Press
As an experienced media spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, Campaign Dietitian for Change4LIfe BAME community projects and consultant nutritionist to various food brands, you can rely on Azmina to provide an authoritative and engaging quote for your press release.
Vegan and veggie meals at fast food chains ‘more likely to give you a heart attack than meat burgers’
Feb 2020 – The Sun
Azmina and Dr Aseem Malhotra told Linsey Hope of The Sun that vegan foods aren’t necessarily healthy:
“Azmina Govindji, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, said: “If you eat a vegan or meat burger once in a while, choose the one you enjoy most. If you regularly reach for a vegan option thinking it’s automatically going to be better for you, think again.”
How healthy is your vegan food?
Jun 2019 – The Times
On the plus side, Azmina Govindji of the British Dietetic Association says that, weight for weight, it [mycoprotein] gives you more fibre than almonds and baked beans and has five times more fibre than the vegan alternative tofu. A basic Quorn burger has 4.7g of fibre per 100g compared with 1.6g of fibre for a typical beef burger.
Why fibre is the sexy wellness trend of 2020
Jan 2020 – Refinery29
Azmina tells Refinery29: “Some types of fibre, such as that found in wholemeal bread and bran-based cereals, can act as a sponge and absorb water.” This, she explains, adds bulk to stools and can reduce constipation. Some other forms, like oats, contain beta-glucans, which have been shown to lower blood cholesterol. Still others, such as wheat bran fibre, help to reduce what’s called ‘transit time’, which basically means this fibre speeds up the time your food takes to pass through the gut. This means toxins stay in the body for less time. There have been studies which suggest that eating plenty of fibre is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer”.
Bring on the pasta! Carbs are back
Jan 2019 – The Times
“Brown rice is better for you because it contains more fibre and B vitamins” says Azmina Govindji, a BDA dietitian, “but there’s no reason why you can’t have both…”…
“You can reduce the GI of potatoes by choosing new potatoes, or by eating them cold…One of the best ways is to eat them in a salad, as the composition of the starch changes so they cause less of a spike in blood sugar”.
How to know which supplements you should actually be taking
Jan 2019 – Cosmopolitan
Azmina Govindji, award-winning dietitian and media spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association tells Cosmopolitan UK: “Protein supplements for sports may be trendy, but they are generally not needed. Eat a range of foods that include natural sources of protein such as lean meat, eggs, fish, tofu, nuts and dairy products, and make sure you’re getting enough calories so you make use of the dietary protein for muscle recovery.”
“If you’re doing very high intensity training, you might find it more convenient to use protein shakes on the go, or from other protein products after an intense session. These are meant as a supplement to your meals [not instead of meals] and it’s best to get your protein from real food”. ..”B vitamins help you release energy from food, and several nutrients contribute to reduction of tiredness and fatigue, for example, vitamin C, iron, and vitamins B2, B6 and B12.”
Doctor, I’m going vegan…
Jun 2019 – Medscape
“A well-planned vegan diet can provide all the nutrients you need (apart from B12) but the key is in the awareness and the planning. A badly planned vegan diet can be low in essential micronutrients,” says Azmina Govindji. She says don’t simply cut out meat and dairy without thinking about where you’ll get your nutrients from instead.
For example, make sure you have enough iodine which is an essential component of the thyroid hormone thyroxine, and also vital for foetal brain development. “The World Health Organisation now classes the UK as mildly deficient in iodine. Over a third of the iodine we eat comes from milk and dairy foods, so a vegan diet can be low in iodine unless you look for fortified sources of milk alternatives,” says Azmina Govindji.
Seven top tactics for living a longer healthy life
Feb 2018 – Which?
Azmina Govindji, spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association and dietitian (Azmina Nutrition), explains how to follow the Mediterranean way of eating: ‘The Mediterranean diet is a varied, mainly plant-based diet that involves basing your diet around whole grains, vegetables and fruits, monounsaturated fats, beans, nuts, legumes, seeds, herbs and spices. It includes…
Secret to losing weight could be down to when you eat rather than what you eat
Aug 2019 – The Mirror
How you lose weight with if “Intermittent fasting is all about letting your insulin levels drop very low, which is what happens when you don’t eat for long periods,” explains dietitian Azmina Govindji.
“In theory this triggers your body to burn off your fat stores for energy.”
Fake news a threat to public health
Feb 2017 – Food manufacture
Azmina was quoted in myinforms.com, farminguk.com, foodmanufacture.co.uk as well as milk.co.uk.
Azmina Govindji, award-winning dietitian, said: “Everyone seems to have an opinion on nutrition these days, and media headlines often lure the public into faddy eating, which can in some cases be potentially harmful. Dietitians and degree-qualified nutritionists base their advice on good published evidence and research.
“Fake news often quotes anecdotal evidence or misleading claims – don’t get sucked into miracle cures and quick fix diets that suggest you cut out whole food groups, or that base recommendations on a single study. Check the credentials of the author – look for letters like RD or RNutr. after their name. Fake news shouldn’t make news at all.”
The claim: Fresh
Dec 2017 – The Mirror
“The reality: There’s no legal definition so shoppers assume the product is sold within a short time after production or harvesting – but this may not necessarily be the case, explains Azmina Govindji, Consultant Nutritionist to Love Canned Food (lovecannedfood.com). It’s important to check the label..”.
How to use the “new oils”
Feb 2017 – The Times
“The type of saturated fats in coconut oil may be used by the body more quickly than other types”, Govindji says. “So coconut oil seems to be less of a health issue than some other saturated fat sources”.
The new low cholesterol diet – nuts
Apr 2017 – Web MD
“Studies suggest that people who regularly eat nuts are less likely to have heart disease or a heart attack,” says dietitian Azmina Govindji, who’s a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. “The effect is very likely to be because they are rich in phytonutrients – health promoting substances from plants…