Sydney Therapies

Nutrition

Sydney Therapies' dietitian Michelle offers nutritional services, including dietary analysis, metabolism testing and general information about nutrition.

Michelle is pleased to offer assessment and counselling services for people with the following nutritional needs:

• Weight Management (weight loss or weight gain)
• Diabetes & Glucose Intolerance
• High Cholesterol
• High Blood Pressure
• Food Intolerances
• Food Allergies
• Pregnancy Nutrition
• Sports Nutrition
• Eating Disorders

Metabolism Testing

A person's resting metabolic rate is a measure of how much energy their body uses at rest. Each person is different and will burn different amounts of energy even when undertaking similar tasks. Factors such as fitness, age, height, gender and body composition all contribute to the make-up of an individual's metabolism. Understanding a person's metabolism is an important step in managing nutrition, weight and general fitness.

In the past, a person's metabolism has been estimated using formulas that can be prone to error and are unable to accurately account for all aspects that affect an individual's metabolism. Metabolism testing can now be provided using a portable handheld device known as a calorimeter that uses sensors to accurately and scientifically measure a person's resting metabolic rate. The test is as simple as breathing normally into the device's mouthpiece and can be completed within a 30 minute session. Having an accurate measurement of your resting metabolic rate will allow a nutritional plan to be tailored exactly to your personal needs.

General Nutritional Information

The following information has been provided by our dietitian, Michelle. For further information on any of these topics, or to book a consultation, don't hesitate to contact Michelle on 0433 342 280 or michelle@sydneytherapies.com

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance required by the body for many functions including:

• Production of cell walls, hormones and bile acids
• Digestion of fats
• Protection of nerves

There are two types of cholesterol obtained by our bodies:

• Blood Cholesterol – Produced naturally in the liver
• Dietary Cholesterol – Consumed from foods of animal origin

Although required by our bodies, excessive blood cholesterol levels may cause narrowing or blockage of blood vessels leading to heart disease or stroke.

High blood cholesterol is typically a result of either genetics or lifestyle factors. It may be possible to lower your cholesterol levels by up to 30% by making healthy diet and lifestyle changes.

Vegetarian Diet

There are three main types of vegetarian diets, these are:

• Lacto-ovo (includes eggs and dairy)
• Lacto (includes dairy)
• Vegan (includes no animal products at all)

A vegetarian diet can offer the following health benefits:

• Lowers cholesterol levels and BMI
• Decreases overall risk of kidney/gall stones, type II diabetes and hypertension
• Decreases risk of heart disease by over 30%
• Decreases risk of cancer by up to 40%
• Decreases risk of constipation, diverticular disease, appendicitis and irritable bowel syndrome
• Avoiding fatal diseases such as mad cow, E coli and some food poisonings

It is important when following a vegetarian diet to make sure that your body is getting the required nutrients that it needs. It is common for vegetarians to be deficient in one or more essential nutrients such as protein, zinc, calcium or iron.

Weight Loss

According to The Australian Obesity Society, recent data indicates that almost 60% of Australian adults (52% of women and 67% of men) are now classified as either overweight or obese. This figure is expected to increase to almost 70% by the year 2010. Although there are many contributing factors, sedentary lifestyles and poor diet are widely considered to be the most significant.

Being overweight significantly increases the risk of developing ongoing health problems, including:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Some forms of cancer
• Arthritis
• Gynaecologic disorders
• Lung problems

The public is continuously bombarded with overwhelming amounts of information about food and nutrition. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to determine what information is nutrition fact and what is fiction. This can often lead to people having unrealistic weight loss expectations and inevitably feeling disappointment and frustration. Accurate guidance and support is therefore a critical factor in successful weight loss programs.

In order to help you reach your weight loss goals, we recommend the following dietary program:

Metabolism testing to identify your individual daily calorie needs

Initial analysis and assessment of your diet to prepare a meal plan that starts you on your weight loss journey

Regular follow up sessions to maintain focus and stay on track.

Diabetes and Impaired Glucose Tolerance

Diabetes is a serious but treatable disease in which the bodies ability to either produce or secrete insulin becomes diminished. According to Diabetes Australia, it is estimated that 275 new Australians develop diabetes each day. Despite this alarming figure, up to 60% of diabetes cases are preventable through healthy diet and lifestyle choices.

There are three common forms of diabetes:

• Type I
• Type II
• Gestational

Type I diabetes is primarily genetic, caused by the body being unable to adequately produce insulin, leading to deficiency.

Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and is developed due to the body forming either an insulin resistance or a decrease in insulin sensitivity.

Gestational diabetes is similar to Type II diabetes and occurs in a small percentage of women during pregnancy. Although completely treatable, the onset of Gestational diabetes commonly leads to the development of Type II diabetes later in life.

Complications arising from diabetes can be fatal, and include the following:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Kidney failure
• Blindness
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Lipid abnormalities

Fortunately, complications are far less common or severe in patients who are able to control their blood sugar levels. This can be achieved through an assessment of diet and lifestyle to help create an individual diabetic friendly meal plan. 

Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) is a condition in which blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to give a diagnosis of diabetes.  Studies show that 70% of people with IGT will go on to develop Type II diabetes.  For most people, this progression can be delayed or even reversed by reducing caloric and fat intake, having a more active lifestyle, and losing weight.

Food Allergies and Food Intolerances

A food allergy is an adverse response from a persons immune system to a food protein. It is estimated that approximately 6% of children and 4% of adults have some form of food allergy.

Food allergy symptoms usually occur no more than two hours after consumption of the food allergen, and vary from mild tingling sensations to swelling, vomiting, loss of consciousness and in rare cases, death.

Having food allergies correctly diagnosed is a job for qualified doctors. Typically, a skin prick test or blood test will be required to confirm their presence. 

Although there is no cure for food allergies, management of the allergies is critical and is best undertaken by complete avoidance of foods that cause reactions.

A food intolerance is a delayed negative reaction to a food or food additive. Rather than being related to the immune system, it is often caused by the absence of enzymes needed to digest specific foods. It is estimated that approximately 10% of people have some form of food intolerance.

Food intolerance symptoms vary substantially and generally include diarrhoea, bloating, constipation, excess gas, nausea, headaches, poor memory, tiredness, depression, hyperactivity, muscle aches, eye irritation, itchiness of skin, rash and swelling, recurring throat or sinus infection or pain, nasal congestion or excess mucous.

Due to the time delay before symptoms are observed, it can often be difficult to identify the exact causes of food intolerances. However, by focusing on your symptoms and current diet a series of food tests can be performed to help determine your intolerance. Specific meal plans can then be developed to help manage the intolerance.

Contact

For more information about nutrition, or to make a booking, please contact Michelle on 0433 342 280 or by email.