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Valeria Folco Nutritionist, Edinburgh (2025)

14/02/2024

When speaking about calcium, we often think of dairy food, which makes sense, because dairy food is a great source of calcium! But it's not the only one😉

But first, why do we need calcium?
🦴for strong bones (and teeth)
💪🏻 for healthy muscles
🙆🏻‍♀️ for healthy nerve function

Many foods contain calcium, but they are considered a *source of calcium* just if they contain at least 15% of the daily recommendation of calcium per 100g product.

⭐ Do you already include some of these foods in your days?
⭐ Is there a food in this list that you could start including in your meals/snacks?

21/11/2023

🔎Some nutrition facts on cranberries

Cranberries are a source of Vitamin C and they contain some vitamin B6 and potassium.

⭐Why do we need vitamin C?
- it supports the normal functioning of your nervous system
- it increases the absorption of iron
- it supports the formation of collagen, which we need for healthy bones🦴, teeth🦷, muscles💪🏻, skin and blood vessels.

⭐Why do we need vitamin B6?
- it helps the body to make haemoglobin (it carries oxygen around the body);
- it helps our body to use and store energy
coming from nutrients🤸🏻‍♀️

⭐Why do we need potassium?
- it helps the body with fluid balance and supports the healthy function of
heart muscle🫀

BBC Food has recently published an article about cranberries. Click on the link to see my small contribution and to read more information about cranberries:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/cranberries_health_benefits #:~:text=Superfood%20status&text=Cranberries'%20superfood%20label%20stems%20from,of%20the%20daily%20recommended%20intake.

💚Do you like cranberries?
💚 What's your favourite way to eat them?

15/11/2023

Officially a Registered Nutritionist in Public Health🥳

Preparing the transfer portfolio was a great opportunity to reflect on the work and CPD done over the past 3 years and on what I want to do next. (I won't sugarcoat it, I didn't enjoy every step - such as gathering all evidence into one organised place🤣, but at least I have a better system now!).

Anybody can call themselves a nutritionist, because the title is not protected by law. That's why I am delighted and proud to be registered with the Association for Nutrition (AfN), who governs the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN).

Our journey doesn't end after graduation, when we register as Associate Nutritionists ( ), and it doesn't end with the transfer to Registered Nutritionist . It's an ongoing journey, that serves to improve our knowledge, to develop our skills and learn new ones, and to ensure best practice in order to keep the public safe.
..Very excited for this new chapter!✨

07/11/2023

👩🏼‍🍳Hands aren't only helpful to cook...

They are also a handy guide to portion sizes (pun intended😉)

A healthy diet can include all foods you like, and your hands can be a good way to better understand the correct proportions👋🏻

Remember that this it's a rough guide NOT a prescription, and that we are looking for balance, not perfection🥰. Your hunger and satiety cues are just as important to determine how much food your body needs.

🙌🏻Have you ever used your hands to help you with portions?

💚What do you normally do?

26/10/2023

🗣️"How do you keep a healthy diet when you're on holidays?"

That's a question that I'm often asked during 1:1 nutrition consultations.

Recently my family came to see me here in Edinburgh and we spent the week together🥰. So I thought that I would share with you some of the foods that I had and my approach (on holiday or not).

🫘 I always try to vary the proteins and carbohydrates. That way I don't get bored and I'm more likely to meet my nutritional needs.

🥦 I always try to include vegetables in my meals. I especially enjoy salads with a mix of raw and roasted vegetables!

🍰 I like cake! When I fancy a slice and I'm lucky enough to find a gluten free option, I'll take it. Sometimes I share it, sometimes I eat it all.

🫐 We love spending time outside and walking, so l like to keep light at mealtimes and to always bring snacks (fruit, nuts, bars) and water with me. We also like spontaneous tea and cake breaks (see point above).

🛒 My mum and I like to go grocery shopping and to make dinner together. It's nice to see what different food shops can offer (even if in this case I already know what Edinburgh's food shops are like😅) and to relax in the evenings after a long day out and about exploring new places.

🥰...and most importantly: no food guilt! Not all my meals contained a balance of nutrients, some days I had more sugar (or fries) than I would normally eat, sometimes I ate more and sometimes I didn't finish everything that was on my plate...and that's ok! I tend to eat mindfully, following my hunger and satiety ques and enjoying the quality time with my family, sharing some of my favourite food places with them and trying new ones together.

I acknowledge that we are all different and that having a mindful approach to food may not work for everyone. It took me time and practice to get to this balanced and serene place💚.

✨I'd love to hear from you, what's your approach like when you're on holiday?

19/10/2023

I have recently delivered a Healthy Workplace Talk for the 's team in Falkirk. Some of the things we talked about include:

🥦 practical tips to include more fibre in your day
🍎 how to improve energy levels
🌽 tips for healthy eating choices when eating out of home
🫐 nutrition myth busting
🥕 ideas for healthy lunch options at work

The team had lots of interesting questions and time flew by!

If your company or the company you work for is looking for a healthy workplace talk, I would love to hear from you! I would be very happy to explore tailored opportunities together 😊

📞078455 48670
✉️ folco.nutrition@gmail.com

18/10/2023

Improving your eating habits is not about reaching perfection, simply because a perfect diet does NOT exist.

🤳On social media it is so easy to fall into the "perfect diet and lifestyle" trap. But remember that we only get to see little snippets of what people do and eat during their day. We don't see the full picture!

✨Improving your eating habits means making small and practical changes that you can sustain in the long-term.

✅Progress over perfection and inclusion over exclusion.

👉🏻What is a small change that you could introduce in your eating habits?
👉🏻How does that fit into your current routine?

16/10/2023

You don't need to buy expensive "health products" to boost your immune system.

⭐A healthy and varied diet, regular exercise, good quality sleep and stress management are the best ways to support your immune system to do its job.

💚What are you currently doing to support your immune system?
➡️What is a small change that you can make to better support your immune system?

03/10/2023

🤔Why do we need to take a vit D supplement? Isn't food enough?

Some foods (e.g. egg yolk, salmon) contain some vit D, but that is not enough to meet our daily needs. Our main source is ☀️ (UVB rays).

However, in most northern countries (Scotland included!) We can't get enough vit D through the☀️ in autumn and winter months.
✅That's why it is recommended to consider taking a vitamin D supplement from October to March.

💭 Why do we need vit D?
It's key for our 🦴health (teeth included🦷)
It plays a role in our immune system🦠

🔎Where can I find the supplements?
In most supermarkets and pharmacies

🥑 vitamin D is fat-soluble, so taking your supplement with a meal containing fat (e.g. nuts, avocado, oil) improves absorption.

✨Are you taking vitamin D yet?

22/09/2023

Where my passion for food and nutrition started💚

In my family's fields where my grandparents taught me how to grow food🍇🥦;

In the kitchen, where my grandma and my mum taught me how to cook👩🏼‍🍳;

And at the table, where we shared (almost) all meals together, chatting and enjoying the food🥰

As an adult I see what a privileged childhood I had, and I'm SO grateful for it. I treasure all of these moments and I feel deeply connected to my home❤️

18/09/2023

Vegetables and Fruit in Autumn🍂

In Autumn there are so many tasty vegetables and fruit (this is not an exhaustive list)!
My two favourite ones are 🎃🍐.

☺️What are your favourite seasonal vegetable and fruit?

Don't forget to save the post for later and to share it with a friend who may find it useful💚

30/08/2023

✨The end of August marks the end of holidays for many people going back to work/school

So, here are 6 ideas for a healthy and tasty ideas for your lunch at work/school (or at home!)

👩🏼‍🍳 Which one is your favourite?

28/08/2023

✨Come and join us for a cozy online chat✨

I will be the guest speaker for .living event on the 12th October 7-8pm.

I look forward to chatting about
🩷healthy eating for women's health
🍓practical tips to improve your eating habits
🤸🏻‍♀️healthy lifestyle
.and to answering your questions😊!

If you would like to join us,please get in touch with Nikki and Kirsten from .living
To help cover for admin there is a small fee of £5.

I hope to see you on zoom then⭐

15/08/2023

✅Your pre-workout snack should prevalently contain carbohydrates that are easy to digest and to absorb
..So you have more energy and can perform better💪🏻

⭐Do you have a snack before exercising?
⭐What's your favourite one?

11/08/2023

Whether you work from home, in the office or travel to places, there are options for healthy snacks!

➡️Feeling peckish or in need of an energy top up?
If possible, go for a snack that includes:

🍌🫘Fibre
🥛🥚Protein
🥜🍫 Unsaturated fat ("healthy" fat)

Ps: you can find recipes for the majority of these snacks on my profile😉

😋What's your favourite snack?
Mine is dates with tahini (or peanut butter) and dark chocolate

04/08/2023

✨Great Feedback from Edinburgh Dental Specialists.

Some of the key points we talked about:
👩🏼‍🍳 healthily balanced meals and snacks
🌱the importance of fibre
🌙 sleep
💧hydration
✨ mindfulness..and so much more!

Lunch break talks are an informal and fun opportunity to learn practical tips to better look after your health and wellbeing, following a holistic approach. This is YOUR time to ask questions, to share thoughts with the group, to talk about small changes and to set new goals...all of it in a friendly and interactive environment💚

If your organisation, or the organisation you work for, would like to support their employees' health and wellbeing, I'd love to hear from you!😊
💻 folco.nutrition@gmail.com
📞 078455 48670

01/08/2023

7 tips to keep hydrated

☀️Start your day with a glass of water
🎒 Use a refilliable bottle and take it with you
🍉Eat your 5-a-day (vegetables and fruit contain a good percentage of water)**
🕑Drink little and often
📱If you struggle to remember to drink regulalry, set a timer on your ohone
🍋If plain water doesn't appeal you, make it more interesting! You could add some mint leaves, lemon slices, orange slices, cucumber...
☕Tea, coffee and infuses count too!

**Examples of vegetables/fruit with +90% water content: cucumbers, melon, strawberries, radish, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce and courgettes.

💧 What's a small change that you can make to drink more water?

23/07/2023

⭐ Things that happens when you make healthy changes to your diet:

Higher energy levels
Improved relationship with food
Better mood
Improved sleep quality
Better exercise performance

If you are making healthy changes because you want to see a difference on your scale, thats ok, there's nothing wrong with that😊. This is just a friendly reminder that improving your eating habits can have other benefits to your health and wellbeing💚

If you liked the post, dont forget to give it a like and to share it with a friend who may find this helpful🥰

Valeria Folco Nutritionist