Food Science and Human Nutrition Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

We have visited many countries in the Mediterranean area where chronic disease is less common and lifespans are long. We have been studying the purported health benefits of a Mediterranean dietary pattern, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, tree nuts, olive oil and red wine and includes several servings of fish and lean meat per week.

My students and I have had opportunities to interact with physicians, nutritionists, and other health-related professionals to discuss specific foods and their constituents that appear to act in concert to reduce disease risk. We are specifically examining how foods common in this area can attenuate the risk for chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and dysbiosis that are at the core of the global escalation of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

We just finished an all-day field class in the port of Mombasa for one of my nutrition courses. Dr. Gladys Wasa, a professor of Public Health Nutrition from the Technical University of Kenya, and I discussed with my students the nutrition-related health issues in urban and rural Kenya (which are many), visited various food markets in Mombasa, and had a great meal of roasted goat, with a medley of vegetable dishes.

Food systems are suffering amidst climate changes, and I am challenging my students to devote ourselves to developing creative solutions focused on improving food equity and population health.