How It All Started

Scientific research into the microbiome

Everyone EATS first began in the David Lab at Duke University with a novel approach to studying diet. Initially, the lab’s research focused on how diet impacts the gut microbiome. But soon, the scientists discovered the more challenging aspect of this undertaking centered on identifying the foods that were being consumed. Dietary recall data is notoriously error-prone, making it difficult to accurately capture what a person is actually eating.

This obstacle led the lab to develop FoodSeq, a cutting-edge sequencing technique that uses genomics to detect residual animal and plant DNA in human stool. With this powerful “stool tool” in hand, researchers have been able to apply more accurate data to a wide range of studies, from measuring the efficacy of dietary intervention programs to understanding the health effects of ultra-processed foods.

(Two) lightbulb moments 💡

As the research expanded and the team of scientists identified more and more species of plants and animals (800+ and growing!), they realized a couple things:

  1. In order for our research to have a greater, global impact, the database of identified plants and animals must grow to reflect the variety of foods people around the world consume.

  2. We’re not the only ones interested in these discoveries. People across ages, professions, country, and culture are eager to learn more about their own diets: what exactly they’re eating, how their food habits compare to others, and how they might improve their diets if desired.

The start of a citizen science project

Our team quickly realized we could address both these points through one BIG endeavor: launching a citizen science project. Everyone EATS expands our scientists’ ability to research diet from a global perspective and empowers individuals and communities to learn more about their own eating habits, the ingredients in the foods they consume, and how their diets compare to others.

As we grow, we’ll share participant stories (why they signed up, what they got out of the experience). In the meantime, you can learn more about the research applications of Everyone EATS and how your involvement helps our researchers solve big-picture problems.