Yesildemir Ozge
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences Bursa Uludag University Bursa Türkiye.
Food Sci Nutr. 2025 Apr 8;13(4):e70149. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.70149. eCollection 2025 Apr.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between ecological footprints and the nutritional contents of lunch menus in universities. One-month lunch menus were evaluated from 70 state universities in seven geographic regions in Türkiye. The mean protein, carbohydrate, and fat of the menus were 44.1 ± 2.7 g, 113.7 ± 7.4 g, and 80.9 ± 6.3 g, respectively. Regional differences were observed in the nutrient composition of university lunch menus. The Black Sea region had the highest plant-based protein, while animal-based protein was highest in Eastern/Southeastern Anatolia ( < 0.05). The Mediterranean region had the highest vitamin B, and sodium content was highest in the Marmara region ( < 0.05). The average carbon and water footprints of the menus were 2.26 ± 0.24 CO eq/kg and 2.14 ± 0.16 m/ton. A positive correlation was observed between menus' energy, saturated fat, vitamin B, sodium, and iron contents and their carbon footprints ( < 0.05). Water footprints of menus were positively related to energy, total protein, animal-based protein, saturated fat, cholesterol, vitamin B, sodium, and iron, and negatively associated with thiamine and zinc ( < 0.05). While a one-unit increase in saturated fat resulted in a 0.829-unit increase in carbon footprint, menus that increased by a unit in saturated fat increased their water footprint by 0.795 units. When evaluating menus, it is essential to consider nutritional content and environmental impacts together. Universities can design more sustainable and nutritious menus by prioritizing fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains while moderately reducing red meat consumption, ultimately lowering ecological footprints and improving students' and staff's dietary quality.
本研究的目的是评估大学生态足迹与午餐菜单营养成分之间的关系。对土耳其七个地理区域的70所国立大学的一个月午餐菜单进行了评估。菜单中的蛋白质、碳水化合物和脂肪平均含量分别为44.1±2.7克、113.7±7.4克和80.9±6.3克。大学午餐菜单的营养成分存在区域差异。黑海地区的植物性蛋白质含量最高，而东安纳托利亚/东南安纳托利亚地区的动物性蛋白质含量最高（<0.05）。地中海地区的维生素B含量最高，马尔马拉地区的钠含量最高（<0.05）。菜单的平均碳足迹和水足迹分别为2.26±0.24千克二氧化碳当量/千克和2.14±0.16立方米/吨。观察到菜单的能量、饱和脂肪、维生素B、钠和铁含量与其碳足迹之间存在正相关（<0.05）。菜单的水足迹与能量、总蛋白质、动物性蛋白质、饱和脂肪、胆固醇、维生素B、钠和铁呈正相关，与硫胺素和锌呈负相关（<0.05）。饱和脂肪每增加一个单位，碳足迹增加0.829个单位，饱和脂肪增加一个单位的菜单，其水足迹增加0.795个单位。在评估菜单时，必须同时考虑营养成分和环境影响。大学可以通过优先选择水果、蔬菜、豆类、坚果、种子和全谷物，同时适度减少红肉消费，设计出更具可持续性和营养的菜单，最终降低生态足迹，提高学生和教职员工的饮食质量。
