Nutrition Isn’t Just Nutrients — It’s Behaviour
I’m Holly Harris — a nutrition behaviour scientist and Accredited Practising Dietitian, originally from Brisbane, Australia. I hold a Bachelor of Health Science and a PhD in Nutrition and Dietetics from the Queensland University of Technology, and I’m currently a Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Sydney.
My career began in clinical practice, working with both rural and urban communities across Queensland. During this time, I noticed a recurring pattern: while many people understand what they should be eating, it’s often how they eat — their behaviours, habits, and emotional responses — that shapes their actual food choices.
This observation sparked a deeper curiosity about the psychology of eating, and led me to ask questions like:
- Why do some people find ‘treat’ foods irresistible, even when they’re not hungry?
- Why are others highly selective or sensitive to certain food types, textures, or flavours?
- How do our eating habits evolve across the lifespan?
Pursuing research in this space has allowed me to explore these questions in depth. My work focuses on understanding how to foster healthy, positive, and sustainable relationships with food, by taking into account the whole person — their personality, eating behaviours, neurobiology, and life circumstances.
Over the past decade, I’ve collaborated with world-leading researchers and institutions across the globe, including:
- Australia – Queensland University of Technology, University of Queensland
- United Kingdom – University College London, University of Leeds, University of Cambridge
- United States – Pennsylvania State University
- Europe – Erasmus Medical Center and Erasmus University Rotterdam
For more information, contact me via email.
