Fueling Your Wellness Journey Through Coeliac Disease, Diabetes and Infertility: Sally Marchini, Accredited Dietitian
Sally studied a Bachelor of Nutrition & Dietetics after being diagnosed with coeliac disease on top of her type 1 diabetes. Her goal is to help you to build the dietary knowledge you need to improve your confidence in making the best food choices, improving your energy levels, your immunity and overall health and of course, your success in becoming and being pregnant! Sally's special area of interest is helping people following a gluten free diet to optimise it for best health outcomes in fertility and pregnancy. Coeliapp spoke with Sally to discuss some of the biggest challenges her clients face and some simple changes to consider for your diet and overall wellness.
Tell us about your story and how you came to work in the space you do?
About 20 years ago I was diagnosed with coeliac disease on top of my type 1 diabetes, so I was referred to a dietitian. I’m sorry to say that that dietitian wasn’t very helpful. So long story short, I decided to go to university to study for my own health and to help others with complex chronic health conditions. Upon graduation 6 years later, I studied a Cert IV in small business management and started my own dietetic practice specialising in complex chronic health conditions. I also made a point of taking every opportunity to teach other dietitians more about coeliac disease.
Then about 6 years ago I was approached by Advanced APD Melanie McGrice to join her, as a dietitian with special interests, in a women’s health collective which later became the Early Life Nutrition Alliance. We have dietitian members all over the world who are working in early life nutrition with special areas of interest. My ‘niche’ is gluten free diets for fertility and pregnancy.
What are the most common issues your clients face? And what are the biggest recommendations you give?
Gluten free diets for fertility and pregnancy brings up a whole range of common issues. Everything from infertility to poor nutritional content of diet which impacts baby’s epigenetics, to higher rates of gestational diabetes due to the poor quality of the gluten free diet, and other health concerns in pregnancy that are also exacerbated by following a gluten free diet.
My recommendations are based on improving knowledge of gluten free food choices to ensure nutrient sufficiency for both parents, with supplementation where necessary.
What changes do you see in your clients when they make adjustments?
Bearing in mind we have longer term goals with fertility and pregnancy, clients also notice that they generally feel better and have more energy when they start making the changes. Their bowel habits often change too, and their blood test results are improved.
From your work and your research, what are you seeing as the key contributors to poorer health in terms of diet?
The Western diet is built around convenience, and tends to be very poor in nutritional quality. As people are time poor they tend to eat out more often but don’t seem to consider diet quality which then impacts their health. I see so many who have never been taught how to make better choices, so it’s exciting when people realise this and ask for help.
What other things can we do to improve the likes of fertility and overall wellbeing?
Move your body daily if possible, preferably doing something you enjoy. Enjoy good sleep routines. De-stress whenever possible. Enjoy social time with friends.
What are your “10 commandments” in terms of diet?
1) Eat real food
2) Eat mostly plants
3) Eat not too much
4) Aim for a great variety of foods
5) Eat seasonally and sustainably
6) Enjoy what you eat
7) Use fresh flavours in your cooking/preparation
8) Avoid saturated and trans fats
9) Eat with friends / family at a table
10) Try not to stress about it
What books, resources and recommendations do you have for people with Coeliac and other autoimmune conditions (books, research, blogs, specialists)?
Coeliac Australia has some great resources along these lines. I publish blogs on my website and a monthly newsletter which you can sign up to here. I like to recommend the Australian Healthy Food Guide monthly magazine (available in all usual places) which is edited by dietitians – it’s not specifically about coeliac disease but many of the recipes are naturally gluten free and it can help with meal planning. Diabetes Australia has some relevant resources too. Try Google Scholar for research on particular topics.
What inspires you in the work you do? And what’s the best part of your job?
My inspiration is that the evidence for how diet can help in fertility and pregnancy is growing stronger day by day, and staying on top of that research then applying it to help my clients is a constant buzz, especially when we see the happy/healthy results.
The best part of my job is doing that, and also coaching other dietitians around the world to do that for their clients too – together we’re changing the health of the next generation. Such an amazing feeling!
What’s next for your / what exciting things are you working on / what can we keep an eye out for?
I hope within a few years I’ll be speaking on the topic of Early Life Nutrition at international fertility conferences, so keep your eyes out for my name there.
Finally (and most importantly) what is your favourite food / meal?
That’s a tough question, as I have many favourites. I guess it would have to be something made by my Mum. I do love her roasted veggies which includes such a great variety of veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, sweet potato, beetroot, pumpkin, onion, garlic, zucchini, capsicum, cherry tomatoes) topped with creamy feta cheese and homemade basil pesto served on a bed of baby spinach leaves.
