10 Healthy Ways to Survive the Festive Season Eating Frenzy (12/15/2016) - Every year the festive season arrives and all our healthy eating plans go out of the window. There is no doubt that time to relax and enjoy ourselves is important to our well-being, but we tend to over-indulge in rich foods, sweet treats and alcohol. At the same time, we are cutting back on regular … Read More
6 Eating Habits for Healthy Kidneys (9/1/2017) - When it comes to health advice, our hearts are often in the spotlight. However, as equally vital organs, our kidneys really shouldn’t be relegated to the shadows. Worldwide, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is on the rise – 1 in 10 people globally are affected, and that’s every bit as serious as cardiac disease. Our kidneys … Read More
A word from Claire Julsing-Strydom (ADSA’s President) on Sponsorships (2/19/2015) - “There has been a lot of conversation in the media and on social media channels, about ADSA’s sponsorship policy. This will probably be an ongoing conversation, but I would like to take this opportunity to share how we manage sponsorships.” ADSA Sponsorships I think it is important to talk about sponsorships for not-for-profit associations and … Read More
ADSA represents registered dietitians working in various spheres of nutrition and dietetics in South Africa (5/18/2015) - The Association for Dietetics is the professional organisation for registered dietitians in South Africa. The activities of the organisation are centred around representing and developing the dietetic profession to contribute to optimal nutrition for all South Africans. Registered Dietitians are qualified health professionals registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) who have … Read More
All the ways that Dietitians do Prevention (6/4/2018) - Across the world, health and social care services are under stress; and in South Africa, the inaccessibility of quality health care for many people remains one of the country’s intractable problems. These pressures have intensified the focus on the prevention of disease as the key driver of public health. At the forefront of prevention is … Read More
Banking Your Breastmilk Saves Lives (3/6/2019) - The breastmilk bank is probably the most altruistic banking system in the world. Healthy, lactating moms express and donate their excess breastmilk. The milk is tested and pasteurised, and then distributed to neo-natal intensive care units around the country, where it is used to feed the most vulnerable babies. Every year, donated breastmilk saves the … Read More
BREASTFEEDING, NOT JUST BEST FOR BABY, BUT BEST FOR SA! (8/1/2018) - Today is the start of the 2018 World Breastfeeding Week, which runs from the 1st to the 7th of August. This year the emphasis is on breastfeeding as ‘the foundation of life’ and highlighting the advantages of improving breastfeeding for communities and countries. The campaign, co-ordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), identifies breastfeeding as an … Read More
BUSTING THE BREAKFAST MYTHS (10/8/2018) - Starting the day with a healthy breakfast is the opening act for a healthy lifestyle, and lays the foundation of our future health over the longer term. Yet, if there’s a meal to be skipped, it is most likely to be breakfast. This year, National Nutrition Week from 9 – 15 October and National Obesity … Read More
Busting the two biggest myths about your immune system (5/16/2018) - Winter is here, and that gets us thinking about our immune system, and what we need to do to boost it, so that it helps us avoid colds and flu, or at least recover from them more quickly. The immune system is one of the most complex networks in the body that is still far … Read More
Carte Blanche – Sugar Addiction (5/31/2015) - Tonight at 7pm Carte Blanche is airing an insert on ‘Sugar Addiction’ which includes an interview with ADSA President, Claire Julsing-Strydom. They asked some interesting questions and we would like to share those with you: Is sugar addiction real? The answer is that yes sugar can lead to addictive like eating behaviour. Food addiction is … Read More
COVID-19: KEEPING SAFE AT WORK (3/18/2020) - With the arrival of COVID-19 in South Africa, our focus is on the health and safety of our members and the clients and communities you serve. We have put together a list of action points that can be implemented by our dietitians across various industries. Primary prevention measures include washing your hands frequently with soap … Read More
Diabetes in the Family, How to Cope (11/14/2018) - More often than not a diabetes diagnosis is experienced as devastating; not just to the patient but to their loved ones as well. Even though the condition is manageable, and it is possible to live a life full of well-being, a diabetes diagnosis comes as a shock and ushers in all sorts of changes. Association … Read More
Dietitian’s week 2019 (6/3/2019) - Dietitians do much more than you think! The careers of dietitians are way more diverse than many think. The typical assumption is that a dietitian is a nutritional health professional available through private practice to those who need and can afford weight loss expertise. The reality couldn’t be more different. Dietitians are employed across private … Read More
Dietitians urge South Africans to ‘Eat Fact Not Fiction’ (6/12/2017) - Nutrition advice promising all sorts, from weight loss to healthier living and even cures for diseases, spread like wildfire across social media. In the era of ‘alternative facts’ and post-truth, ‘the latest, greatest nutrition advice’ from dubious sources can unfortunately tempt many away from accepted dietary guidelines and recommendations based on years of evidence. ‘Evidence … Read More
Expert Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle (2/22/2017) - February is national Healthy Lifestyles Awareness Month, with Healthy Lifestyles Awareness Day being celebrated on 22nd February. The National Department of Health encourages all South Africans to live healthier lifestyles, through promoting healthy eating, regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco products, and drinking alcohol in moderation, if at all. But can improving our lifestyles have much … Read More
Get ready for National Braai Day! (9/22/2016) - In celebration of one of South Africa’s favourite past times (braaing) and the day dedicated to it (National Braai Day) our dietitians, Monique Piderit and Brigitte Leclercq, have put together some practical tips for a healthier braai: A braai is a great excuse to get your greens in. Be creative when doing this, such as … Read More
GETTING THE FACTS RIGHT ABOUT DIABETES (11/13/2015) - Diabetes remains a major cause of death in South Africa, and the prevalence of the condition continues to rise. ‘People with diabetes have to follow a special diet or have to eat special diabetic food’ is just one of the common misconceptions surrounding diabetes. In commemoration of World Diabetes Day (14 November) ADSA (Association for … Read More
Healthy Eating for a Healthy Pregnancy (2/11/2019) - There’s nothing else quite like pregnancy to sharpen your focus on your health and well-being. The journey of carrying and nurturing new life within your body is an exceptionally special time, and moms-to-be are deeply invested in doing it as well as they can. Advice will inevitably come from all quarters, and it is important … Read More
Healthy eating, healthy living in 2015! (1/19/2015) - Signing up for the gym, eating more tuna and drinking 9 cups of water per day are the seasonal New Year’s resolutions that sit on the top of South African lists. Not to say eating healthier and exercising on a regular basis are not top priorities, but going on a whim when it comes to … Read More
How can a Dietitian guide you through the Nutrition Minefield? (6/7/2016) - From Great Aunt Phyllis, to your Facebook friend that lost 30 kilos last year, to the latest in the multitude of global ‘so-called experts’ who just published a fad diet book, everyone seems to know exactly what we should all be eating. And, unfortunately, very few of them agree with each other. When it comes … Read More- HPCSA inquiry (6/4/2015) - A concern was lodged with the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a matter of public interest after a tweet from Professor Tim Noakes advising a mother to “wean” her baby on to a low carbohydrate high fat (LCHF) diet. The concern was referred to the HPCSA to adjudicate in February 2014 on … Read More
Is a Career as a Dietitian for You? (4/10/2017) - Dietetics, the field of nutrition, health and the application of science-based nutrition knowledge offers a variety of distinctive career opportunities that goes beyond the usual view of the dietitian as someone who simply helps others lose weight. If you have interests in health, food, healthy lifestyle and science, you may well find your niche in … Read More
Keeping your healthy balance over the holidays (12/11/2017) - We know it well, silly season is not for sissies. We always head into it with the best intentions not to give way to the over-indulgence; not to leave our healthy eating plans by the wayside, and to make sure we have the ‘me-time’ for prioritising the physical activity and self-care that we need to … Read More
Kidney Health For All (3/12/2015) - “Kidney Health For All” is the theme of today’s World Kidney Day Kidney diseases are silent killers, which will largely affect your quality of life. The mission of World Kidney Day is to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease … Read More
Launch of NutritionConfidence Recipes (12/8/2014) - We have partnered with award-winning chef, Vanessa Marx (from Dear Me), to develop the NutritionConfidence series of recipes. The series, which launched in November, with three diabetic-friendly recipes, aims to showcase that delicious food can also be healthy, making it easier to eat the right food more often for a healthy body and mind. “As … Read More
Love your beans for good health (10/10/2016) - South Africa celebrates National Nutrition Week from 9 to 15 October, and aligning to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) which has declared that 2016 is the ‘International Year of Pulses’, this year’s campaign theme is ‘Love your beans – eat dry beans, peas and lentils!’ echoing the country’s food-based dietary … Read More
Make Eating Whole Foods a Way of Life (10/9/2019) - Despite what we know about the impact of food choices on our health, overweight and obesity are still on the rise in South Africa, alongside a host of preventable diseases that can be attributed to unhealthy lifestyles. Thanks to our industrialised food system, and far greater, ultra-processed and fast food choices aimed at our ‘convenience’, … Read More
Media release: Stress, digestion & nutrition (6/11/2019) - Stress, as an appropriate response to a real danger, is an evolutionary life-saver. Thanks to the fight-flight responses in our ancestors’ bodies, we, the descendants have made it through to the 21st Century. It’s ironic that in this modern age with extraordinary technologies devoted to eliminating hazards and increasing our ease in life, our stress … Read More
Nutrition at the centre of sustainable corporate wellness (7/2/2018) - We live in an era when many of us, not just aspire to, but have an expectation that living well for longer is a real possibility. Increased awareness of the impact of lifestyle on health has made it clear we can’t just rely on medical industries to reach this goal – we play the most … Read More
Pregnancy and Nutrition (2/16/2018) - This Pregnancy Week a reminder that good nutrition before and during pregnancy may influence the pregnancy, the delivery and the health of mother and child later on. What you eat now will help your baby to grow healthily and give them the best start in life and help you to feel your best. We asked … Read More
RETHINK YOUR DRINK – CHOOSE WATER (10/9/2017) - Clean and clear, refreshing and invigorating, we know instinctively that water is good for us. Yet, many of us have lost touch with water. Overwhelmed with the wide choice of what to drink, most of it sweetened with sugar, we’ve somehow left the simple, but profound goodness of water behind. National Nutrition Week 2017, running … Read More
Ride For Hope (12/7/2018) - Our dietetic students are often involved in awesome projects and we love the Ride For Hope campaign that Bernadine Blom, a third-year student studying Dietetics at the North-West University (NWU), started with her father. Here is her story: Bernadine Blom I’m a third-year student studying Dietetics at the North-West University (NWU). My passion … Read More- Salt Awareness Week 2015 (3/19/2015) - This week is Salt Awareness Week. My Kitchen magazine’s Lauren Shapiro chatted to ADSA spokesperson and Registered Dietitian, Alpha Rasekhala, about thinking twice before grabbing that salt shaker: Also visit http://www.saltwatch.co.za
- Salty South Africa – are we doing better after salt legislation? (3/20/2017) - Despite South Africa passing world-leading legislation to reduce salt intake, too many South Africans eat too much salt, putting themselves at risk of heart disease and strokes. Today is the start of Salt Awareness Week which runs from 20-26 March. Salt – a forgotten killer Excess salt intake directly increases blood pressure in most … Read More
Statement on the outcome of the HPCSA inquiry into the conduct of Professor Tim Noakes (4/21/2017) - The Association for Dietetics in South Africa’s (ADSA) former president Ms Claire Julsing-Strydom submitted a complaint about Professor Tim Noakes to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) in 2014 on behalf of ADSA regarding, what it considered, unconventional infant nutrition advice. The complaint The complaint was lodged after Professor Noakes advised a mom … Read More
The facts about ADSA (2/21/2017) - Have you ever wondered who ADSA is or why you should become a member? Read on to find out more about what ADSA does and how you can get involved. The Association for Dietetics in South Africa, or ADSA, is the professional organisation for registered dietitians, and has been committed to serving the interests of … Read More
The Importance of Healthy Eating to Corporate Wellness (7/1/2016) - Today is the first day of Corporate Wellness Week, which is running until 5 July. Employees eat nearly half of their daily meals and snacks at the workplace, which means that what is consumed during working hours can have a great impact on overall diet and health. It’s not uncommon to find that many of … Read More
The Low Down on South Africa’s Sugar Tax (1/17/2017) - The Minister of Finance announced in the February 2016 National Budget a decision to introduce a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), with effect from 1 April 2017, to help reduce excessive sugar intake by South Africans. The Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA) welcomes this step as one part of the solution to address … Read More
The planetary health diet: what, why and how… (3/20/2019) - For the first time in human history there is a proposal on the table that all the world’s people follow the same diet. The EAT-Lancet Commission brought together more than 30 world-leading experts to figure out if we can feed a future population of 10 billion people a healthy diet within sustainable planetary boundaries. According to the report’s authors, food is “the single strongest lever to optimise health and environmental sustainability on earth.”
The Role of the Dietitian in Eating Disorder Treatment (4/16/2018) - Eating disorders are complex illnesses with both psychological and physical aspects that require treatment. For this reason, over the past few decades, it has become more common for the treatment of people with eating disorders to be managed by multi-disciplinary teams which can deliver the necessary medical, psychological and nutritional help. As society’s foremost expert … Read More- Time To Make Lifestyle Your Medicine (9/28/2016) - “We could, as a culture, eliminate 80 percent of all chronic disease,” says Dr David Katz, one of the world’s leading proponents of lifestyle as medicine, during a recent visit to South Africa. “But my family and yours cannot afford to keep on waiting on the world to change. By taking matters into our own … Read More
What your dietitian wants you to know about diabetes (11/15/2016) - There were 2.28 million cases of diabetes in South Africa in 2015 according to the International Diabetes Foundation and around 1.21 million people with undiagnosed diabetes. Considering these numbers it remains vitally important to continue educating South Africans about diabetes and to address the myths that are often associated with this lifestyle disease. Nasreen Jaffer, … Read More- Why breastfeeding and work can, and should, go together (8/1/2017) - Returning to work after maternity leave rates as one of the top reasons why mothers stop breastfeeding their babies before they should. The 2017 World Breastfeeding Week runs from the 1st to the 7th of August with the aim of uniting all sectors of society in the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding. The campaign, … Read More
Why Breastfeeding is the Foundation of Life (8/6/2018) - This year’s World Breastfeeding campaign celebrates breastfeeding as the foundation of life for the good health of mothers and children. Co-ordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), the campaign identifies breastfeeding as an essential strategy to prevent malnutrition in all its forms, combat inequality, crises and poverty – all major issues in many South … Read More
Why breastfeeding should be everybody’s business (8/1/2016) - It is common sense that ‘breast is best’ when it comes to feeding infants and young children. After all, breast milk is uniquely, organically fit for a singular purpose. Yet, South Africa has an extraordinarily low rate of babies breastfeeding exclusively in the first six months of their lives. In fact, at just 8% against … Read More
Why dietitians want you to love your beans! (10/12/2016) - In celebration of National Nutrition Week: ‘Love your beans – eat dry beans, peas and lentils’ (9 to 15 October), we chatted to a few dietitians to find out why these foods, also known as pulses, should form an essential part of our diet. To find out more about why beans are good for health, how … Read More
Women and Diabetes in the Spotlight this November (11/14/2017) - Over the past decades, the rise of diabetes around the world has been so prevalent and extreme, it is sometimes referred to as the epidemic of our modern times. In 2017, the diabetes focus theme is Women and Diabetes. Globally, diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women, resulting in 2.1 million deaths each … Read More
World Milk Day (6/1/2015) - Today, 1 June, South Africa joins a number of other countries around the world in celebrating World Milk Day. Why? Because milk is an important source of nutrients we all need to survive. These include calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium and protein. The South African Department of Health’s daily … Read More
NutritionConfidence Blog 