Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Nutrients Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Adherence to Healthy and Sustainable Diets: Challenges and Perspectives

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 July 2024 | Viewed by 29581

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jana Anderson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing, Glasgow, UK
Interests: public health nutrition; nutritional epidemiology; food intake; dietary patterns; lifestyle behaviours and dietary choices; taste preference; obesity; sustainability of food system; animal protein alternatives and nutritional transition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report: The Future is Now—Science for Achieving Sustainable Development raised “building sustainable food systems and healthy nutrition patterns” as a key entry point for sustainable transformation.

Encouraging healthier diets, reducing food waste, and reforming food production patterns are necessary measures to improve the sustainability of food systems. It has been reported that an ideal diet should include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated fats, as well as small to moderate amounts of seafood and poultry, with minimal to no red meat, processed meat and added sugar. In the process of promoting healthy and sustainable diets, there are several issues worthy of concern: does the sustainable diet that has been advocated for in recent years have a positive impact on the environment and the food system? Have policies in different regions, food manufacturers, retailers and restaurants adjusted accordingly to address both health and sustainability aspects, and has consumer perception changed from consuming traditional diets? Can sustainable diets help reduce malnutrition and overnutrition around the world?

This current Special Issue focuses on the adaptation of sustainable diets in different populations in different regions, the impact of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns on disease, and current knowledge and insights on sustainable diets. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, those described above. All types of quantitative (both observational and intervention studies) and qualitative studies are welcomed.

Dr. Jana Anderson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

healthy and sustainable diet
nutrition patterns
food systems
consumer perception
malnutrition
overnutrition
plant-based
nuts
vegetables
unsaturated fats

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

14 pages, 299 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Behavior and Determinants of Diet Quality among Primary Health Care Patients in Poland

by Małgorzata Znyk, Filip Raciborski and Dorota Kaleta

Nutrients 2024, 16(7), 925; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16070925 - 23 Mar 2024

Viewed by 659

Abstract

Background: The aim of the present research was to determine the factors influencing the prevalence of eating behaviors, diet quality, and unhealthy eating among primary healthcare patients in Poland. Methods: The cross-sectional study included 896 adult primary care patients in Łódź. The study was conducted from January 2020 to December 2021 among thirty-four primary healthcare facilities. A survey recorded the sociodemographic data of the respondents as well as data regarding their health condition and diet. Results: The majority of the respondents (57.6%) had average dietary habits, while 40% had unhealthy eating habits. The univariable logistic regression found that primary care patients with medium/secondary education had a 1.5 times greater risk of unhealthy eating habits, and those with post-secondary vocational education had a 1.75 times greater risk of unhealthy eating habits than those with higher education (OR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.08–1.97, p ≤ 0.01, and OR = 1.75; 95% CI: 1.04–2.94, p ≤ 0.05). The multivariable logistic regression confirmed that the level of education had a significant impact on dietary habits: for medium/secondary education, OR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.03–1.91 (p ≤ 0.01); for post-secondary vocational education, OR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.0–2.85 (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: The education level was significantly correlated with the prevalence of unhealthy eating behaviors in the studied population. This factor should be considered in the promotion of healthy eating behaviors and nutritional counseling interventions conducted by family physicians in primary health care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adherence to Healthy and Sustainable Diets: Challenges and Perspectives)

12 pages, 455 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Demographic and Socioeconomic Correlates of Disproportionate Beef Consumption among US Adults in an Age of Global Warming

by Amelia Willits-Smith, Harmonii Odinga, Keelia O’Malley and Donald Rose

Nutrients 2023, 15(17), 3795; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15173795 - 30 Aug 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 23960

Abstract

Concern for the environment when making dietary choices has grown as the contribution of the food sector to global greenhouse gas emissions becomes more widely known. Understanding the correlates of beef eating could assist in the targeting of campaigns to reduce the consumption of high-impact foods. The objective of this study was to identify the demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral correlates of disproportionate beef consumption in the United States. We analyzed 24-h dietary recall data from adults (n = 10,248) in the 2015–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Disproportionate beef consumption was defined as an intake greater than four ounce-equivalents per 2200 kcal. Associations of this indicator variable with gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, family income, diet knowledge, and away-from-home meals were assessed using logistic regression, incorporating survey design and weighting. Disproportionate beef diets were consumed by 12% of individuals, but accounted for half of all beef consumed. Males were more likely than females (p < 0.001) to consume these diets. This relationship was seen in all bivariate and multivariable models. Older adults, college graduates, and those who looked up the MyPlate educational campaign online were less likely (p < 0.01) to consume a disproportionate beef diet. While almost one-third of reported consumption came from cuts of beef (e.g., steak or brisket), six of the top ten beef sources were mixed dishes: burgers, meat mixed dishes, burritos and tacos, frankfurters, soups, and pasta. Efforts to address climate change through diet modification could benefit from targeting campaigns to the highest consumers of beef, as their consumption accounts for half of all beef consumed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adherence to Healthy and Sustainable Diets: Challenges and Perspectives)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 5325 KiB

Open AccessArticle

South African Consumers’ Knowledge, Opinions and Awareness of Whole Grains and Their Health Benefits: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey

by John R. N. Taylor, Colin D. Rehm, Henriëtte L. de Kock, Suné Donoghue, Andrew Johnson, Chanelle Thompson and Yulia Berezhnaya

Nutrients 2023, 15(16), 3522; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15163522 - 10 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1477

Abstract

Evidence indicates that whole-grain food consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and some cancers. Increasing whole-grain consumption in developing countries is likely to significantly benefit the health of the population. However, there is very limited information on consumer whole-grain knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in developing countries. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1000 South African consumers with sufficient income to make food purchase choices and who were generally representative in terms of gender, age, and ethnicity. Most respondents (64%) were confident of their whole-grain knowledge. However, 60% of all participants selected incorrect definitions of whole grains. Whilst most correctly identified common cereals as whole grains, at most 50% of participants correctly identified common whole-grain foods. Also, whilst most (67%) thought that they were consuming enough whole grains, the majority (62%) underestimated the recommended level of consumption. Furthermore, respondent knowledge regarding whole-grain food attributes and the health benefits of whole-grain consumption was generally poor. Clearly, consumer-focused strategies are needed in developing countries to increase whole-grain food consumption to help the broader population achieve a healthy and sustainable diet. Actions proposed include: simple-to-understand information on whole-grain content relative to recommendations on food product labels, the provision of whole-grain foods in school nutrition schemes, and coordinated social and behavior change communication initiatives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adherence to Healthy and Sustainable Diets: Challenges and Perspectives)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 703 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Predicting the Adoption of a Sustainable Diet in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italy

by Beatrice Biasini, Alice Rosi, Francesca Scazzina and Davide Menozzi

Nutrients 2023, 15(12), 2784; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15122784 - 17 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1472

Abstract

Shifting food choices towards sustainability entails the analysis of dietary behavior determinants. This study aimed to explain and predict the intention to follow a sustainable diet and its adoption in a representative sample of adults (n = 838) in Italy. An online survey based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) was developed. The adoption of a sustainable diet was measured as self-perceived behavior, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), and food consumption frequencies. Psychometric analysis and correlations between attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) with both intention and behavior assessments were evaluated. Structural equation models were used to test whether and to what extent attitude, subjective norms, and PBC explained intention and behavior. Significant associations were found between TPB constructs and the behavior measures underlining the main role of intention and PBC in affecting behavior. The applied TPB models explained behavioral intention at most (78%). The results suggested promising interventions in narrowing the attitude–behavior gap to encourage specific adult population groups in Italy to adopt virtuous food consumption habits. Beside the implementation of price mechanism strategies, educational initiatives to increase awareness about food and diet sustainability issues and the reinforcement of the perceived control on food consumption at the individual level are recommended. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adherence to Healthy and Sustainable Diets: Challenges and Perspectives)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 290 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Meal Sequence and Number of Teeth Present on Nutrient Intake Status: A Cross-Sectional Study

by Sayuri Kida, Norio Aoyama, Toshiya Fujii, Kentaro Taniguchi, Tomomi Yata, Taizo Iwane, Tatsuo Yamamoto, Katsushi Tamaki, Masato Minabe and Motohiro Komaki

Nutrients 2023, 15(11), 2602; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15112602 - 01 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1407

Abstract

Intake of fiber, as well as protein, and lipid preloading help to control postprandial glycemic elevation in people with type 2 diabetes and in healthy individuals. However, there are few studies on the awareness of meal sequence and nutrient intake status that consider oral conditions. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the effects of meal sequences on nutrient intake status and whether these relationships were related to the number of teeth present. The subjects were recruited from the Medical and Dental Collaboration Center of Kanagawa Dental University Hospital between 2018 and 2021. Medical and dental examinations were performed, and a questionnaire was used to determine whether the diet consisted of vegetables, meat or fish, and carbohydrates in that order. Nutrient intake status was assessed using the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. Data were collected from 238 participants. The group with awareness of meal sequence ingested increased nutrients such as n-3 fatty acids, total dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin C. Saturated fatty acid intake increased in those with fewer teeth, while it was not significantly related to meal sequence. In conclusion, our results showed that meal sequence was associated with nutrient intake status. In addition, the intake of saturated fatty acids increased when many teeth were lost, regardless of meal sequence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adherence to Healthy and Sustainable Diets: Challenges and Perspectives)

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Adherence to Healthy and Sustainable Diets: Challenges and Perspectives

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI