J Am Diet Assoc
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Practice Guideline
Position of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets.
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products containing those foods. ⋯ Features of a vegetarian diet that may reduce risk of chronic disease include lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals. The variability of dietary practices among vegetarians makes individual assessment of dietary adequacy essential. In addition to assessing dietary adequacy, food and nutrition professionals can also play key roles in educating vegetarians about sources of specific nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and dietary modifications to meet their needs.
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Given the role of parental feeding practices in establishing children's eating habits, understanding sources of individual differences in feeding practices is important. This study examined the role of several psychological variables (ie, parental perceived responsibility for child's eating, parental perceptions of the child's weight, and parents' own eating patterns) in individual differences in a variety of feeding practices. Parents of preschool-aged children completed surveys in a cross-sectional study. ⋯ Parental use of foods for nonnutritive purposes was more prevalent in the United States and was associated with parental uncontrolled or emotional eating. Finally, parents' perceived responsibility for child's eating was strongly related to child control over feeding, teaching about nutrition, encouragement of balance, and variety and modeling. These associations between psychological variables and parental feeding practices shed light on the sources of individual differences in feeding practices and suggest possible opportunities for intervention when feeding practices are suboptimal.
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To compare standardized prediction equations to a hand-held indirect calorimeter in estimating resting energy and total energy requirements in overweight women. ⋯ A significant discrepancy between predicted and measured energy expenditure was observed. Further evaluation of hand-held indirect calorimeter research screening is needed.
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The purpose of this cross-sectional pilot study was to examine associations between food insecurity, acculturation, demographic factors, and children's fruit and vegetable intake among a sample of Hispanic children ages 5 to 12 years. A convenience sample of 184 parents of low socioeconomic status completed one-time, self-administered questionnaires assessing demographic information, acculturation, and food insecurity in the spring of 2006. In addition, children's fruit and vegetable intake at home was measured using a validated seven-item index. ⋯ The overall mean fruit and vegetable intake at home was 1.04+/-0.63 (mean+/-standard deviation) servings per day. Higher rates of acculturation and higher rates of food insecurity were associated with lower fruit and vegetable intake at home. The findings reported in this study suggest a need for culturally tailored interventions targeting Hispanic children because fruit and vegetable intake at home among Hispanic children was low, regardless of the level of acculturation or food insecurity.