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).

Metaboepigenetic regulation of gene expression in obesity and insulin resistance.

Introduction: Variation in DNA methylation (DNAm) in adipose tissue is associated with the pathogenesis of obesity and insulin resistance. The activity of enzymes involved in altering DNAm levels is dependent on several metabolite cofactors.

Objectives: To understand the role of metabolites as mechanistic regulators of epigenetic marks, we tested the association between selected plasma metabolites and DNAm levels in the adipose tissue of African Americans.

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.

What Families of Children With Medical Complexity Say They Need: Humanism in Care Delivery Change.

There is growing consensus that centering lived experience is needed to meaningfully transform the burdensome systems of care for children with medical complexity (CMC) and their families. The Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Advance Care for Children with Medical Complexity quality improvement initiative, co-led with family colleagues, illuminates a critical real-world view of systems change to address unintended bias and demystify the medical model of care. We share candid themes in which families describe the need for systems to counteract widespread misconceptions and bias to achieve meaningful system change.