Everything you need to know about me.
I am Registered Dietitian and accredited Diabetes Educator. I qualified at the age of 20 and immediately immersed herself in the field of clinical nutrition. My focus is on assessing a patient’s individual status and tailoring a nutrition regime which accommodates those needs. There is no such thing as a universal diet that suits everyone. The only perfect diet is the one that you can follow and that helps you achieve your personal goals. The latest research has focused on DNA analysis, the benefits of macronutrient manipulation, depending on your genotype and various forms of intermittent fasting. This takes the guess work out of deciding which plan to follow and a personalized plan can then be formulated. My fields of expertise include diabetes and women’s health, from pregnancy through to menopause and beyond. The incidence of both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes have increased dramatically in the last 25 years, and continues to climb at an alarming rate. Type 2 diabetes is of particular significance because effective treatment, management and education of these patients can virtually restore pancreatic function to normality if addressed timeously. I am passionate about ensuring my patients receive the most up-to-date information regarding their medications and remain motivated to help improve their diet and lifestyle choices as we all know this can dramatically improve their quality of life going forward.
However, there isn’t a subject in nutrition that I have not covered in my years in clinical practice and I have experience in most areas. Obesity and heart disease are part and parcel of the diabetic pathophysiology and therefore any individual, male or female, who is experiencing any form of vascular disease, overweight and has been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome should engage in nutritional and lifestyle intervention. Auto-immune diseases are also an area of interest and as the epidemiology of these sometimes seriously debilitating conditions rises, so does the research and clinical evidence supporting the implementation of appropriate and possible life-changing nutritional modifications. In recent years, I have become more involved with the women’s health throughout the stages from planning for a family through to menopause. We live in an age of hyper-information, so it is important to unpack what supplements, which foods and which dietary patterns will enable us to be the best version of ourselves. I look forward to the future and what my learnings as well as my contribution can be to health and wellness in every sense.
Bachelor of Science in Nutrition & Dietetics: University of Natal,
Pietermaritzburg. South Africa
Diploma in Hospital Dietetics: University of Pretoria, South Africa
Research Dietitian in Department of Internal Medicine
(HF Verwoerd Hospital, now Steve Biko Hospital, Pretoria), South Africa
Diploma in Herbal Medicine: University of East London, London, United
Kingdom
Diploma in Diabetes Management: University of South Wales, Cardiff,
United Kingdom
Certificate of Competence in Travel Medicine through the South African
Society of Travel
Medicine (SASTM)
Nutrigenomics: Manuka – DNAlysis course
FODMAP course for the treatment of IBS: Monash University
Optifast Registered Dietician
Discovery Vitality Nutrition Assessments