of the European countries have restricted the use of health claims to foods of high nutritional quality despite the regulatory background provided by the European Union in 2006. We evaluated the nutritional quality of foods labelled with claims available in the Slovenian market using two nutrient profile models—Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and European World Health Organization Regional office for Europe model (WHOE)—and compared the results to the nutritional quality of all available foods. Data for prepacked foods in the Slovenian food supply were collected in 2015 on a representative sample (n = 6619) and supplemented with 12-month product sales data for more accurate assessments of the food supply. A considerable proportion of foods labelled with any type of health-related claim was found to have poor nutritional quality. About 68% of the foods labelled with health-related claims passed FSANZ criterion (75% when considering sales data) and 33% passed the WHOE model (56% when considering sales data). Our results highlight the need for stricter regulations for the use of health-related claims and to build upon available nutrient profiling knowledge to improve nutrition quality of foods labeled with health-related claims.

scholarly journals Harnessing Microbes for Sustainable Development: Food Fermentation as a Tool for Improving the Nutritional Quality of Alternative Protein Sources

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kårlund ◽  
Carlos Gómez-Gallego ◽  
Jenni Korhonen ◽  
Outi-Maaria Palo-oja ◽  
Hani El-Nezami ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Chenopodium Quinoa ◽  
Fermented Foods ◽  
Protein Sources

In order to support the multiple levels of sustainable development, the nutritional quality of plant-based protein sources needs to be improved by food technological means. Microbial fermentation is an ancient food technology, utilizing dynamic populations of microorganisms and possessing a high potential to modify chemical composition and cell structures of plants and thus to remove undesirable compounds and to increase bioavailability of nutrients. In addition, fermentation can be used to improve food safety. In this review, the effects of fermentation on the protein digestibility and micronutrient availability in plant-derived raw materials are surveyed. The main focus is on the most important legume, cereal, and pseudocereal species (Cicer arietinum, Phaseolus vulgaris, Vicia faba, Lupinus angustifolius, Pisum sativum, Glycine max; Avena sativa, Secale cereale, Triticum aestivum, Triticum durum, Sorghum bicolor; and Chenopodium quinoa, respectively) of the agrifood sector. Furthermore, the current knowledge regarding the in vivo health effects of fermented foods is examined, and the critical points of fermentation technology from the health and food safety point of view are discussed.

scholarly journals Integrated Soil and Crop Management in Organic Agriculture: A Logical Framework to Ensure Food Quality and Human Health?

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2494
Author(s):  
Leonidas Rempelos ◽  
Marcin Baranski ◽  
Juan Wang ◽  
Timothy N. Adams ◽  
Kolawole Adebusuyi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Meat Consumption ◽  
Whole Grain ◽  
Quality Of Food ◽  
Organic Food Consumption

The environmental and biodiversity benefits of organic farming are widely recognized, but there is still controversy about the effects of organic production methods on the nutritional composition of food and human health. In the first part of this article therefore, we critically review the evidence that organic farming methods improve the nutritional quality of food crops. Moreover, we summarize our current understanding of how quality gains are linked to the implementation of the “innovations” introduced into conventional crop production during the intensification or “green revolution” of agriculture over the last 100 years. In the second part of the article, we critically review the evidence for the range of health benefits related to organic food consumption. Specifically, we describe and discuss the results from: (i) dietary intervention studies which have found that organic food consumption substantially reduces pesticide exposure in humans and affects feed intake, growth, hormone balances and immune system responsiveness in animal models; (ii) human cohort/epidemiological studies which have reported significant positive associations between organic food consumption and the lower incidence of a range of diseases including obesity, metabolic syndrome, cancer, hypospadias, pre-eclampsia, eczema and middle ear infections in infants; (iii) interactions and trade-offs between diet (e.g., whole-grain, fruit and vegetables and reduced red-meat consumption) and food types (organic versus conventional) concerning public health and future food security. The article also identifies knowledge gaps and highlights the need for (i) long-term, factorial field experiments to understand the relative effects of agronomic and pedoclimatic drivers on crop quality and safety, and (ii) clinical trials and additional human cohort studies to confirm the positive health outcomes linked to organic food consumption. The main conclusions from our review are that there is growing evidence that (i) agricultural intensification has resulted in a reduction in the nutritional quality of food and the sustainability of food production, and (ii) organic farming practices not only improve food quality and human health, but also food security. This is particularly true where current nutritional guidelines (increasing whole-grain, fruit and vegetable products, while reducing red-meat consumption) are implemented.

scholarly journals Nutrition Profile of Products with Cartoon Animations on the Packaging: A UK Cross-Sectional Survey of Foods and Drinks

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 707
Author(s):  
Sonia Pombo-Rodrigues ◽  
Kawther M. Hashem ◽  
Monique Tan ◽  
Zoe Davies ◽  
Feng J. He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Nutrient Profiling ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
Quality Of Products ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Cartoon Characters

Background: Marketing, including the use of cartoon animations on packaging, has been shown to influence the food children choose to eat. This paper aims to determine the nutritional quality of UK food and drink products featuring child-friendly characters on pack. Methods: A comprehensive cross-sectional survey of food and drink with packaging appealing to children available in the UK. Products were classified high in fat, salt and/or sugar (HFSS) according to the UK nutrient profiling model and guidance for front of pack nutrition labelling. Logistic regression was used to determine whether there was a significant relationship between nutritional quality of products, and animation type. Results: Over half (51%) of 532 products with animations on packaging were classified as HFSS. Food products featuring unlicensed characters were significantly more likely to be deemed HFSS than those with licensed characters, according to both the nutrient profiling model (odds ratio (OR) 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3 to 3.4) and front of pack nutrition labelling system (OR 2.3, 95% confidence interval CI: 1.4 to 3.7). Conclusions: The use of cartoon characters on HFSS products is widespread. Policies to restrict the use of such marketing tactics should be considered to prevent children being targeted with unhealthy foods and drinks.

Association between an individual dietary index based on the British Food Standard Agency Nutrient Profiling System and asthma symptoms

2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland M. Andrianasolo ◽  
Chantal Julia ◽  
Raphaëlle Varraso ◽  
Manon Egnell ◽  
Mathilde Touvier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Symptom Score ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Asthma Symptom ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Asthma Symptoms ◽  
Dietary Index ◽  
Nutrient Profiling ◽  
Asthma Symptom Score

AbstractThe role of diet in asthma is still debated. In France, a front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition label based on a modified Food Standards Agency Nutrient Profiling System/High Council for Public Health (FSAm-NPS/HCSP) has recently been implemented to help consumers to make healthier food choices during purchase. At the individual level, the FSAm-NPS dietary index (DI) has been shown to reflect the nutritional quality of the diet. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the FSAm-NPS DI and the asthma symptom score. In total, 34 323 participants (25 823 women and 8500 men) from the NutriNet-Santé cohort were included. The overall nutritional quality of the diet was assessed using the FSAm-NPS DI. Increasing FSAm-NPS DI reflects decreasing overall diet quality. Asthma was defined by the asthma symptom score (sum of five questions). Negative binomial regression was used to evaluate the association between the FSA-NPS DI and the asthma symptom score. Overall, mean participant’s age was 54 ± 14 years, and about 27 % reported at least one asthma symptom. We observed a significant positive association between less healthy diet, as expressed by higher FSAm-NPS DI, and the asthma symptom score. The adjusted OR were 1·27 (95 % CI 1·17, 1·38) among women and 1·31 (95 % CI 1·13, 1·53) among men. Unhealthy food choices, as reflected by a higher FSAm-NPS DI, were associated with greater asthma symptoms. These results reinforce the relevance of public health approach to orient consumers towards healthier food choices by using a clear and easy-to-understand FOP nutrition label based on the FSAm-NPS, such as the Nutri-Score.

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