Helping Students Start the Day Right: My Placement with Best Food Forward

Hi! I’m Sasha, an MSc Dietetics student at Birmingham City University. Over the past two weeks, I have had the pleasure of spending time at the inspiring School of Artisan Food, working with the Best Food Forward team. Throughout my time here, the school was buzzing with activity, and I had the opportunity to observe some of the lessons taking place, which gave me a real insight into the day-to-day learning and practical skills being taught.  

During my placement, I developed a Nutrition Workshop Toolkit aimed at secondary school students. I began by researching public health data and current research papers to identify key nutrition trends and challenges among young people. A clear theme that emerged was the increasing prevalence of breakfast skipping and the high sugar content in many breakfast foods marketed towards children. This can have an impact on energy, mood and concentration and is influenced by a range of factors including time pressures, dietary habits, and socioeconomic barriers.  

Drawing on this evidence, I applied clinical reasoning skills by formulating a dietetic diagnosis- a process usually used in clinical settings but can also be adapted for a public health context. I found it particularly interesting to see how the same structured, analytical approach used within the clinical setting can be applied to a community-based project. This demonstrates how clinical dietetic skills are transferable to public health and education, helping to create interventions grounded in evidence and practical relevance. 

Using this as a foundation, I designed an interactive nutrition education workshop for secondary school students. The workshop was designed as a ready-to-use teaching resource for schools, including a presentation, facilitator notes, a detailed lesson plan and handouts. I also wrote communication materials to send to teachers. Outlining what the workshop covers and the overall aims.  

Teachers can use these materials to deliver the session themselves, with clear guidance on discussion points, activities and equipment needed. The workshop itself is interactive and discussion-based. Activities included ranking cereals by perceived sugar content and calculating sugar content using visual sugar cube blocks based on realistic serving sizes. These visual and practical elements make the learning relatable and memorable. The session encouraged students to make the best choices with what’s available, highlighting that small swaps and steps still count. This approach is inclusive, recognising that some students may have limited food options.  

This placement showed me just how broad and impactful dietetics can be beyond the clinical environment. It was really valuable to have the opportunity to experience an alternative placement setting, giving me insight into the wide range of career opportunities available within dietetics beyond the traditional clinical acute setting.  

I am very grateful to the Best Food Forward team and everyone at the School of Artisan Food for their support and encouragement throughout. The placement has shown me how creative, meaningful, and rewarding community-based dietetic work can be.  

Sasha

MSc Dietetics student at Birmingham City University