Joel Feren is a highly regarded dietitian and nutrition consultant who has led major projects for a variety of FMCG companies.
Joel's background is in the biomedical sciences. His specialty and main area of interest is men's health. However, Joel is also a seasoned media performer and appears regularly on Studio 10 and My Market Kitchen. He is also a media spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia and the man behind the popular blog The Nutrition Guy. Joel enjoys the challenge of debunking commonly held nutrition myths in the media and helping the overall community take control of their health.
He is a self-described foodie and recipe developer. On the weekends, Joel is often found strolling the food stalls at the South Melbourne market or trialling new recipes in the kitchen. His food philosophy is that any dish can be made more nutritious by swapping ingredients and by using alternative cooking methods.
Joel regularly consults to the food industry and in private practice, helping clients to achieve improved health with good nutrition. Joel believes that dietitians working in the food industry can play a fundamental role in improving the nutritional quality of our food supply. He also considers nutrition to be far too important to be an afterthought for food brands and businesses.
Joel delivers insight-led and credible nutrition communications and marketing advice to help achieve increased engagement and impact for food businesses.
Joel has previously consulted in aged care where he managed the dietetic services of a number of residential care facilities across Melbourne.
He also provided sports nutrition advice to the Box Hill Hawks (Hawthorn Football Club affiliate) and continues to deliver health and nutrition presentations to variety of corporations.
Partnerships
Joel has worked with a number of food brands including Sanitarium, Abbott Nutrition, Patties Foods, Dairy Australia and San Remo. He is the Weet-Bix Better Brekkie Ambassador and is currently featuring in Sanitariums TV commercial campaign.
Talking Points
Eat yourself happy the link between food and mood
The statistics on mental health issues among Australians are astonishing. Eat yourself happy the link between food and mood
But there's promising news - we may be able to eat our way to better mental health. New and exciting research is showing that our mental health can be strongly influenced by what we eat.
Dietitians can play a pivotal role in treating people living with poor mental health, yet the importance of dietary interventions remains under-recognised. Prioritising measures to improve our mental health outcomes is critical, and the encouraging news is that we can do this one bite at a time.
Who this is for:
This presentation will be valuable for all team members in your business. Mental wellbeing is a key pillar of health. Yet, the nutrition landscape is flooded with misinformation. Achieving better health through good nutrition is neither complicated nor difficult. This evidence-based presentation will provide the necessary steps and information to empower attendees to make healthier food choices that can impact their overall mental health.
Audience members will:
- Learn which foods and dietary patterns can positively impact their mood.
- Gain an understanding of the link between our gut and the brain, and how to strengthen this bond.
- Gain recipe ideas and culinary inspiration to encourage better nutrition.
Fuelling workday performance
Ensuring we are adequately nourished over the workday to avoid the 3pm slump is an all too common goal among workers. Sometimes the vending machine or office cookie jar can be more enticing than we'd like. But there is help on hand. Joel will provide his top nutrition tips to help fuel performance at work and offer practical strategies to better fulfil your nutritional needs and get you through the daily grind with flying colours.Fuelling workday performance
Who this is for:
This presentation will be valuable for all team members in your business. It's for anyone who wants to maximise his or her performance at work, and end the day with energy to spare.
Audience members will:
- Understand the role of nutrition on cognition and concentration.
- Find culinary inspiration.
- Learn new meal and snack ideas to help boost their performance at work.
Healthy Snacking Stand
Joel can convey healthy eating messages to staff in a practical and delicious way. When team members are busy and in a hurry, it's all too tempting to raid the snack machine for a packet of chips or a sweet treat. Instead, Joel can promote healthy snacking by providing delicious and healthy nibbles while extending the messaging from his other keynote presentations. He can prepare and provide staff with a wide selection of nutritious and tasty foods that can be enjoyed between meals. Examples include fresh fruit and vegetable platters, a selection of dried fruit and nuts, popcorn, smoothies, dips and a selection of cheeses and yoghurts.Healthy Snacking Stand
This will highlight to your staff that eating healthier foods across the workday will improve their work output and make inroads into improving their overall health, including boosting their work productivity and wellbeing.
Who this is for:
This presentation will be valuable for all team members in your business. It's for anyone who wants to include healthier snacks in their day to keep hunger at bay and improve their health and wellbeing.
Audience members will:
- Get new snack ideas to help boost their performance at work.
- Learn which foods can help satiate their hunger between meals.
- Be able to better recognise their body's hunger cues.
Cooking Demonstrations
Joel can deliver an engaging cooking demonstration that can provide your team with practical and easy tips to support their wellbeing and health. He can deliver the following classes:Cooking Demonstrations
- Sensational smoothies learn novel and delicious smoothie recipes.
- Vegetarian cooking be inspired by delicious vegetarian recipes using plant food.
- Terrific tofu learn how to cook with tofu, and why it should be a staple in every omnivore's diet.
- BBQ cooking demo team up meat and fish with a delicious selection of vegetable accompaniments.
- Handouts recipes including nutritional analyses and any other relevant supporting materials will be provided.
Demonstrations may be recorded for those who can't attend and a Q&A session will follow each demonstration.
Nutrition Myth-Busting
The nutrition space has never been more confusing. The spread of misinformation by celebrities, social media influencers and other gurus' who have no qualifications in nutrition, is rife. Nutrition Myth-Busting
It is a well-evidenced fact that there are a number of ways to eat well. These include plant-based diets, fasting, reduced carb, high protein... the list goes on.
Joel will sort fact from fiction with this informative presentation and answer all your vexing nutrition questions. The audience will have the opportunity to focus on the areas that interest them the most during this interactive keynote. Joel will set the record straight on some of the common misconceptions that lead to so much confusion about food and nutrition.
Who this is for:
This presentation will be valuable for anyone who is confused about what to eat. The nutrition landscape is swamped with misinformation. Common questions include: Will carbs make me fat, or should I include more fat?'; Is coconut oil better than olive oil?'; and Should I skip breakfast?' Joel can finally set the nutrition record straight during this audience-led and interactive session.
Audience members will:
- Have all their pressing nutrition questions answered.
- Learn to stop fearing foods and nutrients based on the latest science-based advice.
- Feel empowered and gain actionable tips to improve their nutrition.
Fall in Love with Food Again be a more mindful and intuitive eater
Reconnect with food and rediscover the joy of eating. We have never been so inundated with unhelpful and conflicting nutrition messages. Yet, research confirms that diets inevitably fail. That's what keeps the diet industry afloat and diet culture able to thrive. But what if there was a different way? Gain insights into how to leave dieting behind, ease hard and fast food and nutrition rules, and rediscover the joy of eating wholesome food, because food is so much more than a source of nutrition. It sparks memories, fuels conversation, connects us to our culture, and transports us to the other side of the world, one mouthful at a time.Fall in Love with Food Again be a more mindful and intuitive eater
Who this is for:
This presentation will be valuable for anyone who wants to improve his or her relationship with food and rediscover the joy that eating can bring. History tells us that diets fail. So this presentation is for anyone wanting to get off the diet merry-go-round and to find a more sustainable and health-promoting solution.
Audience members will:
- Rediscover the joy of eating.
- Learn mindfulness strategies to be more aware of their body's hunger and fullness cues.
- Feel empowered to make more nutritious food choices.
Men's Health how to man-tain your health
Men's health encapsulates physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing; it's not purely the absence of disease. It's also clear that men face different health issues than women, and we also have different needs. Men's Health how to man-tain your health
Most men are less proactive about their health than women and are less likely to visit their doctor to discuss their health or worries. The macho-man mentality may be at play here. However, subscribing to outdated views about masculinity is just not cutting it. Our lives depend on it.
Men can profoundly change their health outcomes when they modify their dietary and lifestyle behaviours. Making better and more informed choices should be the order of the day.
Who this is for:
This presentation will be valuable for all-male team members in your business. Yet, female co-workers may wish to join to gain tips on how they can encourage the men in their life to focus on their health and wellbeing.
Audience members will:
- Gain insights into the health and nutrition issues facing men.
- Find culinary inspiration to make smarter food choices.
- Get science-based advice on how to improve their health and wellbeing.
Good Nutrition for the Senior Years
Nutrition is important at all stages of our lives, but it is particularly critical in our senior years. Malnutrition is not just a Third World issue. Up to 40% of the elderly living in the community suffer from malnutrition or are at risk of malnutrition. Poor nutrition can lead to falls, fractures, low immunity and increased hospitalisations. Ensuring adequate nutrition so we can enjoy our senior years should be a high priority for an ageing population. Good Nutrition for the Senior Years
Who this is for:
This presentation will be valuable for anyone approaching retirement age or older. The nutrition goalposts shift in our older years, so this presentation will tackle the importance of nutrition to promote good bone health, cognitive health and physical wellbeing.
Audience members will:
- Gain insights into the nutrition issues facing an older population.
- Get culinary inspiration and how to make better food choices to promote healthy ageing.
- Get practical tips and tricks on how to eat to beat dementia.
How to Nourish a Healthy Gut
There are 100 trillion reasons to respect your guts. That's the number of bacteria that live in our digestive system. Out of kilter gut bacterial populations (microbiotas) have been linked to obesity, autoimmune disorders, asthma, allergies and diabetes. What we eat and drink can profoundly affect the microbes within us. The old adage that we are what we eat seems to hit home. How to Nourish a Healthy Gut
There is also emerging evidence highlighting how our gut microbes affect our brain function. Definite links have been found between depression, anxiety and mood disorders and imbalanced gut microbiota. So, nourishing our guts may help us to improve both our physical and emotional wellbeing.
Who this is for:
This presentation will be valuable for anyone interested in cutting edge science and nutrition. Gut health is emerging as an important area of discovery and research. Attendees will be taken on a journey of all things gut-related and how best to adopt a healthy diet that truly loves your guts.
Audience members will:
- Gain insights into the latest in the area of gut health.
- Learn which foods to include more of in their diet that promote good gut health.
- Get practical tips and tricks on how to best nourish a healthy gut.
Video
Weet-Bix Fruit Stack | Joel Feren
Weet-Bix has teamed up with Joel Feren, The Nutrition Guy to get more Aussie families eating a better brekkie! Check out this delicious fruit stack.Weet-Bix Better Brekkie Nutrition | Joel Feren
Some popular cereals contain over 25% sugar. That's more than a 1/4 of the cereal. Luckily, Weet-Bix is low in sugar, full of wholegrain goodness and extra yum with a twist - just add fruit, nuts and seeds. For a better brekkie, it's got to be Weet-Bix!
