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Monitoring consumption of ‘extra’ foods in the Australian diet: Comparing two sets of criteria for classifying foods as ‘extras’
Author(s) -
RANGAN Anna,
HECTOR Debra,
RANDALL Deborah,
GILL Tim,
WEBB Karen
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
nutrition and dietetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.479
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1747-0080
pISSN - 1446-6368
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-0080.2007.00161.x
Subject(s) - micronutrient , environmental health , food group , consumption (sociology) , food consumption , body mass index , nutrition facts label , serving size , food guide , added sugar , medicine , nutrient , sugar , portion size , food science , biology , agricultural economics , ecology , social science , pathology , sociology , economics
Aim: To compare two systems which classify energy‐dense, nutrient‐poor ‘extra’ foods which can be used to monitor the contribution of these foods in the diets of Australian children. The aim is to develop consistent criteria that may be used to monitor trends in the consumption of ‘extra’ foods in dietary surveys and, for research purposes, to examine associations between ‘extra’ food consumption and weight gain. Methods: The intake of ‘extra’ foods was investigated among 2‐ to 18‐year‐old children (n = 3007) who participated in the 1995 National Nutrition Survey. Two classification systems were used, both based on the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating: a simple food grouping system, and a more complex system based on specific fat and sugar cut‐points applied to food subgroups. Results: Both classification systems resulted in similar lists of commonly consumed ‘extra’ foods, and showed similar estimates for energy contribution from ‘extra’ foods, 41–42%, and similar, relatively low, contributions of micronutrients, 20–25%. Conclusion: A relatively simple food grouping classification system may be useful to estimate total energy and nutrient intake from ‘extra’ foods. However, for more detailed food‐specific analyses, a food criteria system based on cut‐points may be preferred. Nationally consistent criteria are needed for classifying ‘extra’ foods for both monitoring and research purposes, to enable comparisons of dietary data from surveys over time, and to investigate associations between ‘extra’ food consumption and nutrition outcomes such as weight gain and body mass index.