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Rowena Visagie Dietitian

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Rowena Visagie Dietitian

Fuelling for sports performance. REDs awareness. Food and body peace.

13/11/2025

Struggling to meet carbohydrate targets during racing, due to gut tolerance? Gut training may help!

The good news is that our gut is a highly adaptable organ and can be “trained” in the similar way to a muscle.

Ensuring adequate daily carbohydrate intake, and gradually increasing carb intake during training, can help to increase carbohydrate absorption and oxidation.

Regular and increased exposure to carbohydrate ingestion during training enhances gastric emptying rates and intestinal transport capacity (by increasing the number and activity of SGLT1 and GLUT5 transporters). This helps to reduce gut distress and improves carbohydrate delivery to exercising muscles.

Making use of carb products with a mixture of different carbs is also useful because it enables the use of different types of transporters.

Key takeaways:
🥖Eat adequate daily carbs
🥖Gradually increase carb intake during training (don’t expect to suddenly increase your intake to 90g per hour if you have only been taking in 30g - you will most likely experience gut issues)
🥖Practice regularly
🥖Use the same types of products you plan to use on race day in targeted training sessions
🥖Use multiple transporter carbs

Eat carbs to absorb carbs!!! ❤️

Ref: Jeukendrup A. Training the gut for athletes. Sports Med 2017.

05/11/2025

Sports gels and bars are super convenient to help meet carb targets during training, but they can be heavy on the pocket. I often hear this as a barrier to taking in sufficient carbs during long sessions.

As an alternative, there are food sources that are just as suitable and that have a decent amount of carbohydrate to make them worthwhile (and are easy to carry). There are many options but these are a few that I enjoy and have experimented with during my long bike rides. When trail running I may use different options because of altered gut comfort.

However, I will still use targeted sessions to practice with the specific products (usually gels and sweets) that I plan to use during a race, to ensure gut tolerance on the day.

Safari fruit sticks (I find these super easy to chew, and 2 provide 40g carb)
Soft fruit gummies (I enjoy the Woolies ones - they are super soft and easy to chew)
Nougat (I love Damascus as it has the right flavour combo for me to tolerate while riding)
Hot cross buns (yum!)
Rice crispie bars (so easy to make - any decent South African kids cookbook has a recipe)

Please share any foods that you enjoy during training!

30/10/2025

It’s a common misconception that if a person is not underweight, it’s not possible for them be underfuelling.

However, with sustained energy restriction our bodies will naturally try to protect us from a perceived threat of starvation. This may result in metabolic adaptations and an increased stress response. So it is actually common to experience REDs (relative energy deficiency in sport) and its consequences, without any weight loss, and in ANY body size.

Although weight loss can be a red flag, it’s not always a reliable indicator.

Ref: McCall LM et al. Endocrine & metabolic repercussions of relative energy deficiency in sport. 2019.

15/10/2025

It is wonderful to notice that we are starting to see more awareness in some sporting environments around the importance of having a regular menstrual cycle. However many athletes (and coaches and healthcare providers) still aren’t aware of the far-reaching effects that menstrual dysfunction can have beyond fertility - particularly on bone health. 🦴

The hormones produced during a healthy menstrual cycle, such as oestrogen play a critical role in bone health. Oestrogen helps the body absorb more calcium from the food we eat and slows down the activity of osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone. Without enough estrogen, these cells can become more active, causing bone loss and an increased risk of stress fractures and early osteoporosis.

Why would an athlete lack estrogen? Low energy availability is a common cause - this occurs when you don’t eat enough to cover your exercise and bodily function energy needs, and your body begins to prioritize vital organs like the heart and lungs. As a result, less critical physiological systems – such as the reproductive system may shut down. There’s a drop in estrogen and other important hormones, which are then not available for bone.

Ref: Mountjoy M et al. IOC consensus on relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs). BJSM 2023.

12/09/2025

Such a privilege to speak about creatine for the school athlete, at this awesome event on ‘coping with school sports injuries’, with Paarl school parents, coaches and healthcare professionals.

20/08/2025

Relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs) and eating disorders.

For any athlete struggling right now. For any athlete who is scared to start the recovery process. For any athlete who has started recovery but is battling to keep hope. Please know that with the correct support, healing and recovery are so possible. Don’t give up. You can keep your dreams alive! ❤️

If you don’t know where to start, it is best to find a sports doctor, dietitian, or psychologist who specialize and have experience with sports AND eating disorders.

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15 Cowrie Crescent, Sunset Beach
Cape Town

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