Food waste contributes to adverse environmental and economic outcomes, and substantial food waste occurs at the household level in the US. This study explored perceived household food waste changes during the COVID-19 pandemic and related factors. A total of 946 survey responses from primary household food purchasers were analyzed. Demographic, COVID-19-related household change, and household food waste data were collected in October 2020. Wilcoxon signed-rank was used to assess differences in perceived food waste. A hierarchical binomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine whether COVID-19-related lifestyle disruptions and food-related behavior changes increased the likelihood of household food waste. A binomial logistic regression was conducted to explore the contribution of different food groups to the likelihood of increased food waste. Perceived food waste, assessed as the estimated percent of food wasted, decreased significantly during the pandemic (z = −7.47, p < 0.001). Food stockpiling was identified as a predictor of increased overall food waste during the pandemic, and wasting fresh vegetables and frozen foods increased the odds of increased food waste. The results indicate the need to provide education and resources related to food stockpiling and the management of specific food groups during periods of disruption to reduce food waste.

Acidogenic diets, commonly measured by the potential renal acid load (PRAL), have been linked with metabolic diseases including insulin resistance, hepatic dysfunction, and cardiometabolic risk. Vegan diets are linked to low dietary acid loads, but the degree of adherence to a vegan diet to demonstrate this benefit is unknown. This study compared the change in PRAL and urine pH of omnivores who followed a vegan diet for either 2, 3, or 7 days over one week. Healthy adults were recruited from a campus population and randomly assigned to one of the three groups: VEG7 (vegan diet followed for seven consecutive days); VEG3 (vegan diet followed for three evenly spaced days over one week); or VEG2 (vegan diet followed for two evenly spaced days over one week). Gender, age, and body mass index did not differ between groups (overall: 21.8 ± 2.4 y and 24.4 ± 5.6 kg/m). Following the one week intervention, outcome measures did not vary between the VEG2 and VEG3 groups, and these groups were collapsed for the final analyses. The 24-h urine pH was raised after seven consistent days of vegan diet adherence and was unchanged after 2-3 days of vegan diet adherence over the course of a week (+0.52 ± 0.69 and -0.02 ± 0.56 respectively, p = 0.048). However, dietary PRAL scores fell significantly in both dietary groups during the 7-day trial. Since low dietary PRAL scores have been related to improve metabolic parameters, adoption of a vegan diets for several days per week should be explored as a diet strategy to lower disease risk.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in substantial lifestyle changes. No US study has identified predictors of perceived dietary healthfulness changes during the pandemic period. This study included analyses of lifestyle and dietary healthfulness changes using 958 survey responses from US primary household food purchasers. Information was collected related to demographics, COVID-19-related household changes, and health-related habits before and during the pandemic. Binary logistic regression identified predictors of perceived increase in dietary healthfulness during the pandemic period. Overall, 59.8%, 16.4%, and 23.4% of participants reported that their eating habits likely changed, may have changed, and likely did not change, respectively. Of the participants whose dietary habits likely or may have changed, 64.1%, 16.8%, and 19% reported healthier, neither healthier nor less healthy, and less healthy eating habits, respectively. COVID-19-related income loss, more meals consumed with household members in front of the television, an increase in food advertisement exposure, increased perceived stress, and better perceived current health were significant predictors of a perceived increase in dietary healthfulness. Overall, dietary habits were perceived to become healthier during the pandemic. The predictors of perceived improvement in dietary healthfulness were surprising and indicate the need for further study of these factors in crisis and noncrisis situations.

Recent evidence has indicated that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) involving abuse, neglect, and other potentially traumatic occurrences are predictive of disordered eating among young adults. Previous findings have suggested that ACEs and disordered eating were both inversely related to mindfulness. No known studies have examined the extent to which mindfulness mediates the link between ACEs and disordered eating. This study was conducted among a sample of 144 young adults in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 26 years. Primary study variables included ACEs, mindfulness, and disordered eating. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses assessed the link between ACEs and disordered eating. Mediation analyses examined whether mindfulness mediated the link between ACEs and disordered eating. Multivariable analyses statistically adjusted for the covariates of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and income. Findings suggested ACEs were inversely related to mindfulness (B = −0.04, SE = 0.01; 95% CI = −0.07, −0.01; p &lt; 0.05), mindfulness was inversely related to disordered eating (B = −1.27, SE = 0.23; 95% CI = −1.74, −0.80; p &lt; 0.0001), and ACEs were positively related to disordered eating before (B = 0.17, SE = 0.04; 95% CI = 0.09, 0.26; p = 0.0001) and after (B = 0.13, SE = 0.04; 95% CI = 0.05, 0.21; p = 0.002) adjusting for mindfulness. Mediation analysis results indicated that the link between ACEs and disordered eating was significantly mediated by mindfulness (B = 0.05, SE = 0.02; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.09; p &lt; 0.05). Evidence produced in this study confirmed existing findings concerning the positive association between ACEs and disordered eating among young adults, and these outcomes helped fill a knowledge gap regarding whether mindfulness mediates the link between ACEs and disordered eating. Future intervention studies should identify health-enhancing mindfulness approaches and then test whether the adoption of mindfulness practices can alleviate and prevent disordered eating among young adults with high ACEs.

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Food appreciation has been associated with favorable dietary and food waste behaviors. However, no validated food appreciation assessment currently exists. This study aimed to develop and validate a food appreciation scale (FAS) using data from two independent US-based samples recruited online. The 29-item FAS was based on existing literature regarding appreciation as a psychological construct, mindful eating, and epicurean tendencies. In Study 1, 311 participants completed the FAS, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted. In Study 2, 300 participants completed the FAS, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to determine whether the factor structure remained consistent. The EFA indicated a good model fit for a four-factor structure after excluding six items that loaded on multiple or no factors (TLI 0.95, CFI 0.97, SRMR 0.03, RMSEA 0.05), and Cronbach’s alpha indicated excellent reliability (Cronbach’s alpha values 0.82–0.9). The CFA confirmed the four-factor structure (TLI 0.97, CFI 0.98, SRMR 0.08, RMSEA 0.05) and acceptable factor loadings with a simple structure. The factors assessed active food appreciation, reflective food appreciation, mindful epicurean tendencies, and food-related rituals. The validated FAS could allow researchers to assess food appreciation, measure changes in food appreciation over time, and compare food appreciation among different study populations.