Emily McKee bio

Hi, I’m Emily and I’m one of the dietitians working for The Vegan Society

My Background

I knew I wanted to work in healthcare from a relatively young age and went to university in 2011 to study human biology. I found that the topics that interested me most were biochemistry, medicine and nutrition, so I went on to study dietetics as a postgraduate course. Nutritional science is fascinating, and often more complicated than people expect. I really enjoy being able to delve into research and then use my knowledge to support and empower people to make decisions about their nutritional health.

My Vegan Journey

I had previously been vegetarian, but unfortunately was pretty unaware when it came to the realities of how we exploit non-human animals in other industries and through our day-to-day choices. I met a friend at university who had been vegan for several years, after which I started to ask questions and look into other areas of non-human animal use. I was pretty horrified and once I learned each piece of information, couldn’t unlearn it. It was a lightbulb moment and there was no going back: I couldn’t align my personal ethics with anything other than going vegan.

In the years since, I have focused many aspects of my life around my vegan ethics. I have spent time volunteering at a sanctuary for rescued farm animals. I rescue (and sometimes foster, but it’s hard to let go!) small animals, who are so often overlooked in terms of their care needs. I think it’s important to engage in a vegan life in a way that brings joy and the feeling of making a difference, as living in a non-vegan world can be otherwise overwhelming.

My Career as a Dietitian

I graduated from my postgraduate degree in dietetics in 2017 and started working in a hospital setting in the National Health Service (NHS). I initially worked across several clinical areas including gastroenterology, HIV, respiratory medicine and as part of a dietetic research team at a large hospital in Birmingham. In 2019 I specialised in renal dietetics in Coventry, a role I particularly enjoyed and remained in until I joined The Vegan Society in 2024.

Working for The Vegan Society

Working as a dietitian for The Vegan Society has given me the opportunity to use my skills in nutritional counselling, knowledge in clinical nutrition and research skills to work towards my hope for a vegan future; one in which non-human animals are no longer used or harmed by humans. Part of achieving this goal is helping more people to go and stay vegan. Providing accurate, realistic and evidence-based nutrition education that supports peoples’ health and wellbeing in line with their ethical principles is the cornerstone of my work.

Whilst many of us, including myself, are primarily vegan for the animals it is also true that well-planned vegan diets are health-promoting and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Recent research by The Vegan Society  shows that if everyone in England switched to a vegan diet it could save the NHS £6.7 billion per year. As dietitians for The Vegan Society we have the opportunity to further normalise plant-based eating for everyone, which comes with the potential to enact powerful changes to human health.

I’m so pleased to be here to support you all. For more information on vegan nutrition you can start by checking out our resources at vegansociety.com/nutrition