Interview with Manca and Mark - our nutrition experts

Could you please introduce yourself?

Manca: My name is Manca, 23 years old and I am a master's student of Food science at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. I have also been a swimming teacher for the last 5 years. My sport of choice was artistic gymnastics, which I practised for 9 years, during that time I was also a recreational swimmer.

Mark: I'm Mark, 25 years old, I am also a master's student of Food science at the University of Ljubljana. I was a competitive swimmer for 10 years. My other sports were basketball, skiing, tennis, currently I am learning horseback riding.

How does nutrition guidance look like?

Our service is suitable for all ages and people with various wishes (lose/gain weight, improve and maintain healthy diet). We also offer our advice to pregnant ladies and help with introduction of food to babies. Our nutrition guidance is personalised for each individual. Firstly we arrange a meeting with a client, in which we talk about his/hers current lifestyle. Client is then asked to write his food journal for at least a week, which is then analysed. On the basis of the lifestyle and food journal, we give our recommendations to the client. It can be arranged that we monitor your progress and give further advice. The process is mostly online.

What are most common mistakes that people make in your opinion?

People are often convinced that they are required to avoid certain food items, which also takes into account different diets. Our opinion is that everything can be consumed in moderation. Avoiding certain food without extensive nutrition knowledge will most likely lead to nutrient deficiency.

Dietary supplements, YES or NO?

It is hard to definitely agree or disagree with the use of supplements. On one hand the vast majority of supplements are certainly not needed for an average person, but some are recommended during different stages of life and seasons of the year or required in some special cases. On the other hand, professional athletes may require more supplements, due to their physical stress.