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With seventeen years experience as a Dietician specialising in Diabetes Management and regular appearances on Brisbane radio and TV, Desi Carlos (pictured) is fast becoming Queensland’s nutrition expert. Her expertise and passion for lifestyle modification and good nutrition led her to opening Tree of Life Nutrition Services, a network of dietetic practices throughout the south-side of Brisbane. Her “eat well, feel good, look great” mantra has helped thousands of people.
After graduating from the Queensland University of Technology, Desi Carlos worked for the Gold Coast Hospital where she specialised in Diabetes Management. In 1995, under a Federal Government grant, Desi consulted in the area of diabetes management for patients of the Brisbane Inner South and Southside Central Division of General Practitioners.
Between 1998 and 2001, her expertise in nutrition led to the development and publication of the ‘E.A.S.E. Weight Loss and Lifestyle Modification Program’, in conjunction with the Brisbane Lifestyle and Health Group. Desi has also co-written and published a scientific paper on ‘Weight Loss with EASE – a primary health approach’ with the American Diabetes Association.
Desi Carlos told Australian Women Online, “Diabetes management and weight loss have always been passions of mine.”
Desi says type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle related disorder. “With diabetes management you actually do see the results just from losing weight and intervening with better nutrition. It’s not a disease unless you become complacent and actually develop the complications such as, eye damage, kidney damage and nerve damage.”
Weight gain is one of the main contributing factors to the onset of type 2 diabetes, a medical condition which is increasing at an alarming rate in Australia and throughout the western world. It is estimated that one in four people have diabetes and one in two don’t even know they have it. But the good news is type 2 diabetes can be controlled.
“It’s not the flu, you can’t actually get rid of diabetes completely. But what you can do is get into what we call a non-diabetic phase and essentially what that means is that if you lose enough weight and incorporate into your lifestyle good food and exercise, you can get your blood sugar down to a point where you no longer have diabetes,” she said.
But to successfully maintain significant lifestyle changes, the health care professional must develop a program which is practical for each individual’s needs.
“When I develop a healthy eating plan, I even add in chocolate and alcohol. People won’t make any changes to their lifestyle if you take away something they find comfort in.”
“The Tree of Life Nutrition Services is a concept developed to make sure people understand how to eat properly without depriving themselves. For me the most important thing for my clients is not to loss weight, but to get their blood sugar levels down. But the hardest part is getting them to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the long term so they can reap the benefits.”
In addition to her work with diabetes management, Desi Carlos founded ‘Tree of Life Nutrition services’ – a network of dietetic practices throughout the south-side of Brisbane. The Tree of Life Nutrition team incorporates dietitians, exercise physiotherapists and psychologists. Tree of Life Nutrition also presents seminars to the corporate sector and organisations such as churches, mothers, women’s and business groups.
Tree of Life Nutrition provides a wide range of services including supermarket tours where people are taught how to read labels on packaged food. The service also organises eating out seminars so that people can make healthier choices when eating out at restaurants.
Desi says the traditional ‘food pyramid’ is still as relevant today as it was when it was first developed.
“I think the food pyramid does need to be modified a little bit where diabetes is concerned, but it is still a good guideline for healthy eating.”
Desi does warn people against adopting high protein diets such as the ‘Atkins Diet’ because they are very difficult to maintain in the longer term. “When these diets were popular I found that I was essentially picking up the pieces,” she said.
I would like to thank Desi Carlos for speaking with Australian Women Online.