Abstract
BackgroundThe duration and frequency of eating occasions has been identified as a factor contributing to poor dietary quality among U.S. adults. The objective of this study is to examine whether grazing, defined as eating more than three times a day, affects total daily caloric intake and dietary quality measured by the 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015).MethodsWe used a multivariate individual fixed-effects model to compare the caloric intake and dietary quality of individuals who grazed on 1 day but not another. This allowed us to control for differences in individual food intake and diet quality preferences among study participants. We use the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2007-2018, and include data for adults aged 18 years or older who reported 2 days of dietary intake and were not pregnant or lactating (n = 27,775).ResultsGrazing increased total daily caloric intake by 205 cal and increased the daily HEI score by 0.59 points. Grazing increased HEI component scores for total fruit, whole fruit, and refined grains, and decreased HEI component scores for saturated fats. Morning grazing increased total daily caloric intake by 159 cal and increased the daily HEI score by 0.87 points — primarily by increasing component scores for total fruit, whole fruit, whole grains, total dairy, seafood and plant proteins, and sodium. Evening grazing increased daily caloric intake by 76 cal and decreased the daily HEI score by 0.41 points — primarily by decreasing the component scores for total fruit, whole grains, fatty acids, and saturated fats. Evening grazing increased HEI component scores for sodium and refined grains.ConclusionsGrazing increases daily caloric intake and can decrease dietary quality (particularly when grazing in the evening).
Highlights
Adult dietary quality is of significant public health concern, as poor dietary quality is associated with a range of health conditions, including increased risk of heart disease, stroke, Type II diabetes, and several types of cancer [1]
Americans consume more of their calories as snacks, and not as part of the typical dietary pattern of Zeballos and Chelius Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act (2021) 18:163 three eating occasions per day [28]. 2020 marks the first year the Dietary Guidelines for America (DGA) Scientific Advisory Committee examined the relationship between duration and frequency of eating events and dietary quality and health outcomes [27]
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the dietary intake component We use the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is a continuous survey of the noninstitutionalized U.S civilian population conducted annually by the National Center for Health Statistics within the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Summary
Adult dietary quality is of significant public health concern, as poor dietary quality is associated with a range of health conditions, including increased risk of heart disease, stroke, Type II diabetes, and several types of cancer [1]. The duration and frequency of eating occasions have become of increasing interest as a potential factor in mitigating the public health issue of dietary-related disease. 2020 marks the first year the Dietary Guidelines for America (DGA) Scientific Advisory Committee examined the relationship between duration and frequency of eating events and dietary quality and health outcomes [27]. The DGA Committee concluded there was not enough research on the relationship between eating occasion frequency and health to generate recommendations on eating occasion frequency in the final Dietary Guidelines. The duration and frequency of eating occasions has been identified as a factor contributing to poor dietary quality among U.S adults. The objective of this study is to examine whether grazing, defined as eating more than three times a day, affects total daily caloric intake and dietary quality measured by the 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015)
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