Background: Extensive surveys of several population settlements in different parts of India-covering plains, mountains, valleys, river banks and deeper areas of forests at different altitudes-between 1968 and 2016 demonstrated that the basic vital need of hunger is being fulfilled since antiquity by plants in the wild. Methods: Based on collections, consultations with local population personnel and literature searches, this paper presents many plants that are commonly used as food and focuses on their products, which are rich in alkaloids, polysaccharides, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, aminoacids, fatty acids and antibiotics etc. These complex organic compounds are suitable for the production of drugs for many ailments/diseases, including the prevention of cancers. Results: There are more than 100 families including several hundred plant taxa from various plant groups like angiosperms, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms and even fleshy fungi, which have offered essential food items to ever-growing human populations since antiquity. Phytochemicals functioning as antioxidants are exceedingly beneficial to the human body but excess consumption of these compounds, adding higher levels of antioxidants, may even be responsible for chronic diseases including aging, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, etc. These medicines can obviously be taken in small and prescribed quantities but can never be consumed as "food items."

Food is a physiological necessity for humans and is built on and permeated by many different biological, economic, social, and cultural symbols and phenomena. The basic conditions for adequate nutrition should be associated with cultural and financial values, physical accessibility, flavor, variety, color, and harmony and based on consumption of foods, not exclusively on nutrients. However, changes to the population's profile of consumption and dietary habits are founded on the process of urbanization and industrialization, which plays a fundamental role in this phenomenon, causing lifestyle changes that are linked with stimulus of consumption of industrialized products, with publicity, and with mass marketing. The objective of the study was to investigate the profile of the dietary habits of workers from different occupational categories in Brazil, with a sample of 13 articles. Moreover, research shows that many different categories of workers are subject to nutritional losses because of this new lifestyle. Searches were run on the Google Scholar, LILACS, and SciELO databases for publications during the last 5 years, identifying more than 15 thousand articles, 13 of which were selected as fitting the criteria chosen. Data were collected in April and May of 2020. The inclusion criteria were articles published in Portuguese with the full text available. Exclusion criteria were duplicates and studies with seniors and/or children. It was concluded that the dietary habits of the workers studied are unhealthy and that their consumption profile is widely incompatible with the guiding principles of the Food Guide for the Brazilian population. These people are therefore at increased risk of non-transmissible chronic diseases and morbidity and mortality. There is a need to take more effective interventional action, totally restructuring the educational process to form dietary habits, such as implementing public policies targeting this section of the population, which is so important for national development.

The estimates we do of the energy content of different foods tend to be inaccurate, depending on several factors. The elements influencing such evaluation are related to the differences in the portion size of the foods shown, their energy density (kcal/g), but also to individual differences of the estimators, such as their body-mass index (BMI) or eating habits. Within this context the contribution of brain regions involved in food-related decisions to the energy estimation process is still poorly understood. Here, normal-weight and overweight/obese women with restrained or non-restrained eating habits, received anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (AtDCS) to modulate the activity of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) while they performed a food energy estimation task. Participants were asked to judge the energy content of food images, unaware that all foods, for the quantity presented, shared the same energy content. Results showed that food energy density was a reliable predictor of their energy content estimates, suggesting that participants relied on their knowledge about the food energy density as a proxy for estimating food energy content. The neuromodulation of the dlPFC interacted with individual differences in restrained eating, increasing the precision of the energy content estimates in participants with higher scores in the restrained eating scale. Our study highlights the importance of eating habits, such as restrained eating, in modulating the activity of the left dlPFC during food appraisal.

Food preferences are among the most influential factors of food habits in the vulnerable period of adolescence; in addition, gender-dependent differences in food preferences are also observed. The aim of the present study was to analyze differences in food habits between individuals stratified based on their food preferences in a population-based sample of adolescents aged 15-20. The study was conducted within the Polish Adolescents' COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study population in a group of 2419 secondary school students who were randomly chosen to participate in the study using a random quota sampling procedure. The food preferences were determined on the basis of a validated Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ) (which enables assessing preference of vegetables, fruit, meat/fish, dairy, snacks, and starches), whereas food habits were determined on the basis of the Adolescents' Food Habits Checklist (AFHC) (which enables assessing food purchase, preparation, and consumption habits). The analysis involved three homogenous clusters ('low-preferring', 'hedonists', and 'high-preferring'), which were identified using the k-means algorithm. It was found that for a number of the assessed food purchase, preparation, and consumption habits, there were statistically significant differences between the 'low-preferring', 'hedonists', and 'high-preferring' clusters. Within food purchase habits, the food preference influenced frequency of buying pastries/cakes and frequency of eating takeaway meals for all the respondents, while for female respondents, it influenced also choice of desserts in restaurants, and for male respondents, it influenced choosing a low-fat lunch away from home (p < 0.05). Within food preparation habits, the food preference influenced the fat content in desserts at home, the frequency of eating at least one serving of vegetables/salad with an evening meal, the frequency of spreading butter/margarine on bread thinly, and the frequency of having cream on desserts for all the respondents; meanwhile, for female respondents, it also influenced the frequency of avoiding fried foods and the frequency of including chocolate/biscuits in their packed lunch (p < 0.05). Within food consumption habits, the food preference influenced the frequency of eating a dessert/pudding, eating at least one serving of fruit a day, eating at least one serving of vegetables/salad a day, avoiding sausages/burgers, trying to ensure they eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, and frequency of choosing fruit as a snack for all the respondents; meanwhile, for male respondents, it also influenced the frequency of eating sweet snacks and eating at least three servings of fruit most days (p < 0.05). Taking into account that some improper food habits may be typical for the specific clusters, there is an urgent need to analyze and address them for the purposes of public health and to bear in mind that some of those habits are gender-dependent.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are common industrial and consumer product chemicals with widespread human exposures that have been linked to adverse health effects. PFASs are commonly detected in foods and food-contact materials (FCMs), including fast food packaging and microwave popcorn bags.

The aetiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) presents a puzzle for researchers. Recent research has sought to understand the behavioural and neural mechanisms of these patients' persistent choice of calorie restriction. This scoping review aims to map the literature on the contribution of habit-based learning to food restriction in AN. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were adopted. The search strategy was applied to seven databases and to grey literature. A total of 35 studies were included in this review. The results indicate that the habit-based learning model has gained substantial attention in current research, employing neuroimaging methods, scales, and behavioural techniques. Food choices were strongly associated with dorsal striatum activity, and habitual food restriction based on the self-report restriction index was associated with clinical impairment in people chronically ill with restricting AN. High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) and Regulating Emotions and Changing Habits (REaCH) have emerged as potential treatments. Future research should employ longitudinal studies to investigate the time required for habit-based learning and analyse how developmental status, such as adolescence, influences the role of habits in the progression and severity of diet-related illnesses. Ultimately, seeking effective strategies to modify persistent dietary restrictions controlled by habits remains essential.

Dietary habits in children may not only impact current health status but could also shape future, lifelong dietary choices. Dietary intake data in Singaporean children are limited. The current study aimed to define the overall diet quality of Singaporean children using an existing cross-sectional dataset and to consider how demographic factors (i.e., body mass index (BMI) status, ethnicity, age, and sex) were associated with these scores. Existing, cross-sectional dietary data (n = 561 children aged 6-12 years, collected in 2014-2015) from duplicate 24-h recalls were assessed for diet quality using an index based on the Singaporean Health Promotion Board dietary guidelines. Total diet quality scores were calculated from ten different components (frequencies of rice and alternatives, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, meat and alternatives, dairy and alternatives, total fat, saturated fat, sodium intake, and added sugars). Association with demographic factors and BMI category was evaluated by one-way multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) tests, with Bonferroni post hoc analyses. Median (interquartile range) total diet quality scores were 65.4 (57.1-73.0). Median scores for whole grains (0.0, 0.0-33.4), fruits (24.1, 0.0-65.3), vegetables (36.5, 10.4-89.8), and sodium (58.4, 0.0-100.0) intake were frequently sub-optimal. Children of Malay ethnic origin had statistically lower total diet quality scores ((55.3, 47.5-60.3) vs. other ethnic groups (combined median 65.4 (57.1, 73.0); p < 0.001). These findings highlight the need for continuing efforts to improve dietary intake in young Singaporeans and for longitudinal dietary monitoring in this group.

Changes in behavior, lifestyle, and nutritional patterns have influenced many potential risk variables globally. In recent decades, food allergies (FAs) have been elevated to a severe public health issue both in developed countries and developing countries (third-world countries). This study aims to evaluate the effects caused by certain factors such as lifestyle and dietary habits on food allergies, review the association of lifestyle and dietary habit status with FAs, and outline why more people are allergic to food sources as a result of lifestyle changes and dietary habits. We searched electronic international databases including Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science using combinations of keywords. Utilizing Excel, the relevant studies were included and the irrelevant studies were excluded, and Mendeley was used for referencing and also to remove duplicates. The framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley was used for this scoping review. The papers published in the databases from 2016 to 2020 were extracted. A total of eight studies were extracted, and this scoping review was carried out according to the risk factors. In our review, we found that some lifestyle choices (Caesarean section and antibiotics) and dietary habits (n-3 PUFA, fast food, duration of dietary intervention, and vitamin D), were important contributing factors for FA.

Transportation type may play a role in the ease with which a person can access healthy food and recreation facilities. Our objective was to determine the relationship between access to a personal vehicle and diet, food insecurity, and physical activity among public housing residents, which are typically low-income, urban populations. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of randomly selected households within two public housing communities in Baltimore, MD (2014-2015). Our independent variable was whether or not the resident had access to a personal vehicle. Our dependent variables were 'high' fruit & vegetable intake (≥6.7 servings/day), 'high' added sugar intake (≥39.9 tsp/day), food insecurity, and being physically active. We used Poisson regression with robust error variance to estimate relative risk ratios adjusted for demographics and perceived environmental factors. Our sample included 265 adults (response rate of 48%) with mean age of 45 years, 86% women, and 96% African-American. Only 42% had access to a vehicle. No significant associations existed between personal vehicle access with diet or physical activity outcomes. Access to a personal vehicle was associated with significantly lower risk of food insecurity (RR 0.76, 95%CI 0.63-0.92, p < 0.01). We found a significant association between personal vehicle access and lower risk of food insecurity; however, there were no associations with diet or exercise. Based on these results, future research might explore how transportation access influences and might possibly reduce food insecurity.

Self-rated health (SRH), a subjective assessment of health status, is extensively used in the field of public health. It is an important and valid measure that is strongly related to morbidity, mortality, longevity and health status. Adolescence is a crucial period for the formation of health status, because health-risk behaviours (e.g., skipping breakfast) are often established during this period. In this study, we investigated the relationship of SRH with lifestyle and eating habits in Japanese high school students. In this study, 1296 students aged 16-18 years from 11 high schools in Japan participated. A questionnaire was administered to these participants that included a question on SRH, five questions on demographic characteristics, six questions on lifestyle items (e.g., wake-up time), five questions on miscellaneous health issues (e.g., anorexia), and 25 questions on food habits and attitudes towards food. We examined the differences between self-rated healthy and unhealthy groups using logistic regression analysis adjusted for gender and age. A dichotomy regression analysis was performed using a stepwise elimination method. Of the 1296 respondents, 16.7% reported feeling unhealthy, 57.7% of whom were females. The self-rated healthy group had a higher frequency of eating breakfast (odds ratio (OR): 2.13; confidence interval (CI): 1.07-4.24) and liked home meals to a greater extent (OR: 3.12; CI: 1.27-7.65) than the self-rated unhealthy group. The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of other lifestyle factors or unidentified complaints. Our results suggest that liking home meals during adolescence may lead to the development of good eating habits, i.e., eating breakfast, and better SRH.

We analyzed the scats of Amur tigers and Amur leopards, and examined their annual and seasonal food habits in Northeast China to comprehend their coexistence. Wild boar had the highest annual and seasonal consumption frequencies by the tigers, while both roe deer and sika deer were mostly preyed by the leopards annually. The three species appeared to be the key preys in terms of high proportion of consumed biomass by the two felids. Our data also revealed numerous mid-sized carnivores and small mammals included in the two felids' food list. We used the relative abundance and biomass density estimation in prey density estimation to calculate the prey preferences of tigers and leopards, and both methods confirmed that Amur tigers strongly preferred wild boar. However, preference estimations of Amur leopards were not consistant, or even opposite to one another from the two methods. The results of the study suggested that prey preference of predators is largely determined by body size of the prey species. Variation in diet composition of the two felids suggests that resource partitioning may contribute to their coexistence.

Evidence suggests that dietary intake of UK children is suboptimal. As schools provide an ideal natural environment for public health interventions, effective and sustainable methods of improving food knowledge and dietary habits in this population must be identified. Project Daire aimed to improve children's health-related quality of life, wellbeing, food knowledge and dietary habits via two multi-component interventions.

The consumption of food with a high-sugar content is encouraged by the food industry through television (TV) aimed at children and may be associated with dental caries. This study aims to evaluate the influence of TV on the food habits of schoolchildren aged years and its association with dental caries.

Studies suggest that bariatric surgery, use of probiotic supplements and the dietary pattern can change enterotypes, as well as the entire microbial population.

Jarman-Bell (1974) hypothesized that in the dry savanna of Africa, small-bodied herbivores tend to browse more on forage with high protein and low fibre content. This implies browsing on high nutritive forage by meso-herbivores, and grazing and mixed feeding on coarse forage by mega-herbivores. We tested this hypothesis in the riverine alluvial grasslands of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), where seasonal flood and fire play an important role in shaping the vegetation structure. We analyzed the feeding habits and quality of major forage species consumed by three mega-herbivores, viz. greater one-horned rhino, Asian elephant, and Asiatic wild buffalo, and three meso-herbivores, viz. swamp deer, hog deer, and sambar. We found that both mega and meso-herbivores were grazers and mixed feeders. Overall, 25 forage plants constituted more than 70% of their diet. Among monocots, family Poaceae with Saccharum spp. (contributing > 9% of the diet), and, among dicots, family Rhamnaceae with Ziziphus jujuba (contributing > 4% of the diet) fulfilled the dietary needs. In the dry season, the concentration of crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, calcium, sodium, and phosphorous varied significantly between monocots and dicots, whereas only calcium and sodium concentrations varied significantly in the wet season. Dicots were found to be more nutritious throughout the year. Compared to the dry season, the monocots, viz. Alpinia nigra, Carex vesicaria, Cynodon dactylon, Echinochloa crus-galli, Hemarthria compressa, Imperata cylindrica, and Saccharum spp., with their significantly high crude protein, were more nutritious during the wet season. Possibly due to the availability of higher quality monocots in the wet season, both mega and meso-herbivores consume it in high proportion. We concluded that the Jarman-Bell principle does not apply to riverine alluvial grasslands as body size did not explain the interspecific dietary patterns of the mega and meso-herbivores. This can be attributed to seasonal floods, habitat and forage availability, predation risk, and management practices such as controlled burning of the grasslands. The ongoing succession and invasion processes, anthropogenic pressures, and lack of grassland conservation policy are expected to affect the availability of the principal forage and suitable habitat of large herbivores in the Brahmaputra floodplains, which necessitates wet grassland-based management interventions for the continued co-existence of large herbivores in such habitats.

No abstract available

This study focuses on understanding factors that influence food agency in the Spanish population, specifically with regard to cooking habits, knowledge, and determinants and their possible relationship with body weight. A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted. Individuals were asked about their cooking responsibilities, how they learned to cook, factors that affect their food choices, and their preferred cooking techniques. Anthropometric data were also recorded. Participants were randomly selected, and we finally had 2026 respondents aged ≥18 years (60% women, 40% men). A total of 90.5% of participants stated that they had cooking skills. Women were mainly responsible for cooking tasks (p < 0.05) at all ages. A significantly higher proportion of people under 50 years self-reported that they were "able to cook" in comparison with groups over 50 years. Regardless of age, most participants learned to cook either by practice (43.3%) or from a family member (42.2%). Men tended to be more autodidactic, whereas women reported learning from family. No relation was found between weight status and the evaluated factors investigated. In conclusion, women bear the responsibility for the entire cooking process in families, indicating a gender gap in the involvement of men in cooking responsibilities and competence. More research is needed to assess the influence of cooking knowledge on obesity prevention.

COVID-19 has disrupted the lives of many and may have influenced dietary habits through factors such as food security status and attitudes. The purpose of this study was to identify dietary habits and their associations with food insecurity and attitudes among adults living in the United States within three months post-mandated quarantine. An online cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2020. Participants (n = 3133) responded to a 71-item questionnaire regarding demographics (n = 7), health information (n = 5), lifestyle habits (n = 8), dietary habits (n = 37), food attitudes (n = 8), and food security status (n = 6). Frequency counts and percentages were tabulated, and multivariate linear regression was conducted to examine associations using STATA v14 at a statistical significance level of p < 0.05. Results showed that most participants indicated no change in dietary habits (43.6-87.4%), yet participants reported increased consumption of sweets (43.8%) and salty snacks (37.4%). A significant positive association for food attitude scores (1.59, 95% CI 1.48 to 1.70; p < 0.001) and food security scores (1.19, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.45; p < 0.001) on total dietary habit scores was found. Future extensive population studies are recommended to help public health authorities frame actions to alleviate the impact that mandated quarantine has on dietary habits.

The current study focuses on how adolescent girls in urban Indonesia accept technology in a social media (SM) campaign to promote healthy eating habits.

Dysphagia, which increases the risk of malnutrition and depression, is an important health concern. A total of 304 people aged 50 years or above (148 subjects with dysphagia and 156 non-dysphagia subjects) were recruited for this survey of dietary habits, meal product selection attributes, nutritional status, and depression. For group comparisons, chi-square tests were performed. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted for the meal product selection attributes. Correlation analyses were performed to investigate links between EAT-10 (The 10-item Eating Assessment Tool), nutrition (Nutrition Quotient/Nutrition Quotient for the Elderly, NQ/NQ-E) and depression (The Short-Form Geriatric Depression Scale for Koreans, SGDS-K). Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate links between EAT-10, nutritional status, and depressive status. Finally, a correlation analysis and logistic regression analysis of nutritional status, depression status, and some dietary factors were performed, targeting only the responses of the dysphagia patients. The average ages were 73.79 years in the dysphagia group and 70.15 years in the non-dysphagia group, and the total average age was 71.88 years. The overall age range was 50 to 92 years. Dysphagia (EAT-10) had significant effects on malnutrition (β = 0.037, OR = 1.095) and depression (β = 0.090, OR = 1.095) (p < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between SGDS-K, needing help with meals, and the amount of food consumed at mealtimes (p < 0.01). The correlation coefficient between SGDS-K and the need for help with meals was 0.474. Dietary factors that affected depression in dysphagia patients were the increase in the need for meal assistance (β = 1.241, OR = 3.460, p < 0.001) and the amount of food eaten at mealtimes (β = −0.494, OR = 0.702, p < 0.05). Dysphagia can increase the risk of depression and malnutrition. To reduce depression in dysphagia patients, it is necessary to develop meal products that address dietary discomfort among patients with dysphagia.