Clare is our lead dietitian.
With 6+ years of experience and the ability to connect with anyone, Clare can guide you through the online modules, individualise it to suit your life and keep you motivated to change.
Fancy meeting you here!
Wow, there is a lot of nutrition information out there. It’s conflicting and confusing and all you want is some answers. Perhaps that’s how you found yourself in front of this page.
Maybe you’ve just been to see the doctor and you’ve been told to make some changes. A blood test has come back high (or low). You don’t know how that’s going to effect your health and your quality of life five years from now. You’ve done some reading online but you don’t really know where to start…
Maybe you’ve been trying to lose weight. It’s tough and consumes a lot of your thoughts. Even though you’re making healthy choices, nothing’s shifting…
Maybe you’re wanting to move to a different way of eating. Becoming vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or even paleo. You’re not sure how to get the balance right and you want to do the best thing for your body…
Or maybe you’re feeling like food is not your friend anymore. That you’ve got an unhealthy relationship going. A cycle of being ‘good’, slipping up and then throwing in the towel. Buggar it, right?
I definitely get it!
I believe, for most of us, all we want is to eat well, be healthy and feel good. Simple. It doesn’t feel like much to ask. Why does it feel so complicated?
Whilst life is rarely simple, I believe that eating good food, supporting good health and feeling good about it, CAN BE SIMPLE. It’s just about figuring out what that looks like for you.
Food is (or should be) an enjoyable part of life. It should fuel your body and keep you healthy, but it should also be something pleasurable. Something that we can share with loved ones. Balance. That is exactly what I love to help people find; their balance.
Together we can look at your life as a whole and figure out how to find balance for you. It’s not what we do occasionally that determines our weight, or our health. It’s what we do on a consistent basis. And that is where the focus of healthy eating should be. Consistency.
We can work together to find balance and consistency within your busy life.
But how do we do it?
In studying the human body and nutrition for more than 5 years I have gained a solid understanding of how nutrients effect our physiology. But knowing nutrition and applying that to everyday food choices are two very different things. That’s where my passion and skills lie. I can help you to feel comfortable with your food choices by giving you practical strategies that you can apply straight away. I can:
- find meal ideas and recipes that fit within your busy life’
- determine your energy and nutrient requirements and translate that into real food,
- develop eating patterns for sustained energy,
- help you to challenge your relationship with food and emotional eating, and
- give you the skills to maintain healthy eating long term.
It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen (I can’t believe I’m quoting a Pantene Ad).
Over the past 6 years working with clients, one-on-one, I have seen what a difference small changes can make. It’s about incremental change and an accumulation of marginal gains.
Clare’s Qualifications:
- Clare is The Healthy Eating Hub’s Lead Dietitian.
- Clare is The Healthy Eating Clinic’s Head Dietitian and Corporate Nutrition Manager.
- Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD) with the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA).
- Bachelor of Human Nutrition from the University of Canberra.
- Master of Nutrition and Dietetics from University of Canberra.
Q&A with Clare!
What’s your favourite food?
Sticky date pudding. I have a pretty big sweet tooth and sticky date pudding reminds me of family birthdays at the Southern Cross Club and winter weekends as a kid. I usually check the dessert menu at a restaurant before the mains list. If sticky date is an option, then the main meal has to work around that!
What’s your favourite cooking method?
Baking – but not just baked cakes and biscuits. I love roasted vegetables and baked marinated meats. The classic method of whacking it all in the oven and forgetting about it for 20 minutes to an hour is so fantastic. Plus, in winter it helps to heat the house and fill the room with beautiful smells.
Why did you became a dietitian?
If I am being 100% honest, I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left school. I knew that I was good at human biology and computers and it was a toss up between the two. Human biology won out because I knew that I wanted to interact with people on a day-to-day basis, rather than a computer screen (though I seem to do a fair bit of that now anyway). Nutrition was the most appealing course in my home town that had a focus on human biology.
I regret nothing! The more I studied the chemical structure of food and how it interacts with our body the more fascinated I became. I would come home and rant and rave about carbohydrates, amino acids and different types of fats as well as vitamins and minerals and how our body uses them all. I was excited by the idea of sharing what I have learnt and the possibility of helping people apply scientific evidence to everyday food decisions. It sounds really nerdy, but that is what I am at heart. A really big nerd who loves to help people!
Yes, I love food but that is not why I got into nutrition. If anything the study of nutrition has turned a moderate interest in food into a love. What’s more, studying nutrition has made me realise that no food is good or bad. It’s just a different mix of chemicals. And by making some simple adjustments to our relationship with food, we can achieve good health and happiness!
What’s your superpower?
Puns (and terribly outdated expressions).
This is something my father has lovingly imparted to me – though I would argue mine are much less daggy. I particularly love a good food pun!
Your audacious goal?
To become the President of the Dietitians Association of Australia (Dream big, right?).
5 organisation tips that help you eat well:
- Buying nice tupperware or food containers and coordinating colours. If I like what I am putting my food in, I’m usually more likely to use it.
- Picking 2 meals a week to double the recipe and use for lunches. Usually Sunday and Wednesday night.
- Planning my lunch box snacks for the week. Each day = 2 pieces of fruit, a dairy based snack like yogurt or a coffee and one funsnack like a muesli bar, veggies and dip, homemade cake or muffin.
- Counting the number of fruits, I need for the week. 2 per day means I need 14 pieces of fruit. I try to get 3-4 different types.
- Separating my shopping list into columns of Fresh, Fridge, Frozen and Pantry. Saves me time going back and forth at the supermarket.
Do you live in Canberra? You can book an individual consultation with Clare through our sister company The Healthy Eating Clinic.