Feasibility of an Australianised Mediterranean diet in healthy volunteers aged 65 years and older - MedLey Trial

Volunteers will be recruited from a list of participants from previous trials who expressed their willingness to participate in future studies and through word of mouth. Volunteers who respond will be telephoned to participate in a screening questionnaire to determine eligibility and enrolled in the study. The study is comprised of 3 clinic visits. At the first visit, volunteers will provide consent and will have their weight and height measured. They will be asked to maintain their habitual diet for 1 week. During this week they will complete dietary quesitonnaires including a food frequency questionnaire and a 4 day weighed food record to collect dietary information including amount, frequency and portion size. At the end of this week volunteers will return to the Nutritional Physiology Research Centre with their dietary questionnaires. Weight will be assessed. Volunteers will then meet with the research dietitian for 30-45 minutes and the AusMed diet will be explained in detail. They will receive a resource pack which contains a menu guide, sample menu, fruit and vegetable lists, tips for eating out and recipe modification, a recipe book, as well as two weekly dietary checklists. The AusMed diet will be adjusted to meet energy needs and individual taste preferences. Volunteers will receive staple foods to aid with compliance. For the following 2 weeks, volunteers will follow the AusMed diet using the instructions provided. During this 2 week period volunteers will fill out a second weighed food record. After 2 weeks volunteers will return to the Nutritional Physiology Research Centre to return their dietary checklists and weighed food records. Weight will be measured a third time. Volunteers will be asked to fill in a second Food Frequency Questionnaire based on their intake over the last 2 weeks (i.e. while on the AusMed diet). Volunteers will be required to fill out a feasibility questionnaire, which will capture how the volunteers felt about adhering to the AusMed diet and any problems they encountered. This feasibility questionnaire will also assess the usefulness of the resource pack provided.