Beyond Calories: Food and Nutrition for Sustainable Health

Background

The rapid transformation of modern lifestyles has significantly altered global dietary patterns, resulting in increased consumption of processed foods, sedentary behavior, and imbalanced nutritional intake. While technological advancement and urbanization have improved food accessibility, they have also contributed to rising rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders. Globally, health organizations emphasize that nutrition is no longer limited to caloric intake alone but must encompass dietary quality, nutrient balance, sustainability, and long-term health outcomes. The concept of dietary balance has evolved to include not only macronutrient and micronutrient adequacy but also cultural dietary practices, food security, mental well-being, and environmental sustainability.

In many developing and developed nations alike, individuals face a paradox of overnutrition and malnutrition simultaneously. Poor dietary habits, misinformation regarding nutrition, and lack of awareness about balanced diets continue to challenge public health systems. Furthermore, the growing interest in personalized nutrition, functional foods, plant-based diets, and preventive healthcare highlights the urgent need for interdisciplinary dialogue among researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, educators, and industry stakeholders. The proposed conference aims to address these emerging challenges by creating a global platform for knowledge exchange, research dissemination, and collaborative innovation in nutrition science and healthy dietary practices.

The symposium, which serves as a specialized session of the International Conference on Biological Science and Public Health (ICBSPH 2026), will focus on food and public health.

Goal/Rationale

Traditional approaches to nutrition have long emphasized caloric intake as the primary determinant of health. However, contemporary health challenges including metabolic disorders, micronutrient deficiencies, lifestyle-related diseases, and environmental pressures on food systems require a more comprehensive perspective. Moving “beyond calories” entails integrating food quality, dietary patterns, nutrient balance, and sustainability considerations into a unified framework for promoting long-term human health.

Recent advances in nutritional epidemiology, precision nutrition, gut microbiome research, food technology, and sustainable agriculture have significantly expanded our understanding of the complex interactions between diet, health outcomes, and environmental systems. At the same time, growing global attention to sustainable development highlights the need for dietary models that are both health-promoting and environmentally responsible.

This research topic aims to explore interdisciplinary strategies that connect food systems, nutritional science, and sustainable health outcomes. By fostering dialogue across nutrition science, public health, food technology, and policy research, this initiative seeks to generate evidence-based solutions for healthier and more sustainable dietary practices.

Scope

This symposium welcomes interdisciplinary contributions addressing the relationship between food, nutrition, and sustainable health. Relevant themes include, but are not limited to:

• Dietary patterns and long-term health outcomes
• Nutritional balance and metabolic health
• Precision nutrition and personalized dietary interventions
• Functional foods and bioactive compounds
• Gut microbiota and diet–health interactions
• Sustainable food systems and environmentally responsible diets
• Public health nutrition policies and dietary guidelines
• Nutrition education and behavioral interventions

Submissions may include original research, systematic reviews, case studies, methodological advances, or policy analyses. We particularly encourage work that integrates nutritional science with sustainability considerations and provides practical implications for improving population health in diverse socio-economic contexts.