Mr. Manuel Attard is a registered dietitian and a visiting lecturer in nutritional sciences. He holds a degree in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Malta, a degree in Nutrition & Dietetics from London Metropolitan University and a Masters in Human Nutrition from the University of Glasgow.
Throughout his five years of training in the United Kingdom, Mr. Attard had the opportunity to practice at specialist hospitals including Royal Brompton Hospital and Harefield Transplant Hospital. Mr. Attard is registered with the Council for the Professions Complementary to Medicine (CPCM Malta) as both a dietitian and nutritionist, and he is also a qualified fitness instructor (Level 2 YMCA Award, UK).
He has also successfully completed a number of specialist courses abroad, such as the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism’s “Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care” (Poland, 2016), the International Society of Renal Nutrition & Metabolism’s “Renal Total Nutrition Therapy” (Italy, 2018), and the British Dietetic Association’s “Parenteral Nutrition Course” (United Kingdom, 2019). He is the first Maltese person to successfully complete Monash University’s Low FODMAP Diet training and be listed in their international FODMAP-Trained Dietitians Directory.
Mr. Attard’s extensive expertise ranges from weight management and sports performance, to specialised medical conditions such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, food allergies and intolerances, gastrointestinal and inflammatory disorders, renal and hepatic diseases, oncology, respiratory conditions and artificial nutrition.
As everyone’s needs are different, Mr. Attard is a staunch believer that there is no one-size-fits-all diet. Therefore, his consultations are exclusively tailored to each client according to their medical condition, personalised physiological requirements, as well as their likes and dislikes.
Frequently Asked Question: What is the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist?
Registered Dietitians are the only legally recognized and externally regulated degree-level graduates in nutrition and dietetics having done internships in recognised hospitals. Dietitians are the only professionals that can prescribe diets to individuals who have medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and so on (and of course they can also prescribe diets to healthy individuals). The title ‘Dietitian’ is legally protected.
On the other hand, nutritionists have not necessarily finished an internship or hold a degree in dietetics. Nutritionists cannot consult patients who have medical conditions so they can only work with people who are well, without any known existing medical conditions, to prevent disease.
After qualifying as a nutritionist, Mr. Attard specialised as a Dietitian in London over the course of four years. During this time, he gained the necessary theoretical and practical expertise to be able to prescribe diets for individuals with medical conditions.