Rowena Visagie Dietitian

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Rowena Visagie Dietitian

Fuelling for sports performance. REDs & ED awareness. Food and body peace. 20+ yrs experience.

14/09/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs) is that: “if you haven’t lost weight, then you can’t have REDs”. That really isn’t true.

Underfuelling can happen in anyone in ANY body size. Weight loss can occur, but many people experience no weight changes. Some athletes may even gain weight or body fat.

During prolonged low energy availability our bodies will naturally try to protect us by making adaptations to prioritise survival. This can be in the form of metabolic changes (RMR becomes suppressed) and an increased stress response.

Unfortunately this misconception delays appropriate treatment and often results in the incorrect intervention which only does more harm!

I am bringing this up again, because it’s something I am seeing happen too often. Please please please, if you are a healthcare professional claiming to know how to assess for REDs, and this is not something you are aware of, then please can I ask you to get some more supervision by someone who does have extensive experience.

Ref: McCall LM et al. Endocrine & metabolic repercussions of relative energy deficiency in sport. 2019.

02/09/2026

Some things just work better together. Close together 😉.

Just like these nutrition pairs, which help each other to improve iron status, vitamin absorption, recovery, bone health, carbohydrate utilisation during prolonged exercise, and energy.

Non-haem iron & vitamin C: eg Lentils & tomatoes
Fat-soluble vitamins & dietary fats: eg. Leafy greens & olive oil
Vitamin D & calcium: eg. Eggs (yolk) & cheese
Carbs & protein for recovery: eg. Chicken sarmie
Glucose & Fructose: eg. Carb sports drink mixes

❤️ 🇿🇦

31/08/2026

UNDERFUELLING & THE BRAIN

Last weekend towards the end of a 4hr trail race, we descended down a long, very tricky steep rocky section. It was raining, which also made it crazy slippery. I remember thinking in that moment: “I am so grateful that my brain is well fuelled!”.

We often talk about how low energy and carbohydrate availability can affect physical wellbeing and performance. But underfuelling (overall, and during training & competition) isn’t just a physical issue.

It can also weaken our:

🎾 ability to focus & concentrate
🎾 coordination & skills
🎾 capacity to cope with stress
🎾 emotional resilience

and skew our perception of fatigue during prolonged exercise.

These are all biological and survival responses to a situation where there isn’t enough energy to cover all our needs. And they all have potential performance, wellbeing…and safety consequences.

A fuelled brain = better safer performance (and a more pleasant personality! 😉) ❤️

References:
Mountjoy et al. 2023 International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). BJSM.

Grivas et al. Energy Availability as a Neurocognitive Regulator of Endurance Performance: Integrating Metabolic, Perceptual, and Decision-Making Mechanisms- A Narrative Review. Sport 2026.

20/08/2026

Once upon a time when I was young and fast!! Fun times!
I had some requests for more stories from my speedy days so I guess this is one. My cover girl moment, now collecting dust. This was such a cool sprint tri series, where we got to travel around the country and race as part of a team, with super cool sponsors, hard racing, and load of fun! 🏊🏻‍♀️ 🚲 🏃🏼‍♀️

17/08/2026

Just a little reminder that the sports supplement industry is largely unregulated, as is their marketing language. Many of the claims that are made aren’t accurate, or are purely used to motivate you to choose their product over another. These are four common ones, but there are many more!

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the product isn’t useful or a good option, but it’s important to keep in mind.

However, it is also really important to remember that many products do come with the risk of contamination with substances (usually unlabelled) that may result in a positive doping test, or that could be harmful.

Chat to a sports dietitian if you need some solid and safe supplement advice. ❤️

Informed sport website:
https://sport.wetestyoutrust.com/

https://drugfreesport.org.za/false-claims-on-supplements-marketed-to-youth/

Zapata-Linares J et al. Contaminants in Dietary Supplements: Toxicity, Doping Risk, and Current Regulation. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2024.

13/08/2026

Female cyclists and bone health:

I have the privilege of working with many female cyclists, and bone health is a big issue! I feel it’s something that really isn’t spoken enough about.

Due to the nature of the sport (being non weight-bearing) combined with underfuelling, cyclists are at high risk of low bone mineral density - this increases risk of fractures, and early osteopenia.

Luckily there are a combination of things that can help to protect bone health:

🥨 Eat enough, regularly.
🥖 Don’t skimp on carbs (or protein)
🩷 Make sure your menstrual cycle is regular.
🦴 Stay on top of iron and vitamin D levels.
🧀 Adequate calcium intake (food first if possible)
💪🏻 Incorporate strength/resistance training and weight-bearing activities (chat to your bio or physio).
💤 Sleep well.
🌿 Practice stress management.

If you are a cyclist and are concerned about any of this, have a chat to your sports doctor or sports dietitian (preferably REDs experienced). 🦴 ❤️

11/08/2026

Nearly race time 🎉! Even though my focus for this race is to have fun (and an excuse to spend 4ish hours on the mountain), my fuelling is still an integral part of those goals.

It’s now 2 weeks to go, but at 3-4 weeks before my volume of training was higher, so I really needed to be on top of increasing my intake (especially carbs!) to meet my increased needs (to prevent any underfuelling, maximise training adaptations, keep my immune system healthy, and avoid inviting any unwanted niggles).

It was also an important time to really start focusing on using my race fuelling products and amounts so that I can avoid any surprise gut issues on race day. I do always make sure I am fuelling with adequate carbs during all training sessions, but normally I would use a combo of different things, if it isn’t close to a race.

Good fuelling = a much more fun happy race!

30/07/2026

REDs and eating disorders - what’s the difference? This is a question I often get from other healthcare providers, so hopefully this is helpful for anyone else wondering.

REDs often does occur in the absence of an ED or disordered eating, but they also do often co-exist.

Here are a few overlaps and differences (there are more, but this is all I can manage for a SM post).

Did any overlaps surprise you? 💕

10/07/2026

Fuelling well as an athlete can often feel like a full time job.

Sometimes, a few shortcuts can make the biggest difference when preparing meals.

Here are a few convenience food ideas that you can use to make a nourishing meal, especially on the days when you are tired, busy, or have just run out of ideas.

Save for your next grocery list, or share with another busy athlete ❤️

25/06/2026

Coaches are often the first to notice warning signs of underfuelling and REDs - for example feeling ‘flat’ in training, persistent fatigue, mood changes, loss of motivation or joy in their sport, struggling to focus or concentrate, delayed recovery, or recurring niggles.

Thank you to Lane Leader for the invite to be a part of your online coaches conference last month.

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Cape Town

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https://rowenavisagiedietitian.co.za/

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