Part 1: DILWORTH SCHOOL GOES WHOLE-FOOD, LCHF...

Great to see the media coverage on this. Last year I had the privilege of working with Dilworth school to change their nutrition environment from being one which they thought was healthy (high carb -high added sugars-, low fat) to one that they now know is healthier (i.e., whole food).

The work started with the rural campus, where we changed the menu to a whole food focus and supported this with some work with the students themselves: some education, plus some ownership where the boys were even cooking their own eggs + veggies for breakfast. Some great changes were seen in the students from several perspectives.

This year a modified menu has rolled out at the Auckland-based junior and senior campuses. Despite being not quite as severe as the changes at the rural campus, these changes in the menu have still seen a reduction of around 100g of added sugars daily – staggering! Plus, work with both the staff and the students to support the changed philosophy was undertaken.

At my first meeting with the chefs, there was some healthy scepticism about this new philosophy for sure, but after some self-experimentation by the chef (with extremely positive results), they were convinced and went to work to change the nutrition environment in the schools. I must say working with this group has been one of my most rewarding career experiences to date. From being hesitant at the start, but open minded, they did their own homework, got to work, and have been so passionate ever since in making sure that the students get the best nutrition possible to ensure they are healthy and have enough energy to function optimally, both mentally and physically.

Well done Dilworth, you’re leading the way towards better health, let’s hope more schools will follow.

Part 2 DILWORTH DIET? AGAIN?

Not that I really need to explain, but I thought I would for those that are a little less trusting than others that I know what I'm doing in the world of nutrition and dietetics. Here goes:

1. Dilworth gets more press - this time on Breakfast TV - it's a brief clip about their new nutrition environment - here's a recap for those who missed the news article http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/inspire-me/78372192/dilworths-new-diet-a-recipe-for-success

2. Dilworth then gets a formal written complaint about their new way of eating, which is also sent to the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education. In order to maintain my professional integrity, the complainant shall remain unidentifiable.

3. The gist of the complaint was this:

- They were "alarmed" to see the school adopt the whole-food, LCHF approach.

- That all schools should abide by the Ministry of Health Food & Nutrition guidelines (which endorse a high carbohydrate, low fat - particularly saturated fat, way of eating), and that LCHF eating should not replace these guidelines because they are grounded in population specific, evidenced-based information.

- That, they would be happy to provide nutrition assistance in helping Dilworth implement a "balanced" menu.

My response, to those that are sceptics out there- which incidentally, is ok (because of course in a 5-minute media clip, the full story is often not captured):

1. If anyone thinks that I would assist a school to implement a severely carbohydrate-restricted way of eating (essentially a ketogenic diet, which was the essence of the complaint), you can rest assured that this is not the case… at all.

2. The new way of eating DOES include fruit, it DOES include starchy vegetables, it DOES include legumes, and it even includes grainy bread - the latter just not in the same quantities as before. It does NOT include juice / jam / canned fruit in syrup, sugary sauces, daily sugary-desserts and nutrient-poor cereals.

And yes, they still have real treats!

3. The nutrient mix of the new way of eating is superior to before, and contains more healthy fats, so no-one is starving. Careful nutrition modelling has been part of the process for change.

4. The nutrition environment at Dilworth has gone from one that was high in refined sugar and total carbs, and low in total fat, from heavily processed foods to one that predominantly embraces whole, unprocessed foods with natural fats.

5. We have removed approximately 100g of refined sugar out of the food supplied to these students, that's about 20tsp of sugar. We've introduced healthy whole foods, we've introduced healthy fats and we’ve removed inflammatory industrial seeds oils.

Can you imagine if Dilworth was instructed by governmental agencies to return to their former way of eating?

BLOG DISCLAIMER: The views portrayed in this blog are those of my own, and have come about through a comprehensive investigation of the literature and a healthy dose of reflective practice of my 21 years experience as a dietitian. They do not necessarily align with those of the Ministry of Health's Food & Nutrition Guidelines.