Researchers in Australia are testing whether a smartphone app can help young adults eat more plant-based foods like beans and nuts while eating less meat and processed foods. This matters because eating more plants and fewer animal products is better for both our bodies and the environment. The study will follow 32 college students for 4 weeks using a special app on their phones. Researchers want to see if young people will actually use the app and stick with it, and whether it helps them make healthier food choices. This is important because young adults today care about climate change and the environment, making them a great group to test new ways of encouraging better eating habits.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether a mobile phone app can help young adults eat more plant-based foods (like beans and nuts) and fewer animal products and processed foods over a 4-week period
  • Who participated: 32 young adults between 18-25 years old who are students or staff at Deakin University in Australia, who currently don’t eat enough legumes or nuts
  • Key finding: This is a pilot study testing whether the app works and whether people will use it—results will be available after the study runs in July-August 2025. The study will measure how many people stick with it and how much they like using the app
  • What it means for you: If successful, this app could become a tool to help young people make healthier food choices that are also better for the planet. However, this is an early test with a small group, so we’ll need to see the results before knowing if it really works for everyone

The Research Details

This is a pilot study, which means it’s a small test run before doing a bigger study. Researchers will give 32 young adults access to a special nutrition app on their phones for 4 weeks. The app will teach them about healthy and sustainable eating—foods that are good for their bodies and good for the environment. Before the study starts, researchers will measure what the participants currently eat. Then they’ll use the app for 4 weeks. After the 4 weeks, researchers will measure again to see what changed. This before-and-after approach helps researchers understand if the app actually made a difference in what people eat.

The study is being done through the Deakin Wellbeing mobile application, which is a real app that students and staff at Deakin University already use. By using an app that people already have, the researchers can see if adding nutrition information to something people already use is helpful. The study will happen in July and August 2025, so it’s still in the planning stages right now.

Researchers will look at two main things: First, they’ll check if people actually use the app and stick with it for the full 4 weeks (called ‘retention’). Second, they’ll see if people like using it and find it helpful (called ‘acceptability’). They’ll also measure whether people actually eat more beans, nuts, and plant-based foods and fewer processed foods by the end.

This research approach is important because before spending money and time on a big study, researchers need to test if the idea actually works in real life. Many apps are created but people don’t use them or don’t like them. By testing with a small group first, researchers can figure out what works and what doesn’t before trying it with thousands of people. This saves time and money and makes the final study better. Also, young adults are a perfect group to test this because they care about climate change and want to help the environment, which makes them more likely to be interested in sustainable eating.

This study has some good qualities: it’s registered with an official clinical trials registry (meaning it’s a real, approved study), it has ethics approval from the university (meaning it follows rules to protect participants), and it’s being done at a real university with real researchers. However, because it’s a pilot study with only 32 people, the results won’t prove that the app works for everyone—it’s just a first test. The study is also very short (only 4 weeks), so we won’t know if people keep eating better after the app is gone. The results will be more reliable once researchers do a bigger study with more people and track them for longer.

What the Results Show

This study hasn’t been completed yet—it’s scheduled to run in July and August 2025. The researchers are currently planning the study and getting everything ready. Once the 4 weeks are finished, they will measure two main things: how many people completed the full 4 weeks (retention rate) and whether people found the app easy to use and helpful (user experience). These numbers will tell researchers if the basic idea of using an app to teach healthy eating is something young adults will actually do.

The study will also measure whether people actually changed what they eat. Researchers will look at whether participants ate more beans and nuts (legumes) and whether they ate less meat and processed foods. They’ll also check if people learned more about sustainable eating—understanding why eating certain foods is better for the planet. These measurements will help researchers understand if the app actually changes eating habits, not just whether people use it.

Because this is a small pilot study, the results won’t be definitive proof that the app works for everyone. Instead, the results will help researchers decide if they should do a bigger study with more people and for a longer time period. The findings will be shared with the participants, presented at research conferences, and published in scientific journals so other researchers can learn from it.

Beyond just measuring if people use the app, researchers will also track ‘sustainable food literacy’—which means understanding why certain foods are better for the environment and how our food choices affect the planet. This is important because just telling people to eat differently doesn’t always work; people need to understand why it matters. The study will also specifically measure how much legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas) and nuts people eat, since these are healthy plant-based foods that many young adults don’t eat enough of. Finally, researchers will create an overall score for how well people are following a healthy and sustainable diet based on all their eating habits combined.

This study builds on what researchers already know: that young Australian adults eat lower quality diets compared to older adults, that plant-based diets are better for both health and the environment, and that digital apps can be useful tools for changing behavior. However, there aren’t many studies yet that specifically test whether apps can help young people eat more sustainably. This study is one of the first to combine these ideas—using technology to help young adults make food choices that are both healthier for them personally and better for the planet. If it works, it could be a model for other universities and organizations to use.

This study has several important limitations to understand: First, it’s very small with only 32 people, so the results might not apply to all young adults. Second, it only lasts 4 weeks, which is a short time to change eating habits—we don’t know if people will keep eating better after the study ends. Third, all participants are students or staff at one university in Australia, so the results might not work the same way for young adults in other places or situations. Fourth, the study only includes people who already eat less than the recommended amount of beans and nuts, so we don’t know if the app would help people who already eat some of these foods. Finally, the study relies on people remembering and honestly reporting what they eat, which can be inaccurate. These limitations mean the results should be seen as a first step, not a final answer.

The Bottom Line

This is a pilot study that hasn’t finished yet, so there are no final recommendations based on results. However, the general idea behind the study—eating more plant-based foods and fewer processed foods—is already supported by strong scientific evidence. If you’re a young adult interested in eating healthier and helping the environment, you can start eating more beans, lentils, nuts, and vegetables right now without waiting for this study to finish. Once this study is completed and shows whether the app is helpful, that will be a good time to try the app if it becomes available. Confidence level: The general advice to eat more plants is high confidence; the app’s effectiveness is unknown until the study finishes.

This study is specifically designed for young adults (18-25 years old) who want to eat healthier and care about environmental impact. If you’re in this age group and interested in plant-based eating, this research will be relevant to you. Students and staff at universities might be especially interested since the app is being tested through a university. However, if you’re older or younger than this age range, or if you’re not interested in sustainable eating, this particular study might not apply to you directly. That said, the general findings about healthy eating will likely be useful for many people.

Since the study is still in the planning phase, results won’t be available until late 2025 at the earliest. Once the study finishes in August 2025, researchers will need several months to analyze the data and write up the findings. You can expect to see results published sometime in late 2025 or early 2026. If the pilot study is successful, a larger study would take even longer—probably 1-2 years. So if you’re waiting for this specific app to be available, it will likely take several more months before it’s ready for wider use.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track your weekly intake of legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas) and nuts in grams. Set a goal to eat at least 260g of legumes per week and 175g of nuts per week. Log what you eat each day and check your weekly total every Sunday to see if you’re hitting your targets.
  • Start by adding one plant-based meal per week (like a bean-based lunch or nut-based snack). Once that feels normal, add another plant-based meal the following week. Use the app to get recipes and learn why these foods matter for your health and the environment. Track which plant-based foods you enjoy most so you can eat more of them.
  • Check in every 2 weeks to see how your eating habits are changing. Notice not just what you eat, but how you feel—do you have more energy? Better digestion? Also track your motivation level and whether learning about environmental impact helps you stick with the changes. After 4 weeks, compare your eating patterns to where you started to see your progress.

This study is a pilot research project that has not yet been completed or published with final results. The information provided is based on the study protocol (plan), not actual findings. This content is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you have food allergies, medical conditions, or take medications, consult with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian. The app being tested in this study is not yet available to the general public. Results from this pilot study may not apply to all populations and will need to be confirmed by larger research studies before being widely recommended.