Meet our dietitian

Julie Perks

Registered Dietician BSc (SA) PGDip Diet

As a Registered Dietitian with extensive public and private sector experience, Julie Perks (nee Thomas) is a specialist in the field of nutrition and aims to assist all with their health and nutritional goals. She qualified in 2007 from UKZN with a BSc Dietetics and a PG Dip Dietetics and has been registered with the HPCSA as a qualified dietitian since 2008. She is also a member of ADSA (Association of Dietetics South Africa).

Julie is available for individual consultations for a wide variety of nutritional needs from her practice based in Musgrave, Durban. She has a special interest in chronic diseases of lifestyle, weight loss management, goal weight maintenance, sports nutrition and children’s unique dietary requirements. She is also contracted with CDE Network. Julie lectures for various medical and fitness institutions and enjoys being involved at corporate wellness events and participating in cooking demonstrations. She also co-ordinates corporate health management strategies for various companies. Her eating strategies are designed to assist both desk-job and on-the-go people, ultimately ensuring that optimal health and nutrition is achieved.

Julie is excited to be affiliated with MyChef and to assist with their nutritional guidance and nutritional anaylsis. She feels that MyChef is a fantastic company that allows people the benefit of home cooked meals that meet certain nutritional guidelines for a health meal – so it’s really take away without the guilt.

Follow Julie on Twitter @Dietician_Jules or email her on info@juliethedietitian.com.

What is a dietician?

• A qualified health professional registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and has a minimum qualification of a four year scientific degree, with training in all aspects and fields of nutrition therapy.
• Nutrition is one of the cornerstones of good health for all.
• Nutrition is a science and Dieticians are the recognised experts in the field of evidence-based nutrition.
• There are many unscientific health and nutrition publications, fad diets and nutrition gimmicks around – when you consult a Registered Dietician, you are protected from misleading treatments and misinformation.

Conditions most commonly managed by a Dietician include:

• Diabetes, heart disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol), liver disease, kidney disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, TB, throat, stomach and intestinal disorders (IBS, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, constipation, flatulence, diarrhoea).
• Infant and young child feeding.
• Food allergies and intolerances.
• Eating disorders.

Nutrition advice would include:

• The various stages during a person’s lifecycle. From pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adulthood through to old age.
• Sports nutrition.
• Therapeutic and inpatient management of disease conditions and specialized dietary management.