Impact of a 6-Month Micronutrient-Dense Plant-Rich Nutrition Intervention on Health and Well-Being at the Worksite

The Nutritarian Women’s Health Study (NWHS): Cohort 1

Plant-based dietary patterns are associated with chronic disease risk reduction, prevention, and reversal. As such, the Nutritarian diet is a dietary plan grounded in the daily consumption of micronutrient-dense, plant-rich foods that satisfy nutrient needs with a corresponding improvement in overall health. The Nutritarian Women’s Health Study was a fully-online intervention that included supportive, automated email messages, with participants self-reporting dietary adherence and anthropometric measurements quarterly. Changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) were not significant. The groups with the lowest baseline Waist-to-Height-Ratio (WHtR) showed an initial increase followed by a decrease. Responses related to dietary adherence showed that most participants easily consumed greens, beans, onions/garlic, berries, and seeds, avoided animal products, alcohol, and refined foods, but had difficulty with regularly consuming mushrooms and tomatoes. A midpoint questionnaire revealed participants consumed an overwhelming amount of their meals/snacks according to the dietary plan and about half found it easy/very easy to eat strictly Nutritarian. A large majority reported a positive change in health from participating in the study. The barriers to following the dietary plan include a busy lifestyle and the opposing views/pressures from friends, family, co-workers, and/or spouse/partner. It is important to evaluate this fully-online approach when considering future interventions.

Blue Zones-Based Worksite Nutrition Intervention: Positive Impact on Employee Wellbeing

“Blue Zones” are geographical regions where people live to be non-agenarians and centenarians with significantly better rates of mental wellness when compared to the average American. It was discovered that these areas have nine unique evidenced-based lifestyle principles, with one of their main principles being the consumption of a plant-based diet. With this in mind, we performed a worksite intervention with the objective of understanding the relationships among Blue Zones knowledge, a plant-based lifestyle, and improvements in overall mental wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic. During spring 2021, we recruited 52 employees from a public, mid-sized university in the southwestern United States to participate in an 8-week virtual intervention that included weekly topic presentations, cooking demonstrations, and Blue Zones education. Participants were also assigned to weekly wellness counseling groups integrating Motivational Interviewing based principles that included additional, relevant conversation topics and support. The final sample (n = 52 participants) had a mean age of 45.6 ± 10.6 years. Participants were predominantly women (84.6%) and nearly half were married (44.2%). The majority attended graduate school (59.6%) and identified as White (84.6%). Paired-samples t-tests indicated significant improvements in all mental wellness outcomes and Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores over time (p's < 0.001 to 0.02). Multiple linear regression models revealed that Blue Zones knowledge (β = −0.037, p = 0.010) significantly negatively predicted Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores at 8-weeks. Additionally, multiple linear regression models indicated small group attendance (β = −1.51, p = 0.003) and Blue Zones knowledge (β = −0.81, p = 0.012) significantly negatively predicted sleep scores at 8-weeks. When HEI-2015 total scores were also included at baseline and 8-weeks (post-intervention), Blue Zones knowledge (β = −0.031, p = 0.049) was a borderline significant predictor of PHQ-9 at 8-weeks. Additionally, small group sessions (β = −1.52 p = 0.005) were a significant predictor of sleep at 8-weeks. The intervention illustrated that virtual intervention strategies can improve nutrition and mental wellness for future advancement in life quality and wellbeing.

Protocol and Preliminary Results of the Nutritarian Women's Health Study: A Longitudinal Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid Study Assessing Dietary Intake and Health Outcomes

Whole-food plant-rich dietary patterns have been shown to be associated with significant health benefits and disease-risk reduction. One such program, which has been gaining popularity, is the micronutrient-dense plant-rich (mNDPR) "Nutritarian" diet. The goal of this study is to determine the feasibility of implementing an online mNDPR "Nutritarian" intervention program and to determine the effectiveness of this program in reducing risk of chronic disease in women. The Nutritarian Women's Health Study is a long-term online longitudinal hybrid effectiveness-implementation study. Participants are recruited through social media, medical professionals/offices, and nutrition-related events and conferences. Participants receive online nutrition education and complete regular self-reported questionnaires regarding lifestyle, nutrition practices, and health. The online intervention program appears to be feasible and effective. Some decline in dietary adherence, particularly for certain food types, was observed during the study. For groups at risk, based on body mass index or waist-to-height ratio, there were initial decreases in body mass index and waist-to-height that leveled off over time, in some cases returning to baseline measures. The study suggests the implementation of the Nutritarian dietary pattern, through an online intervention component, may be effective in reducing the risk of chronic disease, with implications for clinical and public health practice.