Rosemary Alison Stanton (née Finley) (born 5 June 1944, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian

nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disciplines. In many c ...

and

dietician A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of ca ...

, known for her media appearances.

Biography

Stanton has been called "the first 'celebrity' dietitian". As of 2018, Stanton had written 33 books, including several textbooks, many scientific papers and over 3500 articles. She has been a regular guest on many TV programs, including The Investigators and the Checkout (ABC) and was a presenter on

Burke's Backyard ''Burke's Backyard'' was an Australian gardening and lifestyle series presented by horticulturist Don Burke, broadcast on both radio and television. On television, it was a regular weekly series on the Nine Network from 12 September 1987 to 26 ...

. Stanton was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 1998 for her services to community health. She has been awarded an honorary doctorate for her many publications and role in public health, and is a

Visiting Fellow In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...

in the School of Medical Sciences at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

. During her childhood, Stanton's family were members of the

Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and non-conformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where they originated from Anglicanism. The group emphasizes ...

. While Stanton had wanted to go to university to become a medical doctor, this was not permitted, so she left the sect. She took up a cadetship with the

NSW Department of Health The New South Wales Ministry of Health, branded NSW Health, is a ministerial department of the New South Wales Government. NSW Health supports the executive and statutory roles of the Minister for Health, the Minister for Regional Health, an ...

and studied Science, majoring in biochemistry and pharmaceutical Chemistry. She then completed post-graduate qualifications in nutrition and dietetics at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

and

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (abbreviated RPAH or RPA) is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown. It is a teaching hospital of the Central Clinical School of the Sydney Medical School ...

. Stanton worked at the NSW Department of Health in University vacations from 1962-66 and then permanently from 1966 to 1968. Stanton had a regular column in ''Cleo'' from its first issue and also wrote for many other magazines. Stanton is well known for her criticism of sugary drinks, junk foods, supplements with unproven claims and has been described as "renowned for her no-nonsense approach to nutrition advice". She is an advocate for the Stephanie Alexander School Kitchen Garden Program and for

organic food Organic food, ecological food or biological food are food and drinks produced by methods complying with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resources, promote ecological ...

, arguing that it has fewer contaminants and that production of organic food is less damaging to the environment. Stanton was a member of the National Health and Medical Research Council's Dietary Guidelines Working Committee, which revised the federal

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

's Australian Dietary Guidelines. Stanton also received the Food Media Nutrition Writers Award in 2008, 2001 and 1995.http://connectweb.com.au/view-biography.aspx?pid=10754&p=WWA

Who's Who in Australia ''Who's Who in Australia'' (''WWIA'') is an Australian biographical dictionary first published by Fred Johns in 1906 as ''Johns's Notable Australians''. It is used as a resource for summary information on prominent Australians. ''WWIA'' is part of ...

- Online edition (subscription required) She writes for ''

The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Harrison Ford, Teri Garr, and Rober ...

'' and is part of their Community Council.

Biography

References

Further reading