Regular family meals, defined as five or more meals together per week, declined over time. Sixty percent of youth had regular family meals during early adolescence compared to 30% during middle adolescence. Having regular family meals at both Time 1 and Time 2 was associated with greater frequency of consuming breakfast and dinner meals and increased intakes of vegetables, calcium-rich food, dietary fiber, and several nutrients including calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc five years later.
Archive for category Fruits and vegetables
This study of586 old men suggest that higher intake of green leafy vegetables may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease through favorable changes in cardiac autonomic function.
Data from 196,373 adult participants from 52 countries taking part in the World Health Survey (2002–2003) were analyzed in the summer of 2008. Low fruit and vegetable consumption prevalence ranged from 36.6% (Ghana) to 99.2% (Pakistan) for men and from 38.0% (Ghana) to 99.3% (Pakistan) for women. Overall, 77.6% of men and 78.4% of women from the 52 mainly low- and middle-income countries consumed less than the minimum recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
One big myth is that fruit juice is a healthy part of our diet. Wrong. Drinking a glass of fruit juice a day ‘” which is the equivalent of one soft drink of 110 to 180 calories ‘” has been linked in the U.S., Australia and Spain to increased calorie intake and higher risks of diabetes and heart disease. Find this interesting story by Bary Popkin in NYT.
Mothers with many negative thoughts and feelings are more likely to give their children unhealthy food. This is shown in a study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) in collaboration with the University of Oslo.
In a study published in the April 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers observed that adolescent and young adult vegetarians may experience the health benefits associated with increased fruit and vegetable intake and young adults my experience the added benefit of decreased risk for overweight and obesity. However, current vegetarians may be at increased risk for binge eating, while former vegetarians may be at increased risk for extreme unhealthful weight control behaviors.
Until March 18th you can dowload the 64 page report “Contemporary Food Trends” on Nutrition Trends for free. Thanks, Hartman Group. The world is a very, very different place than it was 12 months ago. To look back at where we’ve been as well as where we are headed, to try to make sense of life in these uncertain economic times. Consumers are beginning to approach nutrition in critically different ways than in past epochs: Consumers are increasingly looking to specific foods ‘” ideally non-packaged versions of those foods ‘” which are considered to provide nutritional benefits originally obtained from supplements. As a direct consequence of this trend, we are already noting precipitous declines in supplement usage in certain critical categories. Enjoy reading.
A new study from Detroit finds that the food environment of a neighborhood (the presence or absence of grocery stores, food markets and convenience stores) and whether they sell fresh produce influences how many fruits and vegetables are eaten daily. Having a large grocery store in the neighborhood boosted the average fruit and vegetable intake by 0.69 servings per day.
A total of 2054 schoolchildren aged 7-14 from Germany participated. Weight status of the children was associated with weight status, education and employment status of the parents. Meal patterns were strongly dependent on children’s age and parental employment. As age increased, the frequency of meal consumption, participation rate in school lunches and the number of family meals decreased. Age-specific prevention programmes should encourage greater meal frequency. The close involvement of parents is essential in any strategy for improving children’s (families’) diets.
A cross-sectional survey of twelve fresh fruit and vegetable items in 288 food stores in ten communities across Scotland showed that stores in more affluent areas tended to have the highest-quality fresh fruit and vegetables. Stores where food is secondary, stores in urban settings and stores in more deprived areas tended have the lowest-quality fresh produce.