Healthy Items Research Articles

Behavioral Design Strategies Improve Healthy Food Sales in a Military Cafeteria.

This study examined the use of behavioral design strategies to improve healthier food sales. A quasi-experimental, one-group, repeated measures design examined changes in food sales following behavioral design adjustments. United States military base hospital dining facility. U.S. military service members, retirees, and civilian employees. Behavioral design changes included placement, layout, messaging, default healthy bundling, a stoplight rating system, strategic positioning of healthy items on menu boards, and an increase in healthier snacks. Food sales were assessed by point-of-sales data. T-tests examined total sales of each food adjusted weekly between baseline and intervention and intervention and post-intervention. 16 food items targeted by the intervention were examined. Weekly food sales were calculated for the 18-week baseline, 18-week intervention, and 9-week post-intervention. Further, analysis estimated negative binomial models for food item sales. The hospital dining facility served 600 to 900 meals per day. Weekly foods sales decreased during the intervention for desserts, cooked starches, hummus, and yogurt (P < 0.01). Sales increased during the intervention for fruit cups, cooked vegetables, vegetable and turkey burgers, grilled chicken, packaged salads, French fries, hamburgers, and hot dogs (P < 0.02). This study demonstrates that a mixture of behavioral design strategies can be operationalized with reasonable fidelity and can lead to increases in the sales of some healthy foods in military worksites.

Restaurants as Environments for Healthy Eating: Factors That Contribute to Restaurant-Based Healthy Eating Program Adoption.

Purpose. This study identified restaurant manager/owner factors that may contribute to adoption of a restaurant-based healthy eating program, Eat Fit. Findings may be used to engage restaurants in efforts to increase access to and availability of healthy foods, promote healthy food choices, and work toward improving diet and lowering obesity and chronic disease risk in the community. Methods. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from restaurant managers/owners interested in partnering with Eat Fit. Variables included restaurant manager/owner beliefs, perceived staff knowledge/skills, support, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, and barriers and facilitators to implementation. Results. Forty-nine managers/owners participated. Most managers/owners held positive beliefs about offering healthy food items in restaurants (83.7%). Most agreed that restaurants could influence eating behaviors (83.7%) and that restaurants have a responsibility to offer healthy options (77.6%). Most managers/owners perceived high levels of support (83.7%) and were confident in their ability (95.9%) to implement the Eat Fit program. The most cited barriers were customer preference, ingredient availability, staff knowledge, and operational challenges. The most common reasons for involvement in the program were a desire to increase access to healthy food, to entice customers looking for healthier food, a belief that restaurants should offer healthy food, and opportunities to market through Eat Fit. Conclusions. This research contributes to knowledge about beliefs and perceptions of restaurant manager/owners. Efforts to engage restaurants should focus on benefits of offering healthy food and the role restaurants can play in promoting health. Furthermore, programs may benefit from enhanced restaurant staff training, customer-targeted marketing, and educational efforts.

Rapid detection and occurrence of foodborne pathogens in minimally processed vegetables: a review

SummaryThe increased consumption of minimally processed vegetables (MPV) in various countries is related to the continued interest of consumers in seeking practical and healthy food items. Due to multiple processing steps, MPV can be contaminated by several foodborne pathogens that pose significant health risks to consumers. The use of rapid techniques to detect pathogens in ready‐to‐eat (RTE) foods such as MPV is therefore essential to provide high quality and safe products. This review aims to provide a comprehensive description of molecular‐based techniques for rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria in MPV, and their occurrence reported in studies published in the last 10 years. The main pathogens detected using rapid methods were Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella spp., and Campylobacter jejuni. Molecular‐based techniques included real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), multiplex PCR, matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS), and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The data indicate high incidences of pathogenic bacteria in MPV, stressing the need for their rapid detection in these products to prevent associated health risks. Further studies should be carried out to increase the sensitivity of molecular‐based techniques and prevent false positives due to undesirable non‐specific PCR amplifications.

A picture is worth a thousand words: Framing of food choice options affects decision conflict and mid-fontal theta in food choice task

In food choices, conflict arises when choosing between a healthy, but less tasty food item and a tasty, but less healthy food item. The underlying assumption is that people trade-off the health and taste properties of food items to reach a decision. To probe this assumption, we presented food items either as colored images (image condition, e.g. photograph of a granola bar) or as pre-matched percentages of taste and health values (text condition, e.g., 20% healthy and 80% tasty). We recorded choices, response times and electroencephalography activity to calculate mid-frontal theta power as a marker of conflict. At the behavioral level, we found higher response times for healthy compared to unhealthy choices, and for difficult compared to easy decisions in both conditions, indicating the experience of a decision conflict. At the neural level, mid-frontal theta power was higher for healthy choices than unhealthy choices and difficult choices compared to easy choices, but only in the image condition. Those results suggest that either conflict type and/or decision strategies differ between the image and text conditions. The present results can be helpful in understanding how dietary decisions can be influenced towards healthier food choices.

BMI and explicit-implicit cues on food choice: The fake food buffet in the United Kingdom and Indonesia

We examined whether people with high BMI sampled from two different countries were more susceptible to behavioural change via an implicit, rather than explicit, intervention. We measured BMI and used three types of cue interventions (implicit vs explicit healthy lifestyle cue vs neutral cue) to examine their impact on our participants’ food choice using the Fake Food Buffet. Healthiness of the meal chosen was measured by the percentage of healthy food items in the meal. Portion size of their chosen meal was operationalised by the total number of food items chosen and its total calorie content was also estimated. Participants were recruited from the United Kingdom (N = 264) and Indonesia (N = 264). Our results indicated that while explicit food cues were overall more effective, implicit cues were a more effective strategy to change food choice behaviours among individuals with high BMI. Participants with high BMI were more likely to regulate the healthiness of their meal and less likely to regulate its portion size or calorie content. The efficacy of our healthy eating interventions was cross-culturally generalizable. Our study supports previous research that implicit cues of a healthy lifestyle might be a more effective behavioural change strategy for individuals with high BMI.

Changing the food environment in secondary school canteens to promote healthy dietary choices: a qualitative study with school caterers

BackgroundTypical adolescent diets do not meet current dietary recommendations. There is a need to address these dietary patterns to reduce the risk of obesity and other diet-related diseases. Schools provide an opportune setting to do so, as students consume a substantial proportion of their daily dietary intake whilst at school. There is a developing evidence base on the use of choice architecture (food choice cues) to promote healthy eating in school contexts. It is necessary to understand the acceptability and feasibility of implementing such interventions. We aimed to explore these factors from the perspectives of secondary school caterers.MethodsWe conducted qualitative interviews with caterers from secondary schools across the West Midlands, UK and national/regional catering representatives. A semi-structured topic guide and visual aid were used to guide interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Framework analysis was conducted in NVivo v12.ResultsTwelve participants took part. Seven themes were identified and grouped into three categories: Acceptability (Suitability; Salient cues; Student engagement), Barriers (Catering decision drivers; Limits of influence), and Enablers (Perceived role; Opportunities). Caterers considered healthy food cues to be suited to adolescents as they require minimal reflective motivation. Salient cues included enhancing the placement, presentation and portability of healthy items, improving the dining environment and focusing pricing/incentive strategies on increased quantity. Student engagement was considered important. Some catering decision drivers conflicted with healthy food cues, and many felt that their role in healthy eating was limited due to the overwhelming influence of external food environments, adolescent resistance, and features of the secondary school canteen setting e.g. short duration of lunchtime, lack of space. However, caterers appeared motivated to implement healthy food cues and identified key opportunities for implementation, including integration into whole-school approaches to healthy eating.ConclusionsInterventions using healthy food cues appeared acceptable to secondary school caterers, key potential implementers of these strategies. Future interventions could incorporate strategies relating to placement, presentation and pricing to prompt healthy selections, and actions to engage the student body and improve the dining environment. Evaluations should consider potential impacts upon food purchasing, consumption and waste to address caterers’ concerns about these issues.

A short insight into the traditional paddy and millet varieties used by Kurichya tribes in the Wayanad district of Kerala: An interview with Padma Shri Cheruvayal Raman

Abstract BACKGROUND: Kurichya tribes, inhabitants of the Kannur and Wayanad districts of North Kerala, are well known for their traditional agrarian practices. Rice and millet were an integral part of the diet of these people and were widely cultivated. They grew different varieties of these crops using traditional farming techniques. Many healthy dietary items were also prepared using these native varieties. However, over the years, due to changing socio-economic conditions, the traditional farming practices of Kurichya tribes began to fall, and many of the indigenous seed varieties they cultivated became extinct. To conserve their losing heritage, Cheruvayal Raman, a proud Kurichya farmer, started to collect and propagate the cultivation of these native seeds. He cultivates different millet and paddy varieties and is known as the “Saviour of indigenous seed varieties.” METHODS: A personal interview was conducted with Padma Shri Cheruvayal Raman to gather information about the traditional farming practices, indigenous paddy and millet varieties cultivated and used by the Kurichya tribes of Wayanad, Kerala. Detailed information on the indigenous paddy varieties was collected and compiled. An effort was made to compare these rice varieties with those mentioned in the classical textbooks of Ayurveda. RESULTS: Through insights from the interview, the manuscript highlights traditional farming practices, native seed varieties, and the millet-based healthy diet of Kurichya tribes. Raman has conserved more than 50 native paddy seed varieties with distinct characteristics. The name and characteristics of the few seeds in Cheruvayal Raman’s possession match those mentioned in Ayurvedic textbooks. CONCLUSION: Cheruvayal Raman represents one of the last generations of Kurichya tribes with knowledge about these indigenous seed varieties. Research focusing on retrieving these varieties and scientific documentation exploring their functional properties is required for conserving them from the verge of extinction.

Strategies associated with improved healthiness of consumer purchasing in supermarket interventions: a systematic overview of reviews and evaluation of primary articles.

Growing evidence suggests that it is possible to change the retail food environment to enable healthier choices via in-store interventions. It has been difficult to draw clear conclusions as to which interventions are most effective in positively influencing consumer purchasing behaviour given the significant heterogeneity within the food retail research literature. The aim of this study was to (1) summarise current high-quality systematic, scoping, and/or narrative reviews (Part I: overview of reviews); and (2) synthesise high-quality original research, to understand the range, types and effectiveness of strategies implemented in food retail settings (Part II: evaluation of primary studies). To identify reviews describing the effects of intervention strategies aiming to improve the healthiness of consumer purchasing in supermarkets, a systematic search across seven electronic databases was completed in April 2023. The methodological quality of reviews was assessed using the risk of bias in systematic reviews for systematic and scoping reviews, and the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles for narrative reviews. High-quality reviews were further inspected and synthesised narratively (Part I). Next, to understand strategies associated with improved healthiness of consumer purchasing high-quality, primary articles from high-quality reviews identified in Part I were retrieved, and the strategies implemented within these interventions were summarised (Part II). Thirty-eight reviews met the inclusion criteria for Part I; two-thirds (n = 25, 66%) were rated as high-quality (66%). These reviews indicated that pricing strategies had the greatest proportion of reported positive or promising effects on outcomes (n = 8 of 11 reviews, 73%). Twenty reviews met the inclusion criteria for Part II and the 771 primary articles from these reviews were screened with 23 high-quality primary articles included in analysis. Findings indicated that promotional strategies in combination with another strategy appeared to be most successful among regular shoppers (the general population), whereas pricing was most successful in low socio-economic status and rural sub-groups. Promotion, pricing and prompting were the most commonly tested strategies across the overview of reviews and review of primary articles. Promotion, in combination with other strategies, and pricing appear to be most promising, but the effectiveness of pricing strategies may vary by sub-groups of the population. How pricing and promotion in combination with other strategies can be implemented responsibly and sustainably to change purchase habits towards healthier items should be explored further. OSF, https://osf.io/jyg73/.

Design of a Mobile App Interface That Engages Community Members in a Food System Pilot Study.

Supermarkets are scarce in many under-resourced urban communities, and small independently owned retail stores often carry few fresh or healthy items. The Baltimore Urban food Distribution (BUD) mobile application (app) was previously developed to address supply-side challenges in moving healthy foods from local suppliers to retailers. In-app opportunities for consumers to indicate demand for these foods are crucial, but remain absent. We sought to understand community members' perspectives on the overall role, function and features of a proposed consumer-engagement module (BUDConnect) to expand the BUD app. A series of initial high-fidelity wireframe mockups were developed based on formative research. In-depth interviews (n = 20) were conducted and thematically analyzed using ATLAS.ti Web. Participants revealed a desire for real-time crowd-sourced information to navigate their food environments safely and effectively, functionality to help build community and social networks among store owners and their customers, opportunities to share positive reviews and ratings of store quality and offerings, and interoperability with existing apps. Rewards and referral systems resulting in the discounted purchasing of promoted healthy items were suggested to increase adoption and sustained app use. Wireframe mockups were further refined for future development and integration into the BUD app, the program and policy implications of which are discussed.

Fat and fatty acid composition of selected regular and healthy fast foods in Amman, Jordan

Fast food is a food that is timely and easily prepared and consumed. Generally, it is made of cheap and low nutritional value ingredients. The aim of this study is to determine the fat and the fatty acid composition of regular and healthy fast foods in Amman, Jordan. Thirty-six samples of different fast-food items were collected from three regular fast-food restaurants. Twelve samples were bought from a healthy fast-food restaurant. The results showed that the highest fat content among regular samples was in chicken burger (CB) 12.022% but it was the lowest in turkey sandwich (T) 5.13%. Total fat was lower in healthy items. The highest amount of fat was in healthy chicken pizza (IPH) 6.62%, while baked potato (BP) showed the lowest fat content (0.27%). Halloumi sandwich (H) recorded the greatest level of saturated fatty acids (SFA) 67.01%, yet the lowest was in beef shawarma (BS) 28.30%. Healthy halloumi (HH) recorded the greatest level of SFA (69.45%) where it was the lowest in BP (20.60%). The greatest monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) content was in BS (42.88%), however its lowest content was in cheese pizza (EP) 26.31%. The highest content of MUFA was in healthy chicken fajita (HCF) 55.33% while its lowest was in HH (27.24%). The highest polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content was recorded by chicken shawarma (CS) 34.45% where it was the lowest in H (5.29%). The highest PUFA content was in samples containing meat. The greatest PUFA content was recorded in healthy turkey (HT) 38.01%, whereas it was the lowest in HH (5.20%). The highest level of trans fatty acids (TFA) was observed in French fries (FF) (0.72%), while its lowest amount was in chicken burger (CB) (0.12%). The highest TFA level was in HT (0.86%) while its lowest amount was in BP (0.11%). The ω-6/ω-3 in regular samples was from 5:1 for (CS) to 36:1 for (FF). Nevertheless, ω-6/ω-3 ranged from 1:1 to 22:1 for healthy beef quesadilla (HBQ) and HH in healthy samples. It was found that ω-6/ω-3 in healthy samples was lower than regular ones. The PUFA/SFA ranged 0.08 - 1.25 for H and BS. Whereas, the PUFA/SFA ranged 0.07 - 1.59 for HH and BP in healthy samples. Among the regular samples, the highest atherogenic index (AI) and thrombogenic index (TI) were in H (2.54 and 3.06). The lowest AI and TI were in BS (0.47) and CS (0.54). The highest AI and TI were in HH (2.91 and 3.46) in healthy samples, whereas the lowest AI and TI were in BP 0.26 and 0.49. Key words: Jordan, fast-food, regular, healthy, fat content, fatty acid composition

Differential consumption pattern of traditional and packed food among rural children

The food consumption pattern of an individual reflects their food choices rather than nutrient intake in their diet. These patterns are strongly related to the health outcomes of the individuals. Home-cooked traditional food items are rapidly replaced by packed food items. As children being the future of any nation, thus their health is very important Therefore, improving the nutrition of these children would help to reduce health risks by promoting healthy food consumption. Present study was carried out during 2021–23 to understand the differential consumption pattern of traditional and packed food items among children in rural areas of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The data pertaining to study were collected using food frequency questionnaire with 2–5 years and 6–14 years old children. The key results indicated that packed food item consumption was dominant among 2–5-year-old children in their diets in NSV (Nutri-SMART villages), and non-NSV as explained maximum variation. However, among 6–14 years old children traditional and packed food items consumption was dominant in NSV, while packed food items were dominant in non-NSV as explained by maximum variation. There is a need to design local food resources based strategies to make aware the children about healthy food items and encourage them to consume by targeting access and availability of such foods.

Integrated farming organic based on a partnership close-loop system in blambangan plantation, Banyuwangi Regency

This will decide the direction of customer attitudes and decisions to transition to consuming healthy and safe food items, together with the dynamics of expanding consumer preferences regarding the relevance of health and food safety. The primary option for addressing the shifting demands of consumers is organic food. The tendency to buy organic food items is positively impacted by consumer education about health and safety. Health and safety awareness has a favorable impact on consumers’ decisions to buy organic food. PT. Sirtanio Organic Indonesia in Banyuwangi is one of the commercial actors that regularly and constantly produce organic food ingredients (organic rice and soybeans). The goal of this project is to develop partnerships-based, integrated organic farming that uses a closed-loop system. Purposive sampling was utilized to choose the descriptive qualitative research approach at the company PT Sirtanio Organik Indonesia. In-depth interviews and group brainstorming with practitioners and higher education specialists are the methods used to acquire the data. The following are the conclusions: (1) an integrated organic farming pattern based on a close loop system (IFO-CLS) business development plan was successfully created; and (2) the IFO-CLS model was successfully implemented, particularly organic soybean production at PT. Sirtanio Organik through the Matching Fund-Kedaireka Kemristekdikti program in 2022.

The Relationship between Anxiety Symptoms and Perceived Quality of Life among Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Amazon.

The relationship between anxiety symptoms and perceived quality of life among caregivers of children with autism was verified. To assess perceived quality of life, the Short Form Healthy Survey Item was used; perception of anxiety symptoms was assessed using the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Eighty caregivers of children with autism participated, with 68.7% of caregivers being mothers. Of the total number of caregivers, 68.8% had a severe level of anxiety. Regarding perceived quality of life, they demonstrated greater impairment in limitation due to physical aspects, limitation due to emotional aspects, vitality, and pain. Caregivers with severe anxiety levels had a worse quality of life in the domains of pain (p = 0.012), social aspects (p < 0.001), limitation due to emotional aspects (p = 0.001), and mental health (p < 0.001). However, in the functional capacity domain, caregivers with a moderate level of anxiety had a better physical capacity score (p = 0.001). There was a negative correlation between the general anxiety score and the general physical (p = 0.029) and general emotional components of perceived quality of life (p < 0.001). It was found that caregivers of children with ASD have a high level of anxiety, which is a predictor of the perception of a worse quality of life.

I'll have what She's having (but not what They're having): The moderating role of group membership in the effect of social norms on food choice in an online environment

The modern food-rich environment has contributed to the rise of unhealthy diets linked to noncommunicable diseases. Previous in-person research has found that the effect of social norms on food intake is greater when set by a perceived in-group member relative to an out-group member. Given recent increased social media use, we investigated whether this effect of group membership extends to food choices and to normative information presented remotely online. Participants (N = 179 female university students, 18–32 years) viewed a Facebook page pertaining to either their university (in-group) or a rival university (out-group). They were presented with either a healthy or an unhealthy norm via a post in which a student discussed their order at a café on the relevant campus. Food choice was assessed through an online menu where participants were asked to order one main, side, and dessert dish. As predicted, participants who viewed the healthy norm ordered a higher percentage of healthy items (especially in the desserts category) relative to those who viewed the unhealthy norm. However, this effect was significant only for those in the in-group condition; there was no such pattern for participants in the out-group condition. These findings provide insight into the role of group membership in the effect of social norms, and have practical implications regarding the design of identity-based social media health campaigns to promote healthier eating behaviours.

Association of Socioeconomic Status and a Broad Combination of Lifestyle Factors With Adult-Onset Asthma: A Cohort Study

BackgroundThe prevalence of asthma is gradually increasing worldwide and there are socioeconomic inequalities in the risk of developing asthma. ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate whether the lifestyle is associated with asthma in adults, as well as whether and to what extent healthy lifestyles may modify socioeconomic status (SES) inequities in asthma. MethodsThis study included a total of 223951 participants from the UK Biobank. Smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption, healthy diet patterns, sedentary time, and sleep duration items were used to construct the lifestyle score. Income, education, and occupation were used to assess SES. Cases of adult-onset asthma were identified based on electronic health records. The Cox proportional hazards regression was used to explore the association of socioeconomic inequality and lifestyle factors with asthma. ResultsCompared with the most healthy lifestyle category, the HRs (95% CIs) of the moderately healthy lifestyle and least healthy lifestyle categories for asthma were 1.08 (1.01-1.15) and 1.29 (1.20-1.39), respectively. A significant interaction (Pinteraction< 0.05) was found between lifestyle categories and socioeconomic status, and the association between them was more pronounced in participants with low socioeconomic status (HR least healthy vs most healthy: 1.58, 95%CI: 1.40-1.80). The joint analysis revealed that the risk of asthma was highest among participants with the lowest SES and the least healthy lifestyles (HR: 2.02, 95%CI: 1.74-2.33). ConclusionsUnhealthy lifestyle factors are associated with an increased risk of asthma in adults, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups are more negatively affected by unhealthy lifestyles. Public health strategies for asthma prevention may need to be tailored according to socioeconomic status, and social policies to reduce poverty are needed alongside lifestyle interventions in areas of deprivation.

Preparation of Healthy Cookies from Germinated Flour Blends of Finger Millet and Pearl Millet Sweetened with Jaggery

Millets are physiologically and therapeutically healthy with high nutritious value and are in rising demand in emerging markets like India, China, Africa, and other developing countries including the Western world. Germinated Millets have high digestibility and are used as healthy food for children’s growth and development. Climate change resilience technology, high nutritional value, and the announcement of the year 2023 as “International Millet Year” have made it very popular. Bakery items based on Millet, particularly cookies, are becoming more popular in both urban and rural areas. Jaggery is raw sugar prepared from sugarcane juice and is considered superior to white sugar. It offers numerous nutritional and therapeutic benefits, including anti-carcinogenic with antitoxic actions. Hence, this study aimed to prepare healthy food items with germinated finger and pearl Millets for better nutritional quality that are attracting the attention of health-conscious people on a worldwide scale. Cookies made from blends of germinated wheat flour (GWF), germinated finger millet flour (GFMF), and germinated pearl millet flour (GPMF) were examined for their physicochemical qualities, in vitro digestibility, antioxidant activity, and overall acceptability by consumers. In vitro protein digestibility (62.24-82.34%), starch digestibility (47.48-62.41%), total phenolic content (11.45–49.12 mg GAE/100 g), and antioxidant activities significantly increased as the proportion of GFMF and GPMF flour increased in the cookie samples, whereas total starch, dietary fiber, carbohydrate, and phytic acid decreased. The physical qualities of the cookies were also improved by the addition of GFMF and GPMF flours. Cookies with acceptable sensory properties, including taste, aroma, appearance, mouthfeel, crispiness, and overall acceptability, were produced by blending 60% GWF, 20% GFMF, and 20% GPMF (T2). This study demonstrated that GFMF and GPMF flour blends may be used as functional ingredients to create superior goods.

Advances in the delivery of bioactive compounds using starch-based nanogels: Formation mechanism, contemporary challenges, and prospects

Despite the widespread interest in starch-based nanogels due to their excellent swelling capacity and biocompatibility, there is a lack of in-depth analysis in the existing literature on the effects of their preparation methods, internal structure, and physicochemical properties on the release, retention, and protection of bioactive when used as delivery systems. In addition, there is a lack of systematic integration and discussion on the theoretical basis of how to design starch-based nanogels with specific structures and functions and the specific functions of these nanogels in oral-gastrointestinal digestive delivery systems. In this review, the preparation methods, characterization, and functions of starch-based nanogels are discussed in association with the delivery process to further understand the influence that the preparation method, as well as the structural and physicochemical characteristics have on the construction of the nanogel. This review aims to offer a theoretical foundation for designing starch-based nanogels with specific structures and functions. Summarizing functions of starch-based nanogels in an oral–gastrointestinal digestive delivery system can lay the foundation for the further development of starch-based nanogels as delivery systems. Furthermore, it can also deliver valuable insights and direct the development of healthy food items in an industrial setting.

Food in a plate or food in a plate with a sustainable toy: A thematic analysis of parents’ perception and children behavior

BACKGROUND: Using innovative and creative marketing promotional techniques for the children food items along with freebies with eco-friendly or sustainable toys which attract them to consume foods that are not particularly good for health is the area of research which is most concerning these days considering the United Nations Sustainable development goals of Good well-being and responsible productions and consumption. OBJECTIVE: This paper is intended to explore and analyze the effectiveness of the innovative marketing techniques like the use of sustainable toys, tattoos, and stickers employed as toys with food by leading FMCG companies in India for influencing children behavior. METHODS: This research presents the results of in-depth interviews conducted and participants’ were selected through quota sampling from working mothers, non-working mothers, and other non-working mothers with full-time maid support. Grounded theory and inductive approach were used in the study. RESULTS: Five themes were evident across all the groups of mothers’ with respect to toys with food. Results showed that the themes underlying the gift in food for kids are portrayal of snacking, exaggerating the claims, enriching the moods, ameliorate the popularity and denigration of core foods. So, the results suggested that toys even though sustainable in nature with food marketing negatively affect the child behavior and health of kids. CONCLUSION: The study suggested that toys with food strategy can positively be presented /deliver a message to kids and companies can use healthy food items with these eco-friendly premiums which would benefit both the parties. The paper presents the concepts and themes that present the understanding of the mothers’ perspective of toys with food offered by companies in Indian perspective.

A Systematic Review of Online Resources for the Dietary Management of Hyperphosphatemia in People With Chronic Kidney Disease

ObjectiveInternet search engines and social media websites are prominent and growing sources of dietary information for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and their healthcare providers. However, nutrition therapy for CKD is undergoing a paradigm shift, which may lead to inconsistent advice for managing hyperphosphatemia. The aim of this study was to summarize and evaluate online resources for phosphorus-specific nutrition therapy. Design and MethodsPatient-facing resources were collected from Google, Yahoo, and Facebook in June-July 2021. Using nine independent search terms, the first 100 hits were reviewed. Dietary advice for food types, food groups, food sub-groups, and individual food items was categorized as “restricted,” “recommended,” “mixed,” and “not mentioned”. Information on publication date, source, and author(s), phosphorus bioavailability and demineralization were also collected. ResultsAfter removing duplicates, 199 resources from Google and Yahoo, and 33 from Facebook were reviewed. Resources ranged from 2005 to 2021, and were primarily authored by registered dietitians and medical doctors (65% and 31%, respectively). Dietary advice mostly focused on restricting high-phosphorus foods, and phosphorus additive-based processed foods. Dietary restrictions were generally consistent with the traditional low-phosphorus diet, which targets whole grains, Dairy, and plant-based Protein Foods, although major inconsistencies were noted. Phosphorus bioavailability and demineralization were rarely mentioned (16% and 8%, respectively). Similar findings were found on Facebook, but the limited number of resources limited meaningful comparisons. ConclusionResults showed that online resources for phosphorus-specific nutrition therapy are highly restrictive of heart healthy food items. and contain significant inconsistencies. Given the widespread and increasing use of online resources by people with CKD and healthcare professionals to inform dietary choices, efforts are urgently needed to establish consensus for phosphorus-specific nutrition therapy. Until then, the findings of this study provide a basis for increasing awareness of the potential for confusion arising from online resources.

Exposure to Instagram junk food content negatively impacts mood and cravings in young adults: A randomized controlled trial

Exposure to different types of images on social media is known to affect physical and mental wellbeing including changes in perception of body image (BI) and dietary behavior. The present study aimed to assess the effects of junk food-related Instagram content exposure on body image, overall mood, and cravings in young adults. A randomized crossover experimental design was used. After filling out a baseline survey, participants (n = 63, aged 18–24) browsed either a control Instagram account feed or an account rich in junk food images during 15 min. They then filled a short survey evaluating their state BI, mood, and cravings (T1). After a 1-week washout period (T2), participants browsed the other account type followed by the same short survey as in T1. Results showed that exposure to junk food content was associated with increased feelings of hunger, stress, sadness, and exhaustion, in addition to higher salty, savory, and fatty food cravings. Moreover, participants showed higher desire for junk food and lower desire for healthy food items from a virtual food tray after junk food content exposure. There was no impact of content type on state BI dissatisfaction. In conclusion, exposure to junk-food related content on social media negatively affects mood and cravings, subsequently influencing food choices. The present findings shed light on the need for interventions aimed at providing cognitive and emotional competencies for enhancing media literacy and promoting mindful social media use.