Tessa Funk Dietitian

Tessa Funk Dietitian Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD) and Accredited Nutritionist. I am passionate about helping oth

Navigating the world of nutrition can get a little (actually a whole lot) hazy with Diet Culture creating an obscure ver...
21/02/2022

Navigating the world of nutrition can get a little (actually a whole lot) hazy with Diet Culture creating an obscure version of reality when it comes to food and weight loss!

☝🏼Here are 4 quick examples of some Diet Culture BS that I have definitely fallen victim to in the past 🥲

What other diet culture myths have you seeped into your food beliefs in the past??

We know having a good nights sleep is important for so many different aspects of our health - both physical 💪🏾 + mental ...
20/07/2021

We know having a good nights sleep is important for so many different aspects of our health - both physical 💪🏾 + mental 🧠
Here's 4 nutritional strategies that may improve sleep duration and quality 😴

(1) Ikonte, C. J., Mun, J. G., Reider, C. A., Grant, R. W., & Mitmesser, S. H. (2019). Micronutrient Inadequacy in Short Sleep: Analysis of the NHANES 2005-2016. Nutrients, 11(10), 2335. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102335

(2) Lin, H. H., Tsai, P. S., Fang, S. C., & Liu, J. F. (2011). Effect of kiwifruit consumption on sleep quality in adults with sleep problems. Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 20(2), 169–174.

A little reminder for the start of your week 💫Taking care of your mental health is just as important - if not MORE impor...
14/06/2021

A little reminder for the start of your week 💫

Taking care of your mental health is just as important - if not MORE important - than looking after your physical health. Mental and physical health are so intertwined and normally when we let one go the other follows suit.

So if you haven't taken some time out of your week to fill up your cup this is your reminder 💛

As I mentioned in my last post, our body doesn't naturally absorb non-haem iron very efficiently. Here are a few ways th...
28/05/2021

As I mentioned in my last post, our body doesn't naturally absorb non-haem iron very efficiently.

Here are a few ways that you can optimise your iron absorption, especially if you are a plant-based eater, low in iron or are taking iron supplements:

1. Avoid consuming tea, coffee and cola with meals

2. Avoid taking supplements at breakfast if consuming bran-based cereal

3. Take iron supplements away from exercise, or ideally on a rest day. When we exercise our body produces a compound called hepcidin which is a natual iron-blocker and binds to iron export channels. Hence, consuming iron (either via food or supplements) away from exercise will increase your chances of absorbing more of the iron

4. pair your plant-based iron sources with a source of vitamin c. Vitamin c captures non-haem iron and stores it in a form that is more easily absorbed by your body. Foods high in vitamin c include citrus fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, capsicum and strawberries

✨SOURCES OF PLANT-BASED (non-haem) IRON✨Non-haem iron is found in some plant foods HOWEVER it is not as readily absorbed...
28/05/2021

✨SOURCES OF PLANT-BASED (non-haem) IRON✨

Non-haem iron is found in some plant foods HOWEVER it is not as readily absorbed by the body as haem iron. This means that plant-based eaters have to consume more than the recommended iron requirements as not al the iron in the food is being absorbed and utilised by the body!

There are some foods and nutrients that can help our bodies absorb iron and there are others that can inhibit it's absorption. (keep your 👀 peeled for my post detailing how you can optimise your iron absorption)

Lets talk about ✨ marketing✨...Marketing is a wonderful tool used to persuade customers to buy products and make you bel...
27/05/2021

Lets talk about ✨ marketing✨...

Marketing is a wonderful tool used to persuade customers to buy products and make you believe one product is better than another.

This new Coles "High Protein" Yoghurt is a perfect example of how marketing is used in the food industry to get customers to pay more 💸 for a product by making you believe it has superior benefits and nutritional value.

If we compare the High Protein Yogurt to the normal Light Greek Style Yoghurt you can see there is very minimal difference between the two 👀

Yes, the High Protein Yoghurt is higher in protein than the other, however this is only by 1.2g/100g. If you compared them based on a 200g serving then, yes, there is a more considerable difference. With the High Protein Yoghurt you get 15g for 148kcals vs. 12.6g for 164kcals. It could be argued that if you are on a tight calorie budget the High Protein Yoghurt may be better for your goals, but for most people the Light Greek Yogurt would be a more economical choice and calorie budgets could allow for a larger serve to hit protein requirements for your meal.

Another interesting point is that the Light Greek Yoghurt is quite a bit higher in calcium so if you are someone who is conscious of your calcium intake this is definitely something to consider!

At the end of the day, the differences between these two products are minor and neither product is superior to the other. So this is your reminder to be a bit more skeptical of front of package marketing!

✨SOURCES OF ANIMAL-BASED (aka. HAEM) IRON✨Iron is an essential mineral that carries oxygen around the body and is stored...
24/05/2021

✨SOURCES OF ANIMAL-BASED (aka. HAEM) IRON✨

Iron is an essential mineral that carries oxygen around the body and is stored in haemoglobin (red blood cells).

There are 2 different types of iron in the body: haem iron (found in animal foods) and non-haem iron (found in plant foods). Haem iron is the body's preferred form of iron and is absorbed 10 times more easily than non-haem iron.

Our iron requirements are:
Men >18yrs = 8 mg/day
Women 19ys50yrs = 8 mg/day

If you are not getting enough iron from your diet and your iron levels start to drop you may feel fatigued, have poor concentration, be quite pale, bruise easily, get more pronounced dark circles under your eyes and have an increased risk of infection.

We have been conditioned to believe that our self worth can be derived down to a single number written on some dodgy sca...
18/05/2021

We have been conditioned to believe that our self worth can be derived down to a single number written on some dodgy scales. So many of us give this number so much power to dictate how we feel and view ourselves!

Whilst we know weight isn't the most accurate indicator of body composition change, it can be so hard to shift our focus and break a habit that has been drilled into us for years.

Here are 5 other metrics that we can focus on when we are wanting to live a healthier lifestyle that are going to indicate you're making positive change! If you're someone that focus on your scale weight and its taking a toll on your mental health, try observing your energy levels and self-talk across the week. Reflect on it at the end of each day and give yourself a score out of 10 and see how it tracks across the week/month!

Super simple and colorful salad for this week’s lunches🌈 This quinoa and kale salad is packed full of hearty plant-based...
17/05/2021

Super simple and colorful salad for this week’s lunches🌈

This quinoa and kale salad is packed full of hearty plant-based goodness, including:

🌱kale
🌱pumpkin
🌱sweet potato
🌱pine nuts
🌱cherry tomato
🌱quinoa
🌱tahini
🌱lemon juice
🌱EVOO

⚡️A hot little tip if you’re working with kale - massage the kale with the dressing for a good few minutes. This will help to start to to “break down” the kale, making it more palatable and easier to digest! I used a combo of EVOO + lemon juice + tahini for my dressing!

Hope you’ve all had a great start to your week!

💛T

✨SOURCES OF CALCIUM: PART 2✨If you are plant-based there are still plenty of sources of calcium! Note that not all plant...
13/05/2021

✨SOURCES OF CALCIUM: PART 2✨

If you are plant-based there are still plenty of sources of calcium!

Note that not all plant-based milks will contain calcium - make sure you check the nutrition panel to make sure calcium is listed. Try and aim for plant milks with ~300mg 💪🏽

Similarly, only tofu that has been set using calcium sulfate so make sure you check the nutrition panel to see whether calcium is listed 😊

Another product review of a quick and easy dinner option! A big theme that was coming up with clients I've seen this wee...
12/05/2021

Another product review of a quick and easy dinner option!

A big theme that was coming up with clients I've seen this week was the obstacle of not having enough time to prepare meals. Whilst there are a number of different strategies to work around this, I'm a big fan of having some ready-to-go meals on hand for days where there is simply too much on or we are too tired to have to make a decision about what to cook and eat!

Soups are one of my favourite back-up meals to keep in the pantry, especially as the weather starts to get cooler. This Heinz Plant Proteinz is a new soup that I stumbled upon this week, so lets take a look at the nutrition 👀

✨ENERGY: 254 cals - quite low for a main meal so could pair with a piece of toast or extra source of protein to add bulk to the meal, depending on what your goal is.
✨PROTEIN: 17.2g - great amount of protein for a plant-based meal, especially considering the overall energy of the meal.
✨FAT: 6.3g (total), 3.3g (saturated) - relatively low, saturated fats expected as soup is made from a coconut cream base
✨CARBS: 29.4g (total), 7.3g (sugars) - sugars mainly coming from starchy vegetables. Brown sugar is listed as the second last ingredient so would be having a very minimal impact on the overall sugar content.
✨FIBRE: 5.6g - pretty good for the size of the soup
✨SODIUM: 910mg - almost 50% of daily intake which is quite high but to be expected in a shelf stable product (obviously not something I would recommend everyday but occasionally will be fine unless you have a specific health condition) 🤷🏿‍♀️

INGREDIENTS: I was actually quite surprised with the ingredients list with the vast majority being whole-foods. The top 3 ingredients are: water, vegetables and then coconut cream.

PRICE: $4.50 - pretty reasonable for a meal!

TASTE: I've only tried a spoonful of this soup (and straight from the packet without being heated up 😂) so can't fully comment on the taste but from my small try it had nice strong flavours and the consistency definitely more thick and textured.

Overall - a great stable to have in your pantry for those colder days where convenience is the main factor driving your food choice!

Let me know if there are any other foods or products you'd want to be review ⬇️⬇️⬇️

💛T

Address

Keperra, QLD
4061

Opening Hours

Monday 2:30pm - 8pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Tessa Funk Dietitian posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Tessa Funk Dietitian:

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category