No abstract

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a qualidade nutricional das refeições servidas em uma Unidade de Alimentação e Nutrição de uma fábrica da região metropolitana da cidade de São Paulo. MÉTODOS: Dentre os cardápios praticados no período de um ano (242 dias) na unidade mencionada, foram selecionados 30% por sorteio sistemático, e avaliados utilizando-se o Índice de Qualidade da Refeição, com base nas recomendações da Organização Mundial da Saúde e do Ministério da Saúde brasileiro. Esse índice compõe-se de cinco itens que variam entre zero e 20 pontos cada um: adequação na oferta de hortaliças e frutas; oferta de carboidratos; oferta de gordura total; oferta de gordura saturada e variabilidade do cardápio. No período analisado, foram servidas 367 preparações, agrupadas em 30 categorias, segundo composição e forma de preparo. A correlação de Spearman foi utilizada para investigar a correlação do índice com os nutrientes da refeição. As análises foram realizadas no pacote estatístico STATA, considerando-se o nível de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: O valor médio do Índice de Qualidade da Refeição foi de 64,60 (DP=21,18) pontos, sendo 44% das refeições classificadas como "refeição que necessita de melhora" e apenas 25% como "adequadas". Além do arroz e do feijão, servidos diariamente, as preparações mais frequentes foram: legumes e frutas (30%), massas e cremes (12%), frituras (9%) e sobremesas com creme (8%). Encontrou-se correlação positiva entre o Índice de Qualidade da Refeição e a vitamina C (r=0,32). CONCLUSÃO: Apesar da presença constante de frutas, legumes e verduras, há a necessidade de adequar a oferta das preparações às recomendações para uma alimentação saudável, que efetivamente colaborem na promoção da saúde.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the energy density (ED) of workers' diets and examine their relationship with nutrient intake, diet quality, socio-demographic and anthropometric factors. Design/methodology/approach -Dietary data were collected by a 24-hour recall. ED, defined as energy per unit weight of diet, included all food and excluded all beverages. Diet quality was evaluated using the Brazilian version of the health eating index. The associations between ED and socio-demographic variables and body mass index were examined using regression models. Findings -The study evaluated 201 individuals: 51 percent male; mean age 33.4 years (SD ¼ 9.5); 43 percent overweight. Women and men presented similar mean ED: 1.99 (95 percent CI: 1.90-2.09) and 1.95 (95 percent CI: 1.89-201). ED was inversely associated with age (b: 20.009; 95 percent CI: 20.015; 20.002) and with leisure physical activity (b: 20.049; 95 percent CI: 20.096; 20.002) and directly associated with liquid intake during meals (b: 0.159; 95 percent CI: 0.003; 0.285). Diets with higher ED were of lower quality: richer in total fat, saturated fat, trans fatty acids and added sugars, and concomitantly providing less vitamin C and less fiber. There was no association between ED and anthropometric variables. Originality/value -The high ED diets consumed by these workers might represent a risk, because of the relationship between low quality diets and chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, obesity and cancer.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the energy density (ED) of preparations served by a food service and develop and evaluate the acceptability of preparations in which the ED was reduced by substitution and/or reduction of fat and sugar.Design/methodology/approachThe preparations served most frequently by a food service were identified and described using datasheets. Nutritional assessment of the preparations was performed while the ED was estimated by the ratio of energy value to final weight of the preparations. The preparations were analyzed for their sensory characteristics and reproducibility. Sensory analysis was performed using acceptability and affective tests. The scores obtained on the hedonic scale (1‐9) were assessed by ANOVA and Tukey's test.FindingsThe percentage difference between the ED of traditional and modified preparations showed an ED reduction of 6 to 28 per cent in savory preparations and 5 to 63 per cent in sweet preparations. Preparations that had an average acceptance of greater than or equal to 7 were considered acceptable. All preparations were considered acceptable by the judges. Many preparations depend on ingredients with high ED for their success and removing these ingredients can undermine acceptance of the preparation. It is important to understand the role of each ingredient in recipes as a whole, in order to retain the characteristics and palatability of preparations.Originality/valueThe reduction of ED in preparations is an effective strategy for reducing energy intake and increasing weight loss, where ED of preparations can be reduced while maintaining the level of acceptability.