Food is an essential part of our lives. Food provides us with the nutrients and energy we need to grow, learn, develop and do all the activities in our day-to-day lives. Foods are directly related to our bodies and their functions since they contain nutrition like proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and fats. These are all important for our physical and mental health. The main sources of nutrition and energy for our bodies are food and water, but many of the foods we eat may not contain the essential nutrition we need. Some of these foods can actually lead to health problems, such as high blood pressure and heart disease. So, you should choose more balanced foods with enough nutrition for your body. Foods provide us with nutrients. There are many different nutrients. We divide them into: Macronutrients that we need in large amounts. These are:

carbohydrates fats proteins Micronutrients that we need in small amounts. There are many different micronutrients, but the ones listed below are most likely to be lacking in our diets:

minerals vitamins The importance of food in our lives is like the importance of oxygen for breathing. If you stop breathing oxygen, it can kill you in a matter of minutes, and if you stop eating food, it will kill you in a few days or weeks. Both of them are necessary to continue life. The food we eat fulfils the nutritious needs of our body, and there is a variety of food for us to use. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to food; some people are vegetarian (that means they only eat a plant-based diet), and most are omnivorous (Meaning that they eat both plants and meat). No matter what diet you are on, it should be giving you the nutrition your body needs to be healthy. Every cell in your body depends on the nutrients and calories that are present in the food that you eat. However, the need for food is not only limited to continuing life. There are different food sources. The primary sources are plants and animals. Foods such as oil, meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, tea, chocolate, coffee and dairy are obtained from these primary sources. Not all the food that we eat is made from plants and animals. For example, mushrooms are obtained from edible fungi. Food has become a major part of our social lives, economy, and comfort.

BackgroundVegetarians have been shown to have better metabolic profiles than non-vegetarians, and vegetarianism has potential beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. However, there is a lack of studies on vegetarians that examine both metabolic profiles and lifestyle habits, such as physical activity, smoking habits, and dietary patterns, which are equally important in the context of cardiovascular disease. We explored whether a vegetarian diet is associated with both metabolic traits and lifestyle habits by assessing cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted in a Taiwanese population. Data collected between 2000 and 2016 were extracted from the MJ Health database. Participants aged 40 years and older without cardiovascular disease were included. CVH metrics included smoking habits, blood pressure, total cholesterol, serum glucose, body mass index, physical activity, and healthy diet score. Vegetarian participants were full-time vegetarians who did not consume meat or fish. All the data were assessed from self-report questionnaires, physical examinations, and blood analyses following standard protocol. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between vegetarianism and CVH metrics.ResultsOf 46,287 eligible participants, 1,896 (4.1%) were vegetarian. Overall, vegetarians had better CVH metrics (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.84–2.37) but lower healthy diet scores (OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.33–0.51) after adjustment. No difference in physical activity (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.73–1.02) was identified between vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Additionally, vegetarians had higher whole grain intake (OR = 2.76, 95% CI = 2.28–3.35) and lower sugar-sweetened beverage consumption (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.18–1.58).ConclusionsOur results suggested that vegetarians had better overall ideal CVH metrics but lower ideal healthy diet scores than non-vegetarians, which was likely due to the lack of fish consumption in this population group. When assessing CVH metrics and healthy diet scores for vegetarians, metrics and scores chosen should be suitable for use with vegetarian populations.

1. Introduction The purpose of this project was to analyze consumer preferences for restaurant attributes to identify the most desirable configurations for restaurants. This analysis focused on four key attributes of restaurant experiences: 1. Cuisine: Asian, American, Italian, Mexican 2. Dietary Considerations: No Dietary Restrictions, Vegan-Vegetarian, Keto, Pescatarian 3. Ambiance: Family Friendly, Fine Dining, Live Entertainment, Bar/Tavern 4. Menu Type: À la carte, Pre-set, Buffet, Seasonal Understanding consumer preferences for these attributes is essential for restaurant owners and marketers to tailor their offerings to meet customer demand effectively. (Kotler & Keller, 2016) The survey sought to uncover which combinations of these attributes would resonate most with the target audience and to identify statistically significant patterns in preferences.

2. Survey Design and Data Collection 2.1 Goal of the Survey The goal of the survey was to identify the most preferred restaurant configuration among respondents by: • Determining which specific attributes (e.g., cuisine type, ambiance) were most popular. • Understanding the intensity of preferences for different options within each attribute. • Using statistical methods to evaluate whether the observed differences in preferences were meaningful and significant. This information would help restaurant businesses make informed decisions about menu design, ambiance choices, and dietary offerings.

2.2 Survey Structure The survey contained a key question: "What would be the ideal type of restaurant you would like to have? (Please select one option for each attribute):" • Cuisine: Asian, American, Italian, Mexican • Dietary Considerations: No Dietary Restrictions, Vegan-Vegetarian, Keto, Pescatarian • Ambiance: Family Friendly, Fine Dining, Live Entertainment, Bar/Tavern • Menu Type: À la carte, Pre-set, Buffet, Seasonal Participants were asked to select one option from each attribute category, resulting in four responses per participant.

2.3 Survey Methodology The survey used a Ranked Choice and MaxDiff Scaling hybrid approach: 1. Ranked Choice: Participants ranked their preferred options within each attribute. This method allowed for a straightforward analysis of the most and least popular options for each attribute. Why Ranked Choice? (Tideman & Richardson, 1976) o It is simple for respondents to understand and complete. o It provides clear insights into preference hierarchies for each category. 2. MaxDiff Scaling (Best-Worst Scaling): Implicitly embedded in the design, MaxDiff allowed us to calculate scores by comparing the most and least preferred options, effectively capturing the intensity of preferences. Why MaxDiff? (Louviere, Hensher, & Swait, 2000) o It helps identify which options are strongly favored or disfavored. o It avoids the bias of traditional rating scales (e.g., everyone ranking everything as "highly preferred").

2.4 Data Collection The survey data was collected from respondents using an online platform. Each respondent’s answers for the four attributes were recorded in a structured format. The data included 285 valid responses, with the following key attributes: • Q10_1: Cuisine (Asian, American, Italian, Mexican) • Q10_2: Dietary Considerations (No Dietary Restrictions, Vegan-Vegetarian, Keto, Pescatarian) • Q10_3: Ambiance (Family Friendly, Fine Dining, Live Entertainment, Bar/Tavern) • Q10_4: Menu Type (À la carte, Pre-set, Buffet, Seasonal)

3. Methodology for Analysis 3.1 Descriptive Analysis The raw counts for each option in Q10_1 to Q10_4 were calculated to determine the most frequently selected preferences within each attribute.

3.2 Statistical Testing To evaluate whether the observed differences in preferences were statistically significant, Chi-Square tests of independence were conducted for each attribute. The null hypothesis for each test stated that the proportions of preferences were evenly distributed across all categories.

Proportion of the 2020 US human population who could be fed with food energy savings associated with vegan diets.