Effect on Dietary Compensation and Weight Gain in Adults by Savory Solid and Sugary Liquid Discretionary Food Sources

The study design will be a randomized parallel study consisting of a 4-week period during which each participant will be assigned to one of the two food groups. Participants in each group will be provided with a daily provision of a chosen sugar-sweetened beverage or savory snack to incorporate into their usual dietary pattern. The main outcome is dietary intake, specifically energy intake gathered by 24 hour dietary recalls. Secondary outcomes include measured body weight / BMI. The participant will be blinded to the main outcome so as not to affect the results. To do this they will be told the rationale for the study is to examine the effect of discretionary food sources on perceived health status and provided a standard, valid short questionnaire (SF-12) at the beginning, middle and end of each period. Investigators will estimate the energy intake necessary for weight maintenance of the subject based upon a standard approach and equation that accounts for the participant's age, sex, body size, and activity level. The subject will be provided with approximately 15-20% of their estimated daily energy needs in the form of a sugar-sweetened beverage or savory snack of their choice during one period and will be asked to incorporate this into their usual dietary pattern each day for 4 weeks. During the 4 week period the subject will be randomly prompted to complete five, 24-hour dietary recalls using an online tool. They will also be asked to fill out a short physical activity questionnaire during the intervention periods and a short questionnaire on perceived health (SF-12). They will have their weight, height, and waist circumference measured at the beginning and end of the period.