Food categorizations among low-income women living in three different urban contexts: The pile sorting method.

Transformations in eating practices are reflected in the multiplicity of competing food-related discourses. These discourses contribute to different food categorizations among individuals. Scientists have long argued that food categorizations may help understanding cultural systems of health beliefs. However, not enough work has been conducted to improve the understanding of the dimensions of food categorizations and their interface with food choices, tastes, and culturally defined food systems. This study aims at describing and interpreting how low-income women living in three urban settings in Santos, Brazil, classify and give meaning to foods. We used the pile sorting method to investigate categorizations created by 90 women, following 6 steps: (1) creating units of analysis, (2) sorting the units of analysis into piles, (3) running multidimensional scaling analysis, (4) running cluster analyses on the multidimensional scaling coordinates, (5) labelling the clusters, and (6) analyzing consensus among the participants. The final solution to food categorizations comprised six clusters, namely: home meals, convenience foods, special meals, fish, breads and cereals, and hot dogs. Additionally, we observed four rationales for food categorization: frequency of consumption, degree of healthfulness, personal taste, and meals in which the food was usually part of. These categories highlight the importance of considering personal taste and the type of meal that the food is culturally consumed in, to propose meaningful interventions and appropriate education tools, towards promoting healthy eating practices, especially among vulnerable populations.

Low-phytate wholegrain bread instead of high-phytate wholegrain bread in a total diet context did not improve iron status of healthy Swedish females: a 12-week, randomized, parallel-design intervention study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of eating wholegrain rye bread with high or low amounts of phytate on iron status in women under free-living conditions. METHODS: In this 12-week, randomized, parallel-design intervention study, 102 females were allocated into two groups, a high-phytate-bread group or a low-phytate-bread group. These two groups were administered: 200 g of blanched wholegrain rye bread/day, or 200 g dephytinized wholegrain rye bread/day. The bread was administered in addition to their habitual daily diet. Iron status biomarkers and plasma alkylresorcinols were analyzed at baseline and post-intervention. RESULTS: Fifty-five females completed the study. There was a significant difference in change over time in total body iron stores between the two groups (p < 0.035). In the low-phytate bread group (n = 24) there were significant within-group decreases in both ferritin (mean 12%; from 32 ± 7 to 27 ± 6 µg/L, geometric mean ± SEM, p < 0.018) and total body iron (mean 12%; from 6.9 ± 1.4 to 5.4 ± 1.1 mg/kg, p < 0.035). Plasma alkylresorcinols indicated that most subjects complied with the intervention CONCLUSIONS: In Swedish females of reproductive age, no statistically significant difference in iron status was detected after 12 weeks of high-phytate wholegrain bread consumption. However, consumption of low-phytate wholegrain bread for 12 weeks resulted in a reduction of markers of iron status. Although single-meal studies clearly show an increase in iron bioavailability from dephytinization of cereals, medium-term consumption of reduced phytate bread under free-living conditions suggests that this strategy does not work to improve iron status in healthy women of reproductive age.

A cross sectional study of salt content in bakery bread in Zagreb, Croatia.

Reducing salt content in bread is the essential part of a national strategy for salt reduction with the goal of long-term national general health improvement. In this study we have analysed salt content in three types of bread available in 25 small and five national industrial bakeries in Zagreb, Croatia. Samples of white wheat bread, dark wheat bread, and other types of bread were collected, and the salt content was determined with the Mohr method. Salt content varied widely between bakeries, with an average content of 2.30±0.22 g per 100 g of bread, which is almost twice the threshold content (1.4 %) defined by the Croatian National Regulation on Cereals and Cereal Products. Further efforts are necessary to teach bakers how to reduce salt content without affecting quality or flavour. These should go hand in hand with continuous monitoring of how the legal provisions are implemented.

Reduction in purchases of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods in Mexico associated with the introduction of a tax in 2014.

In 2014, an 8% tax on energy-dense nutrient-poor foods was implemented in Mexico with the aim of reducing its consumption. This paper estimated changes in household purchases of taxed food. We used the latest five waves of the nationally representative Mexican Income and Expenditure Survey (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016). The analytic sample comprises 154,777 households. We estimated changes in purchases based on a before and after comparison. Results show a reduction in purchases of taxed food of -5.4 g/week per capita, equivalent to a relative reduction of -5.3% in the 2014 and 2016 waves compared to the 2008, 2010 and 2012 rounds. The largest relative reductions were in urban areas (-6.9%), among households with children (-7.0%), households where the head had an intermediate educational level (-9.9%) and the southern region (-14.8%). We did not find a significant reduction in rural areas. While there is a large heterogeneity, the fiscal instrument has been effective in reducing taxed food purchases and has generated substantial revenue that could be used to finance policies for the prevention and treatment of obesity.

Assessment of salt concentration in bread commonly consumed in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is the most important cardiovascular risk factor in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region. Excessive salt and sodium intake is directly related to hypertension, and its reduction is a priority of WHO. Bread is the leading staple food in the Region; therefore, reducing the amount of salt added to bread could be an effective measure for reducing salt intake. AIM: The study sought to determine the levels of sodium and salt in locally produced staple bread from 8 countries in the Region. METHODS: Bread samples were collected randomly from bakeries located in the capital cities of the selected countries. The samples were analysed for sodium content using atomic absorption spectroscopy. RESULTS: The mean salt content of breads varied from 4.28 g/kg in Jordan to 12.41 g/kg in Tunisia. The mean salt and sodium content in bread for all countries was 7.63 (SD 3.12) and 3.0 (SD 1.23) g/kg, respectively. The contribution of bread to daily salt intake varied considerably between countries, ranging from 1.3 g (12.5%) in Jordan to 3.7 g (33.5%) in Tunisia. CONCLUSION: Interventions to reduce population salt intake should target reduction of salt in bread in all countries. The amount of salt added to bread should be standardized and relevant legislation developed to guide bakers. Setting an upper limit for salt content in flat bread (pita or Arabic bread) at 0.5% is strongly recommended. However, salt levels at ≤ 1% would be appropriate for other kind of breads.

Evaluating the ≤10:1 wholegrain criterion in identifying nutrient quality and health implications of UK breads and breakfast cereals.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the nutrient quality of breads and breakfast cereals identified using the wholegrain definition of ≤10:1 carbohydrate:fibre ratio. DESIGN: Following a cross-sectional study design, nutritional information was systematically gathered from food labels of breads and breakfast cereals that met the ≤10:1 carbohydrate:fibre criterion. The median nutrient content was compared with the UK Food Standards Agency's nutrient profiling standards and the associations between carbohydrate:fibre ratio and other nutrients were analysed. Subgroup analyses were undertaken for products with and without fruit, nuts and/or seeds. SETTING: Products from four major supermarket stores in the UK. SUBJECTS: Breads (n 162) and breakfast cereals (n 266). RESULTS: Breads which met the ≤10:1 criterion typically contained medium fat, low saturated fat, low sugar and medium Na. Breakfast cereals typically contained medium fat, low saturated fat, high sugar and low Na. In both groups, as the carbohydrate:fibre ratio decreased, fat content increased (bread: P=0·029, r=-0·171; breakfast cereal: P=0·033, r=-0·131) and, in breakfast cereals, as the ratio increased, sugar content increased (P<0·0005, r=0·381). Breakfast cereals with fruit, nuts and/or seeds contained, per 100 g, more energy (P=0·002), fat, saturated fat and sugar (all P<0·0005), while seeded breads had more energy, fat and saturated fat (all P<0·0005). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, breads and breakfast cereals meeting the ≤10:1 criterion have good nutritional quality, suggesting that the criterion could be useful in public health and/or food labelling. The utility of applying the ≤10:1 criterion to products containing fruit, nuts and/or seeds is less clear and requires further research.

The Iodine Status of Queensland Preschool Children After the Introduction of Mandatory Iodine Fortification in Bread: An Exploratory Study Using a Convenience Sample.

Introduction Appropriate dietary iodine is essential for thyroid hormone synthesis, especially in young children. Following an iodine fortification in bread initiative, approximately 6 % of Australian preschool children were expected to have an excessive iodine status. The aim of this study was to document the current iodine status of preschool children using urinary iodine concentration (UIC) as a biomarker of iodine intake. Methods A convenience sample of fifty-one preschool children, aged 2-3 years, were recruited from south east Queensland. UIC was ascertained from spot morning and afternoon urine samples collected on two consecutive days and food frequency questionnaires were completed for each participant. Dietary iodine intake was extrapolated from UIC assuming 90 % of dietary iodine is excreted in urine and a urine volume of 0.5 L/day. Results A median UIC of 223.3 µg/L was found. The calculated median dietary iodine intake was 124.8 µg/day (SD 47.0) with 9.8 % of samples above the upper level of 200 µg for dietary iodine for children within this age group. No foods were associated with UIC. Discussion Limited by sample size and recruitment strategies, no association was found between usual food intake and UIC. Extrapolated dietary iodine intake indicated that children within this cohort consumed adequate amounts of dietary iodine, although the number of children consuming above the upper limit of 300 µg/day was almost double of expected. The development of a UIC criteria to assess appropriate parameters for varying degrees of iodine status is required for the monitoring of iodine nutrition in this vulnerable age group.

Impact of health and nutrition risks perception on the interest in pro-healthy food on the example of bread.

BACKGROUND: Bread is a basic food product in the diet of a majority of people. It is a good source of energy and it is also abundant in carbohydrates. Simultaneously, because it is consumed on a large scale by Polish people, it provides large amounts of salt and some additives like preservative and raising agents. The perception of the risk influences the choice of food and impacts eating behaviors. However, it is still unknown if there is an impact of perceived risk on the choice and the consumption of bread. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the research was to assess the importance of perceived health and nutrition risk in conditioning the willingness to buy bread with decreased amounts of salt and bread without preservative and raising agents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Empirical research was conducted in October 2014 in a group of 1.014 adult consumers, with the use of the method of interview. The questions covered the following issues: the frequency of white and wholemeal bread consumption, the willingness to consume bread with reduced salt content and one produced without the preservatives and raising agents, the self-assessment of health and socio-demographic characteristics of respondents. To evaluate the perceived health and nutrition risks modification of Health Concern Scale was used. Opinions on the tendency to purchase both kind of breads were compared taking into account socio-demographic characteristics, health risk, nutrition risk and frequency of eating white and wholemeal bread. To determine the differences ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test at the significance level of p<0.05 were used. The relations between variables were assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: There was a higher tendency to consume bread without preservatives and raising agents than with low salt content. Women, people over 55 years old, and people who often consume white bread were characterized by higher willingness to consume bread with reduced salt content. People with higher education, aged over 45 years, and those who rarely consumed wholemeal bread were more willing to eat bread without additives. The greater was the nutrition and health risk perceived by the person, the greater was the willingness to consume both types of bread. CONCLUSIONS: The importance of perceived risks in conditioning consumers' willingness to eat healthy food shows that the educational campaigns informing about risky behaviors may promote behavioral change towards a more favorable food choice.

Food groups and the risk of colorectal cancer: results from a Jordanian case-control study.

The role of diet in colorectal cancer (CRC) in Jordan has not been studied previously. This study aimed at examining the association between food groups (including grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, and meat and legumes) and CRC risk in Jordan. We compared intakes of the different food groups among CRC patients (n=167) and matched controls (n=240) by age, sex, occupation, and marital status. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to collect dietary data. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of quartiles of intakes of the different food groups with CRC risk. In addition, the association of selected food items with CRC risk was examined. Odds ratios (ORs) for the fourth versus the first quartile of intake were 2.92 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.40-6.08] for grains, 1.66 (95% CI: 0.81-3.40) for vegetables, 0.55 (95% CI: 0.26-1.16) for fruits, 0.96 (95% CI: 0.46-1.97) for milk, and 1.43 (95% CI: 0.68-2.98) for meat and legumes. In a comparison of the highest with the lowest weekly frequency of consumption, there was a direct association between the risk of CRC and the frequency of consumption of chicken (OR=2.52, 95% CI: 1.33-4.77). An increase in risk was observed with increased consumption of white bread (OR=3.13, 95% CI: 1.18-9.25), whereas consumption of whole bread was associated with a decreased risk for CRC (OR=0.32, 95% CI: 0.12-0.84). Our results support a role of diet in CRC. Direct associations were found for grains, white bread, and chicken, whereas an inverse relation was reported for whole bread.

Glycemic load, glycemic index, bread and incidence of overweight/obesity in a Mediterranean cohort: the SUN project.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate prospectively the relationship between white, or whole grain bread, and glycemic index, or glycemic load from diet and weight change in a Mediterranean cohort. METHODS: We followed-up 9 267 Spanish university graduates for a mean period of 5 years. Dietary habits at baseline were assessed using a semi-quantitative 136-item food-frequency questionnaire. Average yearly weight change was evaluated according to quintiles of baseline glycemic index, glycemic load, and categories of bread consumption. We also assessed the association between bread consumption, glycemic index, or glycemic load, and the incidence of overweight/obesity. RESULTS: White bread and whole-grain bread were not associated with higher weight gain. No association between glycemic index, glycemic load and weight change was found.White bread consumption was directly associated with a higher risk of becoming overweight/obese (adjusted OR (≥2 portions/day) versus (≤1 portion/week): 1.40; 95% CI: 1.08-1.81; p for trend: 0.008). However, no statistically significant association was observed between whole-grain bread, glycemic index or glycemic load and overweight/obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of white bread (≥2 portions/day) showed a significant direct association with the risk of becoming overweight/obese.

Nudging children towards whole wheat bread: a field experiment on the influence of fun bread roll shape on breakfast consumption.

BACKGROUND: Many children do not eat enough whole grains, which may have negative health consequences. Intervention research is increasingly focusing on nudging as a way to influence food choices by affecting unconscious behavioural processes. The aim of this field study was to examine whether the shape of bread rolls is able to shift children's bread choices from white to whole wheat during breakfast to increase whole grain intake. METHODS: In a between-subjects experiment conducted at twelve primary schools in the Netherlands, with school as the unit of condition assignment, children were exposed to an assortment of white and whole wheat bread rolls, both varying in shape (regular versus fun). Children were free to choose the type and number of bread rolls and toppings to eat during breakfast. Consumption of bread rolls was measured at class level via the number of bread rolls before and after breakfast. In addition, children (N = 1113) responded to a survey including questions about the breakfast. RESULTS: Results of the field experiment showed that about 76% of bread consumption consisted of white bread rolls. Consumption of white bread rolls did not differ according to shape (all P-values > 0.18). However, presenting fun-shaped whole wheat bread rolls almost doubled consumption of whole wheat bread (P = 0.001), particularly when the simultaneously presented white bread rolls had a regular shape (interaction P = 0.02). Survey results suggest that slight increases in perceived pleasure and taste are associated with these effects. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, presenting whole wheat bread in fun shapes may be helpful in increasing consumption of whole wheat bread in children. Future research could examine how improving the visual appeal of healthy foods may lead to sustained behaviour changes.

Rye bread consumption in early life and reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether consumption of whole-grain rye bread, oatmeal, and whole-wheat bread, during different periods of life, is associated with risk of prostate cancer (PCa). METHODS: From 2002 to 2006, 2,268 men, aged 67-96 years, reported their dietary habits in the AGES-Reykjavik cohort study. Dietary habits were assessed for early life, midlife, and current life using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Through linkage to cancer and mortality registers, we retrieved information on PCa diagnosis and mortality through 2009. We used regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) for PCa according to whole-grain consumption, adjusted for possible confounding factors including fish, fish liver oil, meat, and milk intake. RESULTS: Of the 2,268 men, 347 had or were diagnosed with PCa during follow-up, 63 with advanced disease (stage 3+ or died of PCa). Daily rye bread consumption in adolescence (vs. less than daily) was associated with a decreased risk of PCa diagnosis (OR = 0.76, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.59-0.98) and of advanced PCa (OR = 0.47, 95 % CI: 0.27-0.84). High intake of oatmeal in adolescence (≥5 vs. ≤4 times/week) was not significantly associated with risk of PCa diagnosis (OR = 0.99, 95 % CI: 0.77-1.27) nor advanced PCa (OR = 0.67, 95 % CI: 0.37-1.20). Midlife and late life consumption of rye bread, oatmeal, or whole-wheat bread was not associated with PCa risk. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that rye bread consumption in adolescence may be associated with reduced risk of PCa, particularly advanced disease.

Uso del gérmen desgrasado de maíz en harinas compuestas para panificación / The use of industrial deffated corn germ in breadmaking

La harina de germen desgrasado de maíz es un subproducto de la molienda seca del maíz actualmente subutilizado para consumo humano. En este estudio se caracterizó fisicoquímicamente dos muestras de diferente granulometría de germen desgrasado de maíz: Fracción fina (FF) y Fracción media (FM) y se incorporaron a harinas de trigo (HT) para obtener harinas compuestas con niveles de sustitución de 5-10-12 y 15 por ciento. Con estas mezclas se elaboraron a nivel de panadería comercial panes de molde los cuales fueron analizados desde el punto de vista fisicoquímico y sensorial. Se encontró que FF y FM aportan de 20 a 35 por ciento de Fibra Dietetica Total (FDP). De los panes elaborados se seleccionaron los que contenían 10 por ciento de FM y 10 por ciento de FF por no diferir, a un 95 por ciento de confiabilidad, en cuanto a peso específico, color sabor u textura de los panes elaborados con 100 por ciento de HT. En la prueba de aceptabilidad realizada a 200 consumidores se encontró que el pan con 10 por ciento de FF era más aceptado (48 por ciento) que el de 100 por ciento de HT y el de 10 por ciento de FM presentó igual nivel de aceptación (28 por ciento) que el control. Se puede concluir que el germen desgrasado de maíz representa una materia prima nacional disponible, susceptible de ser utilizada en panificación como sustituto parcial del trigo importado

[The effect of the ingestion of nougat on blood glucose and insulin in healthy subjects]. / Efecto de la ingesta de turrón sobre la glucemia e insulinemia en voluntarios sanos.

The importance of the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the diet, is well known. Given that the glycemic response of the foods can not be predicted simply based on their chemical composition, prior to advising diabetics, one must have comparative data on the physiologic effects of the different foods. In this work we have studied the effect of nougat on glycemia and insulinemia, because this is a common food in our culture, and its knowledge may be of great use to diabetic patients. For the study we chose 7 healthy volunteers who were asked to ingest, on different days, a portion of whole wheat bread and one of Jijona nougat with an equivalent number of carbohydrates, and blood samples were taken before breakfast and at different times after initiating the ingestion, and in these samples we determined the plasma concentrations of glucose and insulin. We calculated the peak distances of glycemia and insulinemia, that is to say, the differences between the minimum and maximum values, and the areas under the curves. The difference between the glycemia peak distance between the trial done with nougat and that done with whole wheat bread, was statistically significant with a p < 0.02. The area under both curves did not show statistically significant differences. The same was true for the insulinemia figures. In conclusion, nougat, which traditionally is banned from the diet of diabetics, in this study does not show to produce a greater functional overload of the pancreatic islets than whole wheat bread does, and, although it has a high caloric value, it can probably be added to the diet of diabetic in small quantities, without producing great metabolic alterations.

Desarrollo y evaluación de un panqué enriquecido con harina de algodón / Development and evaluation of an enriched cake with cottonsedd meal

En Venezuela, los problemas nutricionales, específicamente la desnutrición caloricoproteica, se ha acentuado en los últimos años. Una posible solución lo constituye el enriquecimiento de alimentos con fuentes de proteínas, como las que contiene el residuo o torta de la extracción del aceite de las semillas de algodón. En este trabajo se caracterizaron las harinas de algodón obtenidas industrialmente y se utilizó hasta en un 15 por ciento en un panqué enriquecido, susceptible a ser utilizado en la merienda escolar. Se seleccionó el panqué de vainilla con 45 por ciento de harina de algodón debido a que la aceptabilidad a nivel de laboratorio fue de 97 por ciento. Se probó en una escuela con 1.009 niños de distintas edades, la aceptabilidad fue de 97 por ciento. Se concluyó que este producto, que suministra 395 Kcal y 13 g de proteínapor cada 100 g, podría ser utilizado para mejorar el aporte calóricoproteico de la merienda escolar