Rachael Thurecht

Dr. Rachael Thurecht is a Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of the Sunshine Coast's School of Health. As an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Sports Dietitian, she teaches courses including NUT101 Introduction to Nutrition, NUT201 Food in Society, and NUT300 Nutrition for Health and Exercise. She serves as program coordinator for the Bachelor of Nutrition.

Her research focuses on determinants of food choices in diverse populations, nutrition support at international sporting competitions, and development of dietary assessment instruments. She developed the Athlete Food Choice Questionnaire and collected data at major events including the 2017 Universiade and 2018 Commonwealth Games where she provided nutrition services to athletes.

Awards include:

• Emerging Sports Nutrition Researcher - Sports Dietitians Australia 2021

Her publications demonstrate strong focus on dietary behavior measurement, athlete nutrition interventions, and cross-cultural validation of assessment tools, with recent work expanding into parental food choice influences and nutritional analysis of plant-based alternatives.