We are what we eat – but do we really know what people eat?

To understand dietary patterns, the quality of data collected is vitally important.  Sometimes that biscuit in a meeting or square of chocolate in front of the TV is eaten unconsciously therefore wouldn’t be recorded using traditional dietary data collection methods.  This unconscious eating is a relatively new phenomena thought to be created by the food environment and has become known as ‘mindless eating’.  A term coined by Professor of Consumer Behaviour at Cornell University, Brian Wansink.   It would be time consuming and ethically questionable to follow people to monitor their intake, so how can we ensure the best quality data.  Technology can be used to bridge this gap.  New automated photographic methods such as wearable cameras- bypass the need for subjective recall of food eaten and can capture grazing behaviours says Dr Margo Barker, Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield. Whilst healthy snacking can be beneficial, the choice of snack is important and could have an effect on overall health.  Studies have reported that replacing just one unhealthy snack per day, could prevent 6000 cardiovascular deaths every year.  Whilst other studies show no association between snack frequency and BMI, with a reported 9 out of 10 people in the UK snacking regularly, it is important to understand what snacks are being consumed.  Using mobile phones to record intake and take photographs of food prior to consumption (allowing for more accurate portion size ...
Source: The Nutrition Society - Category: Nutrition Authors: Source Type: news