Inside the world of clinical and sports nutrition
What you need to know:
- Recently, we have seen more and more people seek out weight management services which include weight gain and weight loss.
- It is important that an individual identifies what their weight goals are, and the reason they want to embark on a weight management programme.
- This helps us understand the needs of the client and come up with appropriate remedies.
Purity Kamande, 29, is a clinical and sports nutritionist. Purity is a graduate of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, and a Master of Science degree in Health Promotion and Sports Science. She is also the co-founder and lead nutrition consultant at KulaZuri Nutrition. Purity is an independent occupational and emergency first aid facilitator.
What does clinical and sports nutrition entail?
Clinical nutrition involves diagnosis and treatment of various diseases that affect certain bodily processes such as food intake and absorption, and metabolism. It is also about promoting health through prevention of lifestyle related ailments. Occasionally, we are also called upon to journey with patients in recovery to improve their outcomes. Sports nutrition involves using nutrition and diet to improve athletic performance.
What does it take to be a nutritionist?
In Kenya, one needs to undergo training at a tertiary institution, either at certificate, diploma or degree level. After that you need to be certified by the Kenya Nutritionists and Dietitians Institute. You would then be required to undergo a mandatory internship for about one year. After internship, one sits for a board exam and those who pass are registered as nutritionists and issued with a practicing license.
Tell us about your brainchild, KulaZuri Nutrition...
KulaZuri was birthed in July 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown. Not much was happening at that time so I sought to find a way to use my skills and training to help people meet their nutrition and fitness goals during this period.
We started by offering virtual consultations to clients with various needs. We have since grown and now offer both virtual and in-personal consultation services.
At KulaZuri Nutrition, we offer an array of services targeting pregnant mothers, infants and children, adolescents, and sports men and women. We also offer sports and exercise nutrition support, medical nutrition therapy and general lifestyle and wellness support.
A good number of Kenyans struggle with weight loss and weight management. What would you tell them?
Recently, we have seen more and more people seek out weight management services which include weight gain and weight loss. It is important that an individual identifies what their weight goals are, and the reason they want to embark on a weight management programme. This helps us understand the needs of the client and come up with appropriate remedies.
Do our sports federations integrate nutrition in their training regimens?
It is hard to quantify this especially in Kenya but internationally, nutrition in sports is a critical issue that is given the deserved attention. They even have departments of sports nutrition set up within the federations, from academy level to elite levels. However, there’s hope for Kenya because in the last Olympics, the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK) sought the services of a nutritionist during the training period. That said, there is definitely much more that needs to be done from the grassroot level to the national level across all sports in the country.
Maternal, infant and child nutrition is a key area of interest for you. Why so?
Infancy and pregnancy are very critical periods of life. If this class of individuals is not taken care of well, they could develop lifelong ailments. Good infant and child nutrition starts during pregnancy, so attention should be given to a pregnant mother’s nutrition needs from preconception up to lactation. Currently, we are seeing an increase in cases of child obesity which was more common in developed countries. The numbers are quite alarming and this could lead to serious health problems if not addressed quickly. Also, with the prolonged drought in our country, there is a sharp increase in undernutrition cases across all counties and this can lead to stunting and wasting if adequate measures are not put in place.
Kindly share your career highlights?
I enjoy using my skills in events management, especially sports. Also I like interacting with colleagues from the global scene to promote health and sports nutrition. I am also a member of Professionals in Nutrition for Exercise and Sport, a global association for sports nutritionists and dietitians.
What are your future plans?
I want to make KulaZuri Nutrition a popular brand in matters of nutrition, and also secure a physical location so that I can be able to see clients more efficiently. Also, I am planning to make our programmes more wholesome and accessible to clients.
Your advice to young professionals?
You have to find your niche and run with it, and fight for your space.
