Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.

In this podcast Anna and Danielle chat to Dr Linia Patel, an award-winning women's health dietitian, performance nutritionist and public health researcher with over 20years experience across sport, clinical practice and public health.

Author of the best-selling Food for Menopause (September 2024) and new book, Life After Weight Loss Medication (June 2026), we speak to Linia about optimising health and weight management, particularly in the new era of GLP-1 medications, through an evidence-based, empowering and holistic approach.

Linia outlines the 3 stages of weight management (weight loss while using GLP-1 medications; transitioning off GLP-1; weight maintenance), and highlights the often-neglected need to focus on weight maintenance as the “bugbear” that prompted the book!

She is clear about what is NOT needed – more information.  She is equally clear about what is needed – a bridge, between credible information, and the personalisation and ‘whole person’ approach that enables sustainable health enhancing behaviours.

While Linia admits that her book is a resource for public users, she also wrote with professional colleagues in mind, using a clinical framework and tools that will be equally useful for health professionals.

But while ink dries, science and evidence continue to evolve.  We hear interesting insights into other GLP-1 medication impacts in areas sleep apnoea, fatty liver disease, endometriosis, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) and menopause – with much more research yet to be done, it is too soon for firm conclusions, but another reason for personalisation for anyone using weight loss medications.

Linia also emphasises the need to define success beyond weight loss alone – she strongly feels well-being needs to be viewed through a holistic lens (body, mind and soul).

We hear Anna, Danielle and Linia talk about the role of the food industry – in a complimentary, not combative, way; one which supports rather than competes with medication.  A clear call for action to do more to nudge positive choices and improve policy for long term success.  In short, help adapt the system to be supportive for individuals at whatever stage of the weight management journey they are at.

Linia also gives sound advice to anyone who ‘has a book in them’.  Could your book idea build a bridge between information and action? Listen in for useful advice to make it happen!

Links:

BOOK: Life after weight loss medications – Dr Linia Patel: https://geni.us/lifeafterweightlossmed

CONSENSUS STATEMENT: EASO, EFAD, and ECPO ConsensusStatement: Nutritional, functional, and psychological considerations for incretin-based therapies in adults (July 2026): EASO–EFAD–ECPO Consensus Statement on Incretin-Based Therapies in Obesity Care – EFAD

PODCAST: GLP-1RA: Everything you need to know (June 2025): GLP-1RA– Everything you need to know! With Oviva’s Lucy Jones - Nutrition Talent

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Is there a nutrition topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a ‘Human of Nutrition’ you think would make a great guest? Email us at [email protected].

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help spread the word! Please share this episode with 1 person who you think might enjoy it.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Get in touch to find out more about our company, Nutrition Talent and how we could work together.

Web: www.nutritiontalent.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @NutritionTalent

Instagram: @Nutrition_talent

X: @NutritionTalent

Follow Anna

LinkedIn: @Anna Wheeler

Follow Danielle

LinkedIn: @DrDanielleMcCarthy

Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.

In this podcast Anna and Danielle share the thinking they have done following a recent experience they had convening a cross-sector workshop (Spoon Guru: Exploring the Potential of Technology in NPM 2018 Implementation) andwhat it revealed about risk, growth and the future of food, health and digital ecosystems.

As part of her role at Spoon Guru, Danielle initiated the workshop to consider what the role of technology might be in the implementation of the 2018 nutrient profiling model.Stimulus was provided by Danielle and Maisie Rowland (Spoon Guru), Lewis Wallis (Campden BRI) and Hannah Skeggs (IGD); with Anna facilitating the session.

Attendees were leaders from right across the food system including retailers, manufacturers, food service, academics, government representatives from DHSC, charities and technology experts.

With food, health and digital ecosystems being increasinglyinterconnected, nutrition capability may become either a source of competitive advantage or a growing source of risk.

The future challenge isn't simply understanding nutritionscience. It's understanding how nutrition science interacts with technology, regulation, commercial realities and implementation.

Listen to Anna and Danielle outline:

·       Convergence of food, health, and digital ecosystems

·       Organisational readiness and capability building

·       Regulatory scrutiny and market expectations

·       Impact of AI, wearables, and personalised nutrition

·       Cross-sector collaboration and running a solution-focusedworkshop

·       Risks and opportunities in food innovation

·       Strategic leadership in nutrition and digital health

You can read the output report from the workshop here:

Spoon Guru’s NPM2018 Workshop Report - Spoon Guru

*NB: The DHSC consultation: ‘Applying the new NPM to advertising and promotions restrictions’ was open when thepodcast was recorded and has since closed.

- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -

As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Is there a nutrition topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a ‘Human of Nutrition’ you think would make a great guest? Email us at [email protected].

- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help spread the word! Please share this episode with 1 person who you think might enjoy it.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Get in touch to find out more about our company, Nutrition Talent, and how we could work together.

Web: www.nutritiontalent.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @NutritionTalent

Instagram: @Nutrition_talent

X: @NutritionTalent

Follow Anna

LinkedIn: @Anna Wheeler

Follow Danielle

LinkedIn: @DrDanielleMcCarthy

Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.

In this podcast Anna and Danielle discuss the question: "As food, health and technology converge, what challenges and opportunities are emerging for business leaders?"Listen in to hear Anna and Danielle explore:

1. how digital environments are increasingly shaping food decisions
2. why regulation, AI and prevention agendas are converging
3. the growing operational pressure facing organisations
4. why better nutrition infrastructure may become increasingly important across retail, health and digital ecosystems

Importantly, this isn’t a conversation about technology replacing people, it’s about how organisations navigate increasingly complex systems while balancing:

• health

• commercial realities

• consumer expectations

• implementation pressures

Some of the themes discussed includes:
→ digital food environments
→ GLP-1 and dietary support
→ compliance and operational strain
→ agentic AI
→ nutrition intelligence infrastructure

We would genuinely love to hear perspectives from others working across food, retail, digital health, policy and innovation. Get in touch!

Reference: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8308236/

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Is there a nutrition topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a ‘Human of Nutrition’ you think would make a great guest? Email us at [email protected].

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help spread the word! Please share this episode with 1 person who you think might enjoy it.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Get in touch to find out more about our company, Nutrition Talent and how we could work together.

Web: www.nutritiontalent.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @NutritionTalent

Instagram: @Nutrition_talent

X: @NutritionTalent

Follow Anna

LinkedIn: @Anna Wheeler

Follow Danielle

LinkedIn: @DrDanielleMcCarthy

Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.

Nutrition Talent celebrated 8 years ‘in the business’ in February.  In this podcast Anna and Danielle reflect onthe past 8 years of Nutrition Talent!

Nutrition Talent’s aim has always been to create value for nutrition professionals, for recruitment clients and for nutrition consultancy clients.  While reflecting back over the 8 years, they muse over 8 key themes that have contributed to their entrepreneurial success, but also how they intend to build on 8 years of partnership to continue to connectexpertise, drive change and generate impact.

Change is a central theme throughout - the evolving nutrition landscape, changes to working arrangements, changes to how health is viewed in the industry.  For example, in 2018, most nutrition conversations happened within specialist teams.  In 2026, CEOs, innovation directors and commercial leaders are asking entirely different questions and so the role of nutrition within business has fundamentally changed.

The organisations succeeding are not necessarily those reacting fastest, but those adapting intelligently.  The challenge for organisations is no longer whether health matters. It is how to respond credibly, strategically andsustainably. 

At Nutrition Talent, we have been successful in helping organisations navigate the changing health landscapewith clarity, confidence and human insights; an aspect of our work we are incredibly proud of.

The health landscape will continue to evolve rapidly, and Nutrition Talent will continue to evolve too - so in the next 8 years and beyond, we can continue doing what we love: connecting expertise, driving change and generating realimpact.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Is there a nutrition topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a ‘Human of Nutrition’ you think would make a great guest? Email us at [email protected].

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help spread the word! Please share this episode with 1 person who you think might enjoy it.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Get in touch to find out more about our company, Nutrition Talent and how we could work together.

Web: www.nutritiontalent.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @NutritionTalent

Instagram: @Nutrition_talent

X: @NutritionTalent

Follow Anna

LinkedIn: @Anna Wheeler

Follow Danielle

LinkedIn: @DrDanielleMcCarthy

Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.

In this episode, Anna and Danielle speak to Dr Sam Dickenand Dr Adrian Brown about their ground-breaking UPDATE trial, investigating the effects of ultra-processed versus minimally processed diets following UK dietary guidance on health outcomes.

Over and above the insider researcher perspective onultra-processed food (UPF) covering what led to the initiation of this project and key considerations in study design, we were intrigued to hear about the study outcomes – and you might be surprised.  Did the study outcomes align with the original hypothesis? (Spoiler- it didn’t!)

Listen in to hear directly from the principal investigator,Sam and trial dietitian and supervisor Adrian: 

• Would you expect a study investigating UPF to demonstrate weight loss?     

• Would you expect a high UPF diet to meet all dietary requirements? 

• How did the UPF diet compare with a minimally processed diet?

• What is it about processing that potentially explains the negative health outcomes that have been seen from observational studies?

• What does this study add to UPF research and understanding?    

• How do we bring practicality and reality into the (UPF) conversation?

• What are the next steps in UPF research?

It’s clear that UPF research remains contentious, complexand nuanced.  We need to be careful not to throw the UPF baby out with the UPF bath water – if dietary quality can beimproved (at least in population sub-groups) by the considered inclusion of foods classified as UPF, can we accept progress over perfection?

As is often the case in nutrition, a whole systems approachis necessary to improve public health and dietary habits – from complex consumer level decisions, public health policy, right through to food system stakeholder level and the wider food industry.

We look forward to seeing what comes next in terms of UPFresearch, and how we can leverage that to support food industry clients working in this area to improve nutritional quality within all their products.

References and Resources

UPDATE trial

The Restructure Project

Dr Kevin Hall et al 2019 paper: Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: An inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake - PMC

UKRI

The Food Foundation – The Broken Plate 2025

The Eatwell Guide 

National Diet & Nutrition Survey 2019 - 2023

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Is there a nutrition topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a ‘Human of Nutrition’ you think would make a great guest? Email us at [email protected].

- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help spread the word! Please share this episode with 1 person who you think might enjoy it.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Get in touch to find out more about our company, Nutrition Talent, and how we could work together.

Web: www.nutritiontalent.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @NutritionTalent

Instagram: @Nutrition_talent

X: @NutritionTalent

Follow Anna

LinkedIn: @Anna Wheeler

Follow Danielle

LinkedIn: @DrDanielleMcCarthy

Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.

In this podcast Anna and Danielle chat to Nutritank co-founder Dr Iain Broadley, and Nutrition Education Lead and Senior Nutritionist, Alice Elizabeth Benskin, about Nutritank’s mission to provide the highest quality medical education on food, nutrition and lifestyle medicineto healthcare professionals in primary and secondary care.

Here are our key takeaways:

Nutritank was founded to address the lack of nutritioneducation in medical schools and has since successfully campaigned for nutrition to be included in the medical curriculum.  Hear how this significant achievement willhelp mitigate perpetuation of nutrition misinformation and empower healthcare professionals to better support their patients. (Skip to 34:05 to hear Iain articulate Nutritank’s objectives)

Collaboration with various stakeholders is essential foreffective curriculum development.  These included medical student bodies, Royal Colleges, Association for Nutrition(AfN), NHS leaders and government stakeholders. 

The NHS is shifting towards preventive care with the recent NHS 10 year plan for England.  Iain shares his view as both a medical professional, and from the perspective ofalignment with NutriTank's mission (Iain 34:05)

Nutrition professionals have a key role to play – Alicewould like to see more AfN Registered Nutritionists working in NHS spaces being part of this change (Alice 45:21).  It ismade clear that it is not a choice between medical interventions or nutrition intervention – “alongside is what we are going for” (Iain 12:57)

Nutritank are accessible and affordable, leading the way in democratising access to evidence-based training for medics and health professionals.  Providing CPD opportunities and work experience, be a nutrition champion and be part of Nutritank’s mission! (Alice, 47:45)

With champions like Iain and Alice, the future of nutrition in healthcare looks promising!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Is there a nutrition topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a ‘Human of Nutrition’ you think would make a great guest? Email us at [email protected].

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help spread the word! Please share this episode with 1 person who you think might enjoy it.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Get in touch to find out more about our company Nutrition Talent, and how we could work together.

Web: www.nutritiontalent.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @NutritionTalent

Instagram: @Nutrition_talent

X: @NutritionTalent

Follow Anna

LinkedIn: @Anna Wheeler

Follow Danielle

LinkedIn: @DrDanielleMcCarthy

Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.

In this engaging conversation, Lewis Wallis shares hisjourney balancing a full-time role in the nutrition industry with pursuing a PhD.

We get unique insights from both his research role andregulatory role covering a broad range of topics including:

· What is a digital food environment?

· How do we define these environments in a way that can enable healthier choices?

· How do these multiple environments make up anecosystem?

· What are the current nutrient profiling models?  How do they compare?

· What is a “meta-score”?

· Should we be thinking more deeply about what is included in these models?

· With multiple nutrient profiling models, what is the policy perspective?

· How is the regulatory world going to address UPF’s?

Listen in to hear the answers to the big questions, and so much more!

Resources and references mentioned included below:

WHO:

WHO Factsheet 

Sabrina Granheim’s work:

The digital food environment

Mapping the digital food environment

Rebecca Bennett’s work:

The potential influence of the digital food retail environment on health

Josh Erndt-Marino’s work:

Meta-score

ATNI: 

Sector alignment on the use of Nutrient Profile Models

Nesta: 

Targeting the health of the nation

Lewis Wallis LinkedIn post:

Mobile Food Profiling Models 

Lewis Wallis LinkedIn post:

Divergence Case Study 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Is there a nutrition topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a ‘Human of Nutrition’ you think would make a great guest? Email us at [email protected].

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help spread the word! Please share this episode with 1 person who you think might enjoy it.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Get in touch to find out more about our company, Nutrition Talent and how we could work together.

Web: www.nutritiontalent.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @NutritionTalent

Instagram: @Nutrition_talent

X: @NutritionTalent

Follow Anna

LinkedIn: @Anna Wheeler

Follow Danielle

LinkedIn: @DrDanielleMcCarthy

Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.

In this episode of the Humans of Nutrition podcast, Anna and Danielle discuss the evolving landscape of health and nutrition in food businesses.

They explore the pressures faced by CEOs and Innovation Directors, the impact of policy initiatives like HFSS, and the role of retailers in leading health strategies.

The conversation highlights the importance of building a strategic health advantage and the future trends that food businesses should prepare for, including the rise of digital food environments and the need for integrated approaches to public health.

Anna and Danielle explain why now is the time that food companies should, and in many cases are, investing in health to future-proof their businesses. They emphasise the value of collaboration and the role Nutrition Talent and other nutrition professionals can play in driving meaningful change within organisations.

A ‘must listen’ for all food industry influencers and decision makers!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Is there a nutrition topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a ‘Human of Nutrition’ you think would make a great guest? Email us at [email protected].

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help spread the word! Please share this episode with 1 person who you think might enjoy it.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Get in touch to find out more about our company, Nutrition Talent and how we could work together.

Web: www.nutritiontalent.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @NutritionTalent

Instagram: @Nutrition_talent

X: @NutritionTalent

Follow Anna

LinkedIn: @Anna Wheeler

Follow Danielle

LinkedIn: @DrDanielleMcCarthy 

Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.

“There's data at the moment that shows a million pens* are being shipped monthly through private onlinepharmacies in the UK” (*weight loss injectables)

Are you up to speed with the rate of change in this area?

Anna and Danielle chat to Lucy Jones, dietitian andChief Clinical Officer at Oviva, a company transforming the way people access chronic disease care throughtechnology.  The conversation has a particular focus on GLP-1RA’s.  If you’re not familiar with that term, you almost definitely will have heard of Mounjaro or Ozempic (other brands are available!)

With humour, passion, enthusiasm and eloquence, Lucy guides us through everything you need to know about GLP-1 medications, from the science, current clinical trials and new medications in the pipeline, interspersed with the human experience of using weight loss medication, all wrapped up in the value of embracing digital technology and AI, while keeping nutrition, lifestyle and behaviour change at the heart!

Listen in to find out:How do GLP-1RA’s work?       What happens when people stop taking medication?       How can people be supported in the weight maintenance phase?       How do we make medication and nutrition supportmore accessible?       What other medications are in the pipeline?       What impact might be felt within the food industry?-       What would Lucy do if she was president for the day?!!

Lucy describes her work in the current landscape as “quite aride to be on”.  With references to clinical trials, an impassioned plea for nutrition professionals to “skill up”in the digital and AI spaces to ensure scalable solutions, and a look to the future - listen in to join this ride!

Resources referenced:

University of Oxford - Weight regain following thecessation of GLP-1 RAs for weight management: a systematic review andmeta-analysis.  West et al 2025: www.phc.ox.ac.uk/files/research/eco-2025-poster_samwest.pdf/@@download

Tony Blair Institute for Global Change: Anti-ObesityMedications: Faster, Broader Access Can Drive Health and Wealth in the UK

Step Up Trail: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05646706;https://www.novonordisk.com/content/nncorp/global/en/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/news-details.html?id=915087

Surmount 5 trial: Tirzepatide asCompared with Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity | New England Journal ofMedicine

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

We are cognisant that there are other weight loss supports available, and that strides must also be made be made in the area of prevention.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Is there a nutrition topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a ‘Human of Nutrition’ you think would make a great guest? Email us at [email protected].

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help spread the word! Please share this episode with 1 person who you think might enjoy it.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Get in touch to find out more about our company, Nutrition Talent and how we could work together.

Web: www.nutritiontalent.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @NutritionTalent

Instagram: @Nutrition_talent

X: @NutritionTalent

Follow Anna

LinkedIn: @Anna Wheeler

Follow Danielle

LinkedIn: @DrDanielleMcCarthy

Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.

Anna and Danielle are excited to back with Humans ofNutrition Series 4!

To get warmed up for what’s to come, we bring you up to date with Nutrition Talent activities since we closed Series 3. 

As well as our regular client work and short-term projects, we’ve enjoyed a broad range of activity, includingnutrition consultancy / reformulation work for a quick service restaurant, working with a global organisation on their first ever nutrition strategy, placed nutrition professionals in entry to high level roles across different sectors, all while continuing with our work supporting nutrition students viauniversity workshops and maintaining Career Conversations with our registrants.

It's been a whirlwind, a literal European work tour!

We’re delighted to be back in the studio and endeavour to bring you more titan Humans of Nutrition this series!

- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -

As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Is there a nutrition topic you’d like to hear discussed? Or a ‘Human of Nutrition’ you think would make a great guest? Email us at [email protected].

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Help spread the word! Please share this episode with 1 person who you think might enjoy it.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Get in touch to find out more about our company, Nutrition Talent and how we could work together.

Web: www.nutritiontalent.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @NutritionTalent

Instagram: @Nutrition_talent

X: @NutritionTalent

Follow Anna

LinkedIn: @Anna Wheeler

Follow Danielle

LinkedIn: @DrDanielleMcCarthy