Foodbook24.com is a brand new tool developed by Ireland’s leading nutrition researchers to capture the dietary habits of the nation’s adults. After dietary intake is recorded on the easy-to-use system, it is analysed and personalised feedback is sent directly to the user’s inbox.
Developed as a research collaboration between UCD and UCC through funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Foodbook24.com has emerged against the backdrop of decades of large National dietary surveys performed at the two universities.
As Ireland’s first publically-accessible online dietary assessment tool it represents the future of large-scale dietary recording.
The program’s lead, Dr. Eileen Gibney from the UCD Institute of Food and Health, is quick to point out its’ distinction from the myriad of food tracker apps currently available
“Foodbook24 has been designed specifically to further knowledge in the area of National nutritional surveillance. The nutrient information for all of the food and drinks listed in the system has been derived from scientifically correct food composition tables to give the most accurate nutrient output possible”
Those who sign up will be asked to recall, from memory, all foods and drinks they consumed over the previous day on 2 occasions and complete questionnaires on their health and behaviour. Users can then provide more detailed information on these meals with food and drink items using portion size pictures to assist them in quantifying how much they ate.
This information is processed by experienced nutritionists and a personalised feedback report is generated which highlights the areas that users may want to make changes in their current dietary habits, and how close they are or not to meeting the current dietary recommendations.
Dr. Gibney is also hopeful that Foodbook24 will entice participants to be really honest about their food and drink consumption; “Traditionally, if you are recording your diet, you would usually either meet a dietician or a nutritionist in person to discuss it through, and this can be quite intimidating as we all like to demonstrate our good habits. Removing that aspect will hopefully encourage users might be more open about their intakes”.
To be truly successful Foodbook24.com now requires adults of all ages to sign up and log their intakes. “It is a truly fantastic opportunity for the public to generate a significant body of knowledge on what the nation is eating” says Gibney.
Sign up today at www.Foodbook24.com