Abby the Dietitian

Home
Abby the Dietitian

🍉 Abby Courtenay, Registered Dietitian (SA)
🤰🏼 Pregnancy nutrition
🐘 Founder of ECHO nutrition

21/06/2023

I added grated zucchini/ baby marrow to my scrambled eggs (with a smidge of garlic, topped with avocado and chilli flakes) and it was FREAKING DELICIOUS!

This is a great way to add veggies to your breakfast meal.

In so many cases, sorting out the quality of your food is the best thing you can do for your health- Think about what you can ADD, not always what you have to take away. Thinking like this makes healthy eating more sustainable and let’s face it, more fun!

01/06/2023

Low fat = Packed with sugar! Right?

Not quite… When low-fat diets became very popular in the late 80's and 90's, food manufacturers couldn't wait to make a range of products to suit the low-fat lifestyle. The problem? Fat gives food flavour and a good ‘mouth feel’ so when it’s taken out to create a ‘low-fat’ food, the end product isn’t very appealing. Not so great for sales! So what did they do? They replaced the fat with sugar (aka they ADDED sugar).

Many high sugar (but low fat) products were deemed to be ‘healthier’ because at that point in time, fat was the ‘enemy’. I was a young girl in the 90’s and I can tell you first hand how strongly I believed this narrative. So much so that I thought jelly beans were healthy because they were advertised as being 99.9% fat free.

Low fat and fat-free labelling created a ‘health-halo’ for these foods, which meant that we automatically believed that it was healthier when in reality it wasn't. But this doesn't mean that ALL low fat products contain added sugar. No sir, it does not..

Plain dairy products like low fat milk or low fat natural yoghurt don't contain any added sugar and the ‘low fat’ foods that consumers were actually supposed to focus on when doctor's told them to 'eat low fat' like fruits, vegetables and legumes don't contain any added sugar at all.

If you're trying to keep your added sugar intake low, choose to mainly eat a variety of whole foods and when you do eat convenience foods, check the label on the nutrition facts label. There should be a section showing you how much 'added' sugar is in that product and if not, have a look at the ingredients.

The ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. That means the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first, and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last. If a concentrated source of sugar appears in the first few on the list, that’s a clue that it contains a significant amount of added sugar.

The bottom line is that low fat doesn’t automatically mean high sugar, it depends on the food!

What food product did you think was healthy because it was advertised as ‘low fat’?

20/05/2023

Cottage cheese pancakes 🤤

1 cup flour (wholewheat if you have)
1 Tbsp. Baking powder
1 cup cottage cheese
2 Tbsp. Sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Blend together.
2. Spoon the mixture into a non-stick pan (my fav is perfect pan 😍) About 3 Tbsp./ pancake is enough.
3. Flip over when bubble’s form.
4. Allow the other side to cook.
5. Voila! Serve with whatever you like! I had my ‘main’ pancakes with banana, blueberry and honey and then took one to the couch as a snack (because they’re so delicious, dressed or plain!)

These pancakes are packed with protein, perfect for mamma’s trying to increase their intake either to meet their increased recommendations or to keep nausea and hunger at bay or for the mamma that just gave birth and is upping her protein for recovery.

Either way, these are freaking delicious and you have to give them a try!

Lotsa love, Abby 🐘

07/03/2023

Comparing 🍎 apples to crackers?

This really interesting paper assessed how ‘agreeable’ some foods were for morning sickness. They tested apples, watermelon, crackers and white bread.

They found that intolerance symptoms (like gagging, heaving or vomiting 🤢) response rates were 4% in apples, 10% in watermelon, 11% in crackers and a shocking 17% for white bread!

So next time that morning sickness creeps up on you, perhaps having some sweet apples nearby is a better option than the traditional call for crackers or toast!

As a big bonus, apples are also a more nutrient dense option. Could this be mother nature's way of enforcing an apple a day🧐?

What’s your favourite morning sickness cure 🤷🏼‍♀️? Let me know in the comment below.

06/03/2023

This FREAKING yummy bowl is going to be my go-to lunch (or dinner) for the next few days.

Here’s how I made it…

1. Sliced up some red onions and popped them in a container with 1 part rice vinegar, 1 part water, salt and pepper (this is a quick way to pickle onions within an hour or so).
2. Add a tin of chickpeas to some olive oil, rice vinegar, crushed garlic, Italian herbs and red chilli flakes and allow to marinade, the longer the better!
3. Chopped up some sweet potato, Brussel sprouts and broccoli and roasted in the over with olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Chopped up some kale (top tip- massage it! It brings out the moisture and makes it 100% yummier) and red cabbage.
5. Once the roast veggies are done, throw everything together and top with a little bit of vinaigrette (if you want), I make mine with 1 part olive oil, 1 part rice vinegar, garlic, dijon mustard and lemon juice). I also added a handful of toasted sunflower seeds for a little crunch!

I’m a bit of a ‘throw it together’ kind of cook, but because this was so delicious, I am going to measure all the ingredients next time and will give you an update!

Healthy eating doesn’t need to be complicated! Having a variety of veggies and legumes mixed with some healthy fats and flavour make a delicious and incredibly healthy meal!

06/03/2023

This is indeed WILD! In fact, pregnancy in general is wild... Since my early 20's I've been fascinated by the physiology of pregnancy and every time I meet a pregnant person I am literally in awe of how clever the human body is!

How many weeks are you at the moment?

Props to for a very entertaining Twitter feed!

06/03/2023

Are you pregnant and breastfeeding?

recently asked me this, so here is the answer:

In addition to your increased energy and nutrient needs, here are a few more things you may want to consider:

How do you feel about it?
It’s common for your milk supply to decrease a bit in mid-pregnancy and your milk may also taste different which may cause your breastfeeding infant to wean themselves.
You may have sore ni***es which can exasperate morning sickness symptoms.
You may feel really tired (which is common in pregnancy), but it may make breastfeeding feel a bit overwhelming.

Breastfeeding while pregnant is your choice but remember to chat to your doctor to check your individual risk.

06/03/2023

Ooooooh, Omega 3!

asked about omega 3 supplementation...

Here's the low down:

Normal foetal growth and development, especially relating to the eyes and brain, depend on the intake of essential fatty acids. Consuming sufficient amounts, especially of the omega-3 fat docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), may improve gestational duration and infant birth weight (two of the vital factors for a healthy birth outcome), length and head circumference.

While the majority of studies conducted on omega 3 and pregnancy outcomes was done using omega 3 supplementation, various health authorities still encourage the intake of a variety of omega 3 rich food sources like low mercury fatty fish like sardines, mackerel and salmon. The current recommended intake is to have 2-3 servings of fish per week (where one serving is ~120 g). Other omega 3 containing foods that can also be included regularly include nuts like walnuts and seeds like chia seeds.

Ideal omega 3 type, timing and dosage are still under review but consensus-based recommendations generally support an intake of 100-200 mg/ day of DHA during pregnancy.

Take note: Omega 3 fish oil supplements should NOT be confused with fish liver oil supplements (like cod liver oil). Fish liver oil supplements can be high in vitamin A.

Address

Website

http://www.echo-nutrition.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Abby the Dietitian posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Abby the Dietitian:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic?

Country:

City:

21/06/2023

01/06/2023

20/05/2023

07/03/2023

06/03/2023

06/03/2023

06/03/2023

06/03/2023

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Share