Flexitarians in Brazil: Who are they, what do they eat, and why?

In this study, we conducted the first scientific investigation focusing on Brazilian flexitarians, aiming to characterize their socio-economic and demographic profiles, motivations for adopting flexitarianism, the frequency of animal-based meat consumption, and the primary meat substitutes they consume. To accomplish this, we distributed an online questionnaire with the assistance of university students and researchers from various regions of the country. Data were collected from 1029 individuals in Brazil who self-identified as flexitarians.

Food frequency questionnaire for adults in the Brazilian Northeast region: emphasis on the level of food processing.

Objective: To develop a quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) for adults in the Northeast region of Brazil, in order to identify the frequency of consumption of foods considered to be of protection and risk for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), grouping food items by processing level.

Methods: To develop the FFQ, data from 7,516 adults from Northeastern Brazil were used, extracted from the 2008-2009 Household Budget Survey. The food lists were elaborated according to the methodology of the relative contribution of each item, identifying foods with the highest relative contribution for macronutrients, fiber, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and potassium.

Rapid Ethnonutrition Assessment Method Is Useful to Prototype Dietary Assessments with a Focus on Local Biodiverse Food Plants.

Ethnonutrition is the study of diets in the context of food systems of different peoples and cultures. Its scope comprises native or local categories used to classify food, and also includes biodiverse food availability, local culinary techniques, seasonality, and cultural perceptions related to diet with nutritional implications. Here, we describe a method useful for gathering ethnonutrition data to design dietary interventions or assessments, the Rapid Ethnonutrition Assessment (REA).