Alongside my private practice, I work as a Lead Principal Dietitian for a hospital on the South Coast, and previously for 5 years up to April 2023 as a paediatric dietitian at Great Ormond Street Hospital for children where I was Clinical Lead for the Feeding and Eating Disorder Service. Prior to these roles, I worked in Acute and community NHS settings and also at a boarding school for children with severe epilepsy.
I graduated from the University of Surrey with a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics and I am a Registered Dietitian (RD). After a period in adult dietetics I have undertaken additional training in paediatrics, taking three MSc Modules in Paediatric Dietetics at the University of Plymouth. I have specialised in paediatrics for the last 12 years.
I have undertaken additional training in a number of areas, including autistic spectrum disorder/ADHD, ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder), allergy, neurodisability, coeliac disease, diabetes, eating disorders and weight management. Clinical practice is constantly evolving and I regularly attend study days, meetings and conferences to keep my practice up to date.
Alongside my clinical practice I am also a regular contributor to the media, appearing as a dietitian on the TV, radio and written press. I have written a regular column for Arthritis Digest looking at links between nutrition and health and have contributed to a number of TV programmes behind the scenes and on camera. I also work with food companies in product development and recipe analysis. In 2019 I was awarded BDA Media Spokesperson of the Year.
When not working, I am a wife, mother of three children and a keen musician, performing in a number of local orchestras and choirs. I also love to cycle and of course cook, invent and adapt recipes and eat!
Clare Thornton-Wood RD 