Systems Thinking and Sustainable Food Systems in Dietetics Education: A Survey of Directors.

Background: Systems thinking is recommended, but not required, for teaching food and water system sustainability in nutrition and dietetics education.

Objective: This study investigated systems thinking and sustainable, resilient, and healthy food and water systems (SRHFWS) in nutrition and dietetics programs. It examined program directors' practices, values, attitudes, confidence levels, and the relationships between systems thinking, teaching SRHFWS topics, confidence levels, and years of experience as a dietitian and program director.

Teaching nutrition and sustainable food systems: justification and an applied approach.

Systems thinking is an essential skill for solving real-world problems, supporting lasting, impactful change, and creating desired futures. Transdisciplinary teaching and learning should be integrated into higher education to ensure students have the knowledge and skills to prosper in an ever-changing world. Education that addresses the interconnectedness of food systems is fundamental in cultivating future generations equipped to mitigate complex problems, such as hunger, nutrition-related chronic disease, and the climate crisis.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists' Perceptions of the Relationship Between Food and Peace in the United States Food System: A Qualitative Study.

Background: In the United States, persistent food insecurity alongside social and health disparities limit peace in the food system. A peacebuilding approach offers a potential paradigm shift integrating food in the context of peace to foster right and just relationships with self, others, and the Earth for sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems.

Objective: This qualitative study sought to explore registered dietitian nutritionists' (RDNs) perceptions of the relationship between food and peace and to identify implications of food as grounds for peacebuilding, using a Food Peace Framework in the field of nutrition and dietetics.

Invited review: The consumer and dairy food waste: An individual plus policy, systems, and environmental perspective.

An estimated 40% of food produced in the United States is wasted, which poses a significant barrier to achieving a sustainable future-so much so that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal no. 12, to "ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns," includes a goal to "halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level, and reduce food losses along the production and supply chains by 2030." Annually, consumers waste approximately 90 billion pounds of food, equating to roughly 1 pound per person per day.

Dietitians vary by counseling status in bean promotion with type 2 diabetes clients: A pilot study.

Beans are noted for their beneficial effects on blood glucose for persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, little is known about dietitian attitudes and perceptions, self-efficacy, or counseling practices about beans in T2DM management. Through an online survey, the attitudes and perceptions dietitians have toward the role of beans in managing T2DM were examined.

Are pre-pregnancy weight fluctuations and adherence to prenatal nutrition and exercise recommendations related to excessive gestational weight gain?

Women who have an overweight or obese pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) may be recommended to lose weight before pregnancy, however the association of preconception weight fluctuations and prenatal adherence to nutrition and exercise recommendations with gestational weight gain (GWG) have not been assessed. One hundred women with a pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m who participated in the Nutrition and Exercise Lifestyle Intervention Program (NELIP) were included and stratified as gained weight excessively (n = 47) or not (n = 53) using the 2009 Institute of Medicine GWG guidelines.

Sequential Introduction of Exercise First Followed by Nutrition Improves Program Adherence During Pregnancy: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Adhering to nutrition and exercise recommendations simultaneously during pregnancy may be challenging. The purpose was to examine adherence to the sequential introduction of nutrition and exercise behaviors during pregnancy in comparison with a simultaneous approach.

Method: A randomized controlled trial including nutrition and exercise was executed.

The Behavioral Wellness in Pregnancy study: a randomized controlled trial of a multi-component intervention to promote appropriate weight gain.

Background: Adequate weight gain during pregnancy is important to both maternal and fetal outcomes. To date, randomized controlled trials have not been effective at increasing the proportion of women meeting gestational weight-gain guidelines.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether a multi-component behavioral intervention with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist significantly improves the proportion of women who adhere to the 2009 Institute of Medicine weight-gain guidelines.

Adherence to physical activity guidelines in mid-pregnancy does not reduce sedentary time: an observational study.

Background: Physical activity (PA) interventions designed to prevent prenatal complications have focused on increasing moderate PA yielding conflicting results. Minimal attention has focused on the evaluation of sleep, sedentary behavior (SB), light activity or total daily PA during pregnancy. The purpose of this prospective, longitudinal study was to 1) objectively quantify and compare habitual PA and SB during the 2nd and 3rd trimester; and 2) evaluate differences in activity patterns for women meeting prenatal PA guidelines versus those that did not.

Practice paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics abstract: nutrition and lifestyle for a healthy pregnancy outcome.

It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that women of childbearing age should adopt a lifestyle optimizing health and reducing risk of birth defects, suboptimal fetal development, and chronic health problems in both mother and child.Components leading to healthy pregnancy outcome include healthy pre-pregnancy weight, appropriate weight gain and physical activity during pregnancy, consumption of a wide variety of foods, appropriate vitamin and mineral supplementation, avoidance of alcohol and other harmful substances, and safe food handling. Nutrition assessment needs to encompass changes in anthropometric,biochemical, and clinical indicators throughout pregnancy.

Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: nutrition and lifestyle for a healthy pregnancy outcome.

It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that women of childbearing age should adopt a lifestyle optimizing health and reducing risk of birth defects, suboptimal fetal development, and chronic health problems in both mother and child. Components leading to a healthy pregnancy outcome include healthy prepregnancy weight, appropriate weight gain and physical activity during pregnancy, consumption of a wide variety of foods, appropriate vitamin and mineral supplementation, avoidance of alcohol and other harmful substances, and safe food handling. Pregnancy is a critical period during which maternal nutrition and lifestyle choices are major influences on mother and child health.

A pilot walking program promotes moderate-intensity physical activity during pregnancy.

Introduction: Walking may be a strategy for increasing moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA) during pregnancy.

Purpose: This study aimed to promote MPA among overweight and obese pregnant women, via walking, and to evaluate the effect of the intervention on maternal and birth outcomes.

Methods: Thirty-seven overweight or obese pregnant women were randomly assigned to a walking intervention or control group.

Physical activity during pregnancy: impact of applying different physical activity guidelines.

Multiple guidelines and definitions of physical activity (PA) have been used to study the benefits of activity during pregnancy. The different guidelines lead to a wide range of prevalence estimates and this has led to conflicting reports about activity patterns during pregnancy. A longitudinal study was conducted to assess PA using a pattern-recognition monitor for a 7-day period at week 18 (n = 55) and week 35 (n = 66) of pregnancy.

Validity of the SenseWear® Armband to predict energy expenditure in pregnant women.

Unlabelled: Few valid, objective methods exist to quantify physical activity and predict energy expenditure (EE) during pregnancy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the SenseWear Mini armband monitor (SWA) (BodyMedia, Pittsburgh, PA) to estimate EE in pregnant women.

Methods: Thirty healthy pregnant women (22-24 wk of gestation) completed a series of activities of daily living (typing, laundry, sweeping, and treadmill walking: 2.

Accuracy of physical activity assessment during pregnancy: an observational study.

Background: Prenatal physical activity may improve maternal and infant health and lower future disease risk for both mother and baby; however, very few physical activity assessment methods have been validated for use during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a subjective physical activity record (PAR) and an objective activity monitor, against a reference standard to quantify moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in pregnant women. The reference standard was based on participant interviews to determine if a woman was an exerciser and confirmed with information obtained from the PAR and a heart rate monitor.

Day-to-day variation in plasma interleukin-6 concentrations in older adults.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine commonly used in studies as a means of assessing chronic inflammatory status. Despite the use of plasma IL-6 as a marker of chronic inflammation few studies exist that examine the variability of plasma IL-6 within and between individuals. The purpose of this study was to assess inter- and intra-variability of plasma IL-6 concentration in men and postmenopausal women.

Effects of soy or milk protein during a high-fat feeding challenge on oxidative stress, inflammation, and lipids in healthy men.

Soy isoflavones may impede atherogenic processes associated with cardiovascular disease. Research suggests that the postprandial generation of TG-rich remnants contributes to the development of atherosclerosis. The purpose of the current study was to determine if 39 g soy (85 mg aglycone isoflavones, treatment) compared with 40 g milk protein (0 mg aglycone isoflavones, control) in combination with a high-fat meal can modify postprandial, atherogenic-associated events and biomarkers for oxidative stress, inflammation, and thrombosis.

Predicted vs measured energy expenditure in critically ill, underweight patients.

A retrospective analysis was conducted to compare 4 energy-prediction equations against measured resting energy expenditure (MREE) determined via indirect calorimetry. Data from a heterogeneous group of 42 critically ill, severely underweight (59.50 +/- 17.