Ok fine let’s talk about Ozempic. 

Welcome to the MHD newsletter. A 3 minute weekly read where you will be encouraged to get reflective with a journal prompt, have relevant reading suggestions with a new book each month for our read-along book club. Hear about nutrition in the news and what we have going on over in team MHD. 

Weekly check in: 

Happy Friday. I hope that your week has gone well and you can celebrate the small wins you had. Our win this week is that Mental Health Dietitians is now over 1 month old, the baby is growing! Thank you for your support so far and stay tuned to hear about the projects we have coming up. 

Journal prompt:

What small win can I celebrate and be proud of myself for? 

Take a moment to reflect and feel a sense of accomplishment, often while leading busy lives and being in the process of lots of things we can forget to pause. This is your time to celebrate yourself. 

Nutrition in the news: 

This week’s nutrition in the news starts our conversation on Ozempic/ weight loss drugs. To be honest I have tried to avoid this conversation but I think now is a good time to highlight the risks with these kinds of drugs. As always it is not about shaming individuals, but is a criticism of the drug companies and the system overall.

This Guardian article highlights concerns around the use of weight loss injections for getting ‘holiday ready’ and for aesthetic reasons. With an increase in reports of serious adverse reactions and hospitalisations for this use. The Medical Director of the NHS has issued a warning and highlighted that these drugs should only be used under medical supervision. 

Unfortunately, these drugs are highly accessible.

It is easy to buy them without medical supervision. A quick google search and I was able to complete a short online questionnaire to be able to add this to my cart… Utterly terrifying. 

There has to be restrictions placed on the accessibility of these drugs. With the worrying reports of dangerous side effects, hopefully they will start to tighten up the access soon.

But guess what? The companies are making a killing. Novonordisk- the original developer of the drug has grown rapidly, now on it’s way to be valued at $1Trillion. Undoubtedly why it is so easy to buy these drugs. It always comes back to money doesn’t it…

Podcast recommendations: 

Today we have two recommendations for you:

1. Gillian Anderson on the How to Fail Podcast S18 Ep7. 

I loved listening to Gillian’s resistance to being influenced by diet culture. It was also a powerful reflection on her body image through the years. When younger she had a difficult time with her body, but looking back on photos she can see how beautiful she was.

2. Maintenance Phase podcast on Ozempic 

I suggested another maintenance phase episode last month but have to recommend this one as it relates to this weeks’ ‘Nutrition in the News’. 

Maintenance phase is a podcast by Aubrey Gordon (activist and writer) and Michael Hobbes (journalist) that debunks wellness and health fads. This was a passionate and well researched episode on Ozempic. Or more accurately on WeGovy/ the use of Semaglutide for weight loss. It is a helpful episode to understand how it works and why it is not the solution to the ‘obesity crisis’ that it is being touted as.

Book of the month

July’s Book of the month, as chosen by your votes:

If you haven’t ordered this/ found it in your local library then here is your reminder to join our read-along. 

I feel that it is an especially important read, among all the press on weight loss drugs. With lots of people accessing the injections to get ‘beach body ready’. It is time for a mass repair of the relationship we have with our bodies.

That’s all from us this week, back again same time next week.

Look after yourself <3

Sophie and the team at Mental Health Dietitians.