Dr Malcolm Mackay – General medical practice and lifestyle medicine
Dr Malcolm Mackay is a General Practitioner with more than 35 years of experience in medical practice. He has a broad range of skills across the full spectrum of general practice and lifestyle medicine. Dr Mackay has a special interest in preventing, treating and reversing chronic disease with whole foods plant-based nutrition and other evidence-based lifestyle interventions. He provides Lifestyle Medicine and Telehealth consultations for patients across Australia. He works with patients who wish to take a nutrition and lifestyle approach to optimise their health
Book a telehealth consultation
Malcolm and his nutritionist partner Jenny maintain a website of information and resources for plant-based nutrition and provide seminars and webinars. Malcolm and his team run a lifestyle medicine program, available as a 7-day Immersion retreat.
Future events:
- 7-day Lifestyle Medicine immersion retreat – 16th-23rd March 2025.
- Plant-based nutrition webinar series: 4 sessions over 2 1/2 weeks, next series starts 30th March 2025.
Services
Medical:
- Consultations (in person)
- Telehealth consultations (within Australia)
Educational:
- Nutrition one-day seminars
- Nutrition & lifestyle immersion retreats
- Workplace nutrition programs
- Webinars
- Available for speaking events
Qualifications & Training
Medical degree
- BMBS – Flinders University (1984)
Additional training
- Graduate Diploma in Human Nutrition – Deakin University (1993)
- Board Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician (IBLM)
- Plant Based Nutrition Certificate – eCornell
- Certificate of Sports Medicine (ASMF/RACGP)
Professional affiliations
- Fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine
- Doctors for Nutrition – GP Resources Advisor
Melbourne Lifestyle MedicineVisit our new Lifestyle Medicine website
Recent conferences
- International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference USA September 2024
- Doctors For Nutrition Conference, Melbourne, February 2023
- Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine Conference, Cairns, July 2022
Presenter
- Doctors For Nutrition Conference, Melbourne, February 2023
- Doctors For Nutrition Conference, Melbourne, February 2019 (workshop presenter)
- Veg and Vines Lifestyle Medicine Conference, Gisbourne NZ, January 2019 (conference presenter)
Speaker and host:
- 7-day Immersion retreats in the Yarra Valley, Victoria:
Next one: 16th-23rd March 2025
Podcasts & interviews
- Dr Mackay does occasional live streams from his YouTube channel Plant Based Health Australia. Click on the link to view recent live streams.
- The SOS-Free Advantage of Plant-Based Nutrition with Dr. Malcolm Mackay – Health Science Podcast with Dr Frank Sabatino, January 2024
- Is Oil Healthy? Dr Malcolm Mackay and Jenny Cameron – IBD Heal/High Carb Health, March 2022. Also on YouTube and Spotify
- Dr Malcolm Mackay & Jenny Cameron – Melbourne Lifestyle Medicine – Lentil Intervention Podcast (now Planet Pulse Pacific podcast), September 2021 (53 mins)
- Jenny Cameron & Dr Malcolm Mackay On A Guide To A Healthy Plant Based Diet – The Plant Paradigm Podcast #90, June 2021 (1hr 18 min)
- Dr Malcolm Mackay an Australian Plant Based Doctor – interview with Chef AJ, August 2020
- Dr Malcolm Mackay on nutrition and lifestyle for Covid-19 – presentation given on 4th August 2020
- The Benefits of a Healthy Plant-Based Lifestyle, Dr Malcolm Mackay – Rheumatoid Solutions podcast (also available as video) with Clint Paddison, March 2020
For more information about whole foods plant based nutrition, visit my other website and associated Facebook page:
It’s often said that if you eat enough whole plant foods to meet your energy needs, you will get enough protein. But what if you eat less because you have a lot of weight to lose, or include olive oil in your diet because you have been told it’s 'heart healthy'? The recently updated ‘Protein needs’ page on our website drills down on these and other issues as we consider adult protein requirements.![]()
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We considered the scenario of a female consuming only 1200kcal per day to get down to a healthy weight range of about 60kg. At this level of calorie restriction, protein intake would need to be 16% of calories to meet the recommended intake of 0.8g/kg. Our male equivalent of 1600kcal requires 14% protein. A typical whole foods, plant-based diet may only provide 12% calories from protein. This led us to conclude that during prolonged periods of weight loss, dietary adjustments, such as consuming more legumes, may be necessary to meet the recommended protein intake.![]()
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Many Mediterranean diet advocates recommend up to 3 tablespoons (60ml) of (extra virgin) olive oil per day. Need we remind you that olive oil, like any other extracted plant oil, is extremely high in calories and provides almost no nutrients – zero protein. We calculated that a typical 2000kcal diet of whole plant foods would provide 60g of protein, but if that 2000kcal included 3 tbsp of olive oil, protein intake would be reduced to 45.6g, falling below the requirements of an average-sized female.![]()
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Which whole plant foods are high in protein? Visit our ‘protein needs’ page for more information - www.wholefoodsplantbasedhealth.com.au/protein-needs/![]()
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NB Our recent live-stream on this topic is linked in the resources section of this page.![]()
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If you feel confused about all the conflicting nutrition advice out there, even among plant-based advocates, consider joining us at our 7-day immersion retreat starting 16th March. We look closely at the evidence for optimising your diet and lifestyle, along with feeding you delicious low-fat, low-salt whole food plant-based meals. Seven days is long enough to see and feel the benefit to your health, particularly when it comes to chronic pain. See details - www.wholefoodsplantbasedhealth.com.au/immersion/