Food labelling - Dietary Assessment

Question 1

Dietary Assessment Reasons

Answer 1

There are three main reasons for measuring food intake:
1. To evaluate the adequacy and safety of the food (public health)
2. To study the interrelationships between food intake and physiological function (research)
3. To assist with the diagnosis and treatment of diet-related conditions (most no message no they know relevant for nutritional therapists)

Question 2

Dietary assessment approaches

Answer 2

Measuring food intake of individuals can be divided into two basic approaches:
1. Reports of foods consumed on specific days:
o Menu records
o Weighed records
o Estimated records
o 24-hour recall

2. To construct typical food patterns:
   o Diet histories – longer periods; less detailed
   o Food frequency questionnaires

Question 3

Menu records

Answer 3

• Simplest way of recording food intake
• Requires the description of the food/drink eaten
• Counts each meal/snack a day without quantifying the portions when
• Menu records are useful when:
  o Assessing compliance with special diets
  o Assessing frequency of specific food use
  o Assessing food patterns over a longer time
• Clients have difficulties measuring food portions e.g. elderly clients

Question 4

Weighed records

Answer 4

• Requires the client to weigh each item of food or drink at the time it is consumed
• Usually kept for 3-7 days
• Client needs clear instructions on how food should be weighed or compliance may be poor
• Weighted records are useful for:
  o Metabolic studies carried out to determine absorption and retention of specific nutrients from measurements of intake and excretion
  o To quantify the actual amount of each macro- and micro- nutrient consumed and determine whether intake is adequate

Question 5

Estimated records

Answer 5

• The amounts of food and beverages consumed are assessed by volume rather than by weight (cups, teaspoons, etc.)
• These descriptive items are converted to weight by the assessor
• Estimated records are useful when:
  o Assessing a big number of people over a large geographic area as scales don’t need to be provided
  o Assessing food intake in countries/cultures which normally use spoon and cup measures in recipes

Question 6

24-hour recall

Answer 6

• The most widely used method of obtaining information on food intake from individuals
• It involves asking individuals to recollect the types and amounts of food they have eaten
• A recall may consist of face-to-face (i.e. during a consultation) or telephone interview
• Therefore, it does not influence the type of food consumed in the way that a food record may do
• However, it is open to miss representation of the dietary pattern, with subjects reporting a ‘good’ dietary pattern in order to project a good self-image (i.e. telling the practitioner what they want to hear)

Question 7

Multiple past 24-hour recall

Answer 7

1. Stage one: This subject provides a list of all foods eaten on the previous day using any recall strategy
2. Stage two: The practitioner obtains a more detailed list by probing for additions to foods as a cream in coffee, milk and tea, which gives the client the opportunity to recall food items that were initially forgotten
3. Stage three: The practitioner reviews the list of foods to prompt reports other foods consumed

• It is important to ask specific questions about the intake of foods that may be initially omitted by the client (e.g. junk food, alcohol)

Question 8

Diet history

Answer 8

• To obtain information on the habitual food intake of a client
• It is obtained by means of an open interview and followed by a crosscheck against a list of commonly-consumed foods (intake, frequency)
• Firstly food eaten on a typical day is reviewed
• Then food intake for given time periods is explored – previously months, years (to detect past poor dietary habits which have already been changed but may have contributed to health problems)

Question 9

Food frequency questionnaires

Answer 9

• Provide a list of foods and a selection of options for how often each food is consumed
• The length and contents of the food list depends on the focus of interest
• E.g. if the purpose is to estimate calcium intake then only main calcium sources are listed
• Only obtains information on the frequency of consumption of a food over a given period and not on meal patterns or nutritional status overall

Question 10

Electronic tracking

Answer 10

• There are numerous computer programmes and apps for assessing food
• Some are free (E.g. nutritiondata.com, fitday.com, myfitnesspal.com, nutridiary.com)
• They calculate food nutrient content and provide numerous additional options e.g. fat intake tracking, estimated glycaemic load, % of daily recommended values covered by the diet
• Some of these tools are U.S.-based (not relevant to the UK/IRE)
• Remember, punching data into an app can support, but should never replace a thorough nutritional consultation