2nd May 2019
Nutritionist

7 things you didn’t know about nutritionists

Hello, I’m ‘the fun police’. I’m here with my kale to look at you judgementally if you’re eating a biscuit.  Just in case you think I’m serious, this is about as far away as you can get from me or any Registered Nutritionist or Dietitian I know. Just because we’ve studied nutrition and health based subjects doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy food or indulge. And we are definitely not judging you. But people make a lot of assumptions about me when they find out what I do. I’m here to reassure you (while joining you in a glass of wine). “Oooh don’t judge me!” (while eating cake, biscuit, crisps etc.) There is really only one response to people guiltily hiding […]
20th March 2019

Why the public have had enough of experts and would rather listen to Gwyneth Paltrow

I am the expert and you must listen to me! Have I lost you? I don’t blame you. Communicating complex science is always going to be tricky. But most people wouldn’t claim to understand or have experience of astrophysics whereas everyone eats, so everyone can claim to have knowledge about nutrition. A quick glance at the #nutrition hashtag on Instagram reveals that the majority of the content comes from brands, influencers and celebrities and not from registered professionals with a background in nutrition. Obviously, this means that pseudoscience and miracle cures drown out the facts, which is to the detriment of public health but what can and should people like me do about it? “A lie can travel halfway around […]
10th April 2017
Cave

Honesty and echo chambers in nutrition science

The times they are a-changin’.  OK so to Jo(e) Public, the world of nutrition probably remains largely the same, a smorgasboard of Instagrammed avocado on toast and inexplicably complicated diets needlessly eliminating one or other food group for optimal ‘wellness’.  But in the world of nutrition experts, endlessly battling pseudoscience and fads from every angle, there has been a small shift, a disturbance in clean eating’s force, maybe.  As we see some of the myths surrounding clean eating being debunked, are we witnessing the first stages of a triumph of evidence over pseudoscience?   Social media – a goldmine of nutribollox It’s very easy to be taken in, especially when the sphere of health on social media is so dominated […]
24th March 2017
Nutrition courses

So you want to be a nutritionist?

This is one for the students who may be thinking about studying to become a nutritionist either straight out of school or later in life.  I’m a Registered Nutritionist and I’ve worked for the Food Standards Agency and in the food industry before setting up my own business.  I now have a freelance career working mainly with food manufacturers and the media and I also blog, vlog and am active on social media.  I do careers talks at many universities and meet lots of really enthusiastic students already studying for degrees so if that’s you, read on for tips on job hunting and on the different roles a nutritionist can play.  If you’re still deciding and maybe wondering what course […]