Using Less Processed Food to Mimic a Standard American Diet Does Not Improve Nutrient Value and May Result in a Shorter Shelf Life at a Higher Financial Cost.

Background: The "clean eating" trend suggests that consuming fewer processed foods is important for healthy diets. Yet, a diet of mostly ultra-processed foods (UPFs) can meet recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Whether a diet comprised mostly of simple ingredient foods can provide a low-quality diet remains unexplored.

Vegetarian Diets During Pregnancy: With Supplementation, Ovo-Vegetarian, Lacto-Vegetarian, Vegan, and Pescatarian Adaptations of US Department of Agriculture Food Patterns Can Be Nutritionally Adequate.

Background: The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) includes a lacto-ovo vegetarian pattern (the healthy vegetarian dietary pattern [HVDP]) as a recommended dietary pattern during pregnancy.

Objective: To adapt the HVDP for vegan, ovo-vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, and pescatarian diets during pregnancy.

Design: Using food pattern modeling, 4 adaptations of the HVDP were developed at energy levels that may be appropriate during pregnancy (1800, 2000, 2200, 2400, and 2600 kcal/day).

Toward a science-based classification of processed foods to support meaningful research and effective health policies.

Processed foods have been part of the American diet for decades, with key roles in providing a safe, available, affordable, and nutritious food supply. The USDA Food Guides beginning in 1916 and the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) since 1980 have included various types of commonly consumed processed foods (e.g.

Dietary Quality and Diet-Related Factors Among Emerging Adults (18-23 y) in the United States Are a Cause for Concern: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2018.

Background: Poor dietary quality is a risk factor for diet-related chronic disease and suboptimal nutritional patterns often begin early in the life course. Although the dietary intakes of young children, adolescents, and middle-aged and older adults are well established, much less is known about emerging adults, who represent a unique time point in life, as they are undergoing significant changes in food environments, autonomy, finances, and caregiver and parental involvement.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine dietary quality, as assessed via the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), by demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics among emerging adults (18-23 y) in the United States who participated in the 2015-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Cow milk is an important source of iodine for prenatal health, and switching to plant-based milk can lead to iodine insufficiencies.

Iodine insufficiencies are common among many populations, particularly pregnant women. One of the main functions of iodine is making thyroid hormone. The 2 main hormones that iodine influences are triiodothyronine and thyroxine.

Modeling Ovo-vegetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Pescatarian, and Vegan USDA Food Patterns and Assessing Nutrient Adequacy for Lactation among Adult Females.

Background: Among its recommended dietary patterns for Americans, including lactating mothers, the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) includes a Healthy Vegetarian Dietary Pattern (HVDP). However, the DGA does not provide guidance for adapting the HVDP for vegetarians who avoid dairy (ovo-vegetarian) or eggs (lacto-vegetarian), eat fish (pescatarians), or avoid all animal foods (vegan).

Objective: To determine whether models of the HVDP for different vegetarian diets could provide sufficient nutrition during lactation, a life stage with unique nutrient needs.

Dietary Guidelines Meet NOVA: Developing a Menu for A Healthy Dietary Pattern Using Ultra-Processed Foods.

Background: A proposed topic for the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) Scientific Advisory Committee to address is the relationship between dietary patterns with ultra-processed foods (UPF) and body composition and weight status. Implementing the NOVA system, the most commonly applied framework for determining whether a food is "ultra-processed," in dietary guidance could omit several nutrient-dense foods from recommended healthy diets in the DGA.

Objective: The purpose of this proof-of-concept study was to determine the feasibility of building a menu that aligns with recommendations for a healthy dietary pattern from the 2020 DGA and includes ≥80% kcal from UPF as defined by NOVA.

Disparity in Dairy Servings Intake by Ethnicity and Age in NHANES 2015-2018.

Background: Dairy products, especially milk, provide vital nutrients including several under consumed nutrients and nutrients of public health concern to the American diet. However, milk and dairy intake has been decreasing in recent years.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to provide an update of current milk and dairy intakes across the lifespan and to stratify these data by race/ethnicity.

Biochemical Validation of a Self-Administered Carotenoid Intake Screener to Assess Carotenoid Intake in Nonobese Adults.

Background: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between carotenoid intake and health. However, an accurate measurement of carotenoid intake is challenging. FFQ is the most commonly used dietary assessment method and is typically composed of 100-200 items.

Modeling lacto-vegetarian, pescatarian, and "pescavegan" USDA food patterns and assessing nutrient adequacy for healthy non-pregnant, non-lactating adults.

Introduction: The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) includes a Healthy Vegetarian Dietary Pattern (HVDP) with dairy foods and eggs as one of its three recommended dietary patterns for non-pregnant, non-lactating healthy adults. This study evaluates whether pescatarian, lacto-vegetarian, and "pescavegan" adaptations of the HVDP can be nutritionally adequate if modeled with foods recommended by the DGA.

Methods: The nutrient composition of these three alternative models of the HVDP were assessed at 1, 800-, 2, 000-, 2, 200-, and 2,400- kcal/day using similar food pattern modeling procedures as the 2020 DGA.

Understanding the link between frequency of eating and cardiometabolic health outcomes in Americans who "snack".

On average, Americans ages 2 yr and older eat 5 or more times per day and consume nearly a quarter of their daily energy outside of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Frequency of eating (FOE) has been identified by both the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Scientific Advisory Committee and the American Heart Association as an important area of study to improve the dietary patterns and overall health of the American public. However, the current evidence on FOE is conflicting; it does not indicate whether eating more frequently is a healthful behavior or not.

Application of dairy-free vegetarian and vegan USDA food pattern models for non-pregnant, non-lactating healthy adults.

The 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends a Healthy Vegetarian Dietary Pattern (HVDP) but does not provide guidance for dairy-free vegetarian (ovo-vegetarian) or vegan diets. A recent study from our lab modeled ovo-vegetarian and vegan HVDPs for healthy adults and found minimal impacts on nutrient content. However, since these models provide only recommendations for food group amounts, the objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of implementing the 2000 kcal ovo-vegetarian and vegan models by developing sample menus and evaluating them for nutrient adequacy and diet quality.

Modeling Dairy-Free Vegetarian and Vegan USDA Food Patterns for Nonpregnant, Nonlactating Adults.

Background: The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2020 DGA) recommend 3 dietary patterns for Americans, including a Healthy Vegetarian Dietary Pattern (HVDP).

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess whether nutritionally adequate dairy-free and vegan adaptations to the HVDP can be modeled with foods already in the DGA.

Methods: Using similar food pattern modeling procedures as the 2020 DGA, the nutrient composition of 2 alternative models-dairy-free and vegan-of the 1800-, 2000-, 2200-, and 2400-kcal/d HVDPs was assessed.

Exploring the Links between Diet and Inflammation: Dairy Foods as Case Studies.

Systemic chronic inflammation may be a contributing factor to many noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. With the rapid rise of these conditions, identifying the causes of and treatment for chronic inflammation is an important research priority, especially with regard to modifiable lifestyle factors such as diet. An emerging body of evidence indicates that consuming certain foods, including dairy foods like milk, cheese, and yogurt, may be linked to a decreased risk for inflammation.

Modeling the Impact of Fat Flexibility With Dairy Food Servings in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends consuming low-fat or fat-free dairy foods due to concerns about energy and saturated fat intake. It also recommends consuming no more than 10% of daily calories from saturated fat. The objective was to assess the impact of replacing one serving of fat-free dairy foods in the Healthy U.

Energy and Nutrient Intake of Americans according to Meeting Current Dairy Recommendations.

Most Americans do not meet dairy food recommendations from the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). This study assesses differences in nutrient intake between Americans who meet recommendations for dairy intake and those who do not, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 ( = 5670 children ages 2-18 years and = 10,112 adults ages 19+). Among children and adults, those meeting dairy food recommendations were significantly more likely to have adequate intake (% above Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)) of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and zinc and consume above the Adequate Intake (AI) for potassium and choline than Americans not meeting dairy recommendations, regardless of age, sex, or race/ethnicity.

Toward Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems.

This article is based on a session at ASN 2019 entitled "Addressing the Four Domains of Sustainable Food Systems Science (Health, Economics, Society and the Environment): What Will It Take to Harmonize the Evidence to Advance the Field?" A summary of presentations is included. The presentations addressed the 4 principal domains of sustainability defined as nutrition/health, economics, environment, and society and the ways in which they are represented in current research. The session also introduced metrics and measures that are specific to each domain.

Comparing the cost of essential nutrients from different food sources in the American diet using NHANES 2011-2014.

Background: One reason that some Americans do not meet nutrient needs from healthy eating patterns is cost. Food cost affects how people eat, and healthy diets tend to be more expensive. Cost is also important for diet sustainability.

Impact of Agaricus bisporus Mushroom Consumption on Gut Health Markers in Healthy Adults.

Eating mushrooms may impact gut health, because they contain known prebiotics. This study assessed mushroom consumption compared to meat on gastrointestinal tolerance, short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, laxation, and fecal microbiota. A randomized open-label crossover study was conducted in healthy adults ( = 32) consuming protein-matched amounts of mushrooms or meat twice daily for ten days.