For millions of people across the UK, working outside the traditional 9-to-5 is simply part of life. From nurses and doctors to delivery drivers, factory workers, construction workers and police officers, shift work means eating, moving, and resting against the body’s natural rhythm, often with consequences 
for health, wellbeing, and performance.
As dietitians and healthcare professionals, we’re in a unique position to support these patients, helping them navigate the challenges of irregular schedules, make practical nutrition choices, and maintain balance despite working against the clock.

In this episode, we’re exploring the physiological and nutritional challenges of shift work, from metabolic and gut health impacts to practical strategies for meal timing, employer support, and longterm wellbeing.
Joining me today are two guests committed to helping shift workers thrive, offering clear, practical advice on how to eat, recover, and maintain health whilst navigating the nutritional challenges of working outside the 9-to-5. 
Clémence Cleave is an award-winning Registered Nutritionist, author, trained chef, visiting lecturer, and founder of Rocket Fuel Wellbeing – the corporate nutrition consultancy for healthy people and healthy growth. Clem specialises in workplace wellbeing, gut health, women’s health, and longevity, and delivers trusted, practical guidance that drives lasting change for individuals and organisations.
Andy Picken is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health with 19 years’ experience in public health and workplace health and wellbeing. Based in Manchester, Andy works for the HSQE Partnership across multiple sectors and currently serves as Head of Health and Wellbeing within the rail and construction sector, where shift work is an integral part of the operational cycle. Andy’s professional passion lies in lifestyle and preventative medicine, particularly in addressing the challenges of applying these approaches within shift-working environments.

Show Notes:

Clem Cleave:
Website: Home | Rocket Fuel Wellbeing | Nutrition & Workplace Wellbeing Services
Instagram: CLEM CLEAVE | Nutritionist RNutr | Rocket Fuel Wellbeing (@clemcleavenutrition) •
LinkedIn: Clemence Cleave RNutr, FRSPH | LinkedIn

Andy Picken:
Website: Our Team - HSQE Partnership
LinkedIn: Andy James Picken FRSPH | LinkedIn

For many families, mealtimes can feel far from peaceful. Between juggling busy schedules, food preferences, sensory sensitivities, and the constant noise of “shoulds” from social media and parenting advice, it’s easy for stress to replace enjoyment. 

As dietitians, we’re often the ones supporting parents through that experience, helping them navigate the balance between nutrition, nurture, and realistic expectations.

In this episode, we’re exploring what’s really going on at the dinner table, from picky eating and food neophobia to evolving feeding advice and the guilt that can so easily come with it all.

Joining us is Specialist Paediatric Dietitian, Dr Kirsty Porter. Kirsty has over 15 years’ experience working with families across the NHS and private practice, helping them build more positive, confident and calm relationships with food. She was named Paediatric Nutritional Professional of the Year and Social Media Personality of the Year at the 2025 CN Awards, recognising not just her clinical expertise, but the impact of her reassurance, practicality and voice in this space.

Show Notes

Facebook: Nutrition4kids Children's Dietitian Instagram: @nutrition4kidsni

Website: www.nutrition4kidsni.com

2025 alone has seen a wave of food launches designed to make a statement. At one end of the spectrum are products wrapped in a health halo - clean labels, minimalist ingredients, wellness claims. At the other, unapologetically indulgent creations that celebrate excess and nostalgia. Both command attention, but together they highlight just how blurred the lines around healthy eating have become. 

In today’s episode, we’re exploring what these extremes say about modern food culture, how they shape public perception, and whether they bring us closer to balance, or pull us further apart. 

Joining me are two guests dedicated to cutting through nutrition confusion and helping people find a more balanced, confident approach to eating. 

Sophie Gastman is a Registered Nutritionist, speaker, and soon-to-be author with a passion for translating complex nutrition science into simple, balanced, and enjoyable advice. Her work spans public health, education, and digital communications – supporting families, schools, and a community of over 140,000 followers to eat well without myths, rules, or guilt. 

Jemma Joel is a Registered Nutritionist, coach, mentor and TEDx speaker with a background in psychology, specialising in public health and behaviour change. She coaches clients to improve their health and relationship with food, and mentors' fellow nutrition professionals to integrate behaviour-change techniques into their practice. 

Together, we’ll unpack how “health halos” and hyper-indulgent products influence our relationship with food and explore the role nutrition professionals can play in helping people find genuine balance. 

Show Notes 

Sophie Gastman 

Instagram: @sophiethenutritionist TikTok: @sophiethenutritionist 

Jemma Joel 

Instagram: @lifewithjemmajoel 

Burnout has become an all-too-familiar reality for many dietitians. The pressure to care deeply, manage heavy caseloads, and keep up with growing demands can leave little energy for ourselves. 

We’re trained to support others’ health and wellbeing, but what happens when our own starts to slip? 

In this episode, we explore what burnout really looks like in dietetic practice, how to recognise the early signs, and what it takes to build a sustainable career without losing the passion that started it all. 

Joining us is Emma Green, NHS Stroke and Neurorehab Dietitian and founder of Cheshire Dietitians. Alongside her clinical work, Emma’s passionate about helping dietitians protect their wellbeing, set boundaries, and create a positive, sustainable working culture. 

Show Notes 

Cheshire Dietitians: https://cheshiredietitians.co.uk/ 

Cheshire Dietitians Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheshiredietitians/ 

Emma’s Food Stories Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmasfoodstories/ 

If you haven’t yet caught our last episode, you’ve probably noticed it’s a new voice introducing The Dietitian Cafe today so allow me to quickly introduce myself. 

My name is Kate Hilton and I am a Freelance Registered Dietitian at Diets Debunked, and your new host of The Dietitian Café, proudly recognised as CN Nutrition Resource of the Year. I’m really excited to be stepping into the role and continuing the brilliant conversations this podcast is known for. 

Before we start- if you enjoy The Dietitian Café podcast, how about giving us a like and hitting that follow button? The more support we receive the more exciting guests we can bring on to have even more in-depth and interesting discussions for you, our listeners. 

Thank you so much for your support! Without further ado, let’s dive straight into our topic for today…. 

Conversations about meat can quickly become polarising. Health versus environment, reduction versus production, plants versus protein. But the reality is far more nuanced. 

We’re told to limit meat intake, and while many already do, global targets like EAT-Lancet push for more change, not just in how much meat we eat, but how it’s produced. 

So, should dietitians recommend against meat consumption? And if not, what does a balanced, evidence-based approach really look like? 

To explore that, we’re joined by two experts approaching the issue from very different, but equally evidence-based perspectives. 

Rebecca Tobi is Head of Food Business Transformation at The Food Foundation. A Registered Nutritionist with an MSc in Nutrition for Global Health, Rebecca leads initiatives like Peas Please and 

Plating Up Progress, working with businesses and investors to create structural change towards more plant-rich, sustainable diets. 

Kate Arthur is a Registered Dietitian with over 25 years of experience and Head of Nutrition and Health at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, AHDB and the daughter of a dairy and beef farmer. Kate brings insight into how nutrition and sustainability connect across the supply chain, from farm to table. 

Both Rebecca and Kate share a passion for making evidence-based healthy, sustainable eating accessible to everyone, but they approach it from different angles, bringing two sides of the same story to the table. 

Show Notes 

The Food Foundation: MEAT FACTS What meat is the UK eating and why does it matter? 

https://foodfoundation.org.uk/publication/meat-facts 

The Food Foundation: Beans Campaign 

https://foodfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/campaign-launched-double-bean-consumption 

AHDB Role of Red Meat Report: https://ahdb.org.uk/role-of-red-meat-report 

Impact of consuming an environmentally protective diet on micronutrients: a systematic literature review: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.01.014 

Adherence to the Healthy Eating Guidelines in the MyPlanetDiet study is associated with healthier and more sustainable diets: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114525000662 

Modelling the impact of reduction in meat and dairy consumption on nutrient intakes and greenhouse gas emissions in children and young people living in Scotland: https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/document-web-version/modelling-the-impact-of-reduction-in-meat-and-dairy-consumption-on-nutrient-intakes-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions-in-children-and-young-people-living-in-scotland 

Is digital deception fuelling a new wave of nutrition misinformation? That’s the big question we’re unpacking today, and the answer might be more complex than you think. 

From AI-generated deepfakes to impersonation and identity misuse, digital deception is becoming more common, and more convincing, across health and nutrition platforms. These tools are being used to spread false claims, mimic trusted professionals, and blur the line between fact and fiction online. And in a field where credibility is everything, that kind of manipulation can have real-world consequences. 

To help us make sense of it all, we’re joined by Kate Hilton. 

Kate is a Registered Dietitian who has worked across the NHS, private sector, and freelance practice, with specialist experience in weight management, learning disabilities, and neurological rehabilitation. Under the name Diets Debunked, she’s built a growing presence on TikTok, LinkedIn, and her blog, where she shares practical, evidence-based advice and challenges nutrition misinformation in an accessible, engaging way. 

She’s also part of TikTok’s Clinician Creator Network, an initiative that amplifies trustworthy health content on social media. But even Kate hasn’t been immune to digital deception, having experienced online impersonation herself. 

In this episode, we’ll explore how these tactics are being used in the nutrition space, who’s behind them, what the impact can be for healthcare professionals, and what you can do if you or a colleague are targeted. 

Show Notes 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-hilton-rd/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dietsdebunked?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dietsdebunked 

Website: https://dietsdebunked.co.uk/ 

When the first EAT-Lancet Commission launched in 2019, it put the “Planetary Health Diet” on the global agenda, uniting nutrition and sustainability in one set of global scientific targets and sparking one of the most influential food conversations of the decade. 

Six years on, the 2025 update has arrived and this time, the report broadens the agenda. Alongside health and the environment, justice is brought centre stage: asking how food systems can uphold the right to food and the right to a healthy environment. It’s a recognition that sustainability alone isn’t enough if diets aren’t also fair and accessible to everyone. 

For dietitians, this isn’t just about global goals it’s about the realities we face every day. Whether it’s helping patients access affordable healthy food, shaping healthier menus in institutions, or contributing to national guidelines, the call for justice and sustainability is increasingly part of our professional landscape. 

Fresh back from the Stockholm Food Forum and the launch of the 2025 EAT–Lancet report, I’m joined by Ellen Cecilie Wright, Senior Science Officer at EAT. 

Ellen has more than a decade of experience working with UN agencies and international organisations, with her early career focused on nutrition and food security in emergency contexts around the world. Today, her work centres on healthy, sustainable food systems, and alongside her role at EAT she is completing a PhD at the University of Oslo, focusing on sustainable diets. 

Show Notes 

The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission Report Launches: https://eatforum.org/update/the-2025-eat-lancet-commission-report-launches/ 

The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission Livestream: https://eatforum.org/event/2025-eat-lancet-commission-livestream/ 

EAT Communities for Action: https://eatforum.org/communities-for-action/ 

Remission of type 2 diabetes was once thought impossible. But the landmark DiRECT trial showed it can be achieved, and it taught us that a cornerstone of remission is weight loss. The true challenge comes after: maintaining that progress in an environment that doesn’t always make it easy. 

Since then, the NHS Path to Remission programme has taken this approach into routine care, offering real-world evidence of what works at scale. And now, GLP-1 medications are dominating headlines, promising rapid weight loss on a scale we’ve never seen before. But while the evidence is growing, so are the questions about long-term maintenance, about support, about access, and about what all this means for dietitians. 

To help us navigate it, we’re joined by two experts at the forefront of remission care. 

Dr George Thom works in Public Health at NHS Tayside, leading the type 2 diabetes prevention and remission service. He was part of the DiRECT research team and his PhD explored the challenges of weight loss maintenance. 

Keren Miller is Clinical Expert Dietitian at Oviva, where she helped establish the national Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission programme. With more than 20 years’ experience across NHS and digital health services, she’s played a key role in making remission support available at scale. 

In this episode, we’ll explore what the evidence tells us about weight loss maintenance, how remission programmes are working in the real world, and where GLP-1s fit into the picture. We’ll also ask what this means for dietitians from supporting diet quality, to navigating patient expectations, to sustaining progress long term and what the future holds for obesity and remission care. 

Show Notes 

DiRECT Clinical Trial: https://www.directclinicaltrial.org.uk/ 

Oviva: https://oviva.com/uk/en/ 

Early findings from the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(24)00194-3/fulltext 

Dr George Thom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-thom/ 

Keren Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keren-miller-232756193/ 

Today, we’re diving into the fascinating world of space nutrition. While fuelling astronauts in microgravity might sound worlds away from everyday dietetic practice, the science behind it offers surprising and valuable insights for clinical care, recovery, and public health here on Earth. 

I’m joined by three brilliant guests: Kristine Atienza, Christina-Ariadni Valagkouti & Stavroula Chaloulakou.

Together, they bring expertise spanning public health, emergency food security, clinical nutrition, and even preparing for the future of commercial space travel. They also share a passion for making space science accessible to everyone so whether you work in clinical practice, research, or are simply curious about the future of nutrition, this is a conversation that might just change the way you think about inactivity, metabolism, and the role of dietitians in some of the most extreme environments imaginable. 

Show Notes 

Space Nutrition Network https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-nutrition-network 

Space Generation Congress: https://spacegeneration.org/sgc2025 

International Astronautical Congress: https://www.iafastro.org/events/iac/ 

Space Generation Advisory Council: https://spacegeneration.org/ 

European Space Agency Academy: https://www.esa.int/Education/ESA_Academy 

Space Careers UK: https://spacecareers.uk/ 

Today, we’re peeling back the lid on the commercial baby food industry. A sector that’s been thrust into the spotlight after recent media investigations questioned the nutritional quality and marketing of commercial baby food. 

For many parents and health professionals, navigating the early years food landscape has never felt more complicated. Are these products helping to build healthy eating habits from the start, or are high sugar levels, nutrient gaps, and confusing marketing messages making things harder? And how can dietitians and healthcare professionals cut through the noise to empower families with clear, evidence-based advice? 

To help us break down the facts, and the fiction, we’re joined by two brilliant guests Dr Diane Threapleton and Dayna Brackley. 

 Dr Diane Threapleton is a Senior Research Fellow in Nutritional Epidemiology at the University of Leeds, and Co-Principal Investigator of the Growing Well Study, which explores diet and health in young children. Diane specialises in maternal and child nutrition and public health policy. Her recent research, featured on BBC Panorama earlier this year, has taken a closer look at commercial baby foods and what really matters to families when it comes to infant feeding. Diane’s work is all about improving food systems and supporting healthier outcomes for children and families. 

And Dayna Brackley is a food policy expert and Partner at Bremner & Co, an independent consultancy specialising in food policy and systems change. She works across the whole life course, 

from early years and infant feeding, right through to school food and further education, with a focus on nutrition, child food policy, and shaping the wider food environment. With a master's in food policy, Dayna specialises in turning evidence into practical, system-level changes that make healthier choices easier for children and families. 

Show Notes 

• Dr Diane Threapleton: https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/faculty/staff/12816/dr-diane-threapleton 
• Dayna Brackley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dayna-brackley-5069b028/ 
• The Food Foundation Early Years Series Report 3: https://foodfoundation.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-05/TFF_Early%20years%20report_2025.pdf • Commercial baby foods crisis revealed in Leeds research: 
• • https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news-health/news/article/5767/commercial-baby-foods-crisis-revealed-in-leeds-research 
• • Commercial Baby Foods In Crisis: Addressing Health, Marketing and Inequalities in the UK: 
• • https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/faculty/doc/commercial-baby-foods-crisis-addressing-health-marketing-inequalities-uk 
• • Nourishing Our Future: Digital Conference Report: 
• • https://nourishingourfuture.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/digital-nof-conference-report-march2025-1.pdf 
• First Steps Nutrition Trust: https://www.firststepsnutrition.org/ 
• Best Start in Life: https://beststartinlife.campaign.gov.uk/ 
• Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model (NPPM): https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2022-6681-46447-67287