Gestational Diabetes – how do I reduce my risk of getting it again?

This blog was co-written by Lana Hirth, Postnatal Dietitian, and Alessandra Rigoli, student dietitian.

Did you have gestational diabetes in your first pregnancy? Are you worried it will come back again for your second? 

Women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes in their first pregnancy are 30-69% more likely (Noctor et al. 2015) to develop it again in their next pregnancy. Whilst this may sound a bit scary – fear not! There are many ways to manage diabetes during and after pregnancy to reduce your risk of developing it again.

Continue reading “Gestational Diabetes – how do I reduce my risk of getting it again?”

Reduce your risk of developing preeclampsia with food 

This blog was co-written by Lana Hirth, Postnatal Dietitian, and Meher Vatvani, nutritionist and student dietitian.

If you have had preeclampsia during your first pregnancy, you may be wondering “Is there anything I can do to reduce my risk of developing preeclampsia for baby #2?”

We’re here for you! This blog post breaks down what preeclampsia is and more importantly, what you can do with your food and the way you eat to reduce your risk of developing preeclampsia. 

Continue reading “Reduce your risk of developing preeclampsia with food “

7 healthy habits anyone could do (recommended by dietitians)

Finding the truth among the false information and fad diets can be tricky.  I’m all about keeping it simple. I asked seven dietitians to share their top tip for healthy eating, and they delivered!

Do you do any of these tips already? Maybe pick one and start making a small change this week. Remember, all it takes is small sustainable changes – that’s what really leads to lifelong habits (no crash diets here!).

Continue reading “7 healthy habits anyone could do (recommended by dietitians)”

Why the elderly can eat anything they want

This article was originally published on The Nutrition Press.

Over 75? Forget counting calories, and make sure you take a second slice of cake!

This probably contradicts what you’ve been taught your whole life—to focus on eating a variety of fruit, veg, dairy, protein and whole grains, and to eat ‘sometimes foods’ sometimes. We know that too many sweets and snacks can be bad for our health over the long term. Is this just another case of health professionals changing their minds? And more importantly, why can grandma have twice as much cake as me?

Let’s compare a newborn baby to a fourteen-year-old boy. Both need to eat to survive, but it would be ridiculous to impose one way of eating upon both of them. Imagine how ridiculous it would be telling a teenage boy to drink six bottles of baby formula a day, and then imagine trying to fit everything a teenage boy eats into a three-week old child’s stomach! Everyone has different dietary requirements—there is no ‘one size fits all’ eating style.

Continue reading “Why the elderly can eat anything they want”

7 simple pictures to master healthy eating

The supermarket aisles are full of bright colours and confusing labels. High protein! Low-carb! Sugar-free! 

You could spend hours comparing products, and deciding what’s for dinner. What do you buy? What’s a portion? Do you focus on salt or sugar? Carbs or fat? 

It’s exhausting and to be honest, more complicated than what it needs to be.

aintnobodygottimeforthat

So to make it easier, here are my favourite pictures and hacks (because who doesn’t love a good picture!).

Continue reading “7 simple pictures to master healthy eating”

Why I don’t make friends with salad

Have you ever done these things?

  • Dreaded the bitter, floppy lettuce leaf mix they call a side salad
  • Put off a health kick because you can’t stand “rabbit food”
  • Eaten a container of salad and felt hungry and dissatisfied afterwards

If you have, you’re not alone.
Continue reading “Why I don’t make friends with salad”

Vegetarians: what nutrients could you be missing out on?

When you remove any food from your diet, you’re at risk of nutrient deficiency. When you remove meat from your diet, you may not only be low in protein, but many other nutrients too.

Ethical reasons aside, there are many health benefits to the vegetarian diet – but I’ve always wondered what exactly makes a vegetarian diet healthy. There are different vegetarians but overall there are key nutrients to pay attention to. These include iron, B12 and a few others.

It’s possible to be a vegetarian (and do it well). Continue reading “Vegetarians: what nutrients could you be missing out on?”

Are you getting enough nutrients?

You’ve decided you want to eat healthy and go back to basics. Ultimately, nutrients are all you need. But what are nutrients, what are RDIs and how do they all relate to my health?

There’s protein, carbohydrates, fats and fibre. Then all the vitamins – vitamin A, B group vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D and a few others. What about minerals – are you getting the right amount of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium or selenium? There are recommendations – but that’s a lot to keep track of.

What about individual variation? You might be tall or short, active or inactive, eat three large meals a day or have small meals and snacks continuously throughout the day.

Do you need to count your nutrient intake to be healthy? Continue reading “Are you getting enough nutrients?”

Make healthy simple – get back to basics

You want to shed a few kilos. You want to run for the bus without a bright red face. You may feel guilty after the greasy feeling of finishing a bucket of fried chicken. You may want to eat healthy, perhaps trying to eat from the different food groups. 

Whatever your reason, deciding to be healthy is a great decision. Continue reading “Make healthy simple – get back to basics”