Lorena
Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian
Certified Sports Nutrition Coach
Clinic schedule:
MONDAYS 8am to 10pm (online) ; 10am to 1pm (in-person) truetolifedietitian@gmail.com
07/03/2026
PART 3 | WHO vs Asia-Pacific Body Mass Index Cut-offs
For Asian populations, including Filipinos, lower BMI cut-off points are used to assess overweight and obesity.
This is because research shows that Asians tend to develop metabolic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease at lower BMI levels compared to Western populations.
Because of this higher risk, the Asia-Pacific BMI classification considers BMI ≥23 as overweight and BMI ≥25 as obese, while the international WHO classification defines overweight at BMI ≥25 and obesity at BMI ≥30. Using the Asia-Pacific cut-offs allows earlier identification of health risks in Asian populations.
It is also important to remember that BMI is only a screening tool. It helps identify individuals who may be at risk, but it does not directly measure body fat or overall health, so further assessment—such as waist circumference, body composition, medical history, and lifestyle evaluation—is still needed.
07/03/2026
PART 2 | Double Burden of Malnutrition in the Philippines
The Philippines faces a double burden of malnutrition, meaning two opposite nutrition problems exist at the same time in the population.
On one hand, many Filipinos—especially children—experience undernutrition, such as stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies caused by inadequate food intake and poor diet quality.
On the other hand, there is a growing number of people who are overweight or obese, largely due to increased consumption of energy-dense, highly processed foods and more sedentary lifestyles.
This coexistence of undernutrition and overnutrition within the same communities, households, or even individuals creates major public health challenges because it increases the risk of infections, poor development in children, and chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease later in life.
06/03/2026
Part 1 | A quick story time before the lecture 📕
I'll post the rest of my talk in short clips.
06/03/2026
Medyo free ka today? Tara! Usap tayo online later!
27/02/2026
PSA 📢
Just because it’s marketed as “healthy” on TikTok doesn’t mean you can finish the whole can in one sitting.
Trail mix. Almonds. Cashews. Mixed nuts. Yes, they’re nutritious. BUT they’re also calorie-dense.
That “healthy snack” can quietly turn into 500–800 calories if you’re eating straight from the bag while scrolling your feed or watching videos.
I'm not saying you shouldn't eat nuts, okay? 😅 Just reminding you to control your portions.
26/02/2026
Calorie deficit ≠ eating as little as possible.
It means eating slightly less than what YOUR body needs. Practice calorie deficit with proper guidance from RNDs. It's not as easy as eating below your BMR.
Undereating is not discipline. It’s underfueling. Let’s stop normalizing 1200 as the “standard.”
23/02/2026
A short reflection of a day that almost made me quit.
There was a time in the hospital when a doctor called me out in front of others — questioning what I knew, what I finished, and whether I was even capable of clinical dietetics.
For a moment, I believed the implication. That maybe I wasn’t smart enough. Maybe I didn’t belong there.
But here’s what I’ve realized: being put on the spot is not a measure of your intelligence. And someone else’s tone is not a measure of your worth.
Hospitals can be humbling places. They stretch you. Expose your gaps. Test your confidence. But they also build you (if you let them).
I didn’t leave because I was incapable.
I left knowing exactly what I’m capable of and what kind of environment I deserve.
Sometimes the most painful moments clarify who you are.
And I know now that I was never “too stupid.” It may have dented me deeply and shook my confidence, but it pushed me to grow in ways comfort never could.
PS: This post is not to encourage hospital dietitians to resign. I still stayed for 7 years after that encounter. Here's my advice to you if you're currently in this situation: Do not let yourself shrink just because someone tried to make you feel small. Fighting!
Lovelots! 💕
20/02/2026
If you always feel hungry when trying to lose weight, maybe the problem isn’t “eating too much.” Maybe you’re not eating enough volume.
Try more vegetables, enough protein, and balanced carbs. A plate that actually satisfies you.
20/02/2026
Did you know? Whenever we prepare these meal kits, we say a silent prayer — that may this food nourish our clients, give them strength, clear minds, and steady energy to fulfill their tasks every day. 🥰
Because for us, it’s never just calories and macros. It’s also about the mom who needs energy to care for her family. The professional who needs focus for long workdays. The client who is trying again and choosing better for their health.
Thank you so much, dear clients, for trusting us with something as personal as your daily meals.
We don’t take that lightly.
Happy weekend! 💕
19/02/2026
Another set of pictures for you to see! You may also click our album ☝🏻 to check what type of foods we usually serve.
We don't post our weekly menu on our page anymore. ☺
If you're further interested, you know what to do! Click or tap that message button!
Address
WanLo Apartments, Room 3, IC-125 Betag La Trinidad 2600
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Well, to begin with, I am a person who is not contented with where I am and what I have already become. With my young age, I could not agree more that I have been through a lot compared to my friends. I had my ups and downs, courage and fears, and faith and unbelief.
I was a licensed dietitian as early as 19. I had to wait for a year before I could get my license, so I had to look for a job. I loved writing so much that I applied as an online content writer and was hired. My online jobs got bigger and broader. I had been employed as an online dietitian, a virtual assistant, a social media manager, a data encoder, and so on. Then, I got bored with that life – sleeping at 8 o’clock in the morning and waking up late in the afternoon to start working, so I tried to teach myself how to bake. There were orders here and there. My business bloomed in three-month time. While I was juggling my online activities and baking, I needed more so I decided to enroll professional education units. I took the licensure exam and gratefully I passed. I had two licenses in my pocket – as a dietitian and as a teacher. But I felt incomplete. I wanted a “real” job – something that inspires me to wake up in the morning, wearing formal clothes, working on an office table, getting out of the house. Luckily, I got employed shortly before my 20th birthday. I was very eager to look for a job! I thought I was ready! But I was not…
I was then hired as a dietitian who will focus on the newly-established clinical nutrition services at a hospital in the city I am living in. At first, I felt like I was a disaster. I was dumbfounded. I was weak and vulnerable. I was questioned about my capabilities, my learnings, and understanding of what my purpose is. I have cried… a lot. My first year working in the “real” world was happening in real life. I could not make excuses. Many times I wanted to quit, but people encouraged me not to. People saw something in me. I had to prove those people who belittled me that I will not leave. That I had more to give! I worked and worked. I had to face the trials by myself. Years went by, and there are still a few who judges me, but this time, I did not care as long as I know where my feet are standing on and where it did not belong.
A year after, I got bored. I needed something to do to pass the time. So, I opened up a baking supply store as I was a baking addict. After roughly four months, I had to close it. Baking was not yet a booming hobby or business here in Baguio in that period of time. I was frustrated – the money, the time, the effort all went to waste. I continued baking. This time, I was dividing my time to work, baking, and a part-time job as a resource speaker.
Another year passed, and as expected I was not contented with where I was back then. I was inspired by the people who brought me down, who threw me to darkness, so I had to enroll in the graduate school. I had to prove that I was not dumb nor stupid. I took up Master in Public Health. It was a good experience but not that “good.” As mentioned, I was majoring in “public health” while I was in a private sector. Was it a wrong choice? Was I even ready? So, after two semesters, I got tired. I did not know what to do with my life!
Fast forward, I had another opportunity to open up a business. This time, a food service establishment. I had the chance to customize the structure of the cafe since it was designed to be a kiosk or a food truck. Time, effort and money were sacrificed. Too many doubts… Too many “what if’s”… But I had to move forward. So at last, it finally opened in 2014. It had a rustic feeling in the outdoors. First months were okay. The following months were great! I felt that I was taking the right track. But I also felt weak. I slept late, I woke up late, and already too tired to go to work. Many times, I have had headaches and rashes as induced by stress and lack of sleep. The business could not go on without me, so I had to commit every extra time I had. Then, it came to the point that those “extra times” were already dedicated to my work. As a dietitian, it had become my part-time job. I had to balance everything, I had to get back on my feet, and so I did.
Everything was doing well. People come and go. Customers were satisfied and requested for more. These requests turned out to be an ambition to open up a branch. In less than seven months, I invested in another cafe, this time – a healthy bistro with my nutrition clinic in it. I had doubts – and these doubts became a reality. It only lasted four months. The sad thing is, the quality of the services turned low. The reason was – I was working alone. I could not do it by myself. I was afraid to hire a manager. I was scared that they would not meet my expectations. These fears turned into depression.
Like any other businessmen, I had to take risks so what I did was to save my clinic because I had loyal clients. So what I had that time was the main branch, the clinic, my work, and baking. I was bombarded by customers that I need to have a bigger space. Like what you expected, I looked for and transferred, this time into a building. Again, I had so many doubts because the location was not perfect for a cafe, and the place needed too many renovations. But, again, I took risks. I have sacrificed too much already.
After a month of renovation, it finally opened. The first months were good. We are gaining enough. But for the nth time, I had rashes all over my body. I was too tired. My spirit was willing but not physically. Again, I dropped my clinic since the location was far from my clients. I planned to transfer to a multi-specialty center as this may give me a more extensive range of clients. I wanted to be both an entrepreneur and a dietitian. I needed these both at the same time. But it did not happen.
I was left with the business, work, and my part-time jobs. I needed to give up something, and I have decided to drop the business.
Skipping the other details, as it is what is happening right now, I needed to get out. I needed time for myself. I sacrificed years and years, I do not want to sacrifice more. I recently re-enrolled in grad school under the same degree – a semester more to go, and I’m done!
Well, I want my life back. I wanted to be the person that God wants me to be. I want to be HAPPY and CONTENTED. On the bright side, I may have given up everything at this point in my life, I have learned in every trial that I have conquered, I was given signs. But these signs were reality checks that needed to be faced, and I am proud that I had and presently am.
