Recently in Research: Holly Parker
The concept of a balanced diet is something that is known from a very young age. Holly Parker, a senior majoring in Dietetics, traveled to Andasibe Madagascar to study the diet of the Malagasy villagers. Holly Parker conducted her Undergraduate Research Fellowship this summer under the mentorship of Dr. Alisha Farris in the College of Human Sciences.
Holly and her team used a diet diversity study to track and study the daily diet of villagers in Madagascar. After the findings were assembled and compared other known Malagasy diets, a few differences were found.
“The villagers had access to fruits and vegetables, but preferred to spend money on rice which they found more substantial,” Holly said. “they preferred rice because it would fill them up and provide energy to do their daily work.”
Holly and her team spent six weeks in Madagascar and hope to publish their findings to create a tailored nutrition plan for the Andisibe villagers. This plan could help ensure the people are getting the correct micronutrients to prevent growth stunting and other nutritional deficiencies.
Last modified: December 4, 2017