Satiating Capacity of Plant-Based Meat in Realistic Meal Contexts at Home.

Plant-based meat substitutes replacing animal meat can potentially support the transition towards more sustainable diets. To enable the required transition, consumer acceptance of plant-based meat is essential. An important aspect of this is the feeling of satiety or being full after eating. This study determined the satiating capacity of both plant-based meat and animal meat in 60 adults under real-life in-home conditions. Participants consumed four fixed ready-to eat meals for lunch at home once per week. Two types of Indian curry with 'chicken' were investigated as well as two types of pasta Bolognese with 'minced meat'. The two 'chicken' dishes and the two 'minced meat' dishes had the same recipe except for a gram-for-gram swap (125 g each) of either animal meat (chicken breast and minced meat) or plant-based (soy) meat. Results showed no difference in the satiating power of an animal meat dish and a plant-based meat dish when these were eaten as part of a full lunch meal at home. In addition, the meals did not result in energy nor macronutrient compensation during the rest of the day after consuming the meals. This occurred despite the caloric differences of the meals as a result of the real-life conditions (i.e., a lower energy content of the pasta with plant-based meat compared to the other meals). We conclude that meals with plant-based meat can be as satiating as meals with animal meat.

Which factors promote and prohibit successful implementation and normalization of a healthy school lunch program at primary schools in the Netherlands?

BACKGROUND: A school provided healthy lunch might help to improve the nutritional quality of children's lunches. However, in the Netherlands, school lunch programs are not common. The aim of this study was to identify factors that promote or inhibit the implementation of a school lunch program at primary schools, from the viewpoint of school professionals. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 204 primary school professionals. The normalization process theory and its four constructs (i.e. coherence, cognitive participation, collective action, reflective monitoring) were used to develop questions and interpret findings. Descriptive statistics were used for 14 multiple choice questions (yes, no, don't know) and thematic content analysis for qualitative responses. RESULTS: Participants had a shared understanding about how a lunch program differed from current practices. Most participants had the same view on the rationale for implementation (coherence), such as equality among children. Sixty percent expected that a healthy school lunch will contribute to healthier eating by the children. Participants showed different degrees of cognitive participation (46% indicated that healthy school lunch is good idea). Commitment depended on their belief whether providing a healthy lunch was part of their responsibility as school and 30% expected a large effect on their daily work (collective action). When appraising school lunch implementation (reflective monitoring), participants' concerns focused on feasibility and adaptability of a program in their own school. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of a school lunch program will require substantial effort, although there is considerable support and understanding about potential benefits. The findings point to a number of preconditions for large-scale introduction, including the need for support-both financially and organizationally-bottom-up involvement of teachers, children and parents and freedom to adapt the program.

An In-Store Experiment on the Effect of Accessibility on Sales of Wholegrain and White Bread in Supermarkets.

Even though whole grain foods have various health benefits, consumers have been found not to eat enough of them. Nudging interventions are built on the premise that food purchases and consumption are strongly influenced by the environment in which decisions are made. Little research has been conducted to examine the influence of a small and inexpensive nudging intervention on bread choices in a real-life supermarket context. An in-store experiment was conducted in two six-week periods in two supermarkets to investigate the effects of accessibility on consumers' purchase of healthier whole grain and other types of bread. In the high accessibility condition, healthier bread was placed in a more convenient location for the shopper on the left side of the shelves where it was encountered first. In the low accessibility condition, it was placed on the right side. There were consistent significant differences in sales between supermarkets, types of bread, day of the week, but not between low and high accessibility. Additional research is needed to better understand the effects of convenience and accessibility on bread choices.

Nudging children towards whole wheat bread: a field experiment on the influence of fun bread roll shape on breakfast consumption.

BACKGROUND: Many children do not eat enough whole grains, which may have negative health consequences. Intervention research is increasingly focusing on nudging as a way to influence food choices by affecting unconscious behavioural processes. The aim of this field study was to examine whether the shape of bread rolls is able to shift children's bread choices from white to whole wheat during breakfast to increase whole grain intake. METHODS: In a between-subjects experiment conducted at twelve primary schools in the Netherlands, with school as the unit of condition assignment, children were exposed to an assortment of white and whole wheat bread rolls, both varying in shape (regular versus fun). Children were free to choose the type and number of bread rolls and toppings to eat during breakfast. Consumption of bread rolls was measured at class level via the number of bread rolls before and after breakfast. In addition, children (N = 1113) responded to a survey including questions about the breakfast. RESULTS: Results of the field experiment showed that about 76% of bread consumption consisted of white bread rolls. Consumption of white bread rolls did not differ according to shape (all P-values > 0.18). However, presenting fun-shaped whole wheat bread rolls almost doubled consumption of whole wheat bread (P = 0.001), particularly when the simultaneously presented white bread rolls had a regular shape (interaction P = 0.02). Survey results suggest that slight increases in perceived pleasure and taste are associated with these effects. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, presenting whole wheat bread in fun shapes may be helpful in increasing consumption of whole wheat bread in children. Future research could examine how improving the visual appeal of healthy foods may lead to sustained behaviour changes.

Vibromyography of oral processing varies with type of semi-solid food and with sensory judgements.

Vibromyography was used to quantify oral activity during the processing of well-characterized semi-solid model foods whilst subjects assessed the intensity of the sensory attributes to thick, creamy, melting, fatty, rough and liking. A series of eleven starch-based vanilla custard desserts was prepared with five different viscosities, three different fat levels, and three different particle sizes. Over 5 sessions, subjects (N=10) took 5 ml spoonfuls of each of the stimuli for 5 s before they rated the strength of the various attributes. The results demonstrated that oral movements varied significantly with the type of semi-solid food and with the type of attribute. Individual subjects displayed a highly idiosyncratic behaviour. Oral movements were significantly related to sensory ratings of liking, creaminess and roughness.

Amount of ingested custard dessert as affected by its color, odor, and texture.

The effects of nonoral sensations, such as visual texture and odor, on the size of the first bite were investigated in a series of studies using specially constructed food delivery cups with lower, from which custards were ingested ("ingested custard"), and upper, from which a custard was viewed and/or smelled ("upper custard") compartments. Ingested and upper custards were either the same or different. Bite size was defined as the weight of custard sucked out of the lower compartment during a single suck through an 11-mm diameter straw. The results from the first study indicated that the recognition of oral qualities of custards via vision or olfaction determined the size of the first bite. When this recognition was favorable, e.g., when the upper custard was known to be creamy, a relatively large bite was taken, irrespective of the custard that was actually ingested. When this recognition was unfavorable, a relatively small bite was taken. The second study showed that when recognition was prevented by modifications of the upper custard's color, odor, or visual texture, bite size was determined by the oral qualities of the ingested custard. This was confirmed in a third study, where the oral characteristics of the ingested custard were varied by adding a flavorant (benzaldehyde) and/or by using nose clips to eliminate retronasal smelling. Bite sizes decreased significantly when these variations reduced creaminess. Odor and visual texture characteristics of the upper custard significantly affected the perception of creaminess and other attributes related to the food's viscosity, melting, and thickness.