The Pocket Dietitian

It’s THAT time of the year 🥲 Where the fad dieting industry puts all their money into marketing RIDICULOUS diets! Just me or is noom all over your social media at the moment?

So here are my top tips on how to identify a fad diet 🚩

🚩 It promises ridiculously fast results. Drastic weight loss is not healthy 🤯
🚩 It sounds too good to be true. There is no quick fix to health and well-being. It takes a lot of effort and motivation 🤎
🚩 It’s highly restrictive and limits food groups. Think keto, cutting out all carbs or only eating 3 boiled eggs a day 😭
🚩Lists “good” and “bad” foods. The only bad foods are the ones that are rotten or you’re allergic to ❌
🚩They’re expensive 💸If you have to find a second job or sell a kidney to keep up with your magic pill or shake there’s a good chance it’s a fad
🚩It makes questionable claims that aren’t backed by scientific evidence. Think juice detoxes to detoxify your liver 🤢
🚩If you see the word detox run do not walk 🏃🏼‍♀️

SAVE to come back to in a little while because the New Years resolutions are going to be coming in hard and fast 💥

2021 has been a YEAR! What do you need going into 2022?

Sending loads of self compassion to us all as we close 2021! ✨

#2022

Mental illness is one of the fastest rising health conditions 🧠 Current research has shown that nutrition can be used to help improve symptoms of depression and anxiety! Here are a few foods that are great for mental health and perfect to include in your everyday eating: 🐟 Omega 3 fats. Found in fatty fish such as salmon, trout, tuna and mackerel. It’s anti-inflammatory which is super important for brain health. Aim to eat fatty fish 2-3 times a week (more sushi YAY). Omega 3 is also found in plant based foods like chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and nuts but in very low doses so try to get in a good variety. If you’re unable to do this maybe consider an omega 3 supplement! 🌾 Fibre. This is great for your gut microbiome (bacteria living in your gut), which in turn is great for mental health. Whole-wheat products are high in fibre so try changing to brown bread, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and oats. Also remember to drink enough water when increasing your fibre intake to help with gut motility 💩 🥦 Fruits and veg. My personal all time favourite. These are high in loads of vitamins and minerals (zinc and magnesium are important for brain health) which have anti-inflammatory effects and brain protecting properties. They’re also great for fiber intake. Try aiming for 3 veg and 2 fruits a day!

Hi everyone, I’m Nicole! A registered dietitian based in Cape Town, South Africa 🇿🇦

I graduated with a Bsc. Dietetics with honours and am currently doing my Masters in nutrition 🍊

I am passionate about all things nutrition and all things people! I hope to inspire the every day (or lazy) human and help you navigate through all the nutrition information out there. I’m here to bust the myths and debunk all the fads ❗️