Francisca Oliveira

What is the role of a clinical nutritionist and a nutricoach?

Nutricoaching brings together the best coaching techniques and approaches for nutrition consultation. It is important to be able to balance the emotional part of the behavior. My role is to make a difference in someone's life, to help my clients achieve their goals, whether it is to lose or gain weight, acquire healthier eating habits, improve their sports performance, improve their biochemical parameters, etc. Most importantly, I help them to maintain and apply all of this over the long term.

In your opinion, should sport and food go hand in hand?

It's almost impossible to talk about physical exercise without talking about nutrition. Nutrition plays a key role in sports performance, in optimizing body composition, in recovery after exercise and in minimizing the risk of injury and early fatigue. We know that a healthy diet and physical exercise are the main factors for maintaining good health. I emphasize that recommendations regarding the nutrition of each athlete must be made taking into account the individual athlete's goals, nutritional needs, health status, training modality, frequency, intensity, duration of training and dietary preferences. 

A balanced and diversified diet is important to meet the nutritional needs of the general population, particularly for those who practice a physical activity. In the case of athletes, before, during and after competition or training, there should be an ideal energy intake, a balance of servings of each macronutrient (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and proper hydration. Nutrition and sport must always go hand in hand to achieve better health, energy and vitality.

Do you work with athletes?

I work with many athletes, not competitive athletes, but people who practice a form of physical activity as a daily routine.

What made you accept the Super Vegan Fitness challenge?

The philosophy and characteristics of the whole range. They are certified products with 100% natural ingredients. All products are 100% vegan and gluten-free. Furthermore, they do not include any additives or artificial ingredients. Above all, they combine Training and Nature for getting better performance, energy and recovery: "WE ARE MATERIAL AND ENERGY".

Do you have a favorite product?

Among those I've been able to try, I like the Super Vegan Hydrate. It allows me to maintain my water balance during and after my jogging. Good hydration, before, during and after training, is essential for good performance.

Do many people come to you for nutritional advice or to get better sports performance?

Yes, most of my clients come to me initially to lose weight. But once the target weight is reached and physical activity is introduced or increased during and after the weight loss process, people quickly have more self-esteem and energy. In addition to wanting to keep their weight off, they also want to improve their training performance, and their diet remains essential.

Do you think a nutritionist these days is much more than a professional who tells us what to eat?

Absolutely. The role of the nutritionist is to guide and encourage people to make appropriate lifestyle choices, to prevent diseases (such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, obesity, rheumatic diseases or cancer), to treat other conditions such as gout, osteoporosis, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, and to improve people's quality of life. 

The process is not just about telling people what to eat. We cannot talk about eating plans without also talking about the emotional part. So, we have to include in the process the stage of life we are in, whether we have more or less work, whether we exercise more or less, whether we sleep less. All of these factors can disrupt our bodies. Sometimes it is also necessary to help forget the memory of the past a little ("I was like you when I was your age, I ate everything and didn't put on weight..."). 

As the stages of life are different, we need to rest, produce serotonin properly, have the right levels of tryptophan, a good intake of vitamins and minerals and many other things that we could go on listing and that we can balance with nutritional monitoring. 

So, yes. A nutritionist is much more than a professional who tells us what to eat.

What is your professional background to date?

My career in nutrition started over 10 years ago. 

I started working in this field as soon as I graduated from university, in pharmacy, as a food product manager for fitness centers. 

I took several courses in Nutricoaching, Functional Nutrition, Sports Nutrition, Nutrition and Interpretation of Clinical Analysis and Infant Nutrition, among others. 

I coordinate a team of nutritionists in a large company. I spent a few months working in the United States. I also do several workshops. I work with passion in the field of clinical nutrition, my favorite field.

Five essential tips for those who want to train and lose weight:

1. The essential condition is that the daily energy intake must be less than the energy expenditure,
2. Be consistent, 
3. Have a sufficiently restful sleep,
4. Have a diet plan that takes into account the type of workout, provides the body with essential nutrients while minimizing dehydration and/or hypoglycemia,
5. Be accompanied by qualified professionals and not just be "in fashion".

Do you have recipes and tips for those who exercise?

Before training, you should not have a big meal, but only a "snack" about 1 hour before. Foods rich in carbohydrates, moderate in protein and low in fat (because they slow down digestion) are the best source of energy. For example, porridges, pancakes, smoothies, yoghurts, bread with honey or jam, etc. In some long-lasting sport practice, it is necessary to ensure good hydration as well as the intake of carbohydrates with immediate and prolonged action. After training or sport, it is necessary to ensure rehydration and replenishment of carbohydrate reserves in the muscles and liver.