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Nutritional Assessment and Profiling: Dietary
Computerized Dietary Assessment
Food Composition Data
The U.S. Department of Agriculture produces a large comprehensive database that
is used as a basis for most nutritional analysis software systems. The current
version, the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Version 13, contains
6200 foods and 82 nutrients. The database is updated approximately every two
years. The nutrient values are usually averages of several chemically analyzed
samples of foods. Some manufacturer's data is included. When possible, when
data is missing for certain nutrients, imputing from other sources is done.
Nutrient Analysis Systems
There are many computerized nutrient analysis systems available for computers.
Some systems used for research cost up to $3000 while others can be obtained
free of charge. The basis of the program is the ability to enter foods as eaten
and produce an analysis of nutrient intakes by day or week. Many food items in
nutrient databases are represented in the edible form, for example peeled potato
(as opposed to whole potatoes) or braised beef (as opposed to raw). The
nutrient values do not represent the bioavailability of the nutrient in that
food.
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Different computer programs are designed for use by the consumer, an
interviewer, or researcher. When selecting nutrient analysis software, several
factors should be considered. Such factors include the source of the data, size
and comprehensiveness of the nutrient database, number of nutrients, method used
to impute for missing data, timeliness of updates, and ease of use.
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