Food Vitals

webinar series

Food Vitals webinars provide evidence-based clinical and practical insights to assist with the successful implementation of nutrition interventions for the prevention and management of chronic lifestyle-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many more.

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Food Vitals - plant-based nutrition for prevention and treatment of disease

The ‘Food Vitals’ webinar series takes a deep dive into evidence-based nutrition and shares key clinical and practical steps to implementing a preventative diet.

In each webinar, we explore the crucial role of diet in preventing and treating chronic disease. Expert presenters share research reviews, extensive nutrition knowledge and clinical experience. They reveal how whole food, plant-based dietary patterns are a vital ally to stem the epidemic of preventable disease. Each webinar features a targeted Q&A session to answer your questions and provide insight on successfully incorporating evidence-based nutrition in clinical practice.

Register for upcoming webinars and access recordings and slides from previous sessions below to add to your disease management toolkit.

Series host: Dr Libby Forsyth MBBS

UPCOMING WEBINARS

PREVIOUS WEBINARS

Upcoming webinars

Women's health and the best start for kids • 8 December 2020

Food Vitals 3 | Women's Health and kids.

Speakers Dr Gemma Newman, Dr Heleen Roex, Dr Preeya Alexander and Deeni Betar-Young APD

Host Dr Libby Forsyth, Events & Education Lead, Doctors For Nutrition

Date Tuesday 8 December 2020
Time 8:00 PM – 9:10 PM AEDT
Cost Free (optional donation)
Audience Health professionals, students and interested public

Can nutrition impact hormones in a meaningful way? What dietary choices can improve common women’s health complaints such as premenstrual symptoms? Can these same choices prevent chronic disease and help foster a healthy immune system in children? How on earth do you get kids to eat fresh produce?

We are delighted to host another expert panel for the third instalment of the Food Vitals series, to answer all these questions and more. Dr Gemma Newman, Plant Power Doctor and GP of 11 years, joins us from the UK to discuss how evidence based nutrition can impact your overall health and specifically improve health outcomes for women. We will discuss the evidence behind whole food, plant-based eating and why we can be confident in recommending this diet

Retired paediatrician Dr Heleen Roex will discuss how maximising plant-based foods from an early age improves immune and long term health outcomes in children. Dr Preeya Alexander, General Practitioner and The Wholesome Doctor, will share why she is passionate about increasing fruit and vegetable consumption amongst children.

Speaker bios

Dr Gemma Newman

General Practitioner, UK

Dr Gemma Newman is the Senior Partner at a family medical practice near London and has been a GP for over 11 years. Over 16 years of medical practice, Gemma has worked in a variety of medical speciality and has a specialist interest in holistic health, plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine. She has gained additional qualifications in gynaecology and family planning. She is a graduate of the AFMCP course, a member of BSLM and an advisory board member of Plant Based Health Professionals UK. She has contributed to a variety of clinical teaching courses and including Winchester University’s Plant Based Nutrition Course.

Dr Heleen Roex

Paediatrician (non practising)

Dr Heleen Roex-Haitjema is a paediatrician (non practising), educated in the Netherlands (Doctor of Medicine, Cum Laude, University of Utrecht; Medical Specialist, Paediatrician, Free University Amsterdam). She holds a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition through eCornell University and has qualified as a Food For Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC. Heleen is Doctors For Nutrition's co-founder and board chair.

Dr Preeya Alexander

General Practitioner

Dr Preeya Alexander is a practising GP based in Melbourne, and holds a Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery from Adelaide University. Dr Preeya specialises in preventative health, general medicine, sexual health, mental health, women’s medicine and shares her expertise and passion on her blog, The Wholesome Doctor. She is a member of FRACGP and works as a medical educator with Eastern Victoria GP Training where she assists in the training of GPs. She is the author the The Rainbow Plate.

Deeni Betar-Young APD

Accredited Practising Dietitian

Deeni is a dietitian and nutritionist, educated at Flinders University. She works in private practice, providing consultations in Adelaide and via Skype. One of her main areas of endeavour is in helping people transition to and maintain plant-based diets, particularly to prevent, manage and treat chronic conditions. Deeni also specialises in gastrointestinal disorders and food intolerances, and uses behaviour change counselling to motivate people to overcome their personal health challenges. Continually amazed by the incredible results her patients have achieved from moving towards more healthy plant-based diets is a big part of what fuels Deeni to continue being a passionate advocate for this way of eating.

Cardiovascular disease, nutrition and COVID-19 • 16 December 2020

Food Vitals 4 | Cardiovascular Disease b

Speakers Dr Kim Williams, Dr Andrew Davies, Dr Ahmad Farshid, Dr Andrew Little and Adam Guthrie

Host Dr Libby Forsyth, Events & Education Lead, Doctors For Nutrition

Date Wednesday 16 December 2020
Time 7:30 - 8:40 PM AEDT
Cost Free (optional donation)
Audience Health professionals, students and interested public

Dr Kim Williams, former President of the American College of Cardiology, will present a comprehensive overview of how whole food plant based diets are a key intervention in the management and prevention of heart disease. He will also share the latest research and his experience treating COVID-19. He will discuss nutrition's powerful impact on the underlying conditions that predispose to poor health outcomes from COVID-19.

Our local panel of experts will include Dr Ahmad Farshid, interventional cardiologist and senior lecturer at ANU, Dr Andrew Davies (ICU specialist, Melbourne) and Dr Andrew Little (ICU Registrar). This expert panel will discuss how nutrition can improve risk factors for Cardiovascular disease and COVID-19. They will discuss improved nutrition improves our communities overall ability to fight off chronic disease and novel viruses through improving underlying health status.

The panel will be joined by acclaimed chef Adam Guthrie who offers his own personal story of managing heart disease through whole-food plant based nutrition and his inspiring recipes to create delicious health-promoting food at home.

Speaker bios

Dr Kim Williams

General Practitioner, UK

Dr Kim Allen Williams was born and trained in Chicago and now serves as the Chief of Cardiology at Rush University Medical Center. Dr Williams has served on numerous committees and boards including the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, the American College of Cardiology, various certifying boards and currently serves as the ACC Past President 2016. He can to a whole-food plant based diet through his evidence-based approach and own personal improvement in cardiovascular risk factors. He is committed to discussing how evidence based nutrition can powerfully impact cardiovascular health, disease management and general health outcomes.

Dr Andrew Davies

Intensive Care physician

Dr Andrew Davies is an intensive care physician from Melbourne. Andrew’s research has been widely published in leading medical journals, and he regularly presents at conferences interstate and internationally. An episode of burnout in 2012 sparked a lifestyle change that lead to he and his family adopting a plant-based approach to nutrition, regular exercise and mindfulness practices. Andrew, and his wife, advocate for a balanced approach to health and wellness via their lifestyle events platform and podcast: the New Normal Project. Andrew also founded the Mastering Intensive Care podcast.

Dr Ahmad Farshid

Interventional Cardiologist

Dr Ahmad Farshid is an Interventional Cardiologist at National Capital Private Hospital, Canberra. He is a senior lecturer at ANU Medical School and educates his patients in whole food plant based nutrition as an important component to managing cardiovascular risk factors.

Dr Andrew Little

Anaesthetic Registrar

Dr Andrew Little works as an Anaesthetic Registrar who is passionate about impacting the ever increasing burden of preventable chronic illness in Australia, When Andrew isn't preparing patient for surgery, he spends his time educating people about the importance of a healthy diet and the role of nutrition in chronic disease management and prevention.

Adam Guthrie

Chef and educator

Acclaimed plant-based chef, Adam Guthrie, learnt first hand the life-changing power of nutrition. He shares his own personal story of overcoming cardiovascular disease after suffering a heart attack at age 39, Adam adopted a whole-food plant based diet and exercise, and saw reduction of his cardiovascular risk factors and overall improved quality of life. He will share his experience and his tips on eating to manage and prevent cardiovascular disease.

Previous webinars

Evidence-based nutrition in healthcare

Inflammatory bowel disease and the gut microbiome

Evidence-based nutrition in healthcare • 24 September 2020

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Larger (max size) CL copy of Food Vitals

Speakers Dr Adrian Griscti, MBBS, FACRRM, FASLM; Emma Strutt APD, FASLM; Drew Harrisberg, Exercise Physiologist and athlete thriving with type 1 diabetes

Host Dr Libby Forsyth, Events & Education Lead, Doctors For Nutrition

Date Thursday 24 September 2020
Time 6:30 - 7:30 PM AEST
Cost Free (optional donation)
Audience Health professionals, students and interested public

Full event description

Inflammatory bowel disease and the gut microbiome • 10 November 2020

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Speakers Dr Alan Desmond, Angela Genoni PhD, Dr Alyce Churchill

Host Dr Libby Forsyth, Events & Education Lead, Doctors For Nutrition

Date Tuesday 10 November 2020
Time 7:30 - 8:40 PM AEDT
Cost Free (optional donation)
Audience Health professionals, students and interested public

Full event description

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