Welcome to the Joyfully Nourished Plant Based Nutrition Hub. As an Accredited Practising Dietitian hailing from Australia, my personal health journey and experience working in private practice has been marked by a profound desire to empower individuals in cultivating a lifelong, sustainable plant-based lifestyle. My passion is to provide a “go-to” online hub for all things plant based for all ages at any of life’s stages.My goal is to bridge the gap in access to plant-based and vegan-specific nutrition support where it's currently lacking.
About Me
A Glimpse into My Plant-Based Journey
My journey with the plant-based lifestyle took root during my university years. Battling IBS-C from a young age and its profound impact on my mental and physical well-being led me to explore diverse dietary approaches. After spending most of my childhood and teenage years seeing many specialists and even more alternative options I felt like i’d never find any relief. After being inspired by the incredible plant based recipes that started circulating the internet and social media during this time I decided i’d give it a try and see if it worked for me.
I’ll admit that it was the health benefits rather than the ethical side of the lifestyle that was a driving force. I absolutely adore animals and after educating myself and staying updated with the literature through CPD on the benefits to both the health of myself, humans and the state of the animal agricultural industry the ethical aspects became a motivator as well.
I now strongly believe after pouring over the research and keeping an open mind that many of our lifestyle diseases could be prevented by following a plant based lifestyle. Which then leads me to the health of our children. In 2017–18, 1 in 4 (25%) Australian children and adolescents aged 2–17 were overweight or obese, and 1 in 12 (8.2%) were obese (AIHW, 2020). A predominantly plant based whole foods approach helps with weight control due to the high fibre nature of the diet. It is also known that a plant based diet are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease which is the leading cause of death globally. So with this information why not set a good foundation for the next generation by starting them on a plant based diet.
During my pregnancies I did have moments of doubt in the lifestyle. As a Dietitian I felt added pressure to do everything perfectly. This together with the pressure of being responsible for providing nourishment to my child made it all the more important to me. During this time I did find there was a lack of dietary support for plant based mothers during and after pregnancy. This is why I want to provide support to mothers and families who want to feel confident they can remain plant based and are getting all of the nutrition they need to thrive.
Now, as a mother of two, my commitment to a predominantly plant-based lifestyle is fuelled by the desire to offer my children an optimal start to life. As my husband is not plant based our children are not completely plant based either. This is why I wanted to create an inclusive and respectful space for families with mixed diets, various cultural backgrounds and beliefs regarding dietary choices. Navigating these many aspects that impact our food choices can be overwhelming which is why i’m here to help. I want to leave all of my clients feeling confident in providing plant based meals for themselves and their families so they can be great advocates of this wonderful lifestyle.
Experience
My career as a Dietitian has been in private practice starting in 2017. I’ve worked across many clinics for various Dietetic companies in Adelaide. This experience has been so valuable as it’s really highlighted to me what clients really want and need and how I can deliver a service that is impactful.
The Joyfully Nourished Mission
My mission is to address the lack of available nutrition support for women during pregnancy and for families raising their children who are wanting to continue with or implement a plant based or vegan exclusive diet. These important stages of our lives are often times where we reflect and re-evaluate our dietary choices because we no longer have only ourselves to consider. This can sometimes mean a person may decide to no longer follow a plant based or vegan diet because they haven’t received the right support and education. This doesn’t have to be the case. I want to encourage and empower all women and families to continue their plant based or vegan lifestyle because of the lifelong health benefits it offers.
This passion also extends to anyone wanting to either begin their plant based journey either for ethical beliefs or even to achieve health goals and/ or manage a chronic condition.
In order to truly make a lifestyle work for you long term, it’s the daily habits and choices we make that ultimately equate to our overall success and health status at the end of the day. This is why in order to achieve the aforementioned mission of Joyfully Nourished I aim to focus on the small habits and individualise these for each client. We all have different schedules, lifestyles and interests which means that each person’s habits will look different. If habits and daily goals are not achievable longterm then ultimately you will set yourself up for failure. Let’s focus on small, attainable daily tasks that set you up for success and leave you feeling confident and capable.
