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 |