I have a background of dietary assessment methodology, with focuses on simplifications of existing methods in National Food Consumption Surveys, and the incorporation of new technologies.

At the Quadram Institute, I focus more on the management of food composition data, such as:

• Undertaking all aspects relating to the generation of new food composition data for key foods, and the publication of data in a variety of formats for its application in different settings
• Assisting in the design of studies, sample and preparation of foods for analysis
• Compiling and evaluating data from different sources, recipe calculations, and their publication
• Contributing to discussions of food data standardisation and FoodCASE with other European data compilers and users
• Contributing to the collation and drafting of scientific reports and publications

Key Publications

Zhang L, Geelen A, Boshuizen HC, Ferreira J, Ocke MC. Importance of details in food descriptions in estimating population nutrient intake distributions. Nutr J. 2019;18(1):17. doi: 10.1186/s12937-019-0443-5  

Zhang L, Nawijn E, Boshuizen H, Ocke M. Evaluation of the Recipe Function in Popular Dietary Smartphone Applications, with Emphasize on Features Relevant for Nutrition Assessment in Large-Scale Studies. Nutrients. 2019;11(1). doi: 10.3390/nu11010200

Zhang L, Boshuizen H, Ocke M. How does a simplified recipe collection procedure in dietary assessment tools affect the food group and nutrient intake distributions of the population. Br J Nutr. 2020:1-10. doi: 10.1017/S0007114520000999

Zhang L, Misir A, Boshuizen H, Ocké M. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Validation Studies Performed on Dietary Record Apps. Adv Nutr. 2021 May 21:nmab058. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmab058