Your Travelling Nutritionist
Hi there – I’m Belinda!
Belinda is a Clinical Nutritionist (BHSc – NutDMed) and is nationally accredited with the Australian Natural Therapists Association. She is also a qualified Nutritional Counsellor and has over 12-years of professional experience in the health and fitness industry. Belinda holds a range of qualifications including Specialist Exercise Trainer (DipFit), Personal Trainer (Cert IV) and Fitness Instructor (Cert III). Belinda is the Director of The Travelling Nutritionist Australia, author of the eBook F.A.D – F*ck All Diets, the creator and host of the podcast Need to Know Nutrition, is featured in The Art of Healing Magazine (Autumn edition 2024), interviewed on ABC Radio National (June 2024) and featured on ABC News (June 2024). Belinda is a proud advocate & member of healthy at every size (HAES Australia).
Why Nutrition, I hear you ask?
If I’m completely honest, Nutrition chose me.
I’ve always been a curious creature and when I completed my first degree (Bachelor of Arts – Musical Theatre) the real- and somewhat unconventional- one woman dietary experiments began! The high physical demands and fierce competition of the professional performance industry lead me down the path of FAD diets. You name it, I tried it: low-fat, no-fat, high-carb, no-carb, high-protein, sugar-free, Atkins, weight watchers, lemon detox, keto, paleo…. I even road-tested a few of my own…. which of course, didn’t work – none of them did!
Whilst working as a professional performer by night, I decided to become a Personal Trainer (by day…..well, early morning!) because I wanted to understand the body from a physical aspect. Through hours of one-on-one interactions with clients, I noticed that a variety of health issues reared their ugly heads regardless of physical improvements (think: slow recovery rate, lack of energy, decreased motivation, weight plateaus, gut issues etc.).
Enter: Uni degree # 2 – Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine.
This Health Science degree (yes degree- not a 6-week ‘do this online course and become a nutritionist’ certificate…….just so we’re clear) taught me how the body works (the biological underpinnings) and how the functional components of foods (fats, carbs, proteins, minerals, vitamins, fibres, antioxidants, phytonutrients etc. ) come together to either promote health, or endorse disease.
My food and health philosophy –it’s a nice simple one!
Eat for health and eat for happiness.
Choose real, wholesome foods (because you want to!) and also remember that you’re a human – dietary perfection (well, perfection in general) is unrealistic.
Eat to feel good, eat to fuel your body in whatever it is you choose to do and eat to ensure that you’re living your best life.
Dieting sucks, so don’t do it to yourself! Deprivation and restriction breed obsession so rather than dieting, have high standards when it comes to your food and your health.
80/20 is my jam – 80% whole foods, 20% soul foods (because I probably like chocolate & wine more than you do).
Belinda’s Qualifications
*Bachelor Health Science – Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine (Endeavour College of Natural Health)
*BHSc – Sports Nutrition (Endeavour College of Natural Health)
*Advanced Certificate – Counselling and Psychology (ACS) sp. Sports Psychology & Children’s Counseling
*Bachelor of Arts – Music Theatre (Ballarat Arts Academy)
*Diploma of Fitness – Specialised Exercise Trainer (FIA Fitnation)
*Certificate IV in Fitness – Personal Trainer (Australian Fitness Academy)
*Certificate III in Fitness – Gym Instructor, Group Fitness Instructor (Australian Fitness Academy)