Healthy Food Research Articles

Context effects on healthy food choice under situational modes of consumer thinking: A case study with poke bowls.

In the context of healthy food consumption, this research aims to explore the moderating role of situational modes of thinking for both 1) the attraction effect (individuals tend to choose options that are similar to others but dominate inferior alternatives) and 2) the compromise effect (individuals prefer intermediate options over those with high- and low-end extremes). With the experimental priming of thinking style (analytic vs. holistic), these context effects were investigated by measuring French participants' purchase intention and willingness to pay for poke bowls-a lower-calorie, nutrient-dense food. The results demonstrate that situational induction of thinking style has a differential impact on the relative increase in consumers' purchase preferences for options offering either a dominant value in a specific attribute or an intermediate value throughout the available attributes. The attraction (compromise) effect was amplified with analytic (holistic) thinking style, leading consumers to have a higher purchase intention and willingness to pay for the dominating (intermediate) option of poke bowls. This research highlights the shifts in purchase preferences depending on consumer thinking in either the analytic or holistic mode and suggests effective global strategies to facilitate target consumers' purchase orientation toward a specific option of lower-calorie packaged foods.

Nutritional features of organic peas (Pisum sativum L.) cultivated in different Italian environments and rheological profile of pea-enriched crackers.

Legumes are a key component of the human diet and a primary source of plant-based protein. They have attracted global attention as potential plant-based meat alternatives due to their numerous health benefits, and they contribute to a more sustainable and healthy food system. Among pulses, peas (Pisum sativum L.) are considered a good source of proteins, fibers, starch, minerals, and vitamins. This study evaluated the effect of environmental conditions on nutritional profile of peas cultivated in an organic farming system, in different Italian environments (mountainous and hilly), during different cultivation years (2021 and 2022). Pea grain from peas cultivated under the various conditions was used to prepare pea-based crackers containing 6% pea flour. The appearance, physical properties (rheology and texture), and nutritional profile of the snacks were evaluated, and sensory analysis was conducted. The nutritional and bioactive compounds were strongly related and the environment exerted a substantial impact on most of the nutritional components (proteins and carbohydrates), due to climatic conditions during the vegetative and reproductive stage of the crop. The incorporation of cultivated peas into wheat-based crackers improved their functional and nutritional quality while maintaining consumer acceptability, as demonstrated by sensory analysis. The results confirmed that growing conditions significantly influence the nutritional composition of peas, enhancing their quality and that of the resulting crackers. This aligns with the increasing global demand for high-quality, sustainable food products. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Beyond the screen: Exploring the dynamics of social media influencers, digital food marketing, and gendered influences on adolescent diets.

Adolescent obesity remains a public health concern, exacerbated by unhealthy food marketing, particularly on digital platforms. Social media influencers are increasingly utilized in digital marketing, yet their impact remains understudied. This research explores the frequency of posts containing food products/brands, the most promoted food categories, the healthfulness of featured products, and the types of marketing techniques used by social media influencers popular with male and female adolescents. By analyzing these factors, the study aims to provide a deeper understanding of how social media influencer marketing might contribute to dietary choices and health outcomes among adolescents, from a gender perspective, shedding light on an important yet underexplored aspect of food marketing. A content analysis was conducted on posts made between June 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022, that were posted by the top three social media influencers popular with males and female adolescents (13-17) on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube (N = 1373). Descriptive statistics were used to calculate frequencies for posts containing food products/brands, promoted food categories, product healthfulness, and marketing techniques. Health Canada's Nutrient Profile Model was used to classify products as either healthy or less healthy based on their content in sugar, sodium, and saturated fats. Influencers popular with males featured 1 food product/brand for every 2.5 posts, compared to 1 for every 6.1 posts for influencers popular with females. Water (27% of posts) was the primary food category for influencers popular with females, while restaurants (24% of posts) dominated for males. Influencers popular with males more commonly posted less healthy food products (89% vs 54%). Marketing techniques varied: influencers popular with females used songs or music (53% vs 26%), other influencers (26% vs 11%), appeals to fun or coolness (26% vs 13%), viral marketing (29% vs 19%), and appeals to beauty (11% vs 0%) more commonly. Influencers popular with males more commonly used calls-to-action (27% vs 6%) and price promotions (8% vs 1%). Social media influencers play a role in shaping adolescents' dietary preferences and behaviors. Understanding gender-specific dynamics is essential for developing targeted interventions, policies, and educational initiatives aimed at promoting healthier food choices among adolescents. Policy efforts should focus on regulating unhealthy food marketing, addressing gender-specific targeting, and fostering a healthy social media environment for adolescents to support healthier dietary patterns.

Production and Physicochemical and Microbiological Evaluation of Orange-Flesh Sweet Potato Flatbread Infused with Spinach as a Healthy Food Option

Consumers’ preferences for healthier food products are increasing worldwide. Flatbread, a highly versatile product traditionally formulated with wheat flour (WF), offers significant potential for innovation and value addition through biofortification. Biofortification of flatbread was assessed with orange-flesh sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) flour (OFSP) infused with spinach (Amaranthus dubius). The purpose of this experiment was to ascertain the impact of adding local OFSP flour and spinach on the physicochemical, sensory, and microbial aspects of sweet potato-spinach infused WF flatbread. Six different flatbread formulations were created using OFSP flour, WF, and spinach. The study utilized a randomised 3 × 2 factorial design, with each treatment reproduced four times, totalling 24 treatments. Sensory evaluation for OFSP flour-spinach flatbreads received appreciable scores. OFSP flour flatbreads exhibited acceptable levels of protein, ash, fat, and moisture. The study provided formulations for value-added flatbread with the efficient inclusion of local agricultural resources OFSP and spinach to produce healthier food product offerings that were microbiologically safe.

Harnessing Grape Pomace, a Multifunctional By-Product from the Wine Industry for High-Value Salad Dressings

Grape pomace (GP) has gained attention for its potential to be valorized into functional foods due to its rich composition of bioactive compounds. In this work, GP has been exploited to develop plant-based mayonnaise alternatives and salad dressings. The influence of the water-to-oil ratio, percentage content of GP, lecithin, and vinegar on the viscosity and physical stability of the obtained emulsions have been investigated by the Design of Experiments. Two formulations, one high-oil (70%) and the second high-water (60%), were further studied for their potential applications. The selected samples were subjected to an accelerated stability test (60 °C for 21 days) to verify the influence of GP on oxidation protection. The high-water sample, combined with 8% GP, showed lower primary (peroxide value < 20 mEq O2/kg fat) and secondary oxidation (anisidine value < 55) parameters than the high-oil sample, highlighting the GP antioxidant activity. The phenolic profile of all samples by HPLC was also determined. Lastly, a sensory analysis was conducted, showing the highest overall acceptability for the oil-rich sample. The obtained results contribute to highlighting the potentiality of GP in the formulation of healthy foods, adopting the zero-waste approach for the full exploitation of this underutilized resource.

A step forward in enhancing the health-promoting properties of whole tomato as a functional food to lower the impact of non-communicable diseases

Nutritional interventions facilitating the consumption of natural, affordable, and environment-compatible health-promoting functional foods are a promising strategy for controlling non-communicable diseases. Given that the complex of tomato micronutrients produces healthier outcomes than lycopene, its major antioxidant component, new strategies to improve the health-supporting properties of the berry are ongoing. In this context, a whole tomato food supplement (WTFS), enriched by 2% olive wastewater containing a complex of healthy nutrients with converging biologic activities, has recently been developed, which is superior to those present in tomato commodities or obtained with whole tomato conventional processing methods. WTFS equals the antioxidant activity of N-acetyl-cysteine and interferes with multiple inflammation and cellular transformation-sustaining metabolic pathways. In interventional studies, WTFS inhibits prostate experimental tumors and improves benign prostate hypertrophy-associated symptoms with no associated side-effects. Although WTFS may be susceptible to further improvements and clinical scrutiny, its composition embodies the features of advanced functional foods to ease adherence to dietary patterns, that is, the Mediterranean diet, aimed at contrasting and mitigating the low-grade inflammation, thus being interceptive or preventive of non-communicable diseases.

Does pursuing meaning increase consumers’ preference for healthy foods? A moderated mediation model of future temporal focus and reward-seeking

Does pursuing meaning increase consumers’ preference for healthy foods? A moderated mediation model of future temporal focus and reward-seeking

The impact of health information seeking and social influence on functional food purchase intention

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to unprecedented transformation of consumer behaviors. Despite the abundance of research on this subject, less is known about why and how consumers processed health information and subsequently decided to purchase food during the pandemic. This study employed a survey questionnaire to collect the data. The sample size consisted of 590 consumers in China. The data were analyzed via SPSS and SmartPLS version 3.2.9 to explore the relationships among variables. The results showed that health information-seeking behavior has a significant impact on healthy food product purchasing intention. Similarly, health-related internet use also has a positive impact on health information seeking. Moreover, the impact of motivation for healthy eating on health information seeking is significant. The results indicate a significant moderating role of social influence (i.e., interaction between health information seeking and healthy food product purchasing intention). Multigroup analysis revealed differences between income and age in terms of health-related internet use and purchasing intention. This study assessed healthy food product purchasing intention in a timely manner by incorporating health communication. variables and social influence into consumer behavior research in the context of COVID-19. It thus expands the extant literature and provides insights into the knowledge and practices concerned.

The Immune-Enhancing Effects of a Lactobacillus paracasei L-30 Extract Through the NF-κB and MAPK Pathways in RAW264.7

Immune enhancement is an important factor that not only helps prevent infections but also affects overall health. This study aims to evaluate the immunostimulatory effects of a novel Lactobacillus strain, Lactobacillus paracasei L-30, and to elucidate its underlying mechanisms. The extract obtained from Lactobacillus paracasei L-30 significantly increased phagocytosis and the production of NO and ROS in RAW264.7 macrophages. The protein and mRNA expression levels of COX-2 and iNOS which are immune regulators were upregulated by the L-30 extract. The levels of cytokines and chemokines, such as G-CSF, IL-6, MIP-1α, MIP-1γ, RANTES, sTNF RI, and sTNF RII, were increased by the treatment with the L-30 extract. In addition, the L-30 extract degraded IκB-α and induced the phosphorylation of NF-κB. Furthermore, the MAPK signaling pathways ERK, JNK, and p38 were activated by the L-30 extract. The production of iNOS, COX-2, and NO was inhibited by MAPK pathway inhibitors. Therefore, our data suggest that the Lactobacillus paracasei L-30 extract has the potential to be developed as a healthy functional food that can enhance immune responses by activating macrophages.

Determinants of Non-Communicable Diseases among Urban Low-Income Populations

ABSTRACT Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases, have emerged as significant health challenges among urban low-income populations. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 500 adults residing in urban low-income areas across three metropolitan cities. Data were collected through structured interviews and health screenings. Key variables assessed included dietary patterns, physical activity levels, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure measurements. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic regression to determine the association between lifestyle factors and the presence of NCDs, with adjustments made for confounding factors such as age, gender, and education level. Results: Of the 500 participants, 47% were diagnosed with at least one NCD. A significant association was observed between a high BMI and the likelihood of developing NCDs (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.4–3.1, P < 0.01). Poor dietary habits, particularly a high intake of processed foods, were prevalent in 62% of participants and were strongly correlated with NCD prevalence (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2–2.5, P < 0.05). Physical inactivity was reported by 55% of participants, further correlating with increased NCD risk (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0–2.2, P = 0.03). Smoking and alcohol consumption were also identified as significant risk factors. Conclusion: Interventions focusing on improving access to affordable healthy foods, promoting physical activity, and providing smoking and alcohol cessation support could play a crucial role in reducing NCD prevalence in these communities.

Drivers of food acquisition practices among adolescents in suburban food environments of Lao People’s Democratic Republic

ABSTRACT Background Dietary shifts among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries are exacerbating the double burden of malnutrition. Understanding the drivers of adolescent food acquisition and consumption practices and their lived experiences of the food environment is crucial for the effective development of targeted interventions and policies. Objective To explore drivers of food acquisition and consumption practices among adolescents from two suburban schools in the food environments of Phonhong District, Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Methods We implemented a Qualitative-Geographical Information System methodology, featuring participatory photography, follow-up photo-elicitation interviews and focus group discussions with 30 adolescents from April to July 2022. Thematic analysis triangulated key themes from photos, maps, and transcripts. Results Drivers of food acquisition and consumption included interactions across external, interpersonal, and intrapersonal domains. The six key themes were food availability and accessibility, product properties and convenience, peers and social media, caregivers and household practices, affordability, desirability, and autonomy, and perceptions, beliefs, and social norms. Consumption of ultra-processed foods was driven by the availability and accessibility of these affordable products in schools. By contrast, consumption of fruits and vegetables was driven by parental food practices at home. Conclusion A comprehensive multi-scalar approach is required to improve adolescent diets and nutrition in the suburban food environment of Lao PDR. This includes restricting the sale of ultra-processed foods in schools, promoting home gardening, increasing caregivers’ awareness and engagement with adolescents about the benefits of healthy food choices, and leveraging social media to encourage healthy eating behaviors.

Enhancing Place Identity Through Food Customization and Customer Delight: Evidence from Healthy Food Restaurants

Nowadays, customization allows customers to become co-designers of a product by add- ing symbolic and emotional values to the product. Thus, customers' lives are shaped by the customiz- ing process and the decisions they must make. Despite, the extensive body of research on customiza- tion. The influence of food customization and customer delight on place identity has not received enough empirical investigation, this study aims to fill this gap. This study aims to evaluate how food customization influences customer delight and place identity. In addition, we examine the mediation role of customer delight in the relationship between food customization and place identity. Partial- least squares structural equation modelling (Warp-PLS V.7) and SPSS 26.0 were used to analyze the data collected from 432 customers of healthy food restaurants in Riyadh. The findings show that food customization has both direct and indirect effects on place identity, given that customer delight serves as a partial mediator. The study's findings offer insightful guidance that could help restaurant manag- ers do more to foster customers’ place identification by offering them customized services that strengthen their sense of customer delight.

Development and Validation of Healthy and Unhealthy Plant-Based Diet Propensity Scores in European Children, Adolescents and Adults From the I.Family Study.

Plant-based dietary patterns may reduce the risk of chronic diseases, but their benefits and risks in younger populations remain unclear due to variations in diet quality and nutrient adequacy. Robust tools to assess adherence to these patterns are essential. The aim of this study was to develop and validate three plant-based diet propensity (PBDP) scores - overall, healthy and unhealthy - to capture plant-based dietary patterns and assess their associations with nutrient intakes and health indicators in children, adolescents and adults. This cross-sectional study of children, adolescents and adults used data from the I.Family study (n = 15,780 participants) from eight European countries. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. The overall PBDP score was constructed by categorising all plant-based food groups as positive and animal-based food groups as negative. The healthy PBDP emphasised healthy plant-based food groups, whereas the unhealthy PBDP emphasised less healthy plant-based food groups. Validity was assessed through correlations with nutrient intakes and comparison across demographic groups. Associations with health indicators were also analysed. PBDP scores showed expected associations with nutrient intakes. Higher overall and healthy PBDP scores were observed in females, adults, individuals with higher parental educational levels and those from Belgium and Spain. The healthy PBDP score was associated with higher HDL cholesterol, improved bone stiffness and lower triglycerides. The unhealthy PBDP score was associated with lower HDL cholesterol in adults, but not in children or adolescents. PBDP scores describe plant-based dietary patterns across demographic groups and are valid and reliable in adults. The findings highlight challenges in assessing dietary patterns in children and adolescents. Future research should address these challenges to enhance the validity of PBDP scores in younger populations and further explore their potential in guiding dietary recommendations across all age groups.

Availability of community resources reduces the association among community violence exposure, negative emotionality, and substance use disorders.

Exposure to community violence is associated with increased occurrence of substance use disorders (SUD). The self-medication hypothesis states that heightened negative emotionality may underlie the link between exposure to community violence and SUD. However, it is not well-understood if access to community resources, a broader public health approach, influences the purported psychological mechanisms underlying the link between community violence exposure and SUD. We examined whether negative emotionality mediates the association between youth-onset community violence exposure and having a SUD and whether community resources (i.e., density of social services, health care services, healthy food) moderate the relationship between negative emotionality and having a SUD. Moderated mediation analyses were used to test the indirect effect of negative emotionality and the moderating role of community resources on the association between negative emotionality and having a SUD. A sample of 376 participants was collected from New Haven (ages 18-73, 45.7% Black, 44.1% White, 7.6% Hispanic). There was a significant indirect effect of negative emotionality on the association between youth-onset community violence and having a substance use disorder (indirect effect=0.22, SE=0.07, p=.001, 95% CI [0.11, 0.38]; proportion mediated=0.24). Further, increased density of community resources reduced the relationship between negative emotionality and having a substance use disorder (β=-0.23, SE=0.07, p=.001, 95% CI[-0.36, -0.10]). Increasing availability of community resources may play a role in alleviating the suffering resulting from violence exposure.

Food Availability, Accessibility, and Affordability through the Scope of Food Security Level and Food Environment Perception in Mexico City’s Marginated Area

Background: Food availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability, the four pillars of food security, have sound impact on food environment activities, regarding households’ food availability, accessibility, and affordability. Food availability implies the adequate supply of healthy food and food accessibility complements and builds on food availability by ensuring that households are able to obtain that food, and that food affordability is limited by incomes and food prices. Methods: In this research, socioeconomic characteristics, food security status and food environment (food availability, accessibility, and affordability) perception of households in Ecatepec, México, a marginal Mexico City conurbation area, were determined with the adequate survey. The collected data were analyzed by logistic regression to stablish the significant relationship among the independent variables (household food security status) with the socioeconomic features, in addition to food environment perception, in order to determinate which facts were significant with food security in this marginal area. Results: Educational level (P<0.001), household income (P<0.001), and belonging to a social assistance program (P<0.001) have a significant effect on food security status. Households with lower income, with food insecurity status, presented lower purchasing power. In contrast, households with food security and mild food insecurity were less likely to agree with the food that they can purchase. A better income, and therefore, a higher purchasing power was reflected in the need to access to more healthy food within their neighborhood. Conclusion: Results indicate that the food environment in this marginal area is benevolent, and households find a way to remain resilient in order to provide enough food for their families. Public policies must be focused on reducing poverty and giving more opportunities to promote social mobility

Healthy eating vs. hospital food.

Healthy eating vs. hospital food.

Modulation of microbiota composition and markers of gut health after in vitro dynamic colonic fermentation of plant sterol-enriched wholemeal rye bread.

A human oral phase followed by a dynamic gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation (simgi®) has been applied to wholemeal rye bread (WRB) and PS-enriched WRB (PS-WRB). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of these solid and high-fiber food matrices on the metabolism of PS, modulation of the microbiota and production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and ammonium ion after a simulated chronic intake (5days). In both breads, campesterol, campestanol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, sitostanol, Δ5-avenasterol, Δ5,24-stigmastadienol, Δ7-stigmastenol, and Δ7-avenasterol were identified, of which only β-sitosterol was metabolized to sitostenone after PS-WRB treatment. The presence of fiber in both breads exerted a prebiotic effect after fermentation by the increase in Firmicutes (Lactobacillus genus, maximum abundance of 89-99%) and Actinobacteria (Bifidobacterium genus, maximum abundance of 30-31%), reflected in an increase of SCFA content. The reduction of proteolytic activity confirmed by the decrease in ammonium ion contents is related to a reduction in the Proteobacteria phylum. Thus, PS-WRB could be considered as a healthy staple food choice since, besides the known hypocholesterolemic effect of PS, rye bread fiber preserves the beneficial microbiota and exerts a positive impact on markers of gut health.

Sustainable extraction of carotenoids from macauba pulp and press-cake: Use of ethyl acetate and ultrasound as optimization strategies.

Macauba (Acrocomia aculeata) is a Brazilian palm whose pulp is rich in carotenoids and holds potential for the development of healthy foods. This study presents an innovative approach utilizing ethyl acetate, a solvent recognized as generally safe (GRAS), in conjunction with ultrasound technology, to optimize the extraction of carotenoids from both macauba pulp (MP) and its pulp press-cake (PPC). The effects of varying time and temperature parameters (5-30min at 25-60°C) alongside ultrasound conditions (25 and 60°C at frequencies of 25 and 45kHz) on the extraction process were evaluated, with total carotenoid content quantified via spectrophotometry. For MP, the optimal extraction conditions were 60°C for 30min, yielding 219.33µg/g of carotenoids, while ultrasound at 45kHz, under the same time/temperature, enhanced the extraction efficiency to 277.55µg/g. In the case of PPC, ultrasound extraction achieved a carotenoid content of 124.23µg/g. Overall, the findings indicate that elevating the temperature to 60°C favored the extraction process, while ultrasound demonstrated effective even under milder conditions. This study emphasizes the potential of ethyl acetate as a sustainable alternative to traditional toxic solvents, aligning with the growing demand for safer and more environmentally friendly practices in the extraction of bioactive compounds. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The sustainable extraction of carotenoids from macauba, a non-conventional source, shows great potential for producing natural colorants and antioxidants in the food industry. The efficient use of ultrasound in the extraction process highlights the potential of this technology for the industry, providing an eco-friendly and effective alternative to conventional methods.

Environmental-Health Convergence: A deep learning-oriented decision support system for catalyzing sustainable healthy food systems

Environmental-Health Convergence: A deep learning-oriented decision support system for catalyzing sustainable healthy food systems

A network analysis to explore illness perceptions in Black adults with type 2 diabetes.

This study explores the structure of beliefs about type 2 diabetes among Black adults and informs potential targets to reframe negative beliefs and enhance diabetes self-management. We applied network analysis to investigate the interrelated structure and clusters of beliefs about diabetes and identify specific items that could serve as behavioural targets. We obtained self-reported survey data from 170 Black adults with type 2 diabetes. Regularised partial correlation networks and a Gaussian graphical model were used to explore and visualise the interrelationship among 21 items of a culturally adapted Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised. Overwhelming negative emotions representing the current and long-term effects of diabetes were central to the illness perceptions network among Black adults, with feeling depressed having the highest node strength of centrality indices in the network. Four beliefs had a bridging effect with the central cluster: diabetes taking away the ability to enjoy food, diabetes keeping me away from the job I want, being poor contributed to my having diabetes, and I receive encouragement from friends and family. In addition to highlighting the overwhelming feeling of diabetes, the illness perception network further differentiated the role of racial identity and social determinants of health as discrete, though both are related sociocultural influence constructs. To enhance self-management for Black adults with type 2 diabetes, this network informs promising intervention targets focused on culturally tailored education related to emotional regulation, internalised stigma and healthy food adaptation, and leveraging support to address social determinants of health.