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This article aims to problematize influencers' emotional ecologies regarding their digital work as content generators and the emotional ecologies recorded in the food practices they share on their profiles. Semi-structured digital interviews and a digital ethnography process in the feeds of the influencers who responded to the interview. We find some similarities in the emotional ecologies we analyze. The influencers' posts reference emotional ecologies such as love for sharing content, eating with others, and cooking, and tiredness referred to planning the meal, cooking, and liking/enjoying concerning eating with others and sharing content. While in the interviews, it has been possible to elucidate the emergence of the logic of pleasure and happiness about showing/reflecting, sharing content, and inspiring and transmitting something to the other, and satisfaction combined with indifference or tiredness, in some cases, concerning the work itself as influencers. Analyzing digital consumption and the influencer phenomenon today provides us with tools to think about the current and future society. In the context of technological advances and digitalization processes, it is necessary to open the dialogue to discuss digital labor changes, new workspaces, workers' relationships with companies/brands/corporations, and the involvement of bodies and emotions there. It problematizes the effects of digital consumption, food digital practices, and influencers's work in everyday social practices. This article addresses the criteria that organize the structuration regime of sensibilities on Instagram regarding food practices and the generation of content based on the figures of Argentinian food influencers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Public health nutrition recommendations and clinical dietary interventions emphasize eating healthy food at home, implicitly requiring household foodwork. Household foodwork is defined as the physical and mental tasks a household does for eating meals and snacks. Because no tools exist to measure it, how much time people spend doing household foodwork and the foodwork barriers they experience remain unknown. The objective of the present research was to develop the first stand-alone household foodwork assessment tool. Methods: Through informal interviews with partners with lived experience, clinicians, and researchers, a literature review, a stakeholder meeting of advisors, and a two-round electronic Delphi process including face/content validation by expert panelists (n = 21), we developed the 10-question household foodwork interactional assessment questionnaire (FIA-Q10). An optional accompanying module was developed to collect self-identified demographic data to provide context for understanding how social-structural positionality factors may interact to influence foodwork. Results: The FIA-Q10 assesses the domains of household composition, frequency of eating at home, special diets within a household, foodwork stress intensity, foodwork barriers, desired supports related to foodwork, and time use for foodwork. The FIA-Q10 measures time use for four subdomains of foodwork among individuals and their households: (1) planning, (2) getting, (3) preparing/cooking, and (4) cleaning up food. In the second Delphi round, the FIA-Q10 scored 95% for language appropriateness, 67% for visual appropriateness, 95% for relevance, 95% for representativeness, and 95% for distribution. Suggested improvements were implemented. All Delphi panelists (100%) reported they would consider using the FIA-Q10. Conclusions: The FIA-Q10's development is the first step towards a standardized assessment of foodwork, enabling examination of challenges in foodwork that may impact nutrition and nutrition equity. Future research will focus on FIA-Q10 validation in multiple populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Effective foodservice management in social homes and orphanages is vital for ensuring residents' nutritional needs are met. Foodservice management in these establishments aims to provide balanced nutrition to residents. This study aimed to assesses the effectiveness of foodservice management by evaluating input, process, control, environment, and output (food intake, macro nutrition intake, and nutritional status) in social homes. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two social homes from June to October 2023. Both social homes (A and B) are located in Palangka Raya City of Indonesia and administered by provincial government and church, respectively. Results: Office hours at home A and B in a week took about 30-45 hours, falling short of standard requirements. Funds in home A complied with regulations, while those in home B did not meet governmental standards. Human resources in both homes lacked hygiene and sanitation training. Ingredient supplies were insufficient due to a lack of policy governing foodservice management, particularly regarding menu cycles. Despite the absence of menu planning, employees engaged in purchasing, storage, preparation, processing, and distribution activities. Sanitation practices appeared neglected. Average adolescent energy nutrient intake in both homes fell below Indonesia's recommendations, except for protein intake in home B. Nutrition status in home A reflected a 15.4% prevalence of thinness, with the majority having a normal status (69.2%). Home B demonstrated better nutrition status, with 90.4% of residents classified as normal and 9.6% as obese. Conclusion: The implementation of foodservice management, encompassing input, process, control, environment, output, and outcome, was found to be inadequate in both homes, necessitating further evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study addresses a gap in the literature on student-run restaurants (SRRs), emphasizing the lack of discussion surrounding the analysis of sales data to predict patrons’ purchasing behaviors. Combining theoretical frameworks from the theory of dining and socio-economic theory, the research aims to deepen our understanding of how patron groups and menu price formats influence operational outcomes in SRRs, specifically, the total number of menu items purchased and average per-person spending. Utilizing sales data from an SRR (n = 1,114) affiliated with a Midwest public university in the US, this study reveals crucial insights into SRR dynamics. Model 1 uncovers how menu price formats, patron groups, and menu categories shape average per-person food spending. Model 2 highlights the revenue advantage of prix-fixe over à la carte formats. Additionally, Model 3 illustrates how patron groups influence menu choices and purchasing spending. Given the results, this study enriches our understanding of SRR operations by integrating both the theory of dining and socio-economic theory and contributes valuable insights to enhance the sustainability of SRR operations through refining menu planning and profit strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The goal of the present study was to design an easily computable score, based on nutrient composition data instead of food groups, to evaluate the nutritional quality and balance of meals, adapted to the nutritional recommendations for Filipino adults. Method: The score was defined as a weighted average of 9 nutrient scores. Protein, total fat, saturated fat, free sugars were scored as % of energy; calcium, fiber, sodium, vitamin C, magnesium were scored based on the local dietary reference intakes. The scoring algorithm was an adaption of a score previously developed by the authors based on US data. In the present study, the score was applied to 69,923 meals reported by 31,218 adult Filipinos aged 20 to 59 in the 2018 edition of the Philippine Expanded National Nutrition Survey to evaluate its validity and compare against exemplary meals designed as part of 24 h diet plans that meet local dietary guidelines. Results: Meals from these exemplary menu plans, developed by local nutrition experts, scored on average 72.2 ± 13.9 (mean ± standard deviation) while those of survey participants scored 46.1 ± 12.9. Meal scores were significantly associated with the density of positive micronutrients (e.g., Vit A, Vit C) and favourable food groups (e.g. fruits, whole grains) not directly included in the algorithm. Conclusion: The score, between 0 and 100, is a valid tool to assess the nutritional quality of meals consumed by the PH population, accounting for both shortfall and excess nutrients, adjusted for the energy content of the meal. If applied to consumer-facing applications, it could potentially help users to understand which meals are nutritionally balanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recently, there has been a growing interest in exploring AI-driven chatbots, such as ChatGPT, as a resource for disease management and education. Objective: The study aims to evaluate ChatGPT's accuracy and quality/clarity in providing nutritional management for Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM), the Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components, in accordance with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' guidelines. Methods: Three nutrition management-related domains were considered: (1) Dietary management, (2) Nutrition care process (NCP) and (3) Menu planning (1500 kcal). A total of 63 prompts were used. Two experienced dietitians evaluated the chatbot output's concordance with the guidelines. Results: Both dietitians provided similar assessments for most conditions examined in the study. Gaps in the ChatGPT-derived outputs were identified and included weight loss recommendations, energy deficit, anthropometric assessment, specific nutrients of concern and the adoption of specific dietary interventions. Gaps in physical activity recommendations were also observed, highlighting ChatGPT's limitations in providing holistic lifestyle interventions. Within the NCP, the generated output provided incomplete examples of diagnostic documentation statements and had significant gaps in the monitoring and evaluation step. In the 1500 kcal one-day menus, the amounts of carbohydrates, fat, vitamin D and calcium were discordant with dietary recommendations. Regarding clarity, dietitians rated the output as either good or excellent. Conclusion: Although ChatGPT is an increasingly available resource for practitioners, users are encouraged to consider the gaps identified in this study in the dietary management of T2DM and the MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Schools and early years settings provide an opportunity to promote healthy and sustainable food, but standards and guidance in England focus predominantly on nutritional quality. The present study estimated greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) of school lunches provided for children attending school nurseries, including comparison between meal options. Methods: Menus, recipes and portion weights for lunches provided for 3–4‐year‐old children attending nine school nurseries were collected daily for one week. GHGE for each food and recipe were calculated using Foodprint functionality of Nutritics software. GHGE were calculated for each menu option (main, vegetarian, jacket potato and sandwich) provided in each school, and for meals with and without meat/fish. Results: In total, 161 lunches including 273 foods were analysed. Median GHGE across all meals was 0.53 kgCO2e (i.e. kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent) per portion, with significantly higher GHGE associated with main meals (0.71 kgCO2e per portion) compared to all other meal types (0.43–0.50 kgCO2e per portion; p < 0.001) which remained after adjustment for meal size and energy density. Red meat‐based meals were highest in GHGE (median 0.98 kgCO2e per portion and 0.34 kgCO2e per 100 g) and meals containing any meat/fish were significantly higher in GHGE (median 0.58 kgCO2e per portion) than vegetarian meals (median 0.49 kgCO2e per portion) (p = 0.014). Meals with higher adherence to the nutrient framework underpinning the early years guidelines had significantly higher GHGE than meals with lower adherence (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results were comparable to previous estimates of school lunch GHGE and highlight variation by meal option. Consideration of GHGE alongside the nutritional quality of lunches by caterers could support provision of healthy and sustainable lunches. Highlights: Mean greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) across all meal types provided for 3–4‐year‐old children attending school nurseries was 0.61 kgCO2e (i.e. kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent) per portion (SD 0.32) (median 0.53 kgCO2e per portion).When GHGE were compared for different meal types, total GHGE were significantly higher for main meals compared to jacket potato meals, vegetarian meals, and sandwich meals, and this was the case whether compared per portion, per 100 g food or per 100 kcal.Red meat was the greatest contributor to GHGE per portion.There was larger variation in the GHGE of non‐vegetarian meals compared to vegetarian meals (depending on the protein included) and meals containing meat or fish had significantly higher GHGE than vegetarian meals.Meals with medium or high adherence to the nutrient framework underpinning the early years guidelines had significantly higher GHGE than meals with low adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrition-related health disparities plague prisons in the United States. Unregulated and inadequate prison menus may contribute to noncommunicable chronic health conditions in this vulnerable population. The purpose of this research was to assess nutrition offerings provided by prison menus. Researchers requested the most current version of all master menus and associated nutrition analyses for gendered and age-centric (pediatric vs geriatric) menus. Menu and nutrient data were extracted and entered into a spreadsheet for analysis. Prisons serve gendered or nongendered menus to the general population, and 52.9% of prisons offer nongendered menus where males and females receive the same meals. This approach provides excess calories and saturated fat to females. Sodium was served in excess to both males and females. Fruit and vegetable servings on all gendered menus fell short of recommendations. The average prison menu inappropriately offers calories, sodium, and fruit and vegetable servings in a one-size-fits-all menu development method without considering gender, age, and physical activity. Interpretation and application of Dietary Guidelines for Americans are inconsistent. Nutrition guidelines recommending appropriate nutrients and food groups should be developed and available to corrections systems and dietitians. Current prison menu development practices yield inappropriate nutrition for prison populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospital menus are profoundly important to meet the nourishment needs of patients. So, this study is conducted to determine the nutrient adequacy of adult patients’ normal diet menus. Methods: An evaluation of 30-day fixed menus consisting of 4 dishes was conducted in four different public hospitals in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye. Mean adequacy ratio (MAR) and nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) were used to examine the sufficiency of nutrients and meals. Results: For all the hospitals, MAR value was found higher than %85. However, nutrient adequacy ratio of dietary fiber, calcium and magnesium were lower than the other nutrients. It was determined that total fat, saturated fat, salt and cholesterol (except hospital D) contents were high according to the recommended values. Nevertheless, these fixed menus supplied 75% daily fiber on average. Hospital A and D menus met calcium requirements by 73% and 67%, respectively. While hospital D menus met magnesium (76%) and potassium (67%) requirements moderately, other hospitals approached 100% sufficiency for potassium. It is remarkable that in all the hospitals the amount of fruits seemed very low, up to 34%. Conclusion: As the hospital meal is an essential part of in-patients’ institutional care and nutritional support, the nutrient contents of menus should be monitored for nutritional requirements and, if necessary, there should be initiatives and arrangements in standard recipes to reduce salt and fat contents.

Aim: Malnutrition is common in older adults in aged care homes, partly due to inadequate protein intake. Menu planning guidelines are available however, adherence to guidelines is unknown. This study aimed to determine; (i) what are the average serving sizes of menu items provided and do they meet recommended portion sizes? (ii) does consumption from a 'typical' menu provide sufficient protein? and (iii) can substituting a 'typical' menu with high‐protein options enable residents to achieve protein adequacy? Methods: This study involved 572 residents (73% female; aged 86.4 ± 7.3 years) from 60 aged‐care homes in Australia involved in a 2‐year cluster‐randomised trial. During the trial, food intake was recorded quarterly using visual estimation of plate‐waste and 42 061 foods analysed. As part of a secondary analysis of these data, portion sizes of foods were compared to guidelines by calculating the mean (95% confidence interval). Items were deemed inadequate if the upper 95% confidence interval remained below recommended portion sizes. Results: On average 47% of breakfast and 80% of lunch/dinner items were below recommended portion sizes. Relative protein intakes, from a typical menu (most consumed foods), was 0.9 g and 0.8 g/kg body weight/day for females and males; both below recommendations. Substituting regular items with higher protein equivalents increased protein intake to 1.3 g and 1.2 g/kg body weight/day, for females and males, respectively. Conclusion: Aged care homes in Australia are not meeting menu planning guidelines resulting in insufficient protein being provided. Reform to menu guidelines including provision of high‐protein foods, will ensure protein adequacy in older adults in aged‐care homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aims to examine the perceptions of chefs and restaurants' management in Hungary regarding the importance of health and nutrition in menu planning in today's catering businesses. We assessed 190 complete responses from chefs/cooks and managers/owners of restaurants and catering businesses in Hungary between February 2021 and February 2022 via email on four aspects; health, nutrition, nutrition practice, and consumers' concerns. This study shows an overall improvement in chefs' and restaurants' management's nutritional knowledge compared with similar studies in the past. However, most chefs still believe that the customers ignore the nutrition and nutrient content of the meals when dining away from home. In addition, experienced chefs do not perceive that the preparation of low-fat foods requires additional work and that low fat-foods can taste great. This study found no significant differences related to nutrition in menu planning based on chefs' and managers' backgrounds (i.e., gender, age, position, educational level, work experience, and type and location of establishment). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the goals, barriers, and facilitators set by caregivers of preschool-aged children to improve food parenting practices and household food environments. Secondary qualitative analysis of collaborative goal sheets completed during in-home and telephone visits as part of a home-based pilot intervention. Thirty-three Hispanic/Latinx caregivers, predominantly of low income. Patterns in goal content and anticipated barriers and facilitators. Thematic analysis of goal sheets with a mixed inductive-deductive approach. Almost half of the goals were to support a healthy environment (40.7%) by increasing the availability of healthy foods through food shopping and meal planning. Other goals were to increase structure (33.7%) by establishing food-related routines and decreasing distractions. Goals related to autonomy support (25.4%) included involving their children (eg, cooking together). Caregivers' perceived barriers encompass individual (eg, stress, lack of time), interpersonal (eg, other family members' eating behaviors), and environmental-level (eg, food availability) factors. Caregivers only identified facilitators at the individual and interpersonal levels (eg, motivation). Understanding goals, barriers, and facilitators can be used to tailor key messages to improve food parenting practices and children's diets. Future interventions can target broader environmental barriers while increasing awareness of individual, interpersonal, and environmental-level facilitators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the importance of sustainable nutrition, it is important that hospitals' meal menus are planned to ensure the lowest possible environmental footprint. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the environmental effects of hospital menus and the changes that may occur when these menus are planned according to the Turkey Dietary Guidelines and Mediterranean diet recommendations. In this context, first, the yearly environmental footprints of the standard meal menus of the state university hospitals in Turkey (n = 42), including water footprint (WF) and greenhouse gas emission (GHGE) values, were determined. Second, changes in the environmental footprint as a result of arranging the standard meal menus of state university hospitals according to the Turkey Dietary Guidelines and Mediterranean nutritional models were evaluated. It was determined that the average WF and GHGE values of hospital menus were 137,280 ± 18537.2 L/month and 140.0 ± 18.4 kg CO2‐eq/month, respectively. Adjusting state university hospitals' standard meal menus according to Turkey Dietary Guidelines and Mediterranean nutritional models reduced WF by 24.8% to 103206.7 L/month and 37.8% to 85420.5 L/month, and GHGEs by 31.7% to 95.5 kg CO2‐eq/month and 49% to 71.3 kg CO2‐eq/month, respectively. In addition, it was determined that hospital meal menus planned according to the Turkey Dietary Guidelines and the Mediterranean nutritional model contained lower saturated fat and cholesterol and higher dietary fiber. In conclusion, planning hospital menus according to the Turkey Dietary Guidelines and Mediterranean nutritional recommendations can reduce the environmental footprint of hospital food services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business continuity is greatly influenced by the menu, especially in the culinary industry. Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) account for 64.1 million units or around 99% of all businesses in Indonesia. For many years, MSME has been using menu analyses to keep its menu optimized. However, this is not enough since 50% of MSMEs are failing in their first 5 years due to poor decisionmaking as a result of a lack of knowledge. Based on that problem, there is a necessity for menu analysis and tools to assist in decision-making, also called Business Intelligence. The method used consists of three stages: data collection, business intelligence design, as well as analysis and results. The BI design focuses on menu engineering using the KMeans algorithm to divide menu items into four unique clusters according to Kasavana-Smith's menu engineering concept. After validating its findings with the Davies-Boudlin Index evaluation, it concludes that a four-cluster solution is most optimal among other value-cluster. This study aims to assist business owners in making better decisions, and it may be used as a reference for business owners by providing suggestions based on the menu review analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Nutrition & Food Security is the property of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Nutrition & Food Security Research Center and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

BACKGROUND: Nutrition plays a vital role in children's physical and emotional health. More than half of school age children's calories are provided in the school food environment, making school interventions an opportunity to address child nutrition. METHODS: The Creating Health Environments for Schools (CHEFS) program is designed to leverage local resources to create customized solutions that improve the nutritional content of school food and encourage children to choose healthier food. There are 8 components: (1) customizing nutrition plans, (2) modifying/replacing menu items, (3) helping procure healthier food, (4) providing equipment grants, (5) training cafeteria staff, (6) implementing environmental changes and nudges, (7) engaging students and parents, and (8) supporting sustainability. Supporting child nutrition directors is key to facilitating cooperation with schools. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: Menu modifications and procurement are interrelated and depend on successfully collaborating with corporate, independent, and local food services organizations. Limited school budgets require low or no‐cost solutions and staff training. Student and parent engagement are critical to facilitate culturally‐appropriate solutions that increase awareness of healthy food. CONCLUSIONS: Every school district has particular resources and constraints. CHEFs engaged stakeholders to design customized solutions and encourage healthier nutrition for school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tourism & Management Studies is the property of Escola Superior de Gestao, Hotelaria e Turismo, Universidade do Algarve and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Community health education is essential in combating obesity and cardiovascular diseases by addressing nutritional knowledge gaps and promoting healthier dietary habits in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and needs of residents at Beijing Fengtai District. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2021 and January 2022, residents from 31 communities of the Fengtai District were given an online questionnaire, which was designed to assess their nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and needs. Results: From 420 distributed surveys, a total of 416 participants were enrolled for an effective recovery rate of 99.05%. Among them, 317 participants (76.20%) scored 80% or higher on the nutritional knowledge questionnaire, participants with higher nutritional knowledge scores were more likely to be aged over 60 years (OR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.06– 0.76, p = 0.02), female (OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.22– 0.73, p < 0.01) and employed (OR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.04– 5.12, p = 0.04). While many community residents expressed a desire to receive guidance on dietary guidance (n = 303, 72.84%) dietary matching (n = 303, 72.84%), and preventive health care (n = 286, 68.75%). Residents were familiar with nutritional care clinics (55.05%) and believed that the nutritional care clinics should be increased (59.86%). In addition, 345 residents (83.41%) wanted nutritional care clinics to provide consultation on nutritious meal planning. Conclusion: Beijing residents need additional access to clinical nutritional resources as their needs are not fulfilled despite a relatively strong knowledge of nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined how food handlers apply menu planning principles in food waste prevention in supermarket kitchens. The objective was to assess whether menu planning principles that positively impact minimising food waste are applied by food handlers in supermarket the kitchens in Soweto, South Africa, and to understand the underlying causes of food waste. The quantitative, structured observation was conducted using a checklist to observe food handlers' practices throughout meal production. The study found that food handlers lacked proper menu planning and execution principles for food waste prevention, including not following standardised recipes, poor food preparation skills, lack of food texture variety, improper meal distribution, and poor food storage practices. The findings revealed that food handlers overlook menus' importance as communication tools in planning, operation, and waste minimisation. This highlights a gap in poor practices that needs to be addressed as a step-in meeting target 12.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which aims to halve global food waste and loss. per capita by 2030 and recommends developing food waste guidelines specific for food handlers in supermarket kitchen. This paper contributes to the existing theoretical literature. The significant practical implication of this study is to enforce sustainability practices in supermarket kitchens.

Efficient management of bulk orders in college cafeterias is paramount for ensuring timely service and customer satisfaction. In this paper, we address the challenge of manual and time-consuming order requisition processes by presenting a web-based solution tailored for cafeteria operations. Our system automates the process of placing orders, simplifying the steps involved in requisitioning bulk orders, such as form filling and approval procedures. It streamlines menu planning by dynamically generating daily menus based on requisition data. Additionally, it automates the billing process by generating invoices for cafeteria transactions, reducing manual calculations and expediting the billing cycle. Rigorous testing, including unit, integration, system, and user acceptance testing, validates the system's functionality and reliability. Our findings demonstrate significant improvements in order processing time and accuracy, leading to enhanced operational efficiency and user satisfaction. This research contributes valuable insights into the design and implementation of web-based cafeteria management systems, offering practical solutions for improving service delivery in educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rising of the concept of balanced diet, more and more people pay attention to the healthy meal plans. However, a meal plan is usually difficult to meet people's taste preferences and health standards at the same time. Aiming at the problem, we propose a novel method to generate health meal plan for different users with meeting their taste. Specifically, we firstly calculate the recommendation score for each dish based on the ranking order of the recipe in the recommendation list, and the recommendation score is used to represent the user's preference. The fat, carbohydrate, sodium and other nutrients in the recipe were then calculated based on the recipe's ingredient content. The problem of meal plan generation is regarded as an optimization problem with constraints, that is, to maximize the recommended score of the meal plan under the condition that all nutrients in the meal plan meet the health standards. In this way, we approximately solve the problem of the balance between user's taste and the recipe's health by introducing a genetic algorithm. The experimental results show that the average recommended score of the meal plan generated by our method is 22.7, which indicates that the generated meal plan satisfy users' preference, and a survey involved 81 volunteers also supported this conclusion. Besides, the experimental results show more than 80% of the meal plans generated by our method are healthy when comparing with the baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engaging young children in food skills such as food planning and preparation early in life may be an important predictor of later child cooking skills. The aim of this study was to examine whether early life involvement in food skills (mean age at baseline = 3.6 years) is prospectively associated with cooking skills among a sample of 60 children (mean age at follow-up = 10.0 years; 83% White) from the Guelph Family Health Study, an ongoing cohort study examining the effect of a home-based obesity prevention intervention. Early life involvement in food skills, i.e., child involvement in grocery shopping and meal preparation, was reported by parents at baseline. Children self-reported their cooking skills at follow-up. After adjusting for child age, child sex, parent age, household income, and intervention status, early life involvement in food skills was significantly associated with later child cooking skills (β = 0.24, 95% CI (0.02–0.45), p = 0.03). Future studies with larger and more socioeconomically, geographically, and racially diverse samples are needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Due to the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases every day in India, numerous academics are already developing a variety of math-based estimation models to forecast the pandemic future course. This paper makes use of publicly available data to anticipate certain COVID-19 trajectories in India. Methods: We used the Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average Model, a time series model, to anticipate the number of COVID-19 infected cases every day soon. People need to consume nutritious food that is well-balanced and contains the right number of calories, nutrients, as well as vitamins for strong development, bearing in mind that sustaining and repairing bodily tissues is the goal while preventing unfavorable illnesses and disease. Results: Recent studies have shown that healthy eating can help lower the possibilities of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease and for COVID patients. Therefore, an optimization strategy and LINDO software was used to solve the model. This study offers an exhaustive daily meal plan created especially for hospital patients, acting as a helpful resource for school administrators. With six different food choices, the diet plan makes sure that you get all the nutrients you need each day at a reasonable price. Conclusions: The model is solved using LINDO software in the study, which shows how effective it is when compared to other heuristic techniques like biological algorithms. It is determined through thorough investigation that the chosen meals are both financially and nutritionally feasible to serve in ho spital settings. Hospital patients make up the study's participants, and each day's total cost comes to Rs109.34. This cost makes it possible to deliver meals that are minimally more costly but of higher quality, improving the patients' overall nutritional value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases associated with abnormalities in insulin action and/or secretion. The continuous rise in the number of patients and the overall patient count, which reflects the global prevalence of this disease, unequivocally indicates that hospital facilities are frequently admitting patients with this condition. The healthcare personnel responsible for patient nutrition should ensure both the quantity and quality of their meals. Objectives. The aim of this study was to conduct a qualitative evaluation of the menus implemented in specific hospital facilities following a diet with restricted easily digestible carbohydrates. Material and methods. The study analyzed 182 one-day menus from 13 hospital facilities, consisting of 13 fourteen-day menus from the summer of 2021. A questionnaire was developed for qualitative evaluation. Results. The analysis showed that the menus were subject to numerous errors, particularly in the number of meals per day, the type of fat used, the frequency of dairy products, the frequency of vegetables, the type of carbohydrate supplements used in lunches, and the frequency of non-recommended products. Conclusions. Most of the menus showed errors that could be corrected. The analyzed material clearly indicated that in hospital nutrition, patients are often provided with inappropriate products for their disease entity, and the number of meals per day is too low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is considerable controversy as to whether a healthy diet is affordable given recent inflation. In order to determine whether a healthy, climate-friendly sustainable diet can be obtained within the allotments of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), we created and purchased 26 weeks of meal plans designed to meet the EAT-Lancet sustainability guidelines and > 90% of the RDAs for 23 macro/micronutrients for households with at least 2 adults and 1–3 children. We compared the food quantities and cost of a healthy sustainable diet purchased in Los Angeles, 2023, to the Thrifty Food Plan, 2021. We compared the volume of food and cost of basic groceries to those recommended in the Thrifty Food Plan, 2021. The costs of the sustainable diet fell within the 2023 SNAP allotments as long as the average calories required per person did not exceed 2000. The volume of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds were considerably higher for the sustainable diet compared to the Thrifty Food Plan. Given that calorie needs are the determinants of food quantity and costs, the USDA may consider offering supplemental coverage for individuals with higher calorie needs to make healthy eating affordable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food education has become an umbrella term covering various understandings of our relationship with food, originating from diverse research contexts. There is often the need to form a "holistic" understanding of what food education is and what it does. In this article, we explore a holistic approach to food education and how an informal learning environment can promote and contribute toward a holistic approach to food education. We conducted our study at four youth centers in Finland. The data were collected from seven focus groups of young people who took part in group discussions and whom we observed. We analyzed our data using content analysis. The young people developed food-related skills when discussing different food choices, planning meals, preparing food, and eating together. They evaluated their skills and talked about the kinds of food they made and why. They displayed "holistic thinking:" they created common meanings for food and considered issues related to the food system and environment. Our results indicate that informal settings comprise an important dimension of a holistic approach to food education. To improve food education in the future, we need not only a holistic approach, but also a more thorough understanding of its meanings and dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Actualización en Nutrición is the property of Sociedad Argentina de Nutricion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: This study assesses the temporal responses of cardiovascular function, fibro-inflammation, and glucometabolic profiles in asymptomatic adults with type 2 diabetes, following a low-energy meal replacement plan (MRP) or exercise training. Methods: Secondary analysis of DIASTOLIC: a randomised, open-label, blinded-endpoint trial of 12 weeks MRP (~810 kcal/day) or exercise training. Cardiac magnetic resonance, plasma fibroinflammatory, and metabolic markers were undertaken at baseline, 4, and 12 weeks. Results: Out of 24 participants in the MRP group and 22 in exercise training, 18 and 11 completed all three visits. MRP resulted in early (0–4 weeks) improvement in insulin resistance (HOMA-IR: 10.82 to 4.32), decrease in FABP-4 (4.87 ± 0.19 to 5.15 ± 0.32 mg/L), and improvement in left ventricular remodelling LV mass: volume (0.86 ± 0.14 to 0.78 ± 0.11), all with large effect sizes. MMP8 levels increased moderately at 4–12 weeks. Peak early diastolic strain rate (cPEDSR) initially decreased, then improved. Exercise training led to minor improvements in insulin resistance and MMP-8 levels, with no significant changes in cPEDSR or LV remodelling. Conclusions: MRP resulted in early improvements in insulin resistance, cardiac remodelling, and inflammation, but with an initial decrease in diastolic function, improving by 12 weeks. Exercise training showed minor early benefits in insulin resistance and inflammation, but no significant cardiac changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: Previous research on food, nutrition and dining practices in Australian residential aged care (RAC) homes has been based on a limited sample of single‐home or multiple‐home providers, but a nationwide study has not been conducted. The aim of this study was to provide a preliminary overview of current food, nutrition and dining practices across Australian RAC facilities using a nationwide survey. Methods: A survey was distributed to Australian RAC homes in August–September 2020, as part of the National Congress on Food, Nutrition and the Dining Experience in Aged Care (February 2021). The survey, administered via an online portal, consisted of 38 semistructured questions including yes/no or multiple‐choice responses, free text, frequency scales and number entry. Six key topics were explored, including 'food service system and environment', 'catering style', 'menu planning and evaluation', 'nutrition planning and requirements', 'nutrition‐related screening and assessment' and 'training and additional information', which were informed by the Australian Government Department of Health and reflected the interests of the Congress. Results: The final sample included 292 respondents (204 individual homes and 88 multiple‐home proprietors) representing 1152 homes and 125,393 residents, encompassing approximately 43% of RAC homes (of a possible 2671) and 57% of residents (of a possible 219,965) in Australia. Survey respondents representing RAC homes included service managers, catering managers, Chief Executive Officers, cooks, chefs, dietitians or staff from other roles within homes. A number of potential areas of need were identified, included increasing the autonomy of residents to select the foods they desire, increasing the variety and choice (including timing) of meals, enhancing the dining environments in homes to stimulate food intake and increasing staff training and the number of trained chefs in homes, so that meals are prepared which address diverse nutritional needs of residents. Conclusions: This study provides insight into the food service and mealtime practices of over a third of Australian RAC homes. The findings of this survey may help to identify key targets for intervention to improve the food, nutrition and quality of life of aged care residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To limit the spread of the COVID‐19 virus, many employers and institutions developed procedures for people who tested positive. We propose that these procedures may have dissuaded people from testing. In a sample of 1142 participants (452 university students, 690 non‐students) we examined the decision to test for COVID‐19. More than 30% of our sample opted to forego testing for COVID‐19 despite having symptoms. Participants most frequently endorsed practical reasons for their decision (e.g., did not believe they had COVID‐19, felt their symptoms were too mild to warrant testing). However, further analysis revealed that the cost of testing strongly predicted their choice. Such costs included losing income, having to move from one's residence, and among students, losing access to a meal plan. The findings suggest efforts to control the spread of COVID‐19 can include costs that discourage people from testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prison population presents complex health needs and is disproportionately affected by poor health, compared to the general population. Diet has a clear role in prisoner health, and the prison food environment within which food choices are made is relatively under–researched. The aim of this study was to examine whether food choices in a women's prison changed after the introduction of a new menu design by the catering team. Methods: The adjusted menu design incorporated an emoticon (a smiley face) placed next to designated 'Healthy Choice' foods on the menu sheets, which were used to preselect meals. Data comprised all women's (n = 865) food choices (more than 115,000 selections) for a period of 8 weeks (with the new menu) as well as 8 weeks prior (baseline period). The study design was a pre‐post intervention study, and food selection was examined using chi‐square tests and binary logistic regression models. Results: The selection of promoted foods overall significantly increased under the new menu design (with the emoticon nudge strategy) compared to baseline; the effect size, however, was small according to the usual guidelines (21.4% compared to 20% at baseline; χ2(1) = 32.6, p < 0.001, φ = 0.02). Individuals were 11% more likely (p < 0.001) to select the promoted 'Healthy Choice' foods under the adjusted food choice architecture. A significant effect was found for lunch and evening meal – but not for desserts. A minority of individual food items that were promoted had significant positive changes in selection, and were 1.3–4 times as likely to be selected when emoticons had been introduced, compared to baseline. Conclusions: Further research is needed to examine the potential added benefit of multiple complementary nudge strategies, and the relevance of the preselection of foods in advance of consumption. Key points: Food choice changed with the introduction of an emoticon to the menu sheets in a prison.The emoticon was placed next to 'Healthy Choice' foods, and overall selection of these foods increased, but with a small effect size.Future research should investigate the introduction of further changes to the menu and the effectiveness of multiple versus single nudge strategies to promote 'Healthy Choice' foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, in the pursuit of personalized health and well-being, dietary choices are critical. This paper introduces a novel recommendation system designed to provide users with personalized meal plans, consisting of breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner, in alignment with their health history and preferences from other similar users. More specifically, our system exploits collaborative filtering first to identify other users with similar dietary preferences and uses this information to propose suitable recipes to individuals. The whole process is enhanced by analyzing the individual's health history, including dietary restrictions, nutritional needs, and specific diet plans, such as low-carb or vegetarian. This ensures that the generated meal plans are not only aligned with the user's taste but also contribute to the overall wellness of the user. A distinctive feature of our system is its dynamic adaptation feature, which enables users to make real-time adjustments to their meal plans based on their personal constraints and preferences, directly impacting future recommendations. We evaluate the usability of the system through a series of experiments on a large real-world data set of recipes, showing that our system is able to provide highly personalized, dynamic, and accurate recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study highlights the gastronomic field in relation to the other sectors of activity within the integrated food act. Conceptualize, define and highlight the principles of the Gastro Industry activity sector, as a distinct sub-branch scientifically, technologically and managerially supported by the complex approach of Gastronomic Engineering. It is also described the purpose of these restructurings of the field of gastronomic activity, namely, the valorization of culinary production through quality gastronomic preparations, in accordance with an Integrated Food Policy on the short axis and supporting quality: agri-rural-urban. All of these have as their scientific basis nutritional gastronomy, which is analyzed as functionality and with concrete examples in relation to culinary recipes and menus of assured quality. It results in a series of principles and conclusions, which provide the appropriate framework for action in the gastro-industrial sector, complementary in the food act and practically having the highest added value, including "values" of agriculture and the food industry integrated in obtaining the quality raw materials necessary for the realization culinary preparations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]