Veg Advocates

 “I never used to eat enough vegetables until I had digestion and breathing issues. I became more interested since being a student nurse and seeing on first-hand how vegetables has contributed to people's maintenance of good health in all ramifications  because of its richness in mineral, fibre, and nutrients. Through research, I have also read and  watched videos of how vegetable has helped in the reduction of cancer, heart disease risk, and even prevention of diabetes. I decided to join Peas Please as an opportunity to play my part through advocating for change towards veg consumption.” 

Karen Dorrat, from Northern Ireland, lives in Rosyth, Fife. 

“I joined the Veg Advocates after becoming discouraged by the unhealthy diet and food environments surrounding me and my children and wanted to see things change in a more positive direction.” 

Karen studied Food Science and Marketing and has always believed the answer to change is in food education.  She most recently managed a community food project for 5 years in Rosyth but has now returned to university and is training to become a Home Economics teacher.  

“I am passionate about education and opportunities to raise awareness of the food system, in particular areas such as food waste and climate change. There is so much more to learn about food and I am keen for young people to see its importance and value in their lives.”

Visit Karen's Facebook page on facebook.com/failedfoody

Magdalena is a determined Veg Advocate based in Liverpool. She is professionally and personally passionate about access to veg, with a BSc (Hons) Nutrition and a Registered Associate Nutritionist with Association for Nutrition. Recently, Magdalena has begun building relationships with her local school to create a school food policy and transform their offering. She gained practical experience with the food provision for the holiday, running children's activities. Magdalena would love to see change to accessibility of veg in Liverpool, particularly in food deserts.

Magdalena is also a champion for wonky veg! “I am delighted to be a Veg Advocate and continue inspiring others to veg-up their lives, whether through social media or allotment visits. I am looking to connect with organisations to develop projects for children, helping picky eaters try some veg!”

Morven, a qualified nutritionist, and experienced chef. She is determined to help parents everywhere with their little fussy eaters, giving them the tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to get their child eating a more balanced diet that includes plenty of veggies!

Recognising the challenge of having a toddler with food tantrums, Morven created FussEat to work with new parents, supporting them with advice, strategies, and recipes to build healthy eating habits.

During the pandemic, she provided free cook-alongs to further support families of fussy eaters. Morven would like to see systems change, with veg recognised as key to our overall wellbeing. Morven runs a program called the F.E.D-method which stands for; Familiarise, Educate, and Develop. The F.E.D-method is a tool that helps parents become familiar with common reasons why kids don't like to eat while helping those kids become familiar with new foods long before they are served up as part of a meal. Gives some basic child nutrition to encourage parents to keep going, while also sharing some easy kitchen hacks to help fit the meal prep into their busy schedules. And finally, Sharing the importance of developing coping strategies to overcome any roadblocks they might face, and how parents can sidestep the teatime tantrums that are bound to occur along the way while developing support networks that will help their child see healthy eating as the "social norm". Since becoming a veg advocate Morven has begun a Masters on Gastronomy to further her understanding of all the cultural, social, geographic, religious, political, economic, environmental, and historical reasons that shape the way we eat. As a Veg Advocate, she is keen to spread awareness and share her experience. “I have made it my mission in life to spread the word on veg. It is my opinion that good nutrition is the key to, not only, lifelong physical health but also mental and social health. I know if more people had the tools and confidence to get started they could love the experience as much as my daughter and me.”

Find out more about Morven's work at fusseat.com

Nureen, from London, is a Public Health Nutritionist passionate about using food to break down barriers and share culture. Nureen founded Feed Me Good, now a CIC, in 2014 and has over 20 years’ experience in Food, Nutrition and Health. Feed Me Good supports communities across London and the UK to improve health and wellbeing. They provide personal development courses and educational programmes like ''ChEP' ' a life skills course for ages 4-11.

Nureen would love to see a healthier accessible food environment. As a Veg Advocate she is thorough and clear in challenging the pledgers, opening conversation to help them increase their pledge.

“I am so happy to be a Veg Advocate, I am on a mission to inspire communities to come together and increase the vegetable consumption by making our recipes and the dishes that we make nutritious and fun!”

Find out more on feedmegood.co.uk