(P06-001-25) Relationships Between Eating Rate and Energy Intake by Food Items in Meals Differing by Processing and Nutritional Quality

Objectives: Fast eating rate (ER, g/min) can increase energy intake (EI, kcal), but ER may differ by food texture and processing level. This study aims to investigate the relationships between texture, ER, EI, and other macronutrients across similar foods in three meals, differing by processing level and nutritional quality (NQ).

Methods: Meals 1, 2, and 3 (M1, M2, and M3) had low processing high NQ, high processing high NQ, and high processing low NQ, respectively. Meals were similar foods and matched for energy and macronutrients. Each meal included toast, soft food eaten by spoon (oatmeal or cereal+yogurt), and an orange juice beverage. Healthy adults (n=40) consumed these meals in random order during three lab visits separated by 3-7 days. Regression and Pearson's correlation were used to examine differences in ER and EI for each item between meals.

Results: Regression analysis showed that for M1 and M2, ER was not correlated with fat, carbohydrate, protein, fiber, or EI, with M1 and M2 having R²= 0.299 – 0.400 and R²=0.203 – 0.331 respectively. For M3, all predictors showed statistically significant relationships with ER, indicating stronger predictive power compared to M1 and M2 with R²=0.447 – 0.534. Pearson’s correlation in M1 showed a weak positive relationship between ER and EI for rolled oats (r=0.295, p< 0.01) and fresh orange juice (r=0.302, p< 0.01). For M2, a weak positive relationship was observed for instant oatmeal (r=0.216, p< 0.01) and orange juice from concentrate (r=0.245, p< 0.01). For M3, a moderate positive relationship was seen for cereal+yogurt (r=0.448, p< 0.01) and orange flavored drink (r=0.413, p< 0.01). Fiber intake correlated positively with ER for foods eaten by spoon from a bowl: oatmeal in M1 (r=0.295, p< 0.01) and M2 (r=0.216, p< 0.01), and cereal+yogurt in M3 (r=0.448, p< 0.01).

Conclusions: Foods eaten by spoon and orange juice beverages showed positive relationships between ER and EI across meals, varying by processing levels and NQ. Toast did not, possibly due to more extensive chewing. Highly processed low NQ food items predicted ER, possibly due to soft texture. Correlations between ER and EI were strongest for highly processed low NQ items. The results suggest that ER of different food items differentially impacts relationships between ER and EI, possibly due to differences in chewing.

Funding Sources: USDA NIFA