Nutrients

Background/Objectives: The global syndemic of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change highlight the complex health and environmental challenges faced by young adults. These challenges may intensify during the transition to university. As a matter of fact, limited budgets, time constraints, and insufficient culinary skills often lead to unbalanced diets and increased risk of obesity. University cafeterias, serving large numbers of students, represent an ideal setting to promote healthier and more sustainable eating behaviors. The FOOD-HACK Project aimed to design and implement a cafeteria-based intervention using nudging strategies to promote healthier and more sustainable lunch choices among university students. Methods: This pilot study employed a pre–post design with two independent phases in the Polo Cravino cafeteria at the University of Pavia. Food consumption was assessed over 12 non-consecutive days across four weeks. During the intervention, three nudging strategies were implemented: (1) choice architecture, (2) salient labeling, highlighting healthy and sustainable options, and (3) educational prompts. Results: Across both phases, 2400 tray photographs were collected. Post-intervention, the proportion of trays aligned with the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate and EAT-Lancet Planetary Diet models increased, reflecting higher consumption of vegetables and fruit. Legume-based first courses increased; however, legumes did not substantially replace animal proteins as the main protein source, and meat remained predominant in second courses. Reductions in trays containing multiple carbohydrate sources were also observed. Conclusions: The nudging intervention improved overall meal quality, demonstrating that subtle environmental modifications can guide students toward healthier dietary choices, particularly by increasing fruit and vegetable intake. However, the persistent preference for animal proteins highlights the challenge of shifting protein consumption toward more sustainable sources. These findings suggest that nudging can be an effective tool to promote healthier and more balanced eating behaviors in university settings, though complementary strategies may be needed to foster substantial changes in protein choices.

Background/Objectives: Shift work and chronotype influence timing and type of food consumed, yet their combined influence is unclear. This study determined differences between temporal patterns of eating (times of first (FEO), last (LEO), and largest eating occasions (LarEO), duration of eating window (DEW), eating frequency) and nutrient intake of night shift workers on and off shift and the additional influence of chronotype. Methods: Participants (46.6 ± 10.2 years, BMI: 33.9 ± 5.6 kg/m², male/female: 57/72) completed work/sleep/food diaries, and the Composite Scale of Morningness. Dietary profiles were characterized by day type as follows: morning shift (MS), 1st night shift (1stNS), subsequent night shifts (SNS), 1st day off after night shifts (1stDONS), or other days off (DO). Results: Across day types, there were significant differences in FEO (p < 0.001), LEO (p < 0.001), LarEO (p = 0.025), DEW (p < 0.001), eating frequency (p = 0.003), total energy (p = 0.022), and fibre intake (p < 0.001). Compared to MS, all night shifts had later FEO, LEO, and LarEO; 1stNS had longer DEW and higher fibre but no differences in frequency, energy, and macronutrient intake. Greater morningness was associated with earlier FEO, LEO, LarEO, and lower %energy from fat and saturated fat. Effect of chronotype on temporal eating patterns was not different across day types; there was a significant, positive relationship between morningness and %energy from carbohydrate (%Energy_CHO) on MS (p = 0.004) and 1stDONS (p = 0.040). Conclusions: Dietary habits of night shift workers vary by shift schedule and degree of morningness. Further studies will confirm if shift schedule is more influential than chronotype on shift workers’ dietary habits.

Background: Human milk hyaluronan (HA), a glycosaminoglycan with barrier-protective and immunomodulatory functions, may be influenced by maternal characteristics. The effects of maternal obesity and acute dietary intake on milk HA concentrations remain unclear. Methods: This secondary analysis included 35 lactating mothers (n = 19 normal weight [NW], n = 16 obese [OB]) at 6 weeks postpartum who participated in two separate, but standardized, protocols: (1) Study One, which consisted of hourly milk collections for six hours following a standardized high-fat meal with a sugar-sweetened beverage beginning at 6:00 am, and (2) Study Two, which consisted of daily morning milk collections for seven consecutive days to assess temporal stability (Monday-Sunday). HA concentrations were quantified by an ELISA and analyzed using a mixed-effects and repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: In Study One, postprandial HA concentrations remained stable with no effect of time, BMI, or time × BMI interaction (p > 0.05). In Study Two, HA did not vary significantly by day (p = 0.082) but was higher in OB versus NW mothers (151.9 ± 18.7 vs. 96.5 ± 12.4 ng/mL; p = 0.0396), with the largest difference observed on Day 1 (p = 0.0117). Mean HA values trended upward later in the week (Day 6 and 7), suggesting potential influences of habitual dietary intake or weekend energy patterns. Conclusions: Milk HA concentrations were not altered by acute dietary intake but were consistently higher across multiple days in mothers with obesity. These results indicate that milk HA varies with maternal metabolic status and may also be influenced by habitual dietary patterns, including fluctuations between weekday and weekend intake.