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Table 1 Terminology in dietary assessment

From: Assessment of dietary intake: NuGO symposium report

Food/diet diary

A list (description) of foods eaten and drinks consumed

Usually includes an estimate of portion size in household measures (e.g. slice of bread, cup of tea)

Written at the time of consumption

Weighed food diary

A list (description) of foods eaten and weight of each food before (and remains after) consumption

Written at the time of consumption

24-h recall

A list (description from memory) of foods consumed over the previous 24 h

Usually includes an estimate of portion size in household measures (e.g. slice of bread, cup of tea)

‘Multi-pass’ 24-h recall

A quick list (description from memory) of foods consumed over the previous 24 h

Usually includes an estimate of portion size in household measures (e.g. slice of bread)

Followed by questioning about the foods remembered to add detail (e.g. type of spread on bread, type of milk in tea)

Food frequency questionnaire

A list of foods (marked from memory) to give an indication of the typical frequency of consumption and amount consumed over a recent period of time (e.g. last year)

Food intake patterns

Variation in amount, type and frequency of food intake

a. The overall eating pattern e.g. Mediterranean eating pattern or Western-style eating pattern or

b. Some other characteristic features of intake e.g. skipping breakfast

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

Energy expenditure due to vital bodily functions

Measured at rest and in thermoneutral environment

Largely determined by body size, especially fat-free mass

Typically 60–75% of total energy expenditure in developed countries

Energy requirement

Energy intake required to maintain equivalence between energy intake and energy expenditure

Can be expressed as a multiple of BMR

Cut offs for validation of reported energy intake

Based on the assumed equivalence of energy intake and expenditure at group level and the confidence value below which the reported mean energy intake is unlikely to represent valid data

Group level

Determines probable degree of population bias in energy intake reporting

Individual level

Sometimes used to identify ‘low energy reporters’ where the energy intake is unlikely to be valid. Ideally, should be used in conjunction with individual measure of energy expenditure and assumes stable weight