Carbohydrate confusion and dietary patterns: unintended public health consequences of "food swapping".

The 2025-2030 United States Dietary Guidelines process is currently underway, and the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is examining and evaluating a list of prioritized scientific questions identified by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Agriculture. One of the questions that will be evaluated is if changes should be made to USDA Dietary Patterns based on whether starchy vegetables and grains are, or can be, consumed interchangeably. These foods have historically been classified in distinct food groups.

Trends in Registered Dietitian Nutritionists' Knowledge and Patterns of Coding, Billing, and Payment.

The US health care system has been undergoing substantial changes in reimbursement for medical and nutrition services. These changes have offered opportunities and challenges for registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) to bill for medical nutrition therapy and other nutrition-related services. During the past 10 years, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has periodically surveyed RDNs providing medical nutrition therapy in ambulatory care settings to learn about their knowledge and patterns of coding, billing, and payment for their services.

Stevia Leaf to Stevia Sweetener: Exploring Its Science, Benefits, and Future Potential.

Steviol glycoside sweeteners are extracted and purified from the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant, a member of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family that is native to South America, where it has been used for its sweet properties for hundreds of years. With continued increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other related comorbidities, in conjunction with global public policies calling for reductions in sugar intake as a means to help curb these issues, low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCSs, also known as high-potency sweeteners) such as stevia are gaining interest among consumers and food manufacturers. This appeal is related to stevia being plant-based, zero calorie and with a sweet taste that is 50-350 times sweeter than sugar, making it an excellent choice for use in sugar- and calorie-reduced food and beverage products.

The Role of Avocados in Complementary and Transitional Feeding.

Infant dietary patterns tend to be insufficient sources of fruits, vegetables, and fiber, as well as excessive in salt, added sugars, and overall energy. Despite the serious long-term health risks associated with suboptimal fruit and vegetable intake, a large percentage of infants and toddlers in the U.S.

The Role of Avocados in Maternal Diets during the Periconceptional Period, Pregnancy, and Lactation.

Maternal nutrition plays a crucial role in influencing fertility, fetal development, birth outcomes, and breast milk composition. During the critical window of time from conception through the initiation of complementary feeding, the nutrition of the mother is the nutrition of the offspring-and a mother's dietary choices can affect both the early health status and lifelong disease risk of the offspring. Most health expert recommendations and government-sponsored dietary guidelines agree that a healthy diet for children and adults (including those who are pregnant and/or lactating) should include an abundance of nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Current coding practices and patterns of code use of registered dietitian nutritionists: the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2013 coding survey.

Coding, coverage, and reimbursement for nutrition services are vital to the dietetics profession, particularly to registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) who provide clinical care. The objective of this study was to assess RDN understanding and use of the medical nutrition therapy (MNT) procedure codes in the delivery of nutrition services. Its design was an Internet survey of all RDNs listed in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy)/Commission on Dietetics Registration database as of September 2013 who resided in the United States and were not retired.

Performance characteristics of NuVal and the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI).

Background: Improving diets has considerable potential to improve health, but progress in this area has been limited, and advice to increase fruit and vegetable intake has largely gone unheeded.

Objectives: Our objective was to test the performance characteristics of the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI), a tool designed to help improve dietary patterns one well-informed choice at a time.

Design: The ONQI was developed by a multidisciplinary group of nutrition and public health scientists independent of food industry interests and is the basis for the NuVal Nutritional Guidance System.

The stratification of foods on the basis of overall nutritional quality: the overall nutritional quality index.

Purpose: Consumer understanding of nutrition information is key to making dietary choices consistent with guidelines. The development of an objective, science-based, and universally applicable system of nutrition guidance would be of considerable potential value to the public health.

Design: A multidisciplinary expert panel was convened to develop the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI).

Registered dietitians' coding practices and patterns of code use.

Coding, coverage, and reimbursement are vital to the clinical segment of our profession. The objective of this study was to assess understanding and use of the medical nutrition therapy (MNT) procedure codes. Its design was a targeted, cross-sectional, Internet survey.