About us
We battle artificial nutrition, so we understand
Our mission is to provide a safe space where you can share your experiences, ask questions, and get support from others on a similar journey. Whether you are on parenteral nutrition (TPN), tube feeding or another kind of artificial nutrition, you are not alone.
The gap we fill
When you start artificial nutrition, the medical side is planned for you. There are people who campaign for patients, and there are groups who organise activities and days out. Those all matter.
What nobody hands you is support for how it feels. The anger and grief at losing food. The loneliness of a world built around eating. The fear about infections and the future. The strain on the partners, parents, children and friends who love you.
When I was at my lowest, I was told again and again where to go for help, and each time the answer was that mental health support was not something they offered. That is the gap The Battles of Nutrition is here to fill, for people on artificial nutrition and for the people beside them.
We believe in the power of community and the importance of mutual support. Let's uplift each other, celebrate our resilience and face the challenges of nutritional battles together.
The Battles of Nutrition
Our values
- Compassion
- Connection
- Resilience
- Hope
- Empowerment
(you choose which one)
Founder
Daz (Darren Carter)
After years of health problems and many operations, I lost the ability to swallow on Christmas Day 2017. That led to an emergency Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in 2018.
My life on artificial nutrition began with a jejunostomy tube (a J-tube). In 2020, because of pain and serious weight loss, I moved to TPN through a Hickman line, and I have lived on it ever since.
Living on artificial nutrition has been hard for me and for my family. It changed our everyday life, our traditions and the time we spend together. I want to raise awareness of the daily struggles people on artificial nutrition face, and push for better understanding from healthcare professionals, especially about mental health.
Before all this I was a structural glazing engineer. Now I spend my time walking, taking on challenges, and building this community. The work won an EMVAS Volunteer Award in 2024, after being nominated three years running.
Want to help?
We are rebuilding, and there is room for people who want to be part of it: volunteers, people with lived experience, carers, and healthcare professionals who understand the gap. Get in touch.
If you are struggling right now
You do not have to wait until it gets worse. Please talk to someone today.
- SamaritansCall 116 123, free, any time
- ShoutText SHOUT to 85258
- NHS 111Call 111 and choose the mental health option
- Your nutrition teamFor anything about your feed, tube or line
- EmergencyCall 999