Incorporating the latest evidence and research in the field and endorsed by the British Dietetic Association, the Manual sets the gold standard in dietetic practice
The Manual of Dietetic Practice remains the definitive reference for dietitians at every stage of their career. Now in its 7th edition, this essential text has been extensively revised and expanded to reflect the latest developments in dietetic science, clinical practice, and public health nutrition. It brings together the expertise of over 250 contributorsincluding input from the BDA Special Interest Groupsto deliver a comprehensive, evidence-based guide to the profession.
Structured into six thematic parts, the book covers the full spectrum of dietetic practice, from foundational professional skills to advanced clinical interventions:
Professional Practiceincluding new chapters on advancing practice and personalised nutrition Public Health and Food Provisionwith expanded content on sustainable diets, global dietary cultures, and the food system Nutrition Throughout the Lifecyclea brand-new section covering fertility and preconception, pregnancy, childhood, adolescence, plus a new chapter on neurodiversity Assessment, Diagnosis and Interventional Strategiesaligned with the nutrition and dietetic care process, including new chapters on dietetic diagnosis and texture-modified diets Adult Clinical Practicefully updated and reorganised to reflect current knowledge, with new chapters on frailty, multimorbidity, and personalised cancer care Paediatric Clinical Practicecovering a wide range of paediatric topics and featuring new content on ARFID
Whether you are a student embarking on your dietetic journey or a seasoned practitioner seeking to update your knowledge, this edition offers the most current, authoritative, and practical guidance available.
Contributors xiii
Foreword xxi
Preface xxiii
PART 1 Professional practice 1
1 Professional practice 3
2 Dietary modification 16
3 Changing health behaviour 22
4 Medicines management and governance 35
5 Personal nutrition, genetics and nutritional genomics 45
6 Alternative and complementary therapies 56
7 Advancing practice in dietetics (UK approach) 63
8 Freelance practice 67
PART 2 Public health and food provision for diverse communities 75
9 Public health nutrition 77
10 Food environment and the food system 95
11 Sustainable diets 102
12 Principles of food service in hospitals 110
13 Food service in care homes and schools 120
14 Food service in the armed forces and in prisons 126
15 Global dietary cultures (supporting individuals to make dietary changes
within their food culture and identity) 130
16 Food security and vulnerability (including people living with
homelessness) 146
17 Learning disabilities 158
18 Food law and labelling 172
19 Dietary reference values and food-based dietary guidelines 182
20 Food composition tables and databases 188
21 Neurodiversity 198
22 Sport and exercise nutrition 205
PART 3 Nutrition through the lifecycle 215
23 Nutrition and fertility 217
24 Nutrition during the preconception phase 224
25 Nutrition during pregnancy 229
26 Nutrition after pregnancy 237
27 Infant and pre-school nutrition (04 years) 242
28 Childhood nutrition (511 years) 247
29 Adolescent nutrition (1218 years) 250
30 Healthy eating and dietary approaches for prevention and management of
cardiovascular disease 253
31 Menopause 262
32 Healthy ageing 266
PART 4 Assessment, diagnosis and intervention strategies 277
Assessment of Nutritional Status and Requirements
33 Introduction to assessing nutritional status and nutritional screening
279
34 Anthropometry and body composition 283
35 Biochemical assessment 294
36 Clinical assessment 305
37 Assessment of diet and dehydration 309
38 Environmental, social and psychological assessment 318
39 Functional assessment 321
40 Assessing nutritional requirements 325
Diagnosis and Intervention Strategies
41 Introduction to nutrition and dietetic diagnosis 334
42 Oral nutrition support 338
43 Texture-modified diets 349
44 Enteral nutrition 353
45 Parenteral nutrition 370
PART 5 Adult clinical practice 379
Systemic Conditions
46 Undernutrition 381
47 Multimorbidity 387
48 Endometriosis 396
Gastrointestinal Disorders
49 Oral diseases 402
50 Dysphagia 411
51 Disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract 419
52 Disorders of the stomach and duodenum 424
53 Disorders of the pancreas 429
54 Disorders of the liver and biliary tract 438
55 Overview of malabsorptive conditions 461
56 Coeliac disease 467
57 Inflammatory bowel disease 480
58 Orofacial granulomatosis 490
59 Intestinal failure and rehabilitation 495
60 Irritable bowel syndrome 505
61 Constipation, diarrhoea, diverticulitis 514
Renal Disorders
62 Acute kidney injury 526
63 Chronic kidney disease 536
64 Nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) 557
Cardio-Metabolic Syndromes
65 Gout 566
66 Polycystic ovary syndrome 571
Overweight and Obesity
67 Overview of obesity 580
68 Dietary and behavioural management 583
69 Metabolic and bariatric surgery 589
70 Pharmacotherapy (obesity management medications) 598
Diabetes
71 Diabetes and impaired glucose metabolism 605
72 Type 1 diabetes 608
73 Type 2 diabetes 618
74 Gestational diabetes 624
75 Other types of diabetes, including lipodystrophy 628
Vascular Disease
76 Clinical management of cardiovascular disease 632
77 Heart failure 642
Respiratory Disease
78 Nutritional management of respiratory disease 651
79 Cystic fibrosis 660
80 Nutritional management for people living with long COVID 671
Immunological Disorders
81 Food hypersensitivity in adults 677
82 Human immunodeficiency virus 693
83 Sickle cell and other haemoglobinopathies 702
84 Inherited metabolic disorders 708
Neurological Disorders
85 Parkinson's disease 728
86 Motor neurone disease 736
87 Multiple sclerosis 744
88 Stroke 749
89 Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or chronic fatigue syndrome and encephalopathy)
759
90 Rare neurological conditions 766
Mental Health
91 Mental and neurocognitive conditions 774
92 Eating disorders 786
93 Dementias 804
Cancer
94 General aspects of cancer 813
95 Head and neck cancer 820
96 Gastrointestinal tract cancers 831
97 Breast cancer (including prevention strategies) 838
98 Lung cancers 848
99 Gynaecological cancers 855
100 Prostate cancer 863
101 Haematological cancers 868
102 Cancer cachexia 872
103 Personalised cancer care 879
Musculoskeletal Disorders
104 Osteoporosis 884
105 Arthritis 894
Trauma and Critical Care
106 Critical care 901
107 Traumatic brain injury 918
108 Spinal cord injury 926
109 Neurorehabilitation 937
110 Burn injury 946
111 Surgery 954
112 Wound healing, tissue viability and pressure ulcers 963
Geriatric Nutritional Medicine
113 Frailty 970
114 Palliative and end-of-life care 979
PART 6 Paediatric clinical practice 987
115 Essentials of paediatric dietetics 989
116 Nutritional care of the preterm infant 997
117 Growth faltering 1001
118 Paediatric food hypersensitivity 1008
119 Autism in children and young people 1017
120 Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder 1021
121 Special needs 1024
122 Childhood weight management 1026
123 Paediatric diabetes 1031
124 Cystic fibrosis in childhood 1035
125 Paediatric gastroenterology 1038
126 Paediatric general surgery 1043
127 Paediatric liver disease 1046
128 Paediatric nephrology 1049
129 Nutrition support in children with congenital heart defects 1052
130 Nutrition support in the critically ill child 1057
131 Paediatric neurology and the ketogenic diet 1062
132 Paediatric neurosurgery 1066
133 Inherited metabolic disorders in children 1069
134 Paediatric cancers 1072
Index 1077
Mary Hickson is Professor of Dietetics at the University of Plymouth, following over 23 years of clinical experience in the NHS. Her academic work is grounded in extensive frontline practice, and her research interests span all aspects of dietetic practice, in particular sarcopenia, frailty, and the nutritional care of older people. She has authored many scientific papers supporting evidence-based dietetic practice and is deeply committed to fostering impactful research that strengthens the professions evidence base.
Kate Maslin is a Senior Research Fellow in Maternal and Child Health at the University of Plymouth. She holds a PhD in paediatric nutrition and has previously worked as a Lecturer in Dietetic Practice and Clinical Paediatric Dietitian. Her research focuses on early life and pregnancy-related nutrition.
Linda Wedlake was a Research Dietitian at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust for over 20 years. Her PhD research focused on nutritional substrates to protect the gut during radiotherapy treatment. She was a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Training Advocate for dietetics, a Trustee for the BDA GET fund, and a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Surrey.
Duane Mellor is a highly experienced clinical and academic dietitian with special interest in diabetes, particularly paediatric diabetes. He holds a PhD in diabetes and endocrinology from the University of Hull and has held academic positions in both the UK and Australia. He is currently a Specialist Paediatric Diabetes Dietitian at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
Adrian Brown is an NIHR Advanced Fellow and Principal Research Fellow (Associate Professor) in Nutrition and Dietetics at the Centre of Obesity Research, University College London, which he co-leads. He is a Senior Specialist Weight Management and Bariatric Dietitian with over 19 years of clinical experience, and he holds a PhD in medicine from Imperial College London. His research focuses on obesity, particularly weight stigma, processed foods, and the use of formula-based diets across diverse patient groups.
