We’re really interested in the potential of mussels as a strategic snacking choice specifically in athletes and people with active lifestyles. Strategic snacking can be an important approach to improving overall diet quality, especially in active individuals with a large calorie requirement. Snacking can contribute to meeting protein intake targets, improving micronutrient intake and in supporting appetite control throughout the day. For female endurance athletes, ideal snacks would be high in protein and provide a source of micronutrients such as iron and B12. Mussels are therefore an ideal snack for this population.
We would like to run a proof of principal study to assess the impact of mussel “supplementation” on omega 3 and iron status and overall training recovery in female endurance athletes, a population that is often under- nourished.
The project will contribute towards a PhD student project being undertaken by Ms Elham Yaghoobi under the primary supervision of Dr D. Lee Hamilton. Lecturer in Exercise Physiology across the Lifespan at Deakin University’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences.
Through the specific application of mussels for female endurance athletes, the project aims to generate knowledge and increase awareness of nutritional benefits of seafoods in general and demonstrate beneficial impacts. Publication of outcomes will be for the benefit of the fishing and aquaculture industry in general through:
• the potential of increasing seafood consumption demand for producers
• demonstrating a value added application of seafood and the concept of value adding
Positioning seafood (mussels) as a snack has the potential to contribute to market diversification whereby mussels could be considered as a healthy snack option, and as such presented in different forms, in addition to just a primary ingredient in meals. This approach also feeds into market trends where the focus on health and wellness is seeing an increase in the emphasis on “clean” eating, natural ingredients as well as sustainably sourced ingredients. Thus, research demonstrating positive health outcomes from snacking on mussels could be leveraged in evidence-based advertising campaigns to contribute to increased market demand.