Spice MyPlate: Nutrition Education Focusing Upon Spices and Herbs Improved Diet Quality and Attitudes Among Urban High School Students.

PURPOSE: To determine whether an experiential nutrition education intervention focusing on spices and herbs ("Spice MyPlate") is feasible and improves diet quality and healthy eating attitudes among an urban and predominantly African-American sample of adolescents more than standard nutrition education alone. DESIGN: A nonrandomized controlled trial compared standard nutrition education in U.S. Department of Agriculture MyPlate guidelines (control group) with standard nutrition education plus adjuvant Spice MyPlate curriculum (intervention group). Data were collected at baseline and after 3, 6, and 10 weeks. SETTING: Study setting was two public high schools in Baltimore, Maryland. SUBJECTS: A total of 110 students in grades 9 to 12 participated. INTERVENTION: The 6-week school-based intervention conducted during health class focused on cooking using spices and herbs to eat healthier diets according to MyPlate. MEASURES: Dietary intake reported on 3-day food records and healthy eating attitudes questionnaires was analyzed. ANALYSIS: Differences in diet quality and healthy eating attitudes between study groups were estimated by t-tests, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests, and covariate-adjusted regression models. RESULTS: Spice MyPlate was feasible and there were modest but significant improvements (p ≤ .05) in the Spice MyPlate group compared with control in whole grains (31.2 g/wk) and protein foods (13.2 ounces per week) intake, and attitudes toward eating vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy. CONCLUSIONS: Although randomized trials are needed, experiential nutrition education focusing on spices and herbs may help urban and predominantly African-American adolescent populations eat healthier diets.

Adulthood consumption of preserved and nonpreserved vegetables and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a systematic review.

The incidence rates of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) are dramatically higher in certain regions of Asia compared to the rest of the world. Few risk factors for NPC are known; however, in contrast to the hypothesized health benefits of nonpreserved vegetables, it is thought that preserved vegetable intake may play a role in contributing to the higher incidence of NPC in high-risk regions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to systematically review the epidemiologic evidence on the associations between adulthood intake of preserved and nonpreserved vegetables and NPC risk. A search of the epidemiological literature from 1966 to 2004 was performed using several bibliographic databases, including PubMed and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database System. There were no language restrictions. Meta-analysis was conducted to obtain pooled odds ratios (ORs) for the highest-versus-lowest categories of preserved and nonpreserved vegetable intake. A total of 16 case-control studies were identified in the search. Results showed that highest-versus-lowest preserved vegetable intake was associated with a 2-fold increase in the risk of NPC (Random Effects Odds Ratio (RE OR) 2.04; 95% Confidence Limits (CL) 1.43, 2.92). Conversely, high nonpreserved vegetable intake was associated with 36% decrease in the risk of NPC (RE OR 0.64; 95% CL 0.48, 0.85). Findings for both preserved and nonpreserved vegetables were consistent across vegetable type and by country of study. Further research in high-risk areas to gain insight into the risk associated with preserved vegetables and protection associated with nonpreserved vegetables may advance understanding of NPC and yield clues for prevention.