RESEARCHERS in the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at University College Cork (UCC) are looking for volunteers to help them conduct research on how to develop dietary guidelines that help protect health as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The ‘My Planet Diet’ is a 12-week nutrition study that offers participants the opportunity to improve their health while following an earth-friendly diet.
The study will also look at whether these guidelines can provide people with enough of the nutrients they need, compared to a healthy diet that doesn’t take environmental impact into account.
Researchers are looking for healthy adults ages 18 to 64 who eat meat most days to participate in the 12-week study with benefits including commentary on their current diet and personalized nutritional advice from a qualified nutritionist. They will also be provided with personalized resources and recipes along the way.
Professor Mairead Kiely, Director of the UCC School of Food Sciences and Nutrition and Principal Investigator of the study, said:
“This study will allow us to create a diet that is healthier for people and healthier for the planet,” he added.
To help inform the study, researchers will collect information about participants’ dietary intake, analyze nutrient levels in their urine and blood, and take measurements such as weight, height, and blood pressure.
The study is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine. The information collected will be used to inform policymakers and support the development of sustainable dietary guidelines.
This study is a collaboration between University College Cork, University College Dublin and Queen’s University, Belfast and is part of an island-wide project on sustainable healthy diets, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and DAERA in Northern Ireland. and directed by Teagasc Ashtown.
You can get more information by emailing study investigator Ursula Leonard: [email protected]
.
