Sharn McGowan
DieticianI am an Accredited Practising Dietitian dedicated to empowering clients through evidence-based knowledge and habits. After all, it is the behaviours we do most regularly that can have the largest influence on our long-term health. As a professional, I am committed to getting to know my patients for who they are and their individual health goals. It is important to learn about a clients’ health journey to know how to help them achieve their health goals.
At WLC Medical, we use metabolic testing with each client to understand their metabolic rate and efficiency of burning different fuels (i.e. fats and carbohydrates). This information is entirely unique to you, and guides us on how we can modify your diet and lifestyle to reach your goals. You may have come across equations on the internet that estimate your metabolic rate, however these are often inaccurate and provide a singular numerical answer.
In an initial appointment, we will discuss past medical history, medications, lifestyle and your general eating patterns – I completely understand that life can make healthy eating all of the time impossible, in fact that’s the reality! My role is to understand where you want to be and what are the realistic ways to get you there. If you have any recent blood tests, please bring them along to your appointments as well. Appointments following your initial will be check ins – how did you go, re-testing your metabolism, what strategies worked, which strategies didn’t work and why.
If my passion for nutrition, health and helping people has not shone through yet, I’d like to share with you how I chose my career. Growing up, health conditions were common in my life and not hidden from me. My sister had a carbohydrate intolerance and we all followed the low FODMAP diet; a family friend went into a diabetic coma suddenly one day and I visited her in the ED; my grandad had open heart surgery for a triple by-pass; and my aunty had Coeliac Disease. At a young age, not only did I realise how much of an influence food has on our bodies, but also the influence of one person’s dietary requirements had on those around them. I believe this is ingrained in my practice.