Differences in nutrient composition and choice of side dishes between red meat and fish dinners
in Norwegian adults
Sammanfattning
Background: Food-based dietary guidelines often recommend increased consumption of fish and
reduced intake of red and processed meat. However, little is known about how changing the main
protein source from red meat to fish may influence the choice of side dishes.
Objective: To investigate whether side dish choices differed between red meat and fish dinners.
Moreover, to compare intakes of macronutrients and selected micronutrients in red meat and fish
dinners and to see whether whole-day intakes of these nutrients differed between days with red meat
dinners and days with fish dinners.
Design: Data were collected in a cross-sectional nationwide Norwegian dietary survey using two
non-consecutive telephone-administered 24-h recalls. The recalls were conducted approximately 4
weeks apart. In total, 2,277 dinners from 1,517 participants aged 18-70 were included in the
analyses.
Results: Fish dinners were more likely to include potatoes and carrots than red meat dinners,
whereas red meat dinners more often contained bread, tomato sauce, and cheese. Red meat dinners
contained more energy and iron; had higher percentages of energy (E%) from fat, saturated fat, and
monounsaturated fat; and a lower E% from protein and polyunsaturated fat than fish dinners. Fish
dinners contained more vitamin D, ß-carotene, and folate than red meat dinners. Similar differences
were found when comparing whole-day intakes of the same nutrients on days with red meat versus
fish dinners.
Conclusion: Fish dinners were accompanied by different side dishes than red meat dinners. With
regard to nutrient content, fish dinners generally had a healthier profile than red meat dinners.
However, iron intake was higher for red meat dinners. Information about associated foods will be
useful both for developing public health guidelines and when studying associations between dietary
factors and health outcomes.