Each individual has unique medical and nutritional needs. Consultations are on a one-on one basis where the specific dietary problem will be discussed in-depth and the appropriate dietary treatment will then be administered. Patient goals and objectives will then be discussed and decided upon in conjunction with the patient’s requirements and dietary preferences. The development of your diet and eating plan will take into consideration the dietary preferences of each patient in order to provide effective dietary advice which is easy to follow and provides results.

Duration:  

1 ½ hours

What to bring:  

• Recent medical tests & blood results.

• List of current medications and supplements you use.

What to expect: 

• A full medical and nutritional assessment.

• Interpretation of available blood works.

• A total body Innerscan™ test, to establish weight, body fat percentage, frame size, hydration status, muscle mass and speed of metabolism.

• Optional cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure tests during consult.

What you will get:

Based on the information provided by the client and the results of the Innerscan and other tests, we will provide you with dietary advice, as well as the type of exercises which will benefit you the most. Our recommendations include:

• Your ideal weight, body fat percentage and BMI.

• Dietary adjustments, including an individual eating plan.

• Lifestyle advice focused on disease prevention.

• Nutritional supplements, combinations for optimum health and weight loss/maintenance.

The second assessment is essentially a follow-up consultation in which the patient gives feedback on the diet and exercise regime assigned to him/her. These plans are streamlined to eradicate any problems which the patient may have experienced with the diet and exercise regimes in order to make them more practical and doable. For example, patients who don’t have the time to eat at certain times of the day will be encouraged to snack on food during the day which is more portable and convenient, yet still in line with their eating regimes.

Patients who struggle to consume the correct amount of protein or vitamins in a day will be encouraged to use supplementary shakes and protein bars. The purpose of the second assessment is to make sure that the diet and exercise regime allocated to patients is still in line with the demands of each individual’s unique lifestyle. This is the crux of Chocolate Nutrition’s services – to provide dietary treatment without entirely compromising on lifestyle or preferences.

Duration:

30 to 60 minutes

What to expect:

• Follow-up Innerscan™ test to measure new data on weight, body fat percentage, frame size, hydration status, muscle mass and speed of metabolism.
• Testing of cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides and blood pressure (if indicated).

What you will get:

• Monitoring of your progress to achieve your health goals.
• Adjustments to your eating plan and exercise regime for maximum benefit.
• Recommendations on further lifestyle adjustments.
• Additional supplementing to aid your progress.

Talia, who is herself a Type I Diabetic, specialises in the dietary and lifestyle management of Type I Diabetes.

This includes the basic lifestyle principles that a diabetic should follow, and the adjustment of insulin dosages according to carbohydrate intake, referred to as carbohydrate counting, for patients who are on a basal bolus insulin regime (daily injections) as well as insulin pumps.

Talia’s approach includes the treatment of babies, children, teens, and adult diabetics. Among her treatment guidelines, she manages:

• the carbohydrate intake of patients on insulin pumps,
• advises on blood glucose management during pregnancy (including gestational diabetes), and
• provides treatment for diabetic athletes who partake in regular endurance events.

Talia also specialises in helping diabetics control their blood glucose levels by means of correct diet, exercise and supplements.

Type II Diabetes

Treatment of Type II Diabetes includes the management of Type II Diabetics who are on dietary management, tablets, or insulin therapy. Talia has helped many diabetics reduce their reliance on diabetic medications using effective lifestyle and diet changes and can successfully assist patients to reduce their insulin resistance and insulin dosages.

Talia has been notably successful in helping many patients reduce and maintain a healthy blood glucose level by means of diet, exercise and supplements. A very big part of dietary treatment would be to focus on preventing regression in patients with Type II diabetes, moving from taking tablets to using insulin, and preventing further health complications as a result.

Insulin Resistance

Insulin Resistance is the precursor for Type II diabetes and, if managed correctly, can prevent the onset of Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Talia’s focus is not just on managing the insulin resistance itself, but also to prevent the onset of diseases related and exacerbated by insulin resistance.

Weight loss is essential in this process and Talia has developed specialised eating plans to address this issue in patients. With a multitude of weight loss products on the market, Talia advises on evidence-based supplementation to improve insulin function and enhance weight loss.

Talia has always been an active sportswoman. She swam for the South African National team and took part in numerous international swimming events before starting her university career and, upon qualification, began competing in endurance events including swimming, running and cycling competitions. In 2013 she was sponsored to compete in the ironman 70.3, an initiative which she undertook to raise awareness about diabetes.

Nutrition is an empirical part of a sportsman’s success and Talia advises on eating plans to:

• improve exercise performance and recovery

• aid muscle/weight gain

• assist body fat loss

• boost recovery and immune system support

Talia also devises specifically formulated eating regimes for sporstmen and women prior to events and compiles specialised nutrition race plans. These plans are not only aimed at professional athletes but also for any person competing in an endurance event such as the Argus, Two Oceans or Ironman where athletes require eating plans prior to events for race preparation, as well as guidelines on sports products and supplements to use on the day of the race. Sports nutrition also caters to athletes such as pro-golfers, cyclists, swimmers, or sprinters and all levels, from beginners to pros.

Goals:

• To assess and optimize nutrition before and after your event.

• To recommend supplements and other sports products for optimal performance.

• Aiding in Maximal recovery during training

• Losing body fat without compromising your training

• Compiling a personalized race plan.

DNA Sport Testing is now available at the practice

DNA SPORT

DNA Sport examines various biological areas that impact training responsiveness and sporting performance. These include soft tissue remodeling, inflammation, blood flow and respiration, energy production and fuel metabolism.

Athletic success results firstly from personalising a training strategy that optimises your genetic potential, and secondly choosing the right lifestyle, nutrition and environmental interactions to optimally express your inherited genes.

DNA Sport testing will give you information about your endurance and power ratio, your injury risk rate and strategies to manage these, You recovery rate from training and strategies to improve recovery. Your bodies optimal training time in the day and whether caffeine would be of benefit in your sports regime. This information will help your dietitian and your coaches to devise the optimal training and nutrition strategy to maximise your performance.

DNA testing is done at the practice. Please discuss this with reception or your dietitian.

While working in the UK, Talia furthered her studies specialising in gastro-enterology dietetics. She specialised further, gaining valuable experience in the fields of nasogastric and intravenous feeding and extends to managing auto-immune illnesses and problems relating to intestinal inflammation such as Crohns Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Coeliac Disease.

Talia can assist with the management of functional stomach problems such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome where patients usually present symptoms ranging from abdominal pain, bloating and wind to constipation and diarhoea. In particular, she deals with the management of patients who had undergone any form of bowel surgery and required treatment for short bowel syndrome, cancers of the bowel and colon, colectomy, ileal resections, and gastrectomy.

Talia also manages patients with food intolerances to dairy, gluten, wheat etc.

The treatment of children in the practice include those who are

• Overweight and insulin resistant (with central fat distribution and other markers),
• Fussy eaters
• Children who needs specialised feeds via a tube, in hospital or at home secondary to conditions that effect their swallowing i.e. cerebral palsy, cancer treatment
• Specialised diets in autism and ADHD
• Multiple allergies and food intolerances such as lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, cows milk, nut, egg allergies and many more
• Conditions such as childhood diarrhoea, constipation
• Children who fail to thrive and is malnourished due to other medical conditions or poor eating habits
• Assisting nursing mother with regards to breastfeeding as well as supplement use while nursing
• Supplemental advice with regards to shakes, vitamins, omega-3 oils and any other indicated supplement
• The practice also offers food intolerance as well as food allergy testing

Liezl has worked for 14 years as a Dietitian in Childhood Nutrition and with 3 young boys herself with 2 boys who require special dietary needs. She has the empathy and knowledge to assist you with your child’s specific dietary need. A combination of dietary and lifestyle changes and evidence based supplementation are used to provide an individual practical mealplan and dietary guidelines for your child.

The treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa or bulimia or a combination involves a good understanding of the disorder and lots of empathy alongside an individual approach for each patient to achieve his/her optimal nutritional status and to reverse habits.

Liezl has helped many patients’ achieve a healthy lifestyle, eating habits and a healthy weight by coaching and teaching on new thought processes and eating behaviour and by using supplementation to address deficiencies.

A part of the treatment is to work in a multi disciplinary team with other health care professionals to achieve the best outcome.

The treatment of inflammatory joint conditions and osteoporosis includes the management of patients who are at risk (genetic) or already diagnosed with these conditions such as osteo- arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.

Liezl has helped patients reduce their need for anti-inflammatory medication by using effective lifestyle and dietary changes alongside evidence based supplementation to reduce inflammation and support bone health. The approach is looking at the source of the problem either being genetic, hormone related or lifestyle related and dealing with the inflammatory process and pathways from all sides often starting by recovering the gut first. The approach is very individual and each patient will receive their own mealplan and supplementation recommendation.

DNA or Gene Testing is an individual approach in order to improve. Improve weight loss by means of following the right diet according to your gene-set, Improving your health by means of supporting bodily systems that may be weak and needs lifestyle support. In this way preventing disease in the longterm and also being aware of your potential disease risks. Looking at prevention of lifestyle related cancers i.e. breast and ovarian cancers and optimising your sports performance by means of ascertaining your muscle fibre type, injury risk and recovery rates. Wonderful isn’t it? This is the technology of the future based on your own body and what it needs to be thin, healthy and athletic.

We offer DNA testing at the practice and do the test and courier it to the lab on your behalf. We do not deal with the payments which is done directly to the DNA lab. We will however assist you in any way needed.

Test results can take anything from 2 – 4 weeks. If you would like to do a tests, you can visit the practice and make your appointment for the feedback a minimum of three weeks after the sample has been take.

DNA DIET

One of the first products of its kind in the world, DNA Diet is designed to assist the healthcare practitioner in the design of a personalised healthy eating plan based on individual genetic differences.

DNA Diet also provides additional insight into how each individual reacts to carbohydrates, saturated fats and intensity of exercise, allowing your dietician to further personalise your eating plan to suit your needs

Let’s look at how your genes can impact your weight. Obesity is a complex disease which results from not only genetic factors but is triggered by your environment. Many individuals may have a genetic predisposition that may lead to obesity. The genes involved here are genes that interact with environmental factors like the type of foods you consume in your diet as well as your activity levels.

For instance: you come from an overweight family. You probably have the genetic potential to put on weight too. You however, exercise frequently, avoid unhealthy foods and use nutritional supplementation to control your appetite. You are the only person in your family that is of a normal weight. Your sister on the other hand was born with a dislike in physical movement, a love for sugar and spice and really struggles to control her dietary intake.  She has therefore given up the battle of the bulge as nothing she endeavours seems to last or help control her weight problem.

Sequence variations within a pool of 56 different genes have been reported as being related to obesity. Identification of these genes (DNA DIET TEST) will help clarify the reason that you are struggling with your weight. A few genes to mention that can affect weight loss are:

• Increased appetite (Yes this can be genetic, gene FTO, MC4R, TCF7L2)
• A constant craving for sweet things (Yes this too is genetic TAS1R2)
• Insulin Resistance (ARDB2 Gln27Glu, FABP2)
• Saturated fat sensitivity (FABP2, ARDB2, APOA5)
• Your bodies resistance to weight loss (Gene ARDB3, PLIN)
• Reduced ability to mobilise fat from fat stores (Gene ARDB2 arg16gly)

By having your gene screen done (DNA Diet – we collect the test sample at the Practice or it is sent to you via Courier directly to you home with full instructions), you will have a very clear idea and understanding as to where your focus should be with your weight loss strategy. Whether it is to take something natural for appetite control, or to reduce the saturated fat or carbohydrate intake in your diet, using L-Carnitine based products can assist with the breakdown of fat in your body.  And there is plenty more products available to assist.

The tests will also identify patients who are at risk of gaining weight. You might want to consider screening your kids if both parents are overweight, or doing the test if your child struggles with his/her weight. Implementing good lifestyle habits when kids are young is much more successful in managing weight than trying to change habits when you are older.

Give this one a go, it worked for me……

DNA HEALTH

The DNA Health test is designed to optimise wellbeing and health by personalising lifestyle and diet choices and, where necessary, using supplements tailored to offset any particular nutritional deficit based on specific gene variants. The DNA Health approach assists the healthcare practitioner in establishing the optimal nutrition necessary for good health, longevity and disease risk mitigation.

DNA ESTROGEN

80% of breast cancer occurs in women with no family history. Oestrogen gene testing may help you lessen your risk. Research has shown that an increased lifetime exposure to oestrogen is a strong risk factor in the development of breast cancer. DNA Oestrogen tests for gene variants that have been shown to have an impact on how oestrogen is processed in your body and if the processing of oestrogen and related compounds is efficient and healthy.

DNA SPORT

DNA Sport examines various biological areas that impact training responsiveness and sporting performance. These include soft tissue remodeling, inflammation, blood flow and respiration, energy production and fuel metabolism.

Athletic success results firstly from personalising a training strategy that optimises your genetic potential, and secondly choosing the right lifestyle, nutrition and environmental interactions to optimally express your inherited genes.

Food Intolerance Testing – Bloodspot IGG 90 – 180 foods

Food allergies and food sensitivities are abnormal responses to a food component triggered by the immune system in the form of immunoglobulins (IgE, IgG, IgA, IgM), representing either an immediate or delayed response.

184 IgG ELISA food panel is arranged in a comprehensive panel of 184 foods.