Do we really know what we eat? How much? And when?

We’ve all seen the television programmes where compulsive eaters graze their way through the day without realising what, when or how much they have eaten.  Munching on a cookie here, a doughnut there, supplemented by a few chocolate bars and cans of fizzy drink in between highly calorific ready meals or takeaways.  And then, when the TV show host replays secretly filmed footage of their day’s food intake back to them, hands are raised to mouths in shock horror at their own eating habits. Unconscious grazing patterns For nutritionists, dietitians and public health researchers trying to understand the dietary intake of groups or entire populations, these seemingly unconscious grazing patterns for eating present huge problems when trying to gather accurate data. Assessing dietary intake is potentially subject to a huge range of both random and systematic errors.  Many studies rely on a representative sample of people accurately reporting their habitual food intake, in order to extrapolate sub-group or population-level data.  However, the data they collect is only as good as their ability to remember and truthfully state their food intake.  Some people may mis-report their own food intake, for example, because they are aware that they eat unhealthily and do not want to admit to it.  Or they may simply not be able to remember everything they have eaten throughout the survey period.  Minimise data collection errors The Nutrition Society’s upcoming workshop on Dietary A...
Source: The Nutrition Society - Category: Nutrition Authors: Source Type: news