All the ways that Dietitians do Prevention

Chat 1 Comment June 4, 2018 nutritionadsa

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 food. As one of the only healthcare professionals trained and qualified to interpret the latest nutrition science and dietary guidelines, dietitians play multiple roles in the prevention of diseases.

Dietitians Do Prevention is the theme of the 2018 Dietitians Week which starts today and runs until 8^th of June. To create awareness, ADSA (Association for Dietetics in South Africa) joined SASPEN (South African Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition), ENASA (Enteral Nutrition Association of South African) and HDIG (Hospital Dietitian Interest Group) in highlighting the six major ways that Dietitians Do Prevention and help to reduce the burden of disease in South Africa through their vital work.

ADSA spokesperson Jessica Byrne points out that: “Not many people are aware that dietitians, who must be registered with the HPCSA (Health Professions Council of South Africa) in order to practice their profession, are employed across many different sectors from industry to communities; as well as in health, research and educational institutions. Across the board, they play a key role in disease prevention.”

 

The Six Ways that SA Dietitians Do Prevention, are:

Guidance during first 1 000 days – Dietitians support expecting mothers to promote healthy pregnancies and prevent complications, but their work doesn’t end there. Jessica Byrne says: “Due to the country’s suboptimal rates of breastfeeding, the dietitian’s promotion of breastfeeding, monitoring of infant growth and ongoing guidance as a baby starts to also consume solids has become critical prevention work. Breastfeeding not only provides the best source of nutrition for a baby but also promotes growth and enhances the vulnerable immune systems of babies to help prevent disease.”

Public Health and Primary Prevention – Healthy eating and hydration is essential for health. Dietitians work to educate the general public on good food choices to maintain their health, which helps prevent illnesses and avoid diet-related conditions such as diabetes, malnutrition or obesity. Dietitians do prevention at community level through the promotion of house hold food security and the drive to eliminate hunger. Various community projects involve the services of a dietitian.

Mental Health and Addiction Recovery – Good nutrition and a healthy diet can impact positively on both the prevention and management of mental health conditions, including helping to support recovery and prevent relapse in the case of addictions.

Hospital, rehab and home-based care – “You will find dietitians working right across the health care system,” says Alta Kloppers, spokesperson for HDIG. “This is because nutrition plays such an important role in survival, recovery, rehabilitation and symptom relief, as well as reducing the risks of further illnesses and preventing more admissions to hospital and other health care services.” Dietitians do prevention through screening of hospitalised patients to identify patients at risk of developing malnutrition, and providing specialised nutrition interventions to manage specific diseases and conditions.

Optimising Health and Secondary Prevention – Dietitians do prevention by helping people with existing conditions such as diabetes, kidney failure or dementia to optimise their nutrition in order to get relief from symptoms, prevent complications and enhance their quality of life. This will include individualised dietary advice and appropriate follow-up and monitoring.

Making Every Contact Count through Healthy Conversations – Dietitians don’t just advise on diet and nutrition when they do prevention. Instead they engage also with clients on the other issues related to good health such as the importance of physical activity and not smoking. They also take into account the social and emotional factors that can easily contribute to a client’s need for a healthier lifestyle. Conversations with dietitians can then easily direct people to where they can also access professional help for the non-dietary issues that also impact on disease prevention.

“The important message of this year’s Dietitian’s Week,” says Lizl Veldsman SASPEN’s spokesperson, “is that it is impossible to separate disease prevention from nutrition and therefore, from the work of a dietitian.”

Lynne Mincher, ENASA spokesperson agrees: “Good nutrition is the foundation of prevention and recovery. Whether you are talking about supporting breastfeeding tube-feeding or oral nutritional supplements, a person recovering from an operation or guiding someone with a chronic condition such as diabetes, we need that expertise of the dietitian right at the frontlines of prevention.”

A collection of “Dietitians Do Prevention” recipes by South African dietitians has been published and includes 39 recipes, covering breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Each recipe comes with a prevention message. It can be downloaded here: http://www.adsa.org.za/Public/DietitiansWeek2018.aspx

You can also download the Dietitian’s Week infographic here: http://www.adsa.org/za/Public/DietitiansWeek2018.aspx

 

“No day is ever the same”

Chat Leave a comment January 26, 2018 nutritionadsa

We chatted to Registered Dietitian, Jessica Byrne, who is currently undergoing her Masters studies in Therapeutic Nutrition and fulfils the role of chief operating officer for ADSA, to find out why she became a dietitian, what she loves about her work and what the challenges are:

Why did you become a Registered Dietitian?

Biology was always my favourite subject at school, and I knew from fairly early on that I wanted to follow a career in health. Finding out more about dietetics when I started varsity, I knew it was the perfect fit for me, incorporating science as a base but also allowing me to work with people on a more personal level.

What do you enjoy most about the work you do? What are the most satisfying moments?

For most people their first thought about a dietitian is that our job is helping people to lose weight. But I love that our profession is involved in such a diverse range of areas, and with that it brings versatility and variety. For me no day is ever the same. One day I could be seeing patients in the ICU, and the next assisting a journalist with evidence-based content for an article on nutrition, through my role in ADSA.

In my work in the hospital setting, it is rewarding to know that through providing nutrition therapy, I am contributing to enhancing the recovery of that patient and improving their health.

What has been your career highlight?

A recent highlight for me is when I represented ADSA and the dietetic profession at parliament, where I presented ADSA’s position and recommendations for the sugar tax. It was an exciting experience, and certainly not something I saw myself doing when I first became a dietitian!

What are the most challenging aspects of your career?

The public is being exposed to more nutrition information that ever before, but unfortunately not all this information is accurate, from credible sources or might not be appropriate for every individual. Trying to correct these misperceptions around diet is an important part of a dietitian’s work.

How do you cope after a day of nutrition disasters and bad eating choices?

I don’t let it get to the point where the entire day has been filled with poor eating choices, but if I’m having something less healthy I don’t beat myself up about it, but try to really savour it and know that I will get back on track at my next meal. I truly believe that moderation is key to keeping yourself on track long term, rather than putting yourself under unnecessary pressure to always make the healthy choice. That is why I follow the 80:20 rule – 80% of the time make the healthier choice, and then allow yourself that 20% for a treat now and then, without feeling guilty about it.

What are the three things that you think people should stop saying when they meet a dietitian?

• ‘Please don’t look at what I’m eating!’ (I’m not the food police and I do not judge, especially as I don’t know what the rest of your eating patterns and lifestyle are like.)
• ‘So, do you ever eat chocolate/cake?’ (Of course I do, just not every day!)
• My initial thought was to add ‘What do you think about (insert current diet trend)?’ to this list because, let’s be honest, we don’t want to be talking about work when we’re out enjoying time with friends. But in fact, I don’t want people to stop asking that question! It actually makes me excited when someone asks a dietitian for their opinion on a new diet trend or popular headline they might have read. They are trying to make their mind up about a particular issue, and it’s a fantastic opportunity as a healthcare professional to provide guidance that is scientifically sound and based on evidence.

What should clients look out for when deciding which dietitian to work with?

Dietitians are all trained and qualified to treat any patient presented to them. However, some dietitians might have special interests and be more knowledgeable in certain areas, so this can be useful to guide you on finding the right dietitian for you.

 What is your favourite dish and your favourite treat food?

I love so many different foods, it’s so difficult to choose a favourite dish. It might sound cliched, but I really do love veggies! I love trying new dishes where veggies are the hero, particularly using vegetables to take a boring salad to something super tasty. And when it comes to a treat food, without a doubt, my favourite would be anything that contains chocolate!

Jessica holds both a B.Sc degree in Physiology and Biochemistry, and a B.Sc (Medical) (Honours) degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Cape Town. She is currently undergoing her Masters studies in Therapeutic Nutrition at Stellenbosch University. Before joining ADSA in the role of chief operating officer, Jessica worked at the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA where she provided up-to-date scientific content for media, planned public awareness and education campaigns, and worked on local government projects. Jessica also consults at private hospitals, where she is responsible for the nutritional management of critically ill, medical and surgical patients.

To find a dietitian in your area please visit the ADSA website and click on the PUBLIC button.

10 Healthy Ways to Survive the Festive Season Eating Frenzy

Chat Leave a comment December 15, 2016 nutritionadsa

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 physical activity and staying up too late, too often.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to indulge a little, but allow for eating in moderation and maintaining a varied diet. Ditching your weight loss or weight management plans, or letting go of your health conscious habits over the festive season stresses both body and mind. Of course, you want to enjoy yourself, and it’s certainly not the time to feel deprived, but you can avoid the holidays becoming an extended binge by using strategies to moderate the inevitable excesses.

We asked a team of registered dietitians from ADSA (Association for Dietetics in South Africa) to give us their top tips on how to balance holiday fun with staying healthy, and here’s what they have to say:

Surviving holiday parties: Don’t attend a party on an empty stomach – grab a small healthy snack before you go. When you get there, don’t rush to eat – socialize and settle into the festivities before you eat and keep your socializing away from the buffet table or appetizer trays – to help limit nibbling. (Cheryl Meyer)

Eat mindfully: The buffet table is an invitation to eat all you can, so first survey what is available, choose the foods you really want to eat, and then move away. Eat slowly, focusing on enjoying the taste and smell of each bite. (Jessica Byrne)

Eat what you love, leave what you like. Be picky – don’t deny indulges, but only eat treats that you really love – avoid “wasting” calories on non-favourites. Think quality rather than quantity. (Cheryl Meyer)

Make water your MVP (most valuable player) this holiday season:  Jazz it up with lemon, cucumber or even fruit cubes like watermelon ice cubes, adding an element of holiday indulgence to plain water. Also try plain fruit or herbal tea for a change.  Water and tea can help fill you up preventing holiday overeating or even overindulging in alcohol or fizzy drinks, both loaded with calories/ energy. (Hlanzeka Mpanza)

Balance less healthy meals with healthy ones: Choose only one less healthy item or meal per day.  For example: one day an English breakfast, the next day an ice cream and the next day a take away, but not all three on one day. Ensure the other meals are healthy by eating lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. (Zelda Ackerman)

Be a snack smuggler: Travelling, shopping and lack of routine during the holidays can lead to skipping meals, or grabbing that seemingly convenient fast food. To keep your appetite in check, never leave home without a snack. Fruit makes a refreshing and no fuss snack, and a small packet of unsalted nuts can easily fit in your handbag for when the hunger hits. (Jessica Byrne)

Avoid after-dinner nibbles and snacks: Those chocolates and biscuits that come out after an indulgent lunch or dinner are unnecessary calories and will probably only make you feel more uncomfortably full. (Lila Bruk)

Have your cake and eat it too: If you do have one of the many sweet treats on offer, keep your portion size as small as possible and choose the healthiest of what you can find. For example, generally fruit-based cakes and desserts are better choices, so an apple tart would be a better option than a chocolate cake, especially if you don’t eat all the pastry. (Lila Bruk)

Start your day with a wholesome breakfast: Have a low GI breakfast such as oats, wholegrain cereal or wholewheat toast with avocado or eggs. This will not only keep you satisfied, your sugar levels stable and hunger pains at bay, but will also prevent you from snacking on sugary treats that are empty calories with little nutrients. (Lucinda Lourens)

Get moving with friends and family: Spend quality time with friends and family these holidays, but instead of catching up over coffee and cake, make the most of the warm weather and plan to do something where you can be active together. Meet for a walk on the beach or get a group together and go for a hike. Go for a swim, or get the whole family involved in a post-lunch stroll around the neighbourhood. (Jessica Byrne)

This ADSA NutritionConfidence recipe, created by Chef Vanessa Marx, is perfect for keeping your health on track this holiday, while still indulging in delicious festive food: “Grilled Ostrich Fillet with Egyptian Dukkah and Cucumber Raita”.

Ostrich is a truly South African and healthy alternative for the braai this festive season! The raita bursts with flavour while being low in sugar and fat. Ostrich meat is a great alternative to other ‘red meat’ sources. Classified as a ‘white meat’ due to its fat content, it’s low in fat (even lower than some chicken cuts) and saturated fat; but also a good source of biologically available iron. This makes a great pairing with the “Spinach, Beetroot and Pomegranate Salad”.