Klaus Nigl MA

Phytochemicals, also known as secondary plant metabolites, play an integral role in our daily lives, as evidenced by the colours, scents and flavours of plant-based foods. Not only do they protect plants, they also enrich our lives through their sensory properties and potential health benefits. The project 'Kids Explore Superpowers in Plants' introduces children and adolescents to these fascinating substances by combining scientific research with hands-on educational experiences. Our goal is to raise awareness of scientific work among pupils and to spark their interest in food as a research topic.

Patients with chronic diseases require specific skills for managing their symptoms. Therefore, an education programme for chronically ill people will be developed at the University of Applied Sciences for Health Professionals Upper Austria. The programme will comprise six workshops, individual coaching sessions, and regular group meetings.

The programme will be implemented in a primary care centre. Experiences, effectiveness, and acceptance will be evaluated in a study.

The aim of the EFAD Breakfast Toolkit is the development of digitally supported nutritional strategies in breakfast to optimize the choice of food. The International Breakfast Research Initiative (IBRI) consortium developed evidence-based, nutrient-based recommendations. The goal of this project is to develop tools to translate the IBRI Breakfast Nutrient Recommendations into a convenient, digital profile for individuals.

Due to their nutritional content in macronutrients (carbohydrates, lipids and proteins) and micronutrients (such as the comparatively high contents in vitamins and minerals) plant-based foods play an essential role for human nutrition. In addition, plants also contain non-nutritive compounds such as fibres and secondary plant substances (SPS). SPS can be credited with health-promoting properties which have a positive effect on metabolic processes.

In Austria, nursing predominantly takes place at home. Mainly relatives or informal caregivers working for agencies which provide personal assistance are involved. Professional nurses and medical specialists are often contacted at a very late stage. This leaves both family and informal caregivers with a variety of challenges.

The Austrian Space Forum (Österreichisches Weltraum Forum, head: Gernot Grömer) requested the support of the University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions Upper Austria now for the second time since the last project 2018.
The upcoming program AMADEE-20 will take place in fall 2020 in Israel and will cover a five week research in the desert to simulate the conditions on the surface of Mars.

Diversified food products offer high potential for food producers, for major enterprises, as well as for medium-sized enterprises or food manufacturers to adapt and further develop their products. There is a trend towards healthy and nutritious choices in food and beverages.

The demographic development shows, that the elderly population and very elderly is increasing more and more in society. Therefore more illnesses occur (stroke etc) which among others can lead to dysphagia. Difficulty in swallowing in turn increases the risk of malnutrition.

The prospective pilot study on carbohydrate resorption disorders was implemented as a cooperation project between the University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions Upper Austria (Bachelor Programmes Biomedical Science and Dietetics) and the Hospital in Steyr (Institute for Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics).

The light normal diet is used as a gastroenterological basic diet in Austrian hospitals. The recommendations in the context of this nutrition represent an important basis for nutritional therapy in specific and unspecific gastroenterological illnesses.