Nutrition & Food Technology Research
Volume:9 Issue: 4, Oct-Dec 2022

Despite several national surveys in the country, there has been no food and nutrition surveillance (FNS) system by far to integrate and analyze data obtained from different related sources for root finding of nutrition problems and help decision-making at the national level.

FNS conceptual framework was developed encompassing from food production through health and nutrition outcome. The scientific committee selected the needed indicators using SMART method, as recommended by WHO. To obtain the pre-defined indicators, two sets of data sources must be used, including routine data from health service providers and national surveys. These data sources were fully evaluated to determine the data gaps. To obtain those data that are not available through secondary data sources, repeated small-scale surveys will be conducted. Each year, 6 provinces are enrolled so that in a 5 year period, all provinces will be covered by FNS. In the sixth year, the first year provinces will be evaluated again. In each province, multistage cluster random proportional to size (PPS) sampling will be done. The data obtained from each participant will include: demographic, physical activity, dietary intake, anthropometric, biochemical and food security (household). Finally, primary and secondary data will be integrated to obtain a comprehensive picture of the food and nutrition status of the community.

The current article may be used by nutrition and health researchers and policy-makers especially those in Eastern Mediterranean region as an FNS template that can be customized according to the local needs and priorities.

Fruit and vegetable juices are important in human diets because of their pleasant, satisfying, aesthetic, refreshing therapeutic qualities. The Ash gourd (Benincasa hispida), a unique melon that belongs to the cucurbit family, includes significant nutritional values with a long storage life and good transport qualities. This fruit contains medicinal and functional characteristics and is used to treat a variety of clinical conditions in Ayurveda, naturopathy and Chinese systems of medicine. The ash gourd is valuable for its nutritional significance and contains characteristics such as triterpenoids, flavonoids, glycosides, saccharides, proteins, carotene, vitamins, minerals, β- sitosterin, uronic acids and sterols. The fruit includes a high quantity of moisture and the mature fruit is predominantly rich in vitamins B1 and C. It contains a high quantity of dietary fibers. Pharmacological studies have revealed that Benincasa hispida plays important roles in central nervous system (as anxiolytic, muscle relaxant and antidepressant agent, in Alzheimer's disease and for decreasing opiate withdrawal symptoms) with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-asthmatic, diuretic, nephroprotective, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic and antimicrobial effects. In addition, ash gourd juice improves gut health by changing the intestinal microbiota, which plays important roles in the health benefits. Thus, consumption of ash gourd juice can be adopted as a part of healthy diets.

Morbidity and mortality caused by sever acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can decrease with effective vaccination. The current study assessed relationships between the food intakes and nutritional habits before vaccination and the severity of vaccination-linked symptoms.

Totally, 586 participants (377 cases with moderate to severe symptoms after COVID-19 vaccination and 209 controls with no clinical symptoms after vaccination) were investigated in a case-control study. Food frequency questionnaire was used to investigate dietary food group intakes during a year. Food habits were assessed using general questionnaires. Logistic regression models were used to estimate strength of the associations between the history of food intakes and the odds ratios (ORs) of side symptoms after vaccination.

After considering energy intake, gender, vaccine type, type of dairy products and BMI in the logistic regression models, consuming yogurt and cheese during the year before the vaccination significantly increased the occurrence of side effects after vaccination with COVID-19 vaccine (OR = 4.153; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.182–7.902; p < 0.001), (OR= 1.556; 95% CI = 1.007–2.404; p = 0.047), respectively. In the group with side effects after vaccination, more participants consumed low-fat dairy, compared to the control (p = 049).

It seems that intake of yogurt and cheese can increase the odds of side effects after COVID-19 vaccination.

Nutrient composition of vegetables is critical for diet supplementation and disease management in phytomedicine. This study analyzed phytochemical and vitamin contents and antioxidant potentials of methanolic extracts of leaves and stems from Ocimum gratissimum (OG), Telfairia occidentalis (TO), Vernonia amygdalina (VA) and Gongronema latifolium (GL) in Abia State, Nigeria.

This study analyzed phytochemicals, antioxidants and vitamins using standard analytical methods. Moreover, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and ferric reducing antioxidant power were assessed using photometric assays.

Phytochemical analyses showed the highest concentrations in phenolic contents of the leaf extracts and flavonoid contents of the stem extracts of OG (6.16 ±0.02 mg/100 g and 5.40 ±0.01 mg/100 mg, respectively). The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay indicated that the leaf extracts of TO and OG were consistently higher for scavenging activities at 100, 200 and 400 µg/ml concentrations, respectively. In contrast, stem extracts of VA and GL were higher at similar concentrations. The ferric reducing antioxidant power results demonstrated the highest values in the leaves and stems of OG (1.55 ±0.02 and 0.77 ±0.24 µm/fe(II)/l, respectively). Vitamin A and C compositions (mg/100 g) in the stem extracts were higher than those in the leaves; whereas, their leaf extracts included higher compositions of vitamin E (mg/100 g).

This study suggests conscious incorporation of stems and leaves as vegetables in diets to boost diet and supplement biological antioxidant defenses against oxidative stress-induced diseases, developing SDGs two(2) and three(3) with focusing on malnutrition and promoting health and well-being of all ages.

In recent decades, significant increases in the prevalence of obesity in developing and developed countries suggest that obesity is a complex health problem. Environmental factors such as lack of physical activity, excessive TV watching and sedentary lifestyle, consumption of high-calorie foods and side effects of various drugs can cause overweight and obesity. Obesity is associated with severe health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, arthritis and decreased life expectancy. Obesity includes profound effects on people's mental health. This study assessed relationships between anthropometric indices and perceived stress levels in working women.

After ethics committee approval from Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, 395 healthy women between 20 and 50 years old participated in the study. Women who worked at Iran University of Medical Sciences completed questionnaires including general information and assessment of the participants’ statuses of eating behaviors. Anthropometric variables, including height, weight, body fat percentage and waist and hip circumferences, were measured and body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio were calculated. Then, each participant completed questionnaires of perceived stress, 24-h food recall and physical activity.                                                                                                                                                                      

Anthropometric indices (weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference and hip circumference) were reported lower in people who ate breakfast than those who did not. Waist-to-hip ratio was lower in those with a slower eating speed than those of the fast group (p = 0.034). Weight, body mass index and body fat percentage were significantly higher in those eating during screen watch. No significant relationships were reported between the eating behaviors (speed rate, breakfast or not eating breakfast and eating with or without screen watch) and perceived stress levels. Anthropometric indices increased with increasing food intakes (p < 0.001) and decreasing physical activities, while no relationships were reported between dietary intakes and physical activities with perceived stress levels.

Dietary behaviors and physical activities affect anthropometric indices, while perceived stress levels do not affect dietary behaviors or anthropometric indices.

In this study, think over to collected and classification of food science engineering comprehensive datas about each experiment with expanded results. Moreover, in most of discussion added extra reasons to each phenomenon. The aim of the present study was assesse of E1442 with xantan gum as fat replacers of carbohydrate base on physicochemical and sensory evaluation of low-fat mayonnaise.

Four treatments were designed with 25, 50 and 75% replacements of the control sample with traditional mayonnaise (65% oil content).

On emulsion stability of the samples, results were significant (P ≤0.05) for the storage time. In addition, physicochemical results showed that low fat mayonnaise prepared with present fat replacers of carbohydrate base (E1442 and xanthan gum) access to highest amounts in ash and moisture and also lowest in fat content and calorie. pH and acidification were in ranges of (3.70-3.73) and (1.12-1.13) respectively. Low fat mayonnaise samples were higher than apparent viscosity than that control sample was. Sensory evaluation results showed that fat with 0.25% concentration were at highest in overall acceptability and intent to purchase which are the most important factors in marketing.

In general, result demonstrated that low-fat mayonnaise prepared with 25% of E1442 with xantan gum was an appropriate  treatment with highest scores in most of  the experiments.