This narrative literature review aimed to analyze the results of studies on the food intake of university students. A literature search was conducted in July 2014 and updated in July 2016 in the Scopus, MedLine/PubMed, and SciELO databases, using descriptors related to university students and food intake in English and Portuguese. Overall, 37 studies that analyzed university students’ food intake were included in this review, eight of which were conducted in Brazil. The results demonstrated that most university students have unhealthy eating behaviors, such as high intake of fast foods, snacks, sweets, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages, and low intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, and legumes. Undergraduate students of health sciences, such as nursing, nutrition, and medicine, did not have healthier diets. University students’ food intake was characterized as unhealthy, regardless of undergraduate program or sex, especially among students who left the parents’ home and became responsible for their own food. Therefore, there is a need of developing public policies that promote healthy eating habits among students, such as interventions to change their eating habits and increase their access to healthy foods at the university environment.

Context : Evidence that menu labeling influences food choices in real-life settings is lacking. Reviews usually focus on calorie counts without addressing broader issues related to healthy eating. Objective: This systematic review assessed the influence of diverse menu-labeling formats on food choices in real-life settings. Data Sources : Several databases were searched: Cochrane Library, Scopus, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Food Science and Technology Abstracts, Biological Abstracts, CAB Abstracts, EconLit, SciELO, and LILACS. Study Selection: Articles reporting experiments, quasi-experiments, and observational studies using control or preintervention groups were selected blindly by two reviewers. Data Extraction : Data was extracted using a standard form. Analyses differentiated between foodservice types. The quality of the 38 included studies was assessed blindly by two reviewers. Data Analysis: The results were mixed, but a partial influence of menu labeling on food choices was more frequent than an overall influence or no influence. Menu labeling was more effective in cafeterias than in restaurants. Qualitative information, such as healthy-food symbols and traffic-light labeling, was most effective in promoting healthy eating. In general, the studies were of moderate quality and did not use control groups. Conclusions : Calorie labeling in menus is not effective to promote healthier food choices. Further research in real-life settings with control groups should test diverse qualitative information in menu labeling.

Vegetable consumption is a predictor for improved health outcomes, such as reduced obesity and likelihood of food-related noncommunicable diseases. Young adults are a key population, being in a transitional stage-of-life: Habits gained here are taken through the lifespan. This review establishes insight into the consumption of vegetables among young adults during their college/university years, and factors associated with increased consumption. Seventy-one papers were extracted, published between January 2009 and October 2018. Search terms related to consumption; vegetables; and college/university setting and sample. A diverse range of definitions, guidelines, and study approaches were observed. Findings identify that the majority of students do not consume World Health Organization recommendations. Being female was the most frequent predictor of higher intake of vegetables, and no consumption patterns were identified by countries. Living at family home; body mass index; happiness and stress level; perceived importance of healthy eating; socioeconomic level; breakfast consumption; stage of study; openness to new experiences; sleep pattern; nutrition knowledge; activity level; alcohol usage; and energy intake were identified as influential factors. Public policies and new strategies to encourage vegetable consumption among college students are indispensable, especially targeting subgroups with even lower intakes, such as males and those living outside family home.

A escolha alimentar humana está baseada, por um lado, na condição onívora do homem, isto é, apresentar a capacidade de comer de tudo e, por outro lado, por diversos outros fatores que irão influenciar o indivíduo nessa decisão. Buscando discutir esses determinantes, realizou-se uma revisão da literatura científica sobre a questão. Foram identificados alguns estudos e reflexões sobre determinantes da escolha alimentar humana em diferentes contextos, além de livros que discutiam sobre o tema. Para viabilizar a discussão, incluiu-se uma reflexão inicial sobre a condição onívora do homem, seguindo-se os determinantes relacionados com os alimentos e aqueles relacionados com o comedor. Assim, identificaram-se variáveis relacionadas aos alimentos como o preço, o sabor, a variedade, o valor nutricional, a aparência e a higiene, por exemplo. Já as variáveis relacionadas ao próprio indivíduo foram divididas em determinantes biológicos, sócio-culturais e antropológicos, bem como econômicos e psicológicos. Para finalizar, discute-se sobre a interação desses determinantes em métodos qualitativos e quantitativos para avaliar a escolha alimentar humana. Destaca-se que o cruzamento de olhares interdisciplinar entre as Ciências Humanas e as Ciências Nutricionais pode auxiliar no aprofundar de conhecimentos sobre o comedor humano.