The Culinary Dietitian SA

02/01/2026

27/12/2025

It's good to be back in the hospital environment 😊

26/12/2025

If you're sitting with Christmas leftovers, but don't feel like eating the "same" food again, try these tips to use them up.

25/12/2025

A very Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! I hope it's been a special time with family and friends who are family.

24/12/2025

I am officially closed for outpatients for the next week, however please feel free to contact me if you would like to book a session for the new year, and I will respond on the 2nd January.

23/12/2025

RECIPE: Frozen Yoghurt Ice Lollies

With this crazy heat in the Cape, nothing beats an ice cream. If you're looking for a healthy option for yourself or your kids, then try making your own using 2 simple ingredients:

✅️ Plain full cream yoghurt
✅️ Mashed / pureed fruit of choice (great options include berries and mango)

Work on a ratio of 50% yoghurt and 50% fruit. Combine the 2 and spoon into popsicle moulds, or layer the 2 ingredients, alternating, to create a pretty variation. Freeze overnight.

Enjoy!

15/11/2025

Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and early satiety can all result from a vast number of causes. In acute cases vomiting can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and damage to the oesophageal lining leading to difficulty swallowing. Chronically all four complaints can lead to malnutrition, and excessive vomiting can damage your teeth. The priority of dietary management is to find foods that your body can tolerate.

28/10/2025

Allowing children to help prepare meals and snacks and set the table, as far as appropriate, is so simple yet incredibly rewarding. They tend to thoroughly enjoy this, and it offers an opportunity to bond with you while practicing gross and fine motor skills and improving interest in different foods.

If your child displays picky eating:

✅️ Let them get involved in preparing the variety of foods you would like them to consume, and eat these foods yourself.
✅️ Try introducing new or less favoured foods at a time of day when they have the biggest appetite (but are not overly hungry) and are not tired or cranky. A feeding schedule often helps.
✅️ Include some food items that they enjoy alongside these new or less favoured foods.
✅️ Experiment with different food combinations, tastes, textures and methods of encouragement.
✅️ Minimize distractions during mealtimes.
Pack school meals and snacks in fun lunch boxes.
✅️ Continue to offer these less favoured foods, as over time, with repetition, they are often accepted.
✅️ As tricky as it can get, try to keep mealtimes positive and relaxed. Never force your child to eat. Sometimes refusal is temporary due to teething or simply the will to be independent.

❤️

18/09/2025

Constipation affects all ages, however certain groups are more prone to experiencing it, for example babies and toddlers as well as the elderly. Uncomfortably firm stools can also be linked to a variety of conditions, including IBS, or the intake of certain medications.

While it is super important to maintain a healthy gut microbiome which can be aided via the intake of probiotics and prebiotics (see a previous post for details), there are three basic tips than can help prevent and manage bouts of constipation.

26/07/2025

This morning I had the opportunity to chat to the parents of children at the Lyndoch Community School at the Sustainability Institute. We covered why nutrition is so important for growth and development, and how to ensure adequate nutrition throughout the critical stages of the lifecycle.

01/07/2025

Endometriosis is a condition whereby tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of this reproductive organ. Symptoms include chronic pelvic and lower back pain, painful menstrual cramps, bleeding or spotting between periods, intestinal pain, digestive issues during menstrual periods such as nausea, bloating, diarrhoea and/or constipation, painful bowel movements, blood in stool and urine, painful in*******se, and infertility. There is also a strong psychological component, with wellbeing impacted.

Treatment involves laparoscopic surgery to remove the problematic tissue followed by hormone therapy. Hormonal interventions may however worsen gastrointestinal symptoms. Diet plays a large role in both the short-term management of symptoms and the long-term management of endometriosis (by aiming to reduce inflammation and lower estrogen levels naturally).

06/06/2025

It is Dietitians Week!

The theme this year is "the future of dietetics", with the specific topic of today being "what excites you about the future in dietetics".

With my practice only 2 years old, I am still nurturing a baby plant, but I am loving the journey of constant learning and helping others, and I'm excited to see where my career takes me while enjoying the fruits of my labour.