College
Brooks College of Health
Department
Nutrition and Dietetics
Rank
Professor Emeritus
Type of Work
Journal Article
Publication Information
Comerford KB, Papanikolaou Y, Jones JM, Rodriguez J, Slavin J, Angadi S, Drewnowski A. Toward an Evidence-Based Definition and Classification of Carbohydrate Food Quality: An Expert Panel Report. Nutrients. 2021; 13(8):2667. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082667
Description of Work
(Article Abstract) Carbohydrate-containing crops provide the bulk of dietary energy worldwide. In addition to their various carbohydrate forms (sugars, starches, fibers) and ratios, these foods may also contain varying amounts and combinations of proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, prebiotics, and anti-nutritional factors that may impact diet quality and health. Currently, there is no standardized or unified way to assess the quality of carbohydrate foods for the overall purpose of improving diet quality and health outcomes, creating an urgent need for the development of metrics and tools to better define and classify high-quality carbohydrate foods. The present report is based on a series of expert panel meetings and a scoping review of the literature focused on carbohydrate quality indicators and metrics produced over the last 10 years. The report outlines various approaches to assessing food quality, and proposes next steps and principles for developing improved metrics for assessing carbohydrate food quality. The expert panel concluded that a composite metric based on nutrient profiling methods featuring inputs such as carbohydrate–fiber–sugar ratios, micronutrients, and/or food group classification could provide useful and informative measures for guiding researchers, policymakers, industry, and consumers towards a better understanding of carbohydrate food quality and overall healthier diets. The identification of higher quality carbohydrate foods could improve evidence-based public health policies and programming—such as the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Rights Statement
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Rights and Access Note
This is an Open Access article
Included in
Toward an Evidence-Based Definition and Classification of Carbohydrate Food Quality: An Expert Panel Report.
(Article Abstract) Carbohydrate-containing crops provide the bulk of dietary energy worldwide. In addition to their various carbohydrate forms (sugars, starches, fibers) and ratios, these foods may also contain varying amounts and combinations of proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, prebiotics, and anti-nutritional factors that may impact diet quality and health. Currently, there is no standardized or unified way to assess the quality of carbohydrate foods for the overall purpose of improving diet quality and health outcomes, creating an urgent need for the development of metrics and tools to better define and classify high-quality carbohydrate foods. The present report is based on a series of expert panel meetings and a scoping review of the literature focused on carbohydrate quality indicators and metrics produced over the last 10 years. The report outlines various approaches to assessing food quality, and proposes next steps and principles for developing improved metrics for assessing carbohydrate food quality. The expert panel concluded that a composite metric based on nutrient profiling methods featuring inputs such as carbohydrate–fiber–sugar ratios, micronutrients, and/or food group classification could provide useful and informative measures for guiding researchers, policymakers, industry, and consumers towards a better understanding of carbohydrate food quality and overall healthier diets. The identification of higher quality carbohydrate foods could improve evidence-based public health policies and programming—such as the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Biographical Statement
Judith Rodriguez, Emeritus Professor at the University of North Florida, (UNF, Jacksonville, FL), has peer reviewed and consumer publications, including the Latino Food Lover’s Glossary, The Diet Selector and 200 Surefire Ways Eat to Well and Feel Better. She was a Medallion recipient of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and UNF Distinguished Professor. She is involved in educational, service and research activities. Dr. Rodriguez received a PhD in Anthropology (Rutgers University) and an MA in Nutrition/Higher Education and a BS (New York University). She is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and Past President of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.