Grocery Shopping How Individuals and Built Environments Influence Choice of Travel Mode.

This research investigated the influences of socioeconomic characteristics of individual travelers and of the environments where the travelers live and shop on choice of travel mode for grocery shopping. The data on travel for grocery shopping came from 2,001 respondents to the 2009 Seattle Obesity Study survey in King County, Washington. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents drove to their grocery stores, whereas 12% used transit or taxis, walked, biked, or carpooled.

Energy allowances for solid fats and added sugars in nutritionally adequate U.S. diets estimated at 17-33% by a linear programming model.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has recommended that no more than 5-15% of total dietary energy should be derived from solid fats and added sugars (SoFAS). The guideline was based on USDA food pattern modeling analyses that met the Dietary Reference Intake recommendations and Dietary Guidelines and followed typical American eating habits. This study recreated food intake patterns for 6 of the same gender-age groups by using USDA data sources and a mathematical optimization technique known as linear programming.

Are socio-economic disparities in diet quality explained by diet cost?

Background: Socio-economic disparities in nutrition are well documented. This study tested the hypothesis that socio-economic differences in nutrient intakes can be accounted for, in part, by diet cost.

Methods: A representative sample of 1295 adults in King County (WA) was surveyed in 2008-2009, and usual dietary intakes were assessed based on a food-frequency questionnaire.

Quantifying the contribution of foods with unfavourable nutrient profiles to nutritionally adequate diets.

That 'all foods can fit' into a healthy diet is a long-standing principle of dietetic practice. The present study quantified the relative contributions of foods to encourage and foods to limit, using new techniques of individual diet optimisation and nutrient profiling. Individual foods from every food group were assigned to four nutrient profile classes based on the French SAIN,LIM system.

The rising disparity in the price of healthful foods: 2004-2008.

Nutrient dense foods that are associated with better health outcomes tend to cost more per kilocalorie (kcal) than do refined grains, sweets and fats. The price disparity between healthful and less healthful foods appears to be growing. This study demonstrates a new method for linking longitudinal retail price data with objective, nutrient-based ratings of the nutritional quality of foods and beverages.

Soluble fiber dextrin enhances the satiating power of beverages.

This study compared the effects of four types of fiber on satiety and energy intakes at the next meal using a standard double-blinded preload study design. Study participants (14 men and 22 women) each took part in 6 study sessions. Study preloads were a combination of a solid snack and a liquid beverage (energy range 0.

Nutrient density of beverages in relation to climate impact.

The food chain contributes to a substantial part of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and growing evidence points to the urgent need to reduce GHGs emissions worldwide. Among suggestions were proposals to alter food consumption patterns by replacing animal foods with more plant-based foods. However, the nutritional dimensions of changing consumption patterns to lower GHG emissions still remains relatively unexplored.

The cost of US foods as related to their nutritive value.

Background: Comparisons of the cost of different foods relative to their energy and nutritive value were conducted in the 1800s by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Objective: The objective was to reestablish the relations between food cost, energy, and nutrients by using contemporary nutrient composition and food prices data from the USDA.

Design: The USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 1.

Child obesity associated with social disadvantage of children's neighborhoods.

Evidence suggests variability in adult obesity risk at a small-scale geographic area is associated with differences in neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES). However, the extent to which geographic variability in child obesity is associated with neighborhood SES is unknown. The objective of this paper was to estimate risk of child obesity associated with multiple census tract SES measures and race within a large urban U.

Can Low-Income Americans Afford a Healthy Diet?

Many nutritional professionals believe that all Americans, regardless of income, have access to a nutritious diet of whole grains, lean meats, and fresh vegetables and fruit. In reality, food prices pose a significant barrier for many consumers who are trying to balance good nutrition with affordability. The Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), commonly cited as a model of a healthy low-cost diet, achieves cost goals by relaxing some nutrition constraints and by disregarding the usual eating habits of the American population.

Defining nutrient density: development and validation of the nutrient rich foods index.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid made a clear distinction between foods that were energy dense and those that were nutrient rich.

The Nutrient Rich Foods Index helps to identify healthy, affordable foods.

Background: The Nutrient Rich Foods (NRF) Index is a formal scoring system that ranks foods on the basis of their nutrient content. When used in conjunction with a food prices database, it can help identify foods that are both nutritious and affordable.

Objective: Our aim was to identify healthy, affordable foods and food groups by using the NRF index and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient composition and food prices data sets.

Are the lowest-cost healthful food plans culturally and socially acceptable?

Objective: Nutritious yet inexpensive foods do exist. However, many such foods are rejected by the low-income consumer. Is it because their use violates unspoken social norms? The present study was designed to assess the variety and cost of the lowest-cost market basket of foods that simultaneously met required dietary standards and progressively stricter consumption constraints.

Testing consumer perception of nutrient content claims using conjoint analysis.

Objective: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposes to establish standardized and mandatory criteria upon which front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling must be based. The present study aimed to estimate the relative contribution of declared amounts of different nutrients to the perception of the overall 'healthfulness' of foods by the consumer.

Design: Protein, fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron were nutrients to encourage.

Added soluble fiber enhances the satiating power of low-energy-density liquid yogurts.

Background: Low-energy-density foods with high satiating power may be useful tools for weight management. Energy density of yogurts can range from 0.4 to 1.

The Mediterranean diet: does it have to cost more?

Objective: To test the viability of the Mediterranean diet as an affordable low-energy-density model for dietary change.

Design: Foods characteristic of the Mediterranean diet were identified using previously published criteria. For these foods, energy density (kJ/100 g) and nutrient density in relation to both energy ($/MJ) and nutrient cost were examined.

Arterial roads and area socioeconomic status are predictors of fast food restaurant density in King County, WA.

Background: Fast food restaurants reportedly target specific populations by locating in lower-income and in minority neighborhoods. Physical proximity to fast food restaurants has been associated with higher obesity rates.

Objective: To examine possible associations, at the census tract level, between area demographics, arterial road density, and fast food restaurant density in King County, WA, USA.

Diet quality measures and cardiovascular risk factors in France: applying the Healthy Eating Index to the SU.VI.MAX study.

Objective: To examine associations between diet quality measures, lifestyle variables, and cardiovascular risk factors in a large cohort of French adults.

Methods: Participants were 5,081 French men and women aged 35-61 y, voluntarily enrolled in a long-term clinical trial of cancer and CVD prevention (SU.VI.

Obesity, diets, and social inequalities.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes follow a socioeconomic gradient. Highest rates are observed among groups with the lowest levels of education and income and in the most deprived areas. Inequitable access to healthy foods is one mechanism by which socioeconomic factors influence the diet and health of a population.

Development and validation of the nutrient-rich foods index: a tool to measure nutritional quality of foods.

Ranking and/or classifying foods based on their nutrient composition is known as nutrient profiling. Nutrition quality indices need to be tested and validated against quality of the total diet. A family of nutrient-rich foods (NRF) indices were validated against the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), an accepted measure of diet quality.

Diet optimization methods can help translate dietary guidelines into a cancer prevention food plan.

Mathematical diet optimization models are used to create food plans that best resemble current eating habits while meeting prespecified nutrition and cost constraints. This study used linear programming to generate food plans meeting the key 2007 dietary recommendations issued by the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute of Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR). The models were constructed to minimize deviations in food intake between the observed and the WCRF/AICR-recommended diets.

Lower-energy-density diets are associated with higher monetary costs per kilocalorie and are consumed by women of higher socioeconomic status.

Objective: Diets of lower energy density are associated with higher diet quality, lower body weights, and better health outcomes. This study examined associations among dietary energy density, energy-adjusted diet costs, and socioeconomic indicators of study participants.

Design: In this cross-sectional study, energy and nutrient intakes for 164 men and women aged 25 to 65 years were obtained using a food frequency instrument between June 2005 and September 2006.

It is time for a positive approach to dietary guidance using nutrient density as a basic principle.

The consumption of nutrient-dense foods and beverages, which would ultimately be identified by a scientifically validated nutrient density profiling system, should be instituted as a nutrition platform in the Dietary Guidelines as a part of a larger educational effort to help people choose more nutrient-dense foods and as the guiding principle for consumers to plan healthful diets. By consciously choosing more nutrient-dense foods and beverages, Americans will be in a better position to meet their nutrient requirements without overconsuming energy. An objective, science-based, and validated nutrient density profiling system is needed to characterize foods based on their nutrient composition and this concept should be integrated into the Dietary Guidelines.