FROM THE EDITOR
WELCOME This month sees two important awareness weeks, which may have great significance in all of our lives, whether it be at work or within our personal time. Coeliac Awareness Week takes place between 13th and 19th May and I talk a little more about this in our News section on page 6. The other key awareness event this month also takes place on the same dates: Mental Health Awareness Week, with the theme for 2019 being ‘Body Image’, an issue that can affect all of us at any age. During the week, the Mental Health Foundation will be publishing new research, considering some of the reasons why our body image can impact on the way we feel, campaigning for change and publishing practical tools. More information on this event can be found at www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/ mental-health-awareness-week With mental health in mind, our Cover Story from Nikki Brierley focuses on the importance of mental health and wellbeing within the workplace and how the NHS is putting staff wellbeing on their agenda. We also welcome back Emma Berry who explores the relationship between food insecurity, nutrition and mental health. With an ever-increasing ageing and overweight or obese population, the dietitian’s role in primary care will be vital, working towards our profession being a ‘first port of call’ for patients within GP surgeries and clinics. Alice Fletcher outlines her experience of ensuring dietitians are more accessible in the community and looks at the future for dietetics within the community. Knowledge is shared in NHD from all areas of nutrition and dietetics. This issue is no exception. Our clinical article from Rebecca Gasche, provides us with information on short bowel syndrome and how best to manage this condition nutritionally. The Ketogenic Research Dietitians Network share an overview and update of ketogenics over the past 100 years
and also highlight the recent findings of a survey they completed throughout Emma Coates Editor 2017. Moving onto Paediatrics, Farihah Choudhry delves into the mysterious Emma has been a dietitian world of the gut microbiota and discusses registered for 12 years, with the increasing evidence around the effect experience of adult of probiotics on the immune function in and paediatric dietetics. children. ‘Intuitive eating’ (buzz word of the month), and how it applies to a clinical setting is what Jessica English focuses on in this issue. And if that’s not enough, NSPKU Dietitian, Suzanna Ford, along with Dr Ben Green, discusses the current landscape with regards to the PKU ‘diet for life’ in IMD Watch and Gill Hooper provides guidance on a practical food-first approach to nourishment in the elderly living in care homes. Evelyn Newman takes a look at a recent project completed in the Highlands were improvements in the consistency in the rationale for prescribing ONS were achieved. The food-first approach played a major role in this transformation work. If you have important news or Don’t forget this research updates to share with NHD, or May issue is digital would like to send a letter to the Editor, only, so you can please email us at download it from info@networkhealthgroup.co.uk our website or view it We would love to online at any time: hear from you. www.NHDmag.com Emma www.NHDmag.com May 2019 - Issue 144
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