The Dietitian Cafe

In today’s debate episode we’ll be discussing the question, do you have to be wealthy to eat well? In the midst of the cost of living crisis we’re keen to find out more about the current state of the UK and consider the impact of rising bills and food costs on food insecurity. We’ll also touch on how we as dietitians and nutrition professionals, can help promote a healthier, more sustainable diet, that doesn’t break the bank. At the end of June, the Broken Plate Report was published which considers, amongst other things, the affordability of a healthy diet. The figures show that the most deprived fifth of the UK would need to spend a startling 50% of their disposable income on food to have a healthy diet as per the government recommendations. To discuss today’s debate question, I’m delighted to welcome two experts in the area. The author of the Broken Plate report and Policy Research Manager at The Food Foundation, Shona Goudie is here alongside the Food Foundation’s Senior Business and Investor Engagement Manager, Rebecca Tobi. Rebecca joined the Food Foundation in January 2020, leading on the Peas Please initiative which has obtained pledgers from over 100 organisations and businesses in the UK to sell and serve more vegetables. These days she manages our business and investor engagement team, with oversight of our work engaging food businesses, investors and policy-makers with the need to transition the UK towards a more sustainable and healthy food system. Rebecca is a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr, Public Health) with a background in science communication, joining the Food Foundation from the Nutrition Society. Prior to moving into public health nutrition and obtaining a MSc in Nutrition for Global Health at the London School of Hygiene and Medicine, Rebecca worked in business engagement within the marketing and tech sectors. Shona joined the Food Foundation in 2019 and has worked on a range of projects at the Food Foundation including working on policy and evidence for our high profile children’s food campaigns, and consulting on the Government-commissioned National Food Strategy, She currently leads on our dietary inequalities work and food insecurity monitoring. Shona is a Registered Associate Nutritionist with a background in biomedical science and clinical nutrition.The Food Foundation charity authored the Broken Plate Report and are on a mission to change food policy and business practice to ensure everyone across the UK can afford and access a healthy and sustainable diet.Show NotesThe Broken Plate Report 2023: https://www.foodfoundation.org.uk/publication/broken-plate-2023 The Food Foundation Twitter: @Food_Foundation Shona Goudie’s Twitter: @Shona_GoudieRebecca Tobi’s Twitter: @The_A_To_V

In today’s Big Dietetic Debate episode, we’ll be discussing the hot topic of preconception and fertility nutrition. Research has confirmed the importance of prenatal nutrition; the evidence shows that a woman who is healthy at conception is more likely to have a pregnancy without complications. But how much research really is there in this area and is it good quality evidence? I’m sure I won’t be alone in having heard a whole host of thoughts about nutrients to eat and avoid when trying to conceive…Will avoiding caffeine help you get pregnant? Does plant protein actually better support fertility than animal protein? We’ll discuss all this and more in today’s episode. To help us answer some of these tough questions and clarify the science behind prenatal nutrition, we’re excited to welcome back to the podcast, Specialist Fertility Dietitian, Ro Huntriss. With over ten years of experience in research, academia and clinical practice, Ro is recognized as one of the UK’s leading fertility dietitians, including awards from the British Dietetic Association and CN Magazine for her work around fertility nutrition.Show NotesRo’s Instagram: @dietitianro and @fertility.dietitian.ukBritish Dietetic Association Maternal & Fertility Nutrition Group Twitter: @BdaMaternalRo’s book, ‘Deliciously Healthy Fertility’: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deliciously-Healthy-Fertility-Nutrition-Conceive/dp/024159331X Ro’s course, ‘Fertility Nutrition for Healthcare Professionals’: https://fertilitydietitian.co.uk/fertility-nutrition-for-healthcare-professionals-course/

For today’s interview episode, Corrine is joined by the British Dietetic Association (BDA) CEO Liz Stockley and co-chair of the BDA’s equality, diversity & inclusion committee Susan Price. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing the vital topic of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) in dietetics and considering the role and work of the BDA in addressing all forms of inequality in the profession.After 19 years working in senior leadership roles in New Zealand, Liz Stockley returned to the UK, joining the BDA As CEO mid-2022. The BDA has a growing membership, currently over 10,500 strong and as well as being the professional body for dietitians is also a trade union. Prior to this appointment Liz was CEO of General Practice New Zealand and was on the board of a number of high-profile organisations. She has an MBA from Massey University and received her Chartership from the Institute of Directors in New Zealand in 2021. Liz is passionate about equality and about developing future leaders.Susan Price was born and brought up in North Wales and it was while at school and doing her GCSEs that she knew that she wanted to be a Dietitian. After graduating from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen in 1995, Susan got her first graduate post in a NHS acute hospital trust. She has worked in a range of adult acute and community posts, as a sports Dietitian and as a research Dietitian. Susan was the Head of Nutrition and Dietetics at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust for over 10 years where she also undertook her clinical caseload in the areas of ICU and gastroenterology.In 2020 Susan was appointed to the role of Deputy Director for Health well-being and Inclusion and continues to practise within ICU as a Dietitian.Show notes: British Dietetic Association (BDA) website: https://www.bda.uk.comBDA Twitter and Instagram: @BDA_DietitiansLiz Stockley’s Twitter: @BDALizStockley Susan Price’s Twitter: @SusanPriceRDSusan Price’ Instagram: @dietitian_susan

After over three years of hosting The Dietitian Café podcast, Harriet is stepping away as host. In Harriet's own words, "while the decision is bittersweet, I am grateful to have been a part of the launch and growth of this podcast over the last three years and know the podcast will be in great hands moving forward." Harriet is a registered dietitian, and founder of the award-winning medical and nutrition communications agency, HRS Communications. After over three years of hosting The Dietitian Café podcast, Harriet is stepping away and The Dietitian Café will welcome Corrine Toyn, another member of the HRS team. She offered expertise within her field of work, as well as a friendly and relatable personality, making her the perfect host to launch and grow this podcast. Corrine is a registered dietitian and marketing specialist who is on a mission to grow food, drink and wellness brands that are as passionate about improving health as she is.

To mark coeliac awareness week, I’m chatting to an award-winning gastroenterology dietitian all about the hot topic of having gluten-free (GF) foods on prescription; is it necessary? Is there an element of a postcode lottery involved? Should it be based on income?Listen on to hear more.Research highlights that around 1 in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease. As we know, the management of coeliac disease requires a strict GF diet, but with the cheapest loaf of GF bread being over 7x more expensive than the least expensive non-gluten loaf and the current cost of living crisis, the question of whether GF foods should be accessible on prescription is an important one. To discuss this topic, we're delighted to welcome the brilliant coeliac dietitian, Cristian Costas Batlle.Cristian is a gastroenterology dietitian specialising in coeliac disease and works at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He currently runs the dietitian-led coeliac service in his hospital with the support of the gastroenterologists and he built this service in 2019. In 2020 he was awarded with the national GUTS UK and Dr. Falk dietitian recognition award for improving patient care in gastroenterology through the dietitian-led coeliac service he has constructed in Bradford. In 2021 he was also a Complete Nutrition double award winner as Clinical Nutrition Professional of the Year and Social Media Personality of the Year for his work in the field of coeliac disease. His particular areas of interest are coeliac disease, gluten-related disorders, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Cristian is also passionate about raising awareness of coeliac disease on social media as well as being involved in coeliac disease research, and he guest lectures at universities on coeliac disease and service development.Show Notes:Cristian’s Instagram: @coeliac_dietitianCristian’s Twitter: @cristiancostasbCristian’s LinkedIn: Cristian Costas BatlleWebsite: https://www.bda.uk.com/find-a-dietitian/cristian-costas-batlle-london-england-12490.htmlCoeliac UK: https://www.coeliac.org.uk/home/

In today’s interview episode, we’re talking all things inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including discussions around the importance of an early diagnosis, how the multidisciplinary team works together in this area and the common misconceptions our guests hear about IBD. This episode will also explore the work and research of Crohn’s and Colitis UK – a UK-based charity that aims to bring awareness, support, and advice to those affected by these conditions. To discuss this topic, I am delighted to be joined by two brilliant HCPs in the world of IBD – Rachel Ainley and Isobel Mason. Rachel is the Head of Research and Evidence at Crohn’s & Colitis UK, the UK’s leading charity for Crohn’s and Colitis. She leads their work across evidence and insight, research and quality improvement. Before joining Crohn’s & Colitis UK she spent three years working for the British Embassy in Beijing where she was responsible for collaboration between the UK and China on health, drawing on her background as a GP.Isobel Mason works as a Nurse Consultant in Gastroenterology, at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust leading liver and digestive health nursing services. The department is one of the busiest advanced and specialist nursing services in the Trust and involves 36 nurse specialists and practitioners working as part of the multidisciplinary team in all areas of gastroenterology, nutrition, hepatology and endoscopy nursing. Isobel leads the service, supporting and developing nurses and making strategic decisions about improving and advancing nursing practice. Her clinical role previously included busy inflammatory bowel disease nursing service which is now run day-to-day by three other nurse specialists. Isobel also runs clinics for patients with dyspepsia, coeliac disease, iron deficiency anaemia and a family history of colorectal cancer. She also works alongside other nurse consultants within the Trust developing frameworks and educational events for those in advanced and specialist roles. Isobel was chair of the RCN Crohn’s and Colitis special interest group until January 2009 and in this role represented the RCN in the development of the original Quality Care Standards for IBD care and published the first national audit of IBD nursing activity. She was chair of the RCN Gastrointestinal Nursing Forum from May 2011 until May 2019 and her work with the Forum resulted in the RCN Award of Merit in 2018. In 2016, she started a secondment with Crohns & Colitis UK, to lead and shape their IBD nursing strategy. Launched with an impactful campaign ‘More nurses – Better care’ Isobel’s role involves national campaigning, supporting nurses currently in post across the UK, developing career frameworks and case load modelling in advanced and specialist practice and patient co-production. The aim is that all those living with IBD have access to a suitably qualified nurse specialist.Show Notes:Crohn’s & Colitis UKWebsite: www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/HCPTwitter: @CrohnsColitisUKGuest socials:Rachel’s Twitter: @RachelAinley81Isobel’s Twitter: @Isobelgastro

If you’re a healthcare professional and interested in the idea of working for a patient organisation or just curious about what goes on behind the scenes, this is the episode for you! We’ll chat to our guest about their role as the Dietitian Advisor at The National Society for Phenylketonuria (NSPKU) and discuss their experiences and learnings over the years. PKU is a rare inherited disorder with diet being the main treatment - you may have heard it discussed one of our recent episodes with Louise Robertson and Sarah Howe – and the NSPKU is a patient organisation that exists to help and support people with PKU, their families and carers. We’re particularly excited to be chatting today about the NSPKU as its celebrating it’s 50th birthday this year!Suzanne Ford has been a dietitian in the NHS for over 25 years, and for 5 years she has been the Dietitian Advisor to NSPKU. Suzanne works in the NHS providing a service to adults with various metabolic disorders in Bristol. The NSPKU is developing reliable and trusted information about PKU for the community – please go to NSPKU website and follow on NSPKU twitter.Show Notes:Guest socials:Suzanne’s Twitter: @SuzanneFord19NSPKU website: https://nspku.org NSPKU Instagram: @nspkuNSPKU Twitter: @NSPKU

For today’s big dietetic debate, we're delighted to be joined by registered nutritionist and co-founder of the complete nutrition food company Huel, James Collier. James has 30 years of experience working in nutrition and dietetics - as a clinical dietitian for the NHS, a nutrition consultant in the fitness industry, and, most recently, co-founding Huel. I’m sure many of you have will be familiar with Huel and have seen their products everywhere from supermarket shelves to vending machines in airports! Huel was started in 2015 with a mission to make nutritionally complete, convenient, affordable food, with minimal impact on animals and the environment.James is the perfect guest for this episode as we chat about the role of powered and ready-to-drink shakes and ask the controversial question, should they replace traditional meals?James is a Registered Nutritionist and Co-Founder of the complete nutrition food company Huel. James has 30 years of experience working in nutrition and dietetics. Prior to Huel, his focus was nutrition in the fitness industry including providing advice to athletes including several who competed at elite level. James has also worked for the NHS as a clinical dietitian for over 7 years, covering an array of clinical areas such as intensive care nutrition, weight control, diabetes and enteral tube feeding, and with care homes assisting with their nutrition policies and menu development. He's also the author of the forthcoming book Thought For Food which explores what individuals can do to improve their food choice to benefit their own physical and mental health whilst making sound environmental and ethical decisions.Show Notes:Guest socials:Twitter: @JamesCollierMTInstagram: @jamescollierrnutrLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-collier-a717604/ Huel website: https://huel.com/Huel research: A Pilot Pre and Post 4 Week Intervention Evaluating the Effect of a Proprietary, Powdered, Plant Based Food on Micronutrient Status, Dietary Intake, and Markers of Health in a Healthy Adult Population: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.945622/full‘The Dark Side of Sustainable Eating’ article by James Collier: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dark-side-sustainable-eating-james-collier/

If you’re a business owner and interested in the idea of working with dietetic interns, or even a dietetic student looking to gain an insight into what an internship might be like, this episode is for you! We’ll chat to our guest about the benefits to both parties of dietetic internships, the support that interns need and the key learnings from their experience.We are delighted to welcome a returning guest for this episode; they first appeared on the podcast at the beginning of 2021 and they’re back today to talk all things dietetic interns… it’s Nichola Ludlam-Raine! Nichola is a Specialist Registered Dietitian with over 14 years of clinical experience working for the NHS as well as privately. Nichola has a 1st class BSc honours in Sport & Exercise Science from Loughborough University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics from Leeds, an MSc in Health Science and she is a published author in the Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics. Nichola has also obtained a diploma in Diabetes Management in Primary Care as well as certificate in Personal Training, with pre and postnatal specialism.Nichola frequently features on live as well as pre-recorded T.V. and she is a regular on the BBC Breakfast sofa. Dietetically Nichola specialises in the area of weight management, diabetes, bariatric surgery and maternity obesity. She splits her time between the NHS, a private hospital and her freelance and media work.Online, Nichola is a well-known nutrition, health and fitness influencer as well as award winning (verified) food blogger (@nicsnutrition), and also mummy blogger (@mummynutrition), posting a variety of health and lifestyle content to over 100,000 followers across her social media platforms. Nichola is a regular speaker at events, has worked with some of the biggest brands in the food industry and is frequently asked to provide quotes and articles to tabloids, magazines and health websites.Nichola promotes all foods to be eaten in moderation as a part of a healthy balanced diet, and she believes that variety is the spice of life.Show Notes:Guest socials:Twitter and Instagram: @nicsnutrition and @mummynutritionWebsite: https://nicsnutrition.com NutriTribe Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/755611685175457How to Establish a Freelance Dietitian Course: https://nutritribe-academy-s-school.teachable.com/p/how-to-establish-a-successful-freelance-business/ 10% off discount code for dietitian café listeners: HRS10

For today’s big dietetic debate, we're delighted to be joined by registered nutritionist and regulatory affairs consultant Sue Oldreive. Having been a consultant in this area for 11 years and worked with people such as the probiotic company Symprove, Sue is the perfect guest for this episode as we explore why it’s so challenging to communicate the science of probiotics to consumers. We’ll dig into why the word probiotic is considered a health claim and the impact that this has on companies marketing products, on consumers seeking out these products and on healthcare professionals advising patients.Sue became a consultant in Nutrition and Regulatory affairs 11 years ago – after working for a Global direct sales company, UK retailer and for the UK Government as a Nutritionist and Food Scientist. Her work has been hugely varied from sampling grass in Yorkshire through to briefing Ministers, being the company spokesperson on nutrition and promoting nutrition and product training with many companies. Nowadays, Sue uses her knowledge to help clients find their balance with marketing messages, as well as creating and managing evidence bases for compliance. She will always champion training to anyone who will listen!Sue keeps the demands of work in perspective by living with a high-maintenance husband, a highly curious “almost-adult” and a highly competitive teen. Throw in 3 guinea pigs, 2 horses and one opinionated chicken and you have the context for a successful Food and Nutrition Consultant.Just one final thing before we wrap up today’s episode… An exciting announcement! Are you a dietitian, nutrition professional or student? The BDA Industry Specialist Group has officially been launched! The group will represent dietitians working in all areas of industry where the research, development and product of nutritional products, services, resources and communications are the main outputs. If you’d like to find out more about the group and the committee, visit the BDA website https://www.bda.uk.com/specialist-groups-and-branches/dietitians-in-industry-specialist-group.html and for more regular updates, follow them on LinkedIn (BDA Industry Specialist Group) and Twitter (@BDA_Industry).Thank you for listening to the Dietitian Café podcast, and our next episode will be out soon.Show Notes:Sue’s twitter handle: @SueOldreivehttps://www.symprove.com/pages/symproveforprofessionals