Advanced Sports Dietitian & Exercise Physiologist,
Level 2 Anthropometrist

Qualifications:

  • Advanced Sports Dietitian
  • Accredited Practicing Dietitian
  • Exercise Physiologist
  • Level 1 Anthropometrist
  • International Olympic Committee’s Diploma in Elite Sports Nutrition – Part I

Sally loves her work as a dietitian, and will go to great lengths to help her clients achieve their goals. Sally’s interest in sports nutrition began when she was competing nationally as a lightweight rower; as ‘weight-category’ athletes will testify, meticulous attention to food is necessary to achieve a goal weight. As a result, Sally has first-hand experience & empathy for the challenges that face her athletes & weight management clients.

Rowing was replaced with a love of triathlons (an easy transition given the high volume of cross-training required for rowing), and this has been her favoured sport ever since. She now competes in Olympic distance triathlons & half-marathons and will occasionally throw in a half-ironman for good measure.

Her dietetic career began in research, completing an honours thesis on ‘Caffeine use in elite athletes’ in 2005. Following this, she tied her dietetics & exercise science degrees together with the Sports Nutrition Course at the Australian Institute of Sport, and then began consulting to various sporting & personal training groups around Brisbane, as well as working for some years at a weight management clinic.

Following this, she spent a year travelling overseas, which sparked an interest in eating for longevity & health. Since then, Sally has grown Apple To Zucchini to service more clients, while still retaining the individualised aspect of nutrition planning – no two meal plans will ever look the same from an Apple to Zucchini dietitian! Sally is currently aiming to perfect the life of a working Mum; her little man Sam, and youngest Abigail are never far from her mind.

Experience & Specialties:

  • Eating disorders & disordered eating management (CEDC)
  • Adolescent nutrition
  • Meal plans to optimise body composition while supporting training goals
  • Lean muscle gain
  • Sport supplement advice
  • Running: Park Runs to marathons
  • Triathlon: IM, 70.3, Olympic & sprint distances
  • Cycling: MTB & road, multi-stage events
  • Weight category sports: lightweight rowing, boxing

Worked with:

  • Australian Institute of Sport – National Sporting Officials consultant dietitian
  • Tennis Australia – National Tennis Academy sports dietitian
  • Diving Australia – National lead performance dietitian
  • Queensland Academy of Sport – Consultant sports dietitian to rowing, beach volleyball, athletics and diving programs
  • Brisbane Lions AFL – Consultant sports dietitian
  • Reds Rugby Union – Consultant sports dietitian
  • Consultant / guest presenter: Bond University (dietetics), University of Queensland (physiotherapy & dietetics), Athletics Australia, Cricket Australia, Gymnastics Australia, Hockey Queensland, Lawn Bowls Australia, Officiating Collective, Queensland Ballet, Triathlon Queensland, and secondary school sport programs within the Brisbane schools network

Positions

  • Sports Dietitians Australia – Board member
  • Sports Dietitians Australia – Education Committee member
  • Sports Dietitians Australia – Partnerships Committee chair
  • University of Queensland – Master of Dietetics  – Board member

Qualifications

Two things I can’t live without are:
Eyeliner & my two little people (probably not in that order!)

9am on a Sunday morning, and I am:
Either enjoying a loooong training session, or at the markets looking for rhubarb & the best pink lady apples. 

My favourite training session is:
A run in a new city/holiday spot so I get to know the place at the best time of the day (~5am)

Tea or coffee:
Don’t mind, so long as it is hot. I would drink hot water over cold any day

My last meal would be:
I always check the dessert menu before ordering… Mum’s carrot cake (extra cream cheese icing), or with her recent reduction in baking time on brownies, they would be an honourable fudgey runner up to the cake

One thing I wish everyone in the world could know about nutrition is:
Alcohol – it might be healthy for your heart in moderation, but even in moderation, it will put a massive handbrake on fat loss; and chances are, the health benefits you get from fat loss are going to FAR outweigh the small cardiovascular benefit you get.

My nutrition philosophy:
Think about what you are eating. Not every single bite you take (that is just being extreme!), but think about the majority of the food choices you make day-to-day. Can you make a better choice? One that will end up in a better result for your body, your training, your health, and for the world around us? Take note of how your body reacts to the choices you make. We are all different, and while science can guide us, the ultimate meal plan is one which combines the science with your body’s reaction. When faced with choosing a food…the golden rule to use is: “the less processed the food is, the better it is for me”.

It is hard to summarise what we know about nutrition and health, however these two gentlemen do a cracking job: Michael Pollan & Glenn Cardwell – their writings are WELL worth the time &/or monetary investment.