Signs and strategies to deal with food insecurity and consumption of ultra-processed foods among Amazonian mothers.

Although food insecurity configures a public health issue in developing countries going through nutrition transition, there is still lack of evidence on how it is affected by social determinants and its relationship with ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption. Using qualitative methods, we investigated the experience of food (in)security among mothers living in the Brazilian Amazon area, identifying aspects of food insecurity promoting UPF consumption. In-depth interviews were performed with 40 women and inductive content analysis was used. Signs of food insecurity included difficulties in food affordability and irregular access to food. Strategies to deal with lack of food quantity took place during food production (growing foods and raising animals), acquisition (gaining food, shopping incentives and food substitutions) and preparation (creativity in cooking). Not being able to afford staple foods was the main aspect of food insecurity promoting UPF consumption, as fresh foods were substituted by UFP options. Our study contributes to the current literature by presenting explanatory insights about the inconclusive quantitative results on the relationship between food insecurity and UPF consumption. Additionally, it supports the need of policies and interventions focused on promoting sustainable food systems and the regional food culture, which may approach food insecurity through an intersectional perspective.

"Macho food": Masculinities, food preferences, eating practices history and commensality among gay bears in São Paulo, Brazil.

This article describes and explore eating practices and food preferences among gay men who call themselves bears in São Paulo, Brazil, and their relation with their life history, masculinities representations, and sexuality. It is a qualitative and quantitative research within an ethnographic perspective. A purposive sample of thirty-five self-declared gay bears. The data were analyzed identifying the regular, expressive and meaningful significance units collected through the interviews. We identified that the self-declared bears in São Paulo, Brazil, build a solid relation between food preferences, eating practices, masculinity, and group belonging. From the bear's perspective, meat, especially bovine, is related to masculinity and extensively understood as a strong common bond within the community, leveraging their sexuality. For these persons, eating meat as well as drinking beer can build the ideal mannish and unfeminine body that is overvalue. Being gay and "eating like a man," as well as exposing a "macho" body while disdaining other body types constructions could represent a strategy to avoid discrimination, shame and humiliation. On the other way, this community does not just linearly imitate heterosexual men although their conducts can reproduce patriarchal representations and meanings through eating practices. These findings could be used to understand the complexity of alimentary practices, particularly food preferences as well as commensalities, among specific communities or membership groups.