Tina Hartnell and Elaine Chu know that food is an important part of disease prevention and injury and illness recovery. They also know that honouring diversity in food preferences is an integral piece of restorative, person-centred care.
Both Tina Hartnell and Elaine Chu are registered dietitians passionate about patient, resident, community and planetary health.
In this episode, they share how they began their journeys into the of field dietetics – including how their post-secondary education and first jobs introduced them to the link between food consumption and planetary health, and the many ways in which food can positively impact individuals.
They also discuss the ways in which ‘choice dining’ is helping transform the hospital food experience - through many of the five million prepared meals each year - the positive impact of reframing food as ‘plant powered’ and their goal of a more sustainable and inclusive health care food service community.
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Guest bio
Tina Hartnell is the executive director of Food and Clinical Dietitian Services at Fraser Health. Working with a team of dietitians, nutritionists and other health care professionals, she is responsible for overseeing the food and nutrition services provided by the health authority to help ensure that patients and residents receive the best possible care. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to the field of dietetics.
Elaine Chu is a registered dietitian and the regional manager of food operations at Fraser Health. She is currently leading a team, made up of multiple health authorities, to promote planetary health through hospital food operations.
She has also been involved in a number of innovative food programs to rethink how patients interact with food in hospitals.
Learn more
Fraser Health Planetary Health strategy: https://www.fraserhealth.ca/planetaryhealth.
About The Heart of It
Every episode, Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO of Fraser Health, take listeners to the heart of health care, where passion, dedication and innovation drive individual, community and planetary health.
Listen and watch more episodes of The Heart of It here. And be sure to subscribe to The Heart of It in your favourite podcast player app so that you don’t miss a beat.