Nuts, a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids and fiber, have been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. This review is published in Curr Atheroscler Rep.
Archive for category Fruits and vegetables
A cohort of 35 boys and girls in grades 3 through 5 (mean age=9.5 years) was studied during the course of the 2004-2005 school year, providing seasonal assessments of diet and physical activity. Only three students (9%) were overweight and another three were “at risk” for overweight. Food intake patterns fell far below MyPyramid guidelines for average daily servings of F&V. The findings identify targets for behavioral and environmental interventions to reduce childhood obesity risks.
This study examined the independent and interactive association between dietary restraint, body mass index and the relative reinforcing value of food. 403 psychology students completed questionnaires assessing age, gender, BMI, hunger, smoking status, nicotine dependence, dietary restraint, hedonic ratings for snack food and F&V and the relative reinforcing value of snack food and F&V. Findings suggest that BMI moderates the relationship between dietary restraint and snack food reinforcement in females. such that restraint and snack food reinforcement are inversely correlated in females with lower BMI, but restraint is positively correlated with snack food reinforcement in females with higher BMI.
A total 130 participants in nine communities completed the F&V questionnaire and could be linked to grocery store assessments. Community produce availability was determined by grocery store assessments measuring the display space devoted to fruit and vegetable offerings, as well as price, variety and freshness. Participants made modest but significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption from programme start to end: the average increase was from 2.52 to 2.88 servings weekly. Greater perceived access to F&V was significantly associated with higher increases in F&V consumption from programme start to programme end. Greater availability of produce was associated with greater increases in F&V servings from programme start to programme end as measured by store assessments. Environmental factors, such as access to F&V can modify the effects of community interventions.
A structured framework was used in Western Australia to develop strategies to improve F&V consumption and supply, and to identify implementation priorities. After one year a desktop audit of progress on framework interventions was undertaken. The structured framework led to a plan for defined actions, partners, costs, and performance indicators for strategies to improve fruit and vegetable consumption and supply. Lead agency custodians for management of the selected interventions were identified. There was significant progress in the implementation of a number of the high-ranking interventions. The exceptions were research and development capacity and information systems. Further work is required to develop performance outcomes and cost effectiveness measures for many of the strategies that have been proposed to address portfolio objectives.
Moderating picky eaters
Jan 3
73 children (2-5-year-olds) from the South Birmingham area in the UK participated in this cross-sectional study. It’s about child food neophobia and F&V consumption of both mothers and children. Parental and child F&V consumption in the sample were positively associated. Children who were sensitive to taste/smell stimuli ate fewer fruit and vegetables, regardless of their mothers FV consumption. This finding implies that those children, who are sensitive to taste/smell stimuli, may be less likely to model maternal FV consumption. For these children, a more gradual route to encouraging acceptance, with attention to small sensory changes in foods, may be necessary to increase FV consumption.
In a new study led by the University of Michigan Health System, women more than doubled their fruit and vegetable intakes and dramatically increased their consumption of “good” fats when they were counseled by registered dietitians and provided with a list of guidelines on the amount of certain foods they should eat each day. 69 women were folloewd for 6 months.
Restricting the availability of unhealthy snacks in elementary schools led to a small increase in fruit and vegetable consumption among fifth-graders, a new study found. The findings were published in the January 2009 issue of The Journal of Nutrition. The study surveyed 10,285 fifth-graders at 2,065 elementary schools nationwide in the US. Original source: http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/139/1/142
This paper from the ProChildren project investigate personal, social and physical environmental predictors in 13.305 kids. Daily fruit intake and daily vegetable intake was mainly associated with knowledge of the national recommendations, positive self-efficacy, positive liking and preference, parental modeling and demand and bringing fruit to school. This study showed that a combination of personal and social factors is related to daily F&V intake in schoolchildren.
69 women, ages 25 to 59 years, were randomized to either continue their own usual diet or follow an intervention diet for 6 months. Using the Mediterranean exchange list increased the F&V intake from 4.0 to 8.6 servings/day. Wow!