In the United States, cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death. The most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease is poor nutrition and thus, proper nutrition is often used as a preventative measure. With the expensive and often ineffective medications and procedures currently being used to treat cardiovascular disease, we need to find a better solution. One promising solution is nutrition therapy, which is the implementation of proper nutrition guidelines into the treatment plan of patients with cardiovascular disease. After close research and analysis of four popular diets, a vegan (plant-based) diet, vegetarian diet, and Mediterranean diet could offer improvement of cardiovascular disease risk factors and chances of cardiovascular disease mortality. Different ways to start implementing nutrition therapy in medicine include emphasizing nutrition education in medical school and/or including registered dietitians in the treatment process for cardiovascular disease patients.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the B-casein fractions in Scandinavian and Icelandic milk for evidence to either support or refute the claim that the A1 variant of B-casein is diabetogenic in adolescent populations. Based on the theory that differences in milk protein composition explain a lower incidence of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in Iceland when compared to surrounding Nordic countries, an informative poster was created so that a more educated decision can be made by those wishing to take preventative measures against the incidence of the disease. This paper includes a basic background behind the epidemiology of T1D and the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. Next, comparison between milk protein composition and consumption in Iceland against the other Nordic countries is performed through an in-depth literature review. The review was conducted using PubMed databases until December of 2018. Key findings of this investigation raise concerns regarding the decision between optimizing milk producing rates or breeding for milk devoid of diabetogenic proteins. The current literature on the impact of cattle genetics on the protein composition of milk sheds light on the safety of Icelandic dairy and the resulting health of their population. Icelandic dairy has been evidenced to contain lower levels of A1 b-casein and is considered less diabetogenic. For these reasons, this author would recommend the consumption of Icelandic dairy products over those from other regions.

The purpose of this cookbook is to provide pre-diabetic, type 1 and type 2 diabetics with a foundation of recipes. These recipes have been created with the intent of regulating inflammation which can be caused by such metabolic abnormalities. I want to educate patients who suffer from these conditions that there are several ingredients that work alongside their condition rather than feeling that they are limited to foods and recipes. I want to increase patients moral and self-efficacy to explore and work with new ingredients. These series of recipes should be used as a guide to trying new foods however patients should know that they are able to add their own ingredients that are suitable to their liking or condition.

Gluten is another name for natural proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and other grains that are commonly found in most boxed, pre-made, or baked items. However, the number of people diagnosed with Celiac's Disease, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, or Wheat Allergy has risen dramatically over the past few decades. In fact, the Gluten-Free Market is estimated to be worth 6.6 billion dollars by 2017. Therefore, this cookbook was made to provide quick, easy, and diverse recipes for people unable to ingest gluten without hurting their wallets.

Obesity is a rising problem in the country today, and countless efforts have been made to achieve long-term weight loss. Recent research indicates that through the manipulation of Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) activity within the body, weight loss can be achieved. The goal of this experiment was to understand the effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) on BAT activity and diet-induced thermogenesis in cold-stressed rats. It was predicted that the HFD would stimulate BAT activity and this would then drive up thermogenic activity to promote weight loss. Diet-induced thermogenesis was predicted to increase during the HFD phase of this experiment as the body would require more energy to digest the more calorically dense food. Upon arrival at six weeks of age, the rats were started on a low-fat diet (LFD) ad libitum for three weeks. They were then transitioned into a HFD ad libitum for the next 8 weeks. Throughout the experiment, the rats were maintained in a cold-stressed environment at 22°C. It was determined that one of the rats was identified as obesity prone, while the other three rats were obesity resistant based on the rate of weight gain and caloric intake. Obesity can decrease metabolism in the body for many reasons, yet it was not seen in this experiment that the obesity prone rat demonstrated decreased metabolism in comparison to the others. Based on the differences seen in the reference temperatures and the BAT temperatures, it was determined that the BAT was active throughout both the LFD and HFD phases. However, the BAT did not rise significantly during the HFD period as expected. More research is indicated with a larger sample size to determine if BAT activity does continue to increase during a HFD as a result of diet-induced thermogenesis.

Obesity is now an epidemic in the United States and scientists must work to approach it from a unique angle. The focus of my thesis is the application of brown adipose tissue as a combatant for fat loss in the body. Unused as adults, brown adipose tissue increases metabolism and mitochondrial function to burn more fat in individuals that cannot lose weight conventionally. Current research works to introduce safe hormonal pathways in the sympathetic nervous system to generate more of this tissue.

The Gluten-Free Diet (GFD) is increasing in prevalence due to increased diagnoses of Celiac Disease, however deficiencies have been found to persist in individuals with Celiac Disease who have been on the diet for a prolonged period of time. These deficiencies are not the result of continued GI inability to absorb the nutrients (as evidenced by biopsy) and, therefore, are inherent to the diet itself. Comparing these deficiencies to nutrient-dense gluten-free grains reveals those that specifically meet the deficiencies evident in the GFD. These include low-fat soy flour, buckwheat, and sorghum as the most nutritionally adequate for the gluten-free individual.

Problem: Overweight and obesity are global issues. There are several strategies for weight loss and maintenance as well as general lifestyle change for overall better health. The goal is to find an easy and convenient way for people to track their food intake, either for personal use and improvement, or to be used by professionals such as registered dietitians to gather data and help improve diet. Currently food journals, food frequency questionnaires and 24-hour recall are methods that are used by registered dietitians to get an idea of what is general diet is like from their patients or clients. It was proposed that pictures taken of the meal with a phone could be used as a method of recording food intake. It would be quick and extremely easy on the client; then everything from portion size, to type of food and toppings could be analyzed quickly and conveniently. If effective it could also give rise to the ability for foods to be analyzed immediately with the text or email of the picture. Methods: subjects already participating in a separate study where they were instructed to take pictures of their meals for a difference purpose were recruited. There recorded diet intake with phone pictures were able to be used from seven subjects. Subjects took a snapshot of their meals for 3 separate days and also logged on and completed a 24 hour recall with the ASA website. The pictures were analyzed and food intake, based off the pictures was entered in the program Food Processor to generate a nutritional report. The results from the ASA 24 hour recall, based on what the subject entered, were compared to the nutritional report, generated based on review of the pictures. Nutrient values that were compared include: total energy intake (calories), protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamin C, calcium and fiber. This was done to test if the pictures could be used as a valid source. Results: It was found that there were several problems with using the pictures as a method of analyzing food intake. Out of the seven subjects the result of only one subject was close between the two methods. All other results of calculated nutrient intake varied significantly and it did not prove to be effective to use pictures to analyze food intake. Conclusions: food intake recorded by picture method may prove to be useful in the future, however there would need to be greater compliance and training on picturing food that can be accurately analyzed. Short written explanation of food type and cooking method etc. would be most beneficial to include with actual picture. Pictures of food intake may be useful in other professional areas but as of now are not useful to generate nutritional reports.

The aim of this paper is to investigate a few of the primary pillars of the Paleo diet for evidence to either support or refute their efficacy and safety such that a more educated decision can be made by lay-persons who are wishing to make improvements in their overall health via dieting. To accomplish this goal a basic overview of The Paleo Diet (also known to some as the Paleolithic Nutrition Movement) is given based on the writings of Dr. Loren Cordain in his book The Paleo Diet. Next, analyses of a few of the basic characteristics of the diet are presented based on an in-depth literature review that was performed using PubMed (Medline), Cochrane and Google Scholar databases until March of 2015. The findings of this investigation raise concerns with respect to the safety of some of the main principles of the diet such as its high protein, low carbohydrate content that is relies heavily on the consumption of red meat. The current literature on what the diet of the people of the Paleolithic era may have consisted of is also presented in order to shed light on the origins of the diet and see how closely the diet prescribed The Paleo Diet meshes with the most current data on the topic.