As we get older our energy requirements decrease, therefore even if you have not started to eat more your weight might start to creep up if you have not increased your activity levels. Many post menopausal women also report an increase in the fat around their abdomen. This is exacerbated by the fact that aging can lead to a loss of lean muscle tissue. This loss of lean muscle, which is more metabolically active than fat, can lead to a drop in metabolism. You may need to reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories a day which will lead to a loss of 1lb of body fat a week. This is a healthy and maintainable weight loss.

Often as people get older their activity levels decrease as they become more sedentary. This also poses a risk for weight gain. So increasing you activity levels will further help your weight loss and build that important lean tissue to increase your metabolism. As you get older there are often other health risks may need to address such as warding off osteoporosis. For individualised advice and a weight management plan tailored to your requirements please make an appointment with one of our experienced Dietitians.

Firstly, you should ask your doctor to explain what your blood sugar levels are and whether he feels you need to do something to correct them. It is likely your doctor will suggest that you see a Dietitian. By taking a detailed diet history we can manipulate your carbohydrate intake and ensure that your overall diet is balanced to help improve your blood sugar control. Also, the information provided by our body composition analyser will show whether you are overweight, which is also a risk factor for high blood sugars and Diabetes. For individualised advice tailored to your requirements please make an appointment with one of our experienced Dietitians.

There can be many reasons for your lethargy including the weekly mileage you do, your weekly schedule between work and training, your dietary intake and whether you are male or female. You may not be eating enough iron rich foods or simply not eating enough food for your energy expenditure. Many amateur athletes who do serious mileage balanced with a stressful job and home life neglect to eat an adequate training diet. By taking a detailed diet history we can ascertain your overall energy intake, and based on your training schedule, we can see if it meets your training requirements. Furthermore, we can assess if you are getting in adequate vitamins and minerals for the level of training you are doing. For individualised advice tailored to your requirements please make an appointment with one of our experienced Dietitians. You might also consider seeing your GP if this has been a longstanding issue.

IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a functional disorder of the bowel. It is a common digestive complaint, causing abdominal discomfort and a change in bowel habit. We have a 3 step approach in the management of IBS symptoms – diet, physical activity/stress management and over the counter medication. By carrying out a detailed dietary assessment, we ascertain whether your diet is balanced and the potential to manipulate your fibre and dietary intake to manage your symptoms. Make an appointment with one of our experienced Dietitians for a detailed diet and lifestyle assessment with advice and resources tailored to your individual symptoms and dietary requirements.

High cholesterol is a ‘modifiable risk factor’ for heart disease, along with any of the following: being overweight, having a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, having high blood pressure and high triglycerides (another type of fat in the blood). Positive changes to our diet and lifestyle can reduce our risk of heart disease. An appointment with a Dietitian will include a detailed anthopometric assessment (looking at weight, height, Body Mass Index, waist circumference and body fat percentage), diet and lifestyle assessment, in addition to looking at your blood tests, medications, medical history, family history of disease and stress levels. Make an appointment for a detailed assessment and tailored advice.

Goat’s milk or goat’s milk formula is not suitable for infants. Goat’s milk contains lactose, so is not lactose-free, but in addition to this, the protein quality of goat’s milk is not deemed to be nutritionally adequate to support growth in infants. Lactose-free infant formula would be recommended for your baby. There are 2 main brands available to buy in pharmacies. A prescription is not required. If your baby is taking solid foods, these must also be lactose free. Lactose intolerance is often a short-lived problem, so do check with your doctor or healthcare professional as to when normal diet can be resumed as it is not advisable to continue a lactose free diet if it is not medically indicated. For advice on lactose free diet including appropriate formula and solid foods, while also ensuring that your baby continues to get all of the nutrients required for normal growth and development, consult with a Paediatric Dietitan.

Babies and toddlers go through various periods of rapid weight gain. To assess whether your child’s weight gain is in the normal range or excessive, you should ask you doctor or healthcare professional to weigh and measure your child, calculate his BMI and plot these measurements on age appropriate centile charts. It is really important to establish healthy eating habits from an early age whilst still ensuring a nutritionally adequate diet to support normal growth and development. Each of the four main food groups should be appropriately represented, and intake of “junk” or treat foods should not be excessive. Daily physical activity is also important and essential even from the toddler years. If your child’s weight gain is excessive, rather than starting a strict “diet”, it may be sufficient to make some changes to your child’s current intake so that he is still getting all of the required nutrients but that his overall caloric intake is not excessive. A Paediatric Dietitian can provide individualised advice on how to achieve this.