Vegan-Forum

The subjects completed two trials where they ingested two meal types, differing in degree of processing. Both meals consisted of bread and cheese sandwiches. The whole-food meal (WF) was comprised of multi-grain bread (which contained whole sunflower seeds and whole-grain kernels) and cheddar cheese, while the PF meal was comprised of white bread and a processed cheese product (Table 2, see Appendices A and B for ingredients and nutritional information). Paired WF and PF meals were isoenergetic and consisted of 600 kcal portions (2,520 kJ, 1½ sandwiches) or 800 kcal portions (3,360 kJ, 2 sandwiches). Each subject was asked to choose a preferred portion size and consumed this portion size for each meal. Energy contents were derived from the food labels. These list the estimated available (not gross) calories using the nutrient information and assimilation coefficients for different foods compiled in the USDA 1973 report by Merrill and Watt (21). Seven females elected to eat the 600 kcal portion, while the five males and the remaining five females elected to eat the 800 kcal portion. Independent of portion size, each meal derived the same proportion of energy from both the bread and cheese (60% bread, 40% cheese). WF meal composition was 40% carbohydrate, 39% fat, and 20% protein; PF meal composition was 50% carbohydrate, 33% fat, and 15% protein (Table 2). The WF meal had approximately three times the amount of dietary fiber than the PF meal.