Nutritionist Eleanor Beck Wants You to Eat More Whole Grains
Eleanor Beck studied biochemistry in undergrad, but she hated working in the lab.
Thankfully, by the time she had finished her undergraduate studies she had completed the necessary classes for entry into a dietetics graduate program. It didn’t hurt that she had always liked the idea of working in a hospital.
Beck attended Queensland University of Technology to study dietetics under course coordinator Sandra Capra. Capra would go on to Chair the International Confederation of Dietetics Association. “Sandra was a brilliant teacher and her obvious enthusiasm made lectures fun. We always wanted to attend, and we always learned so much in every class,” says Beck, adding, “Now when I teach dietetics students, I try and think that if you can encourage people to have an enthusiasm to learn, then that will last them a lifetime.”
After achieving her graduate diploma, Beck worked as a dietitian in hospitals for six years before changing her role to that of Clinical Educator at llawarra Area Health Service and the University of Wollongong. “I enjoyed teaching students in the hospital but doing small amounts of teaching at university was a new challenge,” says Beck.
Beck was soon due for an even greater challenge. “My partner at that time, who was a dietitian and had just completed his Ph.D., came home one day and said there was a scholarship available working on a project on beta-glucan and satiety,” explains Beck. At the time, Beck was working part-time and taking care of her three young children, ages 2, 4, and 6. “I told him he was ridiculous, but I went to the meeting — came home and I was enrolled in a Ph.D.!” she says.
During her Ph.D., Beck studied the satiety effects of beta-glucan and connected with respected research scientists Susan M. Tosh and Peter J. Wood. Beck credits being a mature-age Ph.D. student as giving her boldness to network with established names in the field. She received her Ph.D. in 2009 and went on to be the Manager of Accreditation, Recognition, and Education Services at the Dietitians Association of Australia. Since 2012, Beck has been Associate Professor and now Professor at the University of Wollongong and now serves as the Discipline Leader of Nutrition & Dietetics.
Today, Beck is studying the differential effects of whole grain compared to cereal fiber alone and examining how whole grain definitions might affect the quantification of health effects. She says, “I am still doing some clinical trial work — looking at cereal fiber and whole grain intake and the microbiome in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.”
From Beck’s perspective, nutrition literacy is one of the most pressing issues facing her field today. Scientists trained in nutrition and dietetics compete with an enormous amount of misinformation. Education founded on the science is essential for improving health outcomes. “Nutrition and dietetics professionals need to be educators of the educators — teachers, nurses and doctors — as well as the general public,” states Beck.
The health benefits of whole grain consumption are a key message for nutrition education. At the University of Wollongong, Beck and her colleagues are doing research about public perception of cereals and grains. The research shows that many people are uneasy about the carb content in cereals and grains. Beck adds, “Our research also says that consumers do not really know what a whole grain is and what the health benefits are.” There is a lot of opportunity for positive messaging around whole grain consumption because, as Beck explains, the message is “eat more” rather than the “eat less” message that the public is constantly given.
A champion of the profession, Beck continues to be involved with the Dietitians Association of Australia, working to advocate for her peers amidst the more male-dominated fields of biochemistry and physiology. Beck is also a member of Cereals & Grains Association. “Cereals & Grains, or AACCI as I always knew it, adds a very important dimension,” says Beck. She sees networking at conferences as critical for collaboration and mutual learning. In 2008, Beck attended her first Cereals & Grains Association annual meeting in Hawaii. Beck states, “I don’t believe I would be anywhere in grains research if I had not attended my first AACC meeting and met Peter Wood and Susan Tosh face-to-face. When I go to a Cereals & Grains meeting of any type, I stay up-to-date with the whole range of grains issues — literally from farm to plate.”
The Nutrition Division meetings at Cereals & Grains Association’s annual meetings create a space for dietitians and nutritionists to share knowledge and support their colleagues who are also investigating the health effects of grains. “No one can work in isolation. Australia might feel that more than many places,” says Beck. Modern communication tools are very helpful, but technology doesn’t replace the network of Cereals & Grains Association and the collaboration that is facilitated at the meetings. Beck states, “I am most definitely not a cereal chemist, but Cereals & Grains has allowed me to work with such people such that we all learn from each other.”
The cereals and grains community is fortunate that Beck found her way out of that undergraduate biochemistry lab and into the world of nutrition and dietetics. She is a strong ally in the promotion of whole grain consumption and Cereals & Grains Association is proud to have her as a member.
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