HEALTHY EATING, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK (HEREN)

Across many communities, rising cases of lifestyle-related diseases — including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, malnutrition, and diet-related chronic illnesses — are closely connected to poor eating habits, limited access to nutrition information, and inadequate evidence-based interventions. Although professionals in health, food science, agriculture, and nutrition exist across various institutions, collaboration remains weak, and research findings rarely translate into practical community solutions.

At the same time, therapeutic foods, functional local crops, and indigenous nutrition knowledge remain underutilized. There is an urgent need to bring experts together to generate research, publish evidence, educate communities, and support behavior change based on scientific and culturally appropriate solutions.

The Healthy Eating, Research and Education Network (HEREN) is being established to fill this gap by creating a coordinated platform for professionals, researchers, practitioners, and institutions committed to promoting healthy eating and therapeutic nutrition.

To strengthen evidence-based action on healthy eating by connecting professionals, generating research, and promoting therapeutic food solutions for improved public health outcomes.

HEREN seeks to:

Bring together professionals in nutrition, dietetics, medical sciences, food science, agriculture, and public health into a coordinated research and advocacy network.

Identify key health and nutrition problems affecting communities and prioritize areas for collaborative research.

Conduct and publish scientific research on therapeutic foods, healthy eating practices, and diet-related health outcomes.

Promote education, awareness, and capacity-building for communities, institutions, and health workers.

Translate research findings into practical interventions, policy recommendations, and community programmes.

Support innovation in local therapeutic foods, functional crops, and culturally relevant dietary

Professional Networking & Collaboration

Formation of thematic working groups (nutrition therapy, food systems, public health, diet-related NCDs, indigenous foods, etc.)

Annual HEREN Conference / Knowledge Exchange Forum

Digital platform / WhatsApp community for continuous engagement

Research & Evidence Generation

Baseline assessments on dietary behaviours and nutrition-related diseases

Research on local therapeutic foods and their health benefits

Collaborative studies with universities and health institutions

Publication of journals, briefs, and policy papers

Education & Community Outreach

Community sensitisation campaigns on healthy eating

Training for teachers, youth, caregivers, and health workers

Development of educational materials — guides, brochures, videos

School-based nutrition clubs

Therapeutic Food Innovation

Identifying indigenous crops with therapeutic value

Supporting product development, food processing and value addition

Promoting food-as-medicine approaches for prevention and care

Policy Advocacy

Engaging government institutions and health authorities

Influencing national nutrition and food policy through evidence

Providing expert inputs on guidelines and public health strategies

Health professionals (nutritionists, dietitians, clinicians) Food scientists and researchers Universities and research institutions Farmers, processors, and producers of therapeutic foods Schools, churches, youth groups, and community organisations Government agencies (Health, Agriculture, Education, FDA, etc.) NGOs and development partners

Strengthened professional collaboration on healthy eating and therapeutic nutrition.

Increased production and dissemination of research-based evidence.

Enhanced public knowledge and behaviour change towards healthy eating.

Improved use of indigenous therapeutic foods for disease prevention and management.

Informed national policies and programmes based on locally relevant research.

A sustainable, well-coordinated national network driving nutrition innovation.

HEREN will operate as a multi-sectoral platform, driven by:

A core coordination team

Technical working groups

Institutional partnerships

Community-based pilot projects

Research and publication committees

Digital tools, meetings, and collaborative field projects will support operations.

The Healthy Eating, Research and Education Network (HEREN) presents a timely and strategic opportunity to harness professional expertise, strengthen research output, and transform communities through evidence-based nutrition and therapeutic food solutions. By fostering collaboration and expanding knowledge, HEREN aims to contribute meaningfully to healthier people, stronger food systems, and sustainable public health improvement.