330: The man leading a nutrition revolution among fire fighters

<div>"I've always realised the power of physical fitness, ever since I was very young," says Dr Greg Lessons, Health Improvement Lead at <a href="https://www.firefighterscharity.org.uk/">the Fire Fighters Charity</a>. "Being in the fire service, the food environment was leading me to gain body fat."<br> <br> Dr Lessons says it was not just the thought of losing some weight that got him interested in nutrition, he was interested in the other ways a healthy diet could help him and his colleagues.<br> <br> He says things like obesity and poor nutrition within the fire service are <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/podcast/why-is-the-uk-is-heading-towards-having-europes-highest-obesity-rate-food-podcasts/">reflective of wider society</a>, but that there are specific challenges that need to be addressed.<br> <br> In this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series, Dr Lessons explains all about his role at the Fire Fighters Charity and the path that led him to his current job.<br> <br> Initially, he wanted to be a Royal Marine and went to the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> to study Sports Science, as a way into the military at officer level.<br> <br> "It wasn't long after starting that I realised I didn't want to join the military after all," he says.<br> <br> So, he decided to carry on with his education before joining the fire service as a fire fighter.<br> <br> <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/live-event-series-careers/"><strong>Find out more about the up-coming Food Matters Live careers event series<br> </strong></a><br> When it comes to comparing the military to the fire service, Dr Lessons has this to say: "There are parallels, but in terms of what you actually do, it couldn't be further apart.<br> <br> "In the military, one of the main objectives is to injure and kill. As a fire fighter, you're doing the opposite, you're purely trying to rescue people.<br> <br> "That appealed more to my nature."<br> <br> Listen to the full episode to find out why, after 17 years, he de