The creation of the Low FODMAP Diet app, FODMAP by FM, defines digital innovation. Maximising patient care and complimenting dietetic delivery. The app features are fantastic, especially the bar scanner, having a great outcome and impact to those who use it.
British Dietetic Association
30 April 2021
Department of Nutritional Sciences excels at British Dietetic Association annual awards
Nutritional Sciences academics take home awards for digital innovation, best research publication and best published educational work.
The British Dietetic Association (BDA) held its annual awards ceremony virtually last night, celebrating outstanding individuals within the dietetic profession. Professor Kevin Whelan, Danni Bear, Dr Eirini Dimidi and Dr Selina Cox, all from the King’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, were recognised for their recent achievements.
Winning the inaugural Digital Innovation Award for his FoodMaestro FODMAP app Professor Kevin Whelan, Head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, was commended for his contribution to patient-centred Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) management and treatment.
The judging panel said:
Professor Whelan’s app, a collaboration between FoodMaestro, Dr Miranda Lomer, King’s and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, allows those who’ve been encouraged to follow a low FODMAP diet (LFD) to scan the barcodes of food products to judge whether they are suitable or unsuitable on the LFD. The app also allows patients to record their gut symptoms, providing dietitians with the information they need to assess the patients’ success on the diet.
On identifying the need for a digital solution, Professor Whelan said:
Success of the LFD diet has dramatically increased the need for dietetic services and suitable materials to support patients involving extensive label reading and a complex reintroduction process. Digital innovation creates an ideal opportunity to support patients with shopping or at home when the dietitian is not available.
Professor Kevin Whelan
Danielle Bear, a PhD student in the Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences but supervised by Professor Whelan in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, won the Rose Simmonds award for best research publication for her paper β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate and its impact on skeletal muscle mass and physical function in clinical practice: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Watch her accept the award and talk through her systematic review.
Dr Eirini Dimidi and Dr Selina Cox won the Elizabeth Washington Award for a published/presented educational work for their paper, Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Gastrointestinal Health and Disease. Watch them accept the award and discuss their research, which investigated the benefits of using common fermented foods like kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut and sourdough bread in clinical scenarios.
Read more about the FODMAP App for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
In this story
Professor of Dietetics
Senior Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences