Diabetes Dietitian Ria

Diabetes Dietitian Ria 30+ Years Experience | Diabetes Dietitian, Insulin Resistance & Weight Loss 🍒 Book in-person & virtual consults (011)0238051

Ria Catsicas is a clinical dietician in private practice with more than 25 years of experience. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Northwest, obtained a BA in Psychology from UNISA, and a Master's degree in Nutrition from the University of Stellenbosch. Ria is the founding partner of Nutritional Solutions which has become one of the leading dietetic practices in South Africa. Ria specializes in nutrition management for obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, Pre- Diabetes (Metabolic syndrome), and NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). Ria has authored the book “Diabetes- the Nutrition Solution” She writes regularly for various publications ranging from lifestyle magazines to scientific journals such as The SA Journal of Diabetes and SAMJ. She regularly contributes, to promoting nutrition education and gives nutrition a “voice” through appearances on, radio, TV shows, and conferences. Ria does 2 -weekly free webinars on how to manage the above conditions with nutrition. You can book for these webinars by following ria on Facebook and Instagram.


To obtain an individualized eating plan and menu (delicious food that suits your lifestyle) Ria can be contacted at 011 023 8051/2 or info@nutritionalsolutions.co.za or WhatsApp 066 534 8142

20/11/2025

Vegetables - all providing an abundance of vitamins, minerals, fiber and Phyto nutrients. Low in energy and carbs.
🍎 Beetroot 150 kJ & 8g carbs
🥬 Spinach 90 kJ & 0.5g carbs
🍑 Butternut 180 kJ & 7g carbs
🥕 Carrots 125 kJ & 5g carbs
🍠 Sweet potato 270 kJ & 14 g carbs
🥔 Potato 250 kJ & 12g carbs
🥦 Broccoli 130 kJ & 0,5 g carbs
🫛 Peas 220 kJ & 6g carbs
🍋‍🟩 Green beans 120kJ & 3g carbs

06/11/2025

Carb clever?

🙈 It is not a clever idea to follow a too low carb diet in an attempt to control blood glucose levels optimally.
😾 All foods from plants (even a salad) are carbs.
🤡How they affect your blood glucose levels vary greatly.
🦁A too high fat and protein diet can aggravate inflammation, insulin resistance and cause poor gut health.
🐶 Contact your dietitian to calculate your carbs into a easy practical plan that will optimize your blood glucose levels and meet your lifestyle requirements.






30/10/2025

Which milk should I buy?

The facts are the following:
🥛 The nutrients to check are protein, calcium, fat and energy.
🍶 The nutrient you want to limit or consume more off, depends on your health objective, whether reducing cholesterol, support bone health, taste or losing weight.
🍼 PROTEIN: Cows milk 9g, soy 8g, oatmilk 2g, almond milk 1.5g & rice milk 0.2g.
🥛 ENERGY: Rice milk 690 kJ, cows & oat milk 490 KJ, soy milk 370 kJ & almond milk 175 kJ.
🍶 CALCIUM:Rice & Oat milk 350 mg (if fortified), soy milk 340mg, cows milk 300mg & almond milk 250mg.
FAT: Oat & soy milk 5g, almond milk 4g, Rice milk 3 g and cows milk (low fat) 2.5g.







28/10/2025

The facts on coffee

☕ Coffee does not noticeably affect blood glucose levels, neither our ability to Control our weight.
☕ Consuming 400mg caffeine a day is considered safe for most people
☕ This add up to 2 to 4 cups or mugs, as 1 coffee contains between 120 to 180 mg caffeine. (this includes cuppachinos)
👳 How we metabolise caffeine, varies depending on a genetic variatiln involving the CYP1A2 gene.
🧑‍🎄 If you are a slow metabolise, too much caffeine can cause insomnia and a certain degree of anxiety.










14/10/2025

Is it better losing weight slowly?

🍋 Apart from the time you spend on a weight loss program, what matters as well is changing your habits and behavior around food.
🍉 A changed way of eating will help you to keep the weight off.
🍒 Factors play a role towards the speed of weight loss are your age, gender, genetics, individual metabolic rate, ability to adhere to the plan and your activity level.
🍓 Losing weight too slowly can be demotivating.
🥝 Contact your dietitian to design a plan for you (with treats!!) to lose most effectively.





10/10/2025

Bananas and grapes are the worst fruits to eat when you have diabetes.

This is actually not true. Although responses of different individuals might vary with different types of fruit, no research supports one fruit being better or worse. What is important is to check the amount of fruit we eat at a time and the number of portions per day. Both are important to achieve optimal blood glucose control.

The fruit in the table below contains approximately 15g of carbohydrate and 340 kJ (80 cal)

1 medApple
150g

1 med Banana
90g

2/3 cup Berries
140g

10 Grapes
110g

1 cup Melon
150g

10 Strawberries
250g

1 cup Paw paw
150g







29/09/2025

LOVE ❤️ your SALAD
(let's go beyond tomato, lettuce & tuna)

🫛 Add the following togther: 🥒 100g English cucumber, washed & chopped
🥦 100g broccoli, florets, balanced, dip in cold water and drained.
🫑 20g red pepper, washed, pips removed and chopped.
🌶️ 20g Yellow pepper, washed pips removed and chopped.
🌰 20g red onion, peeled, chopped.
🥡 100g (1/2cup) bulgar wheat, cooked & cooled down.
🦈 100g smoked trout, cut into ribbons
🥗 150g baby beetroot (store bought)
🥬 5g mint leaves, washed & chopped.

Dressing
🍵My favourite
Shake up 1/4 cup mayo with 1/4 cup water, 1/2 Tsp mustard and herbs
Enjoy!!!!





19/09/2025

Should we eat breakfast or not?

🍇 Since intermittent fasting has become a popular practice to control energy intake I found more people are skipping breakfast.

🥝 Not too difficult due to distraction (getting to work) and time constraints

🥭 It can however lead to an unstructured eating pattern, poor appetite control and inappropriate snacking for some people.

🍍Enjoying a meal (even small), nutritious and delicious are the best way for optimal blood glucose and appetite control.







Address

10 Scott Street, Waverley
Johannesburg
2090

Opening Hours

Monday 07:00 - 18:00
Tuesday 07:00 - 18:00
Wednesday 07:00 - 18:00
Thursday 07:00 - 18:00
Friday 07:00 - 18:00
Saturday 08:00 - 12:00

Telephone

011 023 8051/2/3

Website

https://linktr.ee/riacatsicas_diabetesdietician

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Ria Catsicas is a clinical dietician and nutritional consultant to corporate clients.with over 20 years’ experience. She has completed a BA in Psyc