Faculty of Health, School of Health and Social Development/Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Nutr Diet. 2024 Apr;81(2):228-236. doi: 10.1111/1747-0080.12845. Epub 2023 Oct 16.
To explore the nutritional content of meal kits from two main Australian companies over a 6-week period against healthy eating guidelines for pregnancy.
Across the 6-week period, weekly meal kits from both Provider 1 and Provider 2 were purchased, 36 individual meals were assessed. All data were analysed for the development of a macronutrient and micronutrient profile of meals. Extracted data were macronutrient, vitamin, and mineral composition, which were compared against the healthy eating guidelines for pregnant women in Australia and New Zealand.
Meal kits include higher levels of sodium, and lower levels of dietary fibre, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, grains, and dairy when compared against the guidelines for healthy eating for pregnant women in Australia and New Zealand.
Meal kits may increase meals prepared and consumed in the home, and thanks to the clear instructions and pre-portioned ingredients, may reduce stress related to food preparation. They have the potential to provide nutritionally adequate meals to pregnant women as a way to mitigate food insecurity or hunger during pregnancy and may provide some nutritional benefits and have the potential to remove some of the challenges with maintaining an adequate diet when pregnant.
在 6 周的时间内，研究来自澳大利亚两家主要公司的餐盒的营养含量，以评估其是否符合孕期健康饮食指南。
在这 6 周内，购买了 Provider 1 和 Provider 2 的每周餐盒，共评估了 36 份餐食。对所有数据进行了分析，以确定餐食的宏量营养素和微量营养素的特征。提取的数据包括宏量营养素、维生素和矿物质成分，并与澳大利亚和新西兰孕妇健康饮食指南进行了比较。
与澳大利亚和新西兰孕妇健康饮食指南相比，餐盒中的钠含量较高，膳食纤维、钙、镁、锌、铁、硫胺素、核黄素、谷物和乳制品的含量较低。
餐盒可能会增加家庭准备和食用的餐数，由于其清晰的说明和预分好的食材，可能会减少与食物准备相关的压力。对于孕妇来说，它们有可能提供营养充足的餐食，以缓解孕期的食物不安全或饥饿问题，同时还可能提供一些营养益处，并有可能缓解孕妇维持适当饮食所面临的一些挑战。
