Plant-based nutrition;
a sustainable diet for optimal health
The first University-based course on plant-based nutrition in the UK. Running since 2019, it is a team effort involving 17 UK plant-based experts, many of whom are members of Plant-based health professionals UK.
How did this all come about?
I was fortunate enough to meet Professor Joy Carter in 2018, the then Vice Chancellor of University of Winchester, after an introduction from a mutual friend. Prof Carter is a passionate vegan and cares deeply about animals and the environment. It only took the one meeting to decide that there was a need to develop a University-based course on plant-based nutrition for health professionals and that the University of Winchester would lead the way. By this time, the University had already committed to opening a faculty of Health and Well-being, with degree programmes to include nutrition and dietetics, nursing and physiotherapy. The faculty opened on August 1st 2019. I feel honoured to be working with an institution whose core values include compassion and social justice for people, animals and the planet.
How does the course work?
This is a fully online, 8-week, distance learning course, facilitated and taught by Dr Shireen Kassam. It will require around 6 hours of study per week and consists of a combination of written material, pre-recorded lectures, quizzes to test learning and a weekly compulsory written discussion on a controversial topic. There are two, optional, live Q&A sessions via Teams but no in person requirement. The course is completely self-paced and in your own time. This course has been accredited for 30 CPD hours by the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine (BSLM) and the CPD accreditation service. This can be counted towards maintenance of certification for the International Diploma in Lifestyle Medicine. At the end of the course students will be issued a certificate of completion from the University. This course is open to those in and outside the UK.
What is the content of the course?
Diet choices are now the top cause of death and disability globally. Not only is our diet causing ill health, it is a major factor contributing to climate destruction. A global shift to a predominantly plant-based diet is deemed necessary to preserve both human and planetary health. But what is a healthy plant-based diet? How can it be achieved? What are the benefits? All these questions will be answered in this 8-week course designed for those interested in improving their knowledge and expertise in the field of plant-based nutrition. The course is predominately aimed at health professionals (e.g. doctors, nurses, dieticians, nutritionists, physiotherapists) who would like to incorporate evidence-based nutrition into routine clinical practice. The course will also benefit those who are looking to improve their personal nutrition education. However, please note that a basic knowledge of medical terminology and chronic diseases is assumed.
The course starts by discussing the main dietary determinants of disease, disability and death, focussing on data from the United Kingdom and comparing with international data sets. It will discuss different types of nutrition studies and common dietary patterns. The course reviews the role of nutrition in promoting optimal health and wellbeing. Key components of a healthy plant-based diet ar covered, including nutrients of abundance and those that are notable for their relative absence. There is then an in-depth review of the scientific literature supporting the role of plant-based nutrition in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. This includes cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, dementia, obesity, bone health, women’s health and gastrointestinal disorders. In the final week, comparisons are made with other popular diet patterns, such as ‘low-carb’ and ‘Paleo’ diets, and national and international nutrition guidelines will be reviewed with analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. The connection between our diet choices and the impact on the environment are explored and a model of sustainable farming is presented.
Here is a breakdown of the topics covered in each module
Module 1
1) Dietary determinants of disease and disability and the burden of malnutrition
2) Types of nutrition studies – strengths and weaknesses
3) Healthy dietary patterns and dietary assessment tools
4) Metabolism of fat, protein and carbohydrates
Module 2
1) Components of a whole food plant-based diet
2) How to ensure a whole food plant-based diet is nutritionally complete
3) Plant-based diets for pregnancy and children
4) General overview of the benefits of a plant-based diet for health
5) Plant-based diets for the prevention and treatment of diabetes
Module 3
1) The role of plant-based diets in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease
2) Plant-based diets in chronic renal failure
3) The role of plant-based diets in preventing and treating obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Module 4
1) The role of plant-based diets for cancer prevention, recurrence and survival
2) The role of plant-based diets for prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases
3) The impact of diet on mental health and well-being and impact of plant-based diets
4) How to facilitate behaviour change through coaching
Module 5
1)The role of diet and exercise in maintaining musculoskeletal health and preventing osteoporosis
2) The impact of diet and nutrition on Women’s health, including endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, menstrual disorders and menopause
3) The role of diet and lifestyle in preventing dementia and frailty
Module 6
1) A review of UK and international dietary guidelines – strengths and weaknesses
2) Popular diet patterns, including ‘Paleo’ and ‘low-carb’
4) Plant-based diets for athletes
3) The impact of diet on environmental health and sustainable farming for a plant-based world
Who are the course lecturers?
The content has been created by 18 plant-based health professionals and experts, mainly from the UK. Many have been plant-based themselves for several years and use plant-based nutrition in their clinical practice as part of an overall approach to lifestyle medicine. You will be familiar with many of the lecturers from their prominent social media profiles and include:
Dr Shireen Kassam
(Course organiser and facilitator)
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Shireen is a Consultant Haematologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College Hospital, London with a specialist interest in the treatment of patients with lymphoma. She is also passionate about promoting plant-based nutrition for the prevention and reversal of chronic diseases and for maintaining optimal health after treatment for cancer.
She qualified as a medical doctor in 2000, initially training in general medicine, and gaining Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP; 2003). She then specialised in Haematology and achieved Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath 2008). During training, she took time out to undertake a PhD (University of London, 2011). Her research investigated the role of selenium, an essential micronutrient, in sensitising cancer cells to chemotherapy. She was able to show that supra-nutritional doses of selenium could enhance the action of chemotherapy in the laboratory. She has published a number of peer-reviewed papers in the field of lymphoma.
Shireen discovered the power of nutrition for the prevention and treatment of disease in 2013 and since then has been following a whole food plant-based diet. She has immersed herself in the science of nutrition and health, reading scientific papers and books, attending nutrition conferences and completing recognised continuing professional development activities in the field. In 2018 she was appointed as a Visiting Professor of Plant-Based Nutrition at Winchester University where she is developing a dedicated course on the subject. In 2019 she became certified as a Lifestyle Medicine Physician by the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine and is also a certified CHIP (Complete Health Improvement Program) practitioner.
Shireen is Founder and Director of Plant-based health professionals UK Ltd (plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com), a non-profit organisation whose mission is to provide evidence-based education to health professionals and the general public on plant-based nutrition and other lifestyle interventions for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease.
Anita Bean
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Anita Bean is an award-winning registered nutritionist, internationally published author, freelance health writer and former British bodybuilding champion. She specialises in sport and exercise nutrition and is passionate about helping athletes improve their performance in training and competition. She is the author of 30 books, including The CompleteGuide to Sports Nutrition and The Vegan Athlete’s Cookbook, has written for Waitrose Food, Cycling Weekly and Good Housekeeping, and is also the nutritionist for the London Marathon.
Dr Alicja Baczynska
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Dr Baczynska has developed an interest in plant-based nutrition in 2015. She has been an advocate for whole food plant-based diet (WFPBD) in her workplace, presenting at departmental meetings and educating her patients. She completed the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell in January 2019. She is particularly passionate about raising awareness of how intensive lifestyle changes (which include WFPBD) can prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease. The focus of her future work will be on prevention and root-cause treatment of cognitive and physical frailty.
Dr Gemma Newman
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As a broadcaster and writer, she has been regularly featured on television, including ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky News Sunrise. She has contributed to articles for magazines including Glamour, Zest and Health magazine. Her family lead a fully plant-based lifestyle, following the extensive research she had done on the scientific literature on the health benefits associated with whole-food plant based nutrition. She is regularly invited to teach other doctors and the general public via training programmes, podcasts and conferences about the benefits of plant-based nutrition.
Dr Sue Kenneally
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She has eaten a plant-based diet for a number of years and is delighted to be on the advisory board of Plant Based Health Professionals UK. She works closely with them, promoting the benefits of plant-based diets to colleagues and the public alike.
Dr Miriam Martinez-Biarge
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Miriam works now as an Honorary Consultant Neonatologist & Research Fellow at Queen Charlotte’s and Hammersmith Hospitals. She specialises in the follow up of infants and young children who have been born prematurely, who have had neurological problems around the time of birth, or who are at risk of neurodevelopmental impairments. She also has a private practice in Spain as a neonatologist and developmental paediatrician.
Miriam became a vegetarian when she was in medical school and has been vegan for the past 6 years. Although she became a vegan for ethical reasons, she also started to study the health benefits of plant-based diets, not only for adults but for children as well. Since 2013 she has had a blog where she promotes a whole food plant-based diet and counsels parents on how to provide good vegan food for their children. She is the author of a book on vegan nutrition for babies and children.
Mr Rajiv Bajekal
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In 2016 he had some personal health problems and had put on a lot of weight. He and his wife researched diet and nutrition and embarked on a way of living a healthier life with compassion and care for the environment. In the process, he lost 25 kg of weight, reversed his prediabetes and found a new zest for helping his patients live a healthier life.
He decided to study lifestyle medicine, as many of the disorders affecting people nowadays are lifestyle-related and he and his wife (Consultant Gynaecologist) both studied and passed the Diploma examination in Lifestyle Medicine conducted by the American board of lifestyle medicine, He and his wife Nitu are now certified lifestyle medicine practitioners with a Diploma from the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine – by far his proudest achievement.
Dr Nitu Bajekal
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She is the founder of Women for Women’s Health (WfWH), a voluntary service set up to empower women of all ages to make lifestyle choices that will help improve their own health and also that of their families and friends through education. Most (80%) of what doctors see in their clinical practice is related to lifestyle, with nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress playing key roles in major chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancers as well as in women’s health issues such as Polycystic ovarian syndrome, menopause, bone health, lifestyle cancers amongst many other problems that women face regularly. Dr Bajekal is passionate about educating women to take charge of their own health. Through information leaflets, lectures, blogs, health events and workshops, she provides reliable up to date medical and lifestyle information for the general public, doctors, workplaces and schools. Young people especially are at the right stage where making small changes can have a tremendous impact on their future health.
Dr Miriam Maisel
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In 2017 Dr Maisel authored a chapter in the medical textbook Nutrition and Integrative Medicine, a Primer for Clinicians. This chapter focuses on core clinical studies, which demonstrate positive results from the use of plant based diets in treating heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and autoimmune conditions. Most doctors will not have learned about these studies in medical school or in the course of their careers, and thus they may fail to offer a more benign, effective and economical option to their patients. By learning about the potential to address many medical problems with food, clinicians can be empowered to offer their patients a better quality of informed choice. Offering patients informed choice is a key ethical responsibility of all doctors as outline in many versions of the GMC’s publication “Duties of a Doctor”.
In 2018 Dr Maisel was part of the first UK cohort of physicians to sit and pass the Lifestyle Medicine Certification Examination in Edinburgh. She is now a Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, with a diploma from the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Dr Maisel currently works in as a GP in the Dumfries and Galloway Out of Hours Service.
Claire Lynch RD, MNutr, DipIBLM
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As a freelance dietitian and founder of plant:life nutrition, Claire is helping people to transform their lives through positive diet and lifestyle changes, and particularly through the power of a whole food plant-based diet. She especially enjoys helping people in mid-life to optimise their health and happiness, whether needing support with managing a chronic disease, coping with menopause, or simply taking better control of their health and fitness goals.
In her role as education lead for Plant-Based Health Professionals UK she is able to reach a wider public, and their health professionals, and is passionate about offering education and advocacy as we move towards embedding whole food plant-based nutrition into healthcare curricula and clinical practice within the UK.
Find out more about Claire and her work at plant:life nutrition or follow her on Instagram or Facebook for daily tips. You can also reach her via email at claire@plantlifenutrition.co.uk or claire@pbhp.uk.
Professor Amir Kassam
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Born in Zanzibar, Amir has a BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Science and a PhD in Agricultural Ecology from the University of Reading (UK), and an MS in Irrigation Science from the University of California, Davis. Amir’s professional work is focused on globalizing the transformation of the conventional degrading ‘Green Revolution’ agriculture to sustainable agriculture based on the adoption of No-Till Conservation Agriculture.
During his career, Amir has worked with a number of national and international agricultural development, educational and research institutions around the world, including several CGIAR centers, UN agencies and NGOs. His former positions include: Deputy Director General of WARDA (the Africa Rice Centre); Interim Executive Secretary of the CGIAR Science Council; Chairman of the Aga Khan Foundation (UK); Chairman of the Focus Humanitarian Assistance Europe Foundation; and the Chairman of Tropical Agriculture Association, UK. He has published widely on the productivity, economic, environmental and societal benefits of Conservation Agriculture, which now covers over 180 million hectares of global cropland.
Amir became a vegetarian seven years ago and a vegan three years ago because of ethical and environmental reasons, as well as to enjoy better health, lifestyle and quality of life.
Dr Arvind Maheru
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Life experience brought the power of whole food plant-based (WFPB) nutrition to life for Arvind. She also then became interested in its application to Mental Health and Wellbeing.
She and her family adopted a plant-based lifestyle in 2016 due to its multiple health benefits and she continues to advocate for a whole food plant-based diet at all stages of life. She now has a specialist interest in Plant-based Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine. Arvind became a graduate of the AFMCP-UK (Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice) course in 2018.
Dr Agnes Electra Chlebinska
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She qualified as a medical doctor in 2002, initially training in acute medicine and cardiology, while pursuing Membership of the Royal College of Physicians. She has published a number of peer-reviewed papers in the field of cardiology, prostate cancer, and use of Artificial Neural Networks. In 2009 she recognised the adverse effect of purely reactive medicine and the need for Preventive Precision Medicine. Since then, Agnes has obtained qualifications in Plant Based Nutrition, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Mindfulness, Hypnosis, NLP, Personal fitness Training and Lifestyle Medicine, while working within the NHS and private sector. She has launched multiple pilots projects to create virtual and physical infrastructure of Lifestyle and Preventive Medicine for adults and children in the UK.
Agnes discovered the power of behaviour therapy, supportive community, plant- based nutrition and fitness for the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases in 2009. She has immersed herself in the science of preventive medicine, reading scientific papers and books, attending conferences and completing recognised continuing professional development activities to keep up to date in the field, including the diploma from the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine/BSLM.
Agnes founded Happy Bootcamps and Academy for Health Superheroes in 2012, providing 300K children and adults with free education, health and fitness events and supportive community.
Despina Marselou
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Registered Dietitian, Bsc, MSc
Dietitian/nutritionist specialised in clinical nutrition and immunology
Despina Marselou was born in Athens on 06/08/1979. She studied in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at London Metropolitan University in England under the dissertation title of Clinical Research: Thermogenesis, Obesity and the Macro-metabolic Pathways: Relation to Obesity. The research was published in 2004 in the journal of the British Dietetic Association as one of the best clinical trials among young graduates in the UK.
She received a Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition and Immunology from the University of Surrey in England with emphasis on dietary support and behaviour modification in patients with immune system disorders such as diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases. Her postgraduate clinical research titled Examining the rate of dehydration in people with acute stroke and dysphagia, was conducted at the University Hospitals of the National Health System (NHS) Barts & the London and Homerton in London where it was evaluated as a model research. Finally, she successfully completed her postgraduate study program: “The Atherothrombotic Disease” organized by the Greek Society of Lipidology, Atherosclerosis and Vascular Disease.
Her professional career as a clinical dietitian at Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tees (NHS) University Hospitals in England enabled her to practice her scientific training as:
- Senior dietitian of Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology
- Responsible for stroke and rehabilitation wards and clinics
- Responsible for allergy and immunology clinics
On her return to Greece, she was introduced as a research associate by the Agricultural University of Athens and was responsible for clinical nutrition seminars for first year and postgraduate students in the period 2007-2009.
She is currently working in her dietetic private practice with special interest on evidence based-plant based diets and holds a certificate in Plant-Based nutrition through eCornell University /T Colin Campbell Centre for Nutrition. She is responsible for the nutritional care of patients with immune disorders, chronic inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases and passionate on promoting dietetic plans for weight loss with focus on the immune system.
She is a frequent contributor to local and national newspapers and magazines, and is often a guest speaker on public speeches, health radio and television broadcasts.
Mick Walker
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In terms of diet, he has not eaten meat for approaching 40 years and has now been fully plant based for around 6 years. As a keen cyclist, the decision to become 100% plant based was inspired by the reading of ‘Eat and Run’ by Scott Jurek, an American ultra-marathon runner. During this time, he has studied closely the increasing evidence for the benefits of a Whole Food Plant Based diet – benefits which he himself has experienced in terms of fuelling his cycling well into his 60s!
Dr Laura Freeman
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Dr Laura Freeman in a GP and a Lifestyle Medicine Physician. She obtained her Medical Degree from the University of Edinburgh in 2006. She completed her vocational training in General Practice in Manchester in 2011. Between May 2012 and May 2019, after attaining full accreditation from the Medical Council of Canada, Dr Freeman ran her own Family Medicine practice in midtown Toronto, taught medical students at the University of Toronto and worked with the Medical Council of Canada as an examiner for International Medical Graduates. Both within and outside of her General Practice, Dr Freeman has developed a strong interest for plant based nutrition and optimising health through lifestyle choices. In 2019, Dr Freeman became a diplomat of the International Board for Lifestyle Medicine. Her focus is putting her passion in Lifestyle Medicine into practice for her patients and watching the incredible success of their lifestyle interventions. Dr Freeman has been commended by her colleagues and patients alike for her unwavering calm and kind demeanour, her compassion and care for her patients as well as her sound clinical knowledge, skill and judgment. Her patients have endorsed her input for optimising their diet, prescribing individualised exercise prescriptions, stress management and improving sleep habits. Dr Laura Freeman is leading two new Lifestyle Medicine clinics in Edinburgh and Glasgow and is also a certified CHIP (Complete Health Improvement Program) practitioner. She runs regular health workshops and ‘Walk with a Doc’ walking groups in her community.
Dr Sundhya Raman
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Lifestyle Medicine Physician
Dr Sundhya Raman is the founder and director of My Wellness Doctor – a Lifestyle Medicine Health consultancy. She has a degree in Pharmacology & Physiology, a Medical degree from Guys, King’s and St Thomas’s, London, a PhD (D.Phil) in Genetics & Epigenetics from Oxford University and is a qualified Lifestyle Medicine physician with the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine & British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
Dr Raman has held a variety of both clinical and research roles. She has worked with well known scientists in labs around the world including in cancer genetics at Yale University, and Alzheimers’ cellular physiology at the Wolfson Centre, London.
Her current roles include: creating toolkits on lifestyle for cardiovascular health on behalf of NHS England; lifestyle doctor at the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society and diabetes lead at Plant Based Health Online. She has created and runs a lifestyle programme for lowering cholesterol in primary care. She regularly delivers talks and teaching on lifestyle medicine and healthy ageing to both healthcare professionals as well as to the lay public, including a focus on specific risks and solutions for ethnic minority groups. Her advice on lifestyle shifts for optimum health has been featured in national news publications.
Next steps and how to book
The course runs several times a year.. More information on the UoW site here. The cost is £350. Direct booking site here.
For general inquiries please contact Shireen.Kassam@winchester.ac.uk
I look forward to ‘meeting’ you all on the course!