The Army is looking for a few good men and women to volunteer not for combat, but to eat the food that the armed forces eat when they're in the field.
The Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine's military nutrition division is asking for volunteers to put their stomachs on the line and eat Meals, Ready-to-Eat, more commonly known as MREs, for 21 days, the Army Times reported.
What do researchers plan to find out during the study?
They hope to see how MREs affect soldiers' digestive systems and what nutrients could be missing.
The results could mean better MRE recipes and could help protect men and women on the front line.
"We think we can manipulate the bacteria in a way that helps the bacteria fight foreign pathogens - things that could cause food-borne illness, for example," Dr. J. Philip Karl told the Army Times.
"Oftentimes, war fighters are overseas and they eat something off the local economy that can cause (gastrointestinal) distress. Potentially, what we could do by increasing the amount of beneficial gut bacteria is to help prevent some of that," Karl said.
One benefit of being part of the study, is that participants get a new cookbook called "MRE Recipes: A Collection of Recipes Bringing a Creative Twist to Your MRE Experience."
The Army said the cookbook uses MRE items and combines them in new ways for new food options, instead of volunteers ripping open the pouches and eating the pre-prepared versions of meals.
One new creation is the Mountaineer Mousse Dip, devised by research dietitians Adrienne Hatch and Holly McClung.
They combined a pudding pouch, a dairy shake and water to come up with a mousse into which pretzels can be dipped.
The cookbook is available only to study participants.
To participate, you must be within driving distance of Natick, Massachusetts, and be willing to eat only MREs and drink only water and black coffee for three weeks, the Army Times reported.
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