Examining changes in the sodium content of Canadian prepackaged foods: 2013 to 2017.

Canadians consume excessive amounts of sodium, a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In 2012, Health Canada released guidance outlining voluntary sodium reduction benchmarks for pre-packaged foods to be met by manufacturers by 2016. Using the University of Toronto's Food Label Information Program(FLIP), the aim of this study was to evaluate changes in average sodium content of Canadian pre-packaged foods from 2013 to 2017 and manufacturers' progress in meeting final phase III sodium reduction benchmark targets.

Modeling the Impact of Substituting Meat and Dairy Products with Plant-Based Alternatives on Nutrient Adequacy and Diet Quality.

Background: Novel plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are designed to mimic and replace animal-sourced products, yet their nutritional composition differs from traditional alternatives such as legumes and beans. The nutritional impacts of switching from animal-sourced to traditional or novel plant-based alternatives remains unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to model the impact of partial and complete substitution of animal-sourced meat and dairy products with traditional or novel plant-based alternatives on diet quality and nutrient adequacy in a nationally representative sample of Australian adults.

A scoping review of approaches used to develop plant-based diet quality indices.

Plant-based dietary patterns are comprised of a range of foods, and increasingly, diet quality indices are used to assess them and their associations with health outcomes. As the design of these indices varies, a review of existing indices is necessary to identify common features, strengths, and considerations. This scoping review aimed to synthesize the literature on plant-based diet quality indices by examining their ) basis for development, ) scoring methodology, and ) validation approaches.

Sharing the load: A qualitative exploration of what mothers and fathers believe the father's role should be in food provisioning.

The father's role in household responsibilities has shifted over the past fifty years. In particular, fathers are now expected to be more involved in the family food provisioning but are often still positioned in a role that is supplementary to the mother's role. Previous literature has explored contemporary perceptions of the father's role in this domain, however research on the expectations both parents have for the father's role is limited.

The association between dietary intake and cardiometabolic risk factors among obese adolescents in Indonesia.

Background And Objective: Poor diets, characterized by excess fat, sugar and sodium intakes, are considered to be one of the most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Diet patterns and intakes during adolescence may persist into adulthood and impact on risk for chronic disease later in life. We aimed to evaluate the dietary intake of obese adolescents and its relationship to cardiometabolic health including lipid status and glycemic control.

The relationship between voluntary product (re) formulation commitments and changes in the nutritional quality of products offered by the top packaged food and beverage companies in Canada from 2013 to 2017.

Background: Food companies shape Canada's food supply through voluntary actions and commitments concerning product (re)formulation; however, the extent that these initiatives translate into actual improvements in nutritional quality is unclear. This study examined changes in the nutritional quality of products offered by the top 22 packaged food and beverage companies in Canada from 2013 to 2017, in relation to the strength of their product (re) formulation actions and commitments.

Methods: The Food Company Reformulation (FCR) scoring tool was used to quantify the strength of companies' reported recent actions and commitments to reduce energy and nutrients of concern in their products, with higher scores signifying stronger voluntary actions/commitments.

Comparing how Canadian packaged food products align with the 2007 and 2019 versions of Canada's Food Guide.

In 2019, Canada's Food Guide (CFG) was updated from the 2007 version. This study developed a food-based nutrient profile model (NPM) to evaluate the alignment of packaged food and beverage products with CFG 2019 and compared it with CFG 2007. Packaged products from the University of Toronto's Food Label Information Program 2017 database were evaluated in terms of their alignment with CFG 2007 (using the Health Canada Surveillance Tool (HCST)) and CFG 2019 (using our newly developed CFG 2019 NPM).

Are meal kits health promoting? Nutritional analysis of meals from an Australian meal kit service.

Summary: Meal kits are popular for consumers seeking greater convenience in preparing meals at home. The market share for meal kit subscription services (MKSSs) is growing in developed nations including Australia, however, literature about their health promoting qualities, e.g.

Cross-Sectional Analysis of Calories and Nutrients of Concern in Canadian Chain Restaurant Menu Items in 2016.

Introduction: The nutritional quality of restaurant foods in Canada is not monitored by government and limited research has evaluated the nutrient content of these foods. Given the increasing proportion of foods consumed outside the home, this study aims to assess levels of nutrients of public health concern in Canadian fast-food and sit-down restaurant menu items.

Methods: Levels of calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar of 10,285 menu items from 90 national chain restaurants in Canada were assessed.

Methodology for the Determination of Fruit, Vegetable, Nut and Legume Points for Food Supplies without Quantitative Ingredient Declarations and Its Application to a Large Canadian Packaged Food and Beverage Database.

Nutrient profiling (NP) models are useful tools for objectively and transparently quantifying the nutritional quality of packaged foods and beverages. Many NP models incorporate ingredients beneficial for health (e.g.

A comparison of the nutritional quality of products offered by the top packaged food and beverage companies in Canada.

Background: Canada's food supply is abundant in less healthy products, increasing Canadians' risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases. Food companies strongly influence the food supply; however, no studies have examined differences in the healthfulness of products offered by various companies in Canada. This study aimed to compare the nutritional quality of products offered by the top packaged food and beverage companies in Canada.

Orthorexia nervosa: examining the Eating Habits Questionnaire's reliability and validity, and its links to dietary adequacy among adult women.

Objective: There has been increasing interest in identifying individuals with pathological healthy eating behaviours, or orthorexia nervosa (ON). This study aimed to investigate the validity (construct- and criterion-related) and reliability (internal consistency) of the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ) as a measure of ON. A secondary aim was to examine how the EHQ would predict a distinct feature of ON, adequate dietary intake.

The relationship between food label use and dietary intake in adults: A systematic review.

Poor diet, resulting from high intake of ultra-processed packaged foods, is increasingly recognised as a key contributing factor to ill health. Food labels provide information on the nutritional content of packaged foods to consumers, which may influence consumption of nutrients such as energy, fat, saturated fat, trans-fats, sodium and added sugars. This review aims to summarise the current evidence for the association between use of food labels and dietary intake.

Are Clean Eating Blogs a Source of Healthy Recipes? A Comparative Study of the Nutrient Composition of Foods with and without Clean Eating Claims.

Food blogs are an increasingly popular source of information about food and nutrition. There is a perception that foods published on clean eating blogs, which promote unprocessed foods, are healthier than comparable foods without these claims. However, foods with these claims and their nutrient composition have not previously been evaluated.

The Dirt on Clean Eating: A Cross Sectional Analysis of Dietary Intake, Restrained Eating and Opinions about Clean Eating among Women.

Clean eating is understood in broad terms to be an approach to eating which promotes the exclusion of processed foods. Social media and websites which promote clean eating are becoming increasingly popular as sources of nutrition information. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge regarding women's opinions about clean eating sites and their influence on eating behaviour.

Comparison of nutrient profiling models for assessing the nutritional quality of foods: a validation study.

Nutrient profiling (NP) is a method for evaluating the healthfulness of foods. Although many NP models exist, most have not been validated. This study aimed to examine the content and construct/convergent validity of five models from different regions: Australia/New Zealand (FSANZ), France (Nutri-Score), Canada (HCST), Europe (EURO) and Americas (PAHO).

Eating occasions and the contribution of foods to sodium and potassium intakes in adults.

Objective: To examine dietary Na and K intake at eating occasions in Australian adults and identify the contribution of major food sources to Na and K at different eating occasions.

Design: Secondary analysis of 24 h recall diet data from the Australian Health Survey (2011-2013).

Setting: Nationally representative survey in Australia.

Does the presence of cardiovascular disease risk factors or established disease influence the dietary intake of affected adults and their children residing in the same household? A secondary analysis of the Australian Health Survey (2011-2013).

Background: Diet is an important contributor to risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and integral in management and delaying progression. Little is known however about whether increased CVD risk or established CVD has any influence on dietary intakes of Australian adults or children residing in the same household. This study aimed to determine whether the presence of CVD or CVD risk factors influences dietary intake of Australian adults and if the presence of an adult with increased CVD risk influences the dietary intake of a child living in the same household.

The effect of dietary sodium modification on blood pressure in adults with systolic blood pressure less than 140 mmHg: a systematic review.

Background: Modifying dietary sodium intake is a cornerstone of diet advice for lowering blood pressure (BP) under the assumption that it is protective against cardiovascular disease. Previous meta-analyses of normotensive participants have not excluded all studies that recruited participants with systolic blood pressure (SBP) > 140 mmHg, which greatly hinders generalization to the wider normotensive population.

Objectives: The objective of this review was to identify the effectiveness of reducing or increasing sodium intake on BP in normotensive participants with SBP ≤ 140 mmHg.

Dietary intake of working women with children does not appear to be influenced by hours of employment: A secondary analysis of the Australian Health Survey (2011-2013).

Unlabelled: Women with children often fulfil multiple roles of running a household, raising a family and working outside the home. Good nutrition during this time is important to optimise their performance and prevent lifestyle diseases. Women also act as nutritional gatekeepers for their family.

Alcoholic beverage intake throughout the week and contribution to dietary energy intake in Australian adults.

Objective: To assess alcoholic beverage intake among Australian adults and its contribution to dietary energy intake.

Design: Secondary analysis of a national dietary survey using 24 h dietary recall.

Setting: Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) conducted from May 2011 to June 2012.

Validation of a Brief Dietary Assessment Tool for Estimating Dietary EPA and DHA Intake in Australian Adults at Risk of Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Short food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) are powerful screening instruments for estimating nutrient intakes and play an important role in risk stratification in vulnerable populations. Omega-3 fatty acids are of increasing importance in the prevention of chronic and degenerative disease, especially in older adults who are at higher risk of these chronic conditions. A short FFQ exists to rapidly assess omega-3 intake from marine sources, however it has not previously been validated for agreement with total omega-3 intake and ability to identify suboptimal omega-3 intakes in older adults or for use in Australia.

Change in dietary intake of adults with intermittent claudication undergoing a supervised exercise program and compared to matched controls.

Background: Presence of numerous diet responsive comorbidities and high atherosclerotic burden among adults with intermittent claudication demands attention is given to diet in an effort to delay progression of peripheral artery disease. The aim of this study was to compare diet of adults with intermittent claudication: (a) against dietary recommendations; (b) following 12 weeks of supervised exercise training; and (c) against non-peripheral artery disease controls.

Methods: Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire pre and post supervised exercise training.

A reduction of 3 g/day from a usual 9 g/day salt diet improves endothelial function and decreases endothelin-1 in a randomised cross_over study in normotensive overweight and obese subjects.

Background And Aim: It is unclear if a modest reduction in dietary salt intake has beneficial effects on vascular function. The aim was to compare the effects of 9 g salt/day with 6 g salt/day intake on measures of vascular function and explore mechanisms of effect in overweight and obese adults.

Methods: Twenty-five overweight/obese subjects (BMI 27-40 kg/m(2)) completed a randomised cross-over study of 6 weeks each on a reduced salt (RS) (6 g/day) and usual salt diet (US) (9 g/day).

Postprandial effects of a high salt meal on serum sodium, arterial stiffness, markers of nitric oxide production and markers of endothelial function.

Aim: The aim of the study was to determine if a high salt meal containing 65 mmol Na causes a rise in sodium concentrations and a reduction in plasma nitrate/nitrite concentrations (an index of nitric oxide production). Secondary aims were to determine the effects of a high salt meal on augmentation index (AIx) a measure of arterial stiffness and markers of endothelial function.

Methods And Results: In a randomised cross-over study 16 healthy normotensive adults consumed a low sodium soup containing 5 mmol Na and a high sodium soup containing 65 mmol Na.