Do you know what you're eating? Doctor turned farmer to investigate crops versus calories

In doing so, Dr Fraser, who recently completed her foundation training as a junior doctor at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, is setting out to understand how UK farmers can be rewarded for agricultural practices that promote the nutrient density of the food they produce.

Since 1980, farming charity the Yorkshire Agricultural Society has sponsored Nuffield Farming Scholarships which provide the opportunity to study and travel abroad, meet like-minded people and explore cutting edge developments in the industry.

Dr Fraser will start by visiting Canada and the USA in the Spring. She plans to meet agricultural, scientific and academic experts to explore her study topic and will present her findings to peers to influence positive change within farming and the food supply chain.

Dr Fraser is not from a farming background, but she and husband Alex jumped at the chance to take up the tenancy of his family’s Denby Hall Farm four years ago which extends to more than 260 acres, and they have recently taken on another farm, Jowett House Farm, which is 200 acres.

With a keen interest in how farming impacts soil health, the couple, and his brother Rob, have built a successful organic arable farm, operating a simple system of growing grass-clover cover crops to lock nitrogen into the soil and promote healthy root structures, in rotation with cereal crops.

They have adopted minimum tillage to limit disturbance and are about to introduce an agroforestry farming system which will involve planting 3,500 trees in strips alongside cereal crops to further improve soil quality and promote biodiversity.

Dr Fraser said: “My ambition is to help bridge the gap between food producers and healthcare providers. My interest in the nutrient density of food comes from over six years of medical training and two years working as a junior doctor. The degree of chronic disease is huge and the impact on people’s quality of life is massive.

“There is a movement now around ‘lifestyle medicine’ which looks at the role of exercise, sleep, mental health, and the food we eat. My study will look at whether farmers can farm in particular ways to produce more nutritionally dense food, what relationships we need to build, as farmers, with supermarkets and the wider supply chain, and what we need as consumers. Ultimately, if we can produce and consume more nutrient dense food, this could be a way of helping patients suffering from chronic disease.”

Hannah believes consumers can be fixated on calorie counting and macronutrients when making dietary choices, however it is micronutrients and photochemicals that are essential for health, but often lacking in our modern-day diet.

Hannah said: “As consumers, we are stabbing in the dark about what food we are putting on our plates and what nutrients are there. We all know how many calories we are supposed to eat, but we need to make sure that what we are eating also has the right nutrients.

Allister Nixon, Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society said: “Sponsoring Nuffield Farming Scholarships is an important part of how the Yorkshire Agricultural Society continually invests in the personal and professional development of farmers in Yorkshire, and the advancement of the agricultural industry.

“We are proud to sponsor Hannah’s Scholarship journey. Hannah has a clear passion for her study topic, which is a crucial research area for the future of farming and for our health. We look forward to following Hannah’s progress and sharing what she learns along the way.”