We have three nutrition specialists on our staff team. Luke and Lucy are our HIV Specialist Dietitians and Ornella is our HIV Specialist Associate Nutritionist. But this expertise isn’t limited to our staff team – our incredible volunteer Nutrition Assistants deliver nutrition talks every Saturday at Eating Together. All are qualified Dietitians or Nutritionists with a wealth of expertise. We have a team of Dietetic/Nutrition students in our office, helping us complete grocery orders for our Service Users. We also host students from London Metropolitan University and King’s College London for 3 week Public Health placements, and their involvement in research, review and project work means we have fresh new perspectives regularly.
Our Dietitians Luke and Lucy are both members of the British Dietetic Association and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Ornella is a Registered Associate Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition. They all conduct regular peer supervisions, attend specialised CPD events and receive clinical supervision from the UK’s only Consultant HIV Dietitian. They also have their respective areas of particular interest – you can’t keep Luke away from a renal case, and Lucy can’t get enough of gout!
All of this brainpower translates into tailored practical interventions for our Service Users, which we endeavour to make as accessible as possible. Our nutrition factsheets are available in multiple languages, large print and in audio format. We have recipes designed by and for those with a wide range of cultural dietary preferences, and our world food versions of the “Eat Well Guide” provide helpful guidance.
One Service User recently told us: “The Food Chain has changed my life. I feel happier now. I did not have food to eat before this and I was stressed and depressed. I now eat more healthily and I have lost some weight. It has helped me take my medication because I need food to take it and I did not have any food. It is a very good service. I use the recipes that you gave me to make healthier food.”
If you’d like to learn more about nutrition, there’s plenty of information and resources available on our website.