Case Study: Renee McGregor
At a glance
Renee is a leading Sports Dietitian with over 20 years of experience working in clinical and performance nutrition. She has managed sport science teams leading into the Rio 2016 and provided team management on numerous occasions at major championships in a variety of sports.
Renee’s journey into STEM
Renee did Biology, Maths and Chemistry A levels, then studied Nutritional Biochemistry at university. After that, Renee did a post graduate degree in Dietetics and another post graduate degree in Applied Sports Nutrition! Renee also did some training in mental health and neuroscience.
Supporting athletes with their fuel and nutrition
Renee is the Nutrition Lead for both the English and Scottish National Ballet where she was actively involved in producing the consensus statement about the management of REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) in Dance. She is also on the international Task Force for Orthorexia and is a names author on the consensus document on definition and diagnostic criteria for Orthorexia Nervosa. She is one of the leading voices in the country in Athlete Health, The Female Athlete, REDs and hormonal health. She works with a number of other teams and brands, on a consultancy basis providing expert support on REDs, and ensuring nutritional and clinical guidance for both performance and health.
Renee is the founder of Team Renee McGregor, managing a leading multi-disciplinary team of practitioners, specialising in supporting individuals of all ages in their sporting endeavours and providing expert advice to athletes seeking support for a dysfunctional relationship with food and training. This is reflected in her work on social media too, priding herself on proving an educational hub for both the professional and everyday athlete.
Renee is also a best-selling author, with her most recent book, More Fuel You which is already on its 3rd print run since publication in June 2022. She writes a monthly column for Runners World and is often asked to comment and provide technical support on documentaries, news and media. She was the clinical advisor for the BBC documentary, Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia.
Renee’s day to day work
Most days, Renee works with athletes who either need support with their nutrition to improve their training and performance, or who may have a slightly more complex relationship with food and exercise. One morning a week she ensures that she provides support and training to the team who work in her clinic. Once a month she delivers sessions to other sports environments, for example an athletics clubs. She also spends some time each week writing as she has a regular column in Runner’s World and other blogs she contributes to. Renee loves the variety of things she does in her job, but also:
The fact that I make a difference and often help athletes achieve their goals in a healthy and appropriate manner.
Renee’s STEM attributes
Renee is self-motivated as she needs to manage a large team. She is open-minded because every athlete she works with is like a puzzle that needs working out. Sometimes Renee’s days can be very long and tiring so she needs to be passionate about her work.
Being passionate helps me to remember my why.
Renee also describes herself as curious, as she likes to listen and hear the full story in order to provide support and appropriate solutions for the athlete, and a good communicator as it is important to get full engagement with the athlete. Renee is collaborative as she needs to work with coaches and other sport science team members including psychologists and medics.
Inspiring people to get outdoors
Renee is a Montane athlete and a trustee for Black Trail Runners, supporting and advocating the importance of increased diversity and accessibility to minority groups to the outdoors. When not inspiring others with her incredible work, Renee can be found running the mountains and chasing the trails, around her home in The Lake District. In 2022 she became British Trail Running Champion in her age group over the short course and 3rd female at The Spine Sprint. In 2024 she came 4th female and had a top 10 finish, racing in Upper Mustang, Nepal. In 2025 she finished in the top 10% at Lakeland 50.
Renee’s advice to young people is:
Remember its okay to make mistakes because this is actually how we learn. It is rare that you will find the job you love instantly, it takes trail and error and eventually you will work out what makes you happy and provides you with purpose.
This case study is featured in our STEM Person of the Week 2025 set. You can download the whole set, which includes a poster of Renee using this link.
Job: Specialist Sports Dietitian
Key Attributes: passionate, collaborative, open-minded
Qualifications: Post graduate degrees in Dietetics and Applied Sports Nutrition
