The latest in our series of exclusive camexpo speaker Q&As is from Dr Alex Richardson, a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford, and founder director of the charity Food and Behaviour (FAB) Research. Here she discusses her approach to diet and nutrition, what she loves most about her work, and the emerging research around epigenetics.

Dr Richardson is internationally known for her research into omega-3 for child behaviour and learning and mental health, including the recent DHA Oxford Learning and Behaviour (DOLAB) studies, and author of the influential book They Are What You Feed Them – How Food Can Improve Your Child’s Behaviour, Mood and Learning.

What do you love most about your work?

I love the fact that my work is relevant to everyone – so it brings me into contact not only with many of the world’s leading researchers and health professionals, but also with parents and carers, and with other charities, support groups and policymakers working in health, education, social services and allied fields – and with the general public. Because everyone has to eat – and yet most people just don’t know how much our dietary choices really do matter – not just for our physical health, wellbeing and performance, but for how we feel, think and behave.

What’s the single biggest challenge in your work?

The single biggest challenge is the sheer dominance of very large industrial vested interests – best summarised as ‘Big Food’ (i.e. the huge, multinational food and agricultural-chemical companies) and ‘Big Pharma’ (the equally powerful pharmaceutical industry). Between them, they not only dictate how most research funding gets allocated, they also completely dominate (and manipulate) the media. The result is that much of the information on nutrition and health that people read or hear about – and sadly, come to believe – is simply not accurate, or at best presents a highly selective and distorted view.

What’s your specific approach to diet & nutrition?

The most important thing is to ‘eat real food’ – that is, to avoid as much as possible the highly processed chemical concoctions that pass for food and drink in the UK, US and most other developed countries. I also care about where my food comes from – in terms of how animals are fed and raised, and how crops are grown – because these things really do matter for nutrition and health.

In my book, They Are What You Feed Them, I emphasise three main things:

(1) Avoiding food allergies and intolerances (which may require specialist help to identify and deal with these, but includes avoiding artificial foods and additives as far as possible)

(2) Eating for balanced energy levels (reducing sugar and ‘refined carbs’) and

(3) Getting the fats right – because almost everyone would benefit from understanding and improving their dietary fat intake. And that means including more long-chain omega-3 from fish and seafood, less omega-6 from vegetable oils, and no toxic trans fats (which again means avoiding most processed foods).

What’s one emerging trend or research that anyone working in your field should know?

I think everyone would do well to appreciate the basic principles of ‘epigenetics’, which remains an emerging field, but an incredibly important one. Most people still seem to think in terms of ‘nature’ (genetics) versus ‘nurture’ (environment). But the real truth is that environmental factors – and that particularly includes nutrition and diet – actually shape and influence gene expression. And what we eat is not only critical to making the most of our own genetic inheritance: it also affects future generations yet to be born. So this message really needs to get through to everyone, not just researchers and health professionals – but policy makers and the general public.

What are the key points you’ll be covering in your seminar at this year’s camexpo?

In my seminar, I’ll be covering:

• why ‘getting the fats right’ in their diet is something very few people manage to do, but how it can actually be achieved quite easily
• the critical effects on mental as well as physical health, wellbeing and performance of the typical relative deficiencies of long-chain omega-3 vs omega- 6 fats
• the latest evidence from controlled trials of omega-3 (EPA/DHA) – in pregnancy, for child behaviour and learning (ADHD and general population), and for depression and memory in adults (both young and old)

In addition to your session, why would you recommend practitioners/nutritional therapists visit camexpo?

camexpo provides the ideal opportunity for practitioners in nutrition and allied fields to catch up on the very latest information and developments in complementary and integrated healthcare – and from almost every angle. There’s accessible, practice-focused education and training on offer from the lectures and workshops, the very impressive range of exhibitors that this event always attracts, and also a wealth of expertise and advice on business matters. So it’s an event that all professionals working in this area would benefit from attending.

Dr Alex Richardson will be discussing Long-chain Omega-3 for Better Mood, Behaviour and Learning at 1:30pm on Saturday 26 September in camexpo’s new Nutrition Theatre.

To book an entry ticket, please visit www.camexpo.co.uk/register-to-visit-camexpo-2015. Use priority code CMXP580 to register for £7.50 before 25 September. Entry to the Keynote Theatre, Nutrition Theatre, Demo Theatre and Business Clinic, is included with all tickets (space permitting).