Sally Anderson

By July 15, 2013August 25th, 2024Profiles

Advanced Sports Dietitian & Exercise Physiologist,
Level 2 Anthropometrist

Qualifications:

  • Advanced Sports Dietitian
  • Accredited Practicing Dietitian
  • Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician
  • Exercise Physiologist
  • Level 1 Anthropometrist
  • International Olympic Committee’s Diploma in Elite Sports Nutrition

Sally is a passionate dietitian who goes above and beyond to help her clients achieve their goals. Her journey into sports nutrition began during her time as a nationally competitive lightweight rower, where she experienced firsthand the meticulous focus on food required for weight-category sports. This background gives Sally unique empathy for the challenges her athletes and clients face.

Sally’s early love for movement started in ballet, a pursuit she was dedicated to throughout her childhood and early teens. However, like many young dancers at the time, she struggled with body image issues due to the lack of awareness around how language influences self-perception. The scrutiny and commentary that came with being in a leotard led her to withdraw from the art form she loved. Sally distinctly remembers the moment she decided to tell her mum, “I don’t like ballet anymore” in a bid to escape the increasingly dreaded classes. While this decision helped her avoid an environment of high-exposure, and body commentary, it didn’t spell an end to body image concerns, which continued to drive many of her social interactions and sporting choices into early-adulthood. Sally’s strongly held belief that if she trained more and more, and for longer distances, it would “fix” her muscular physique (enter the chapter of Olympic-distance triathlons, half marathons and half ironman triathlons) was not to be, when a spate of overuse injuries stopped that plan in it’s tracks.

Although these pursuits were deeply enjoyed, being fueled by an underlying desire to fix perceived flaws, was never a sustainable approach to health. Fortunately, over the years – conversations, interactions and learnings with fellow health professionals, friends, and colleagues, has seen gradual shifts in mindset that now allow for training in sports that she loves…without the injuries, and self-limiting body critique that once held her back. These days, Sally’s training preferences have shifted back toward strength, with a focus on the weights room, complemented by weekend cycling—perfect for leveraging her natural affinity for power-based performance.

Sally’s dietetic career began in research with an honours thesis on ‘Caffeine use in elite athletes’. She then tied her dietetics and exercise science degrees together by completing the Sports Nutrition Course at the Australian Institute of Sport. From there, she began consulting for various sports teams and other groups around Brisbane, as well as working some years at an intensive weight management clinic. Over time, Sally’s focus has gravitated toward the athlete energy availability space (think fuelling for the work done) along with helping individuals manage disordered eating.

With thanks to international travels from the US to Europe, a broader interest in nutrition for longevity and health is foundational to the Apple To Zucchini team, and this drives their ethos today: to ensure that every client’s plan is fully tailored, prioritising both performance and well-being. It perhaps can best be described as “where performance meets health”

 

Experience & Specialties:

  • Eating disorders & disordered eating management (CEDC)
  • Adolescent nutrition
  • Meal plans to optimise body composition while supporting training goals
  • Lean muscle gain
  • Sport supplement advice
  • Running: Park Runs to marathons
  • Triathlon: IM, 70.3, Olympic & sprint distances
  • Cycling: MTB & road, multi-stage events
  • Weight category sports: lightweight rowing, boxing

Worked with:

  • Australian Institute of Sport – National Sporting Officials Sports Dietitian
  • Tennis Australia – National Tennis Academy Sports Dietitian
  • Diving Australia – National Lead Sports Dietitian | Performance Support Manager | Body Image Project
  • Queensland Ballet & Queensland Ballet Academy – Consultant Performance Dietitian
  • Queensland Academy of Sport – Consultant Sports Dietitian to rowing, beach volleyball, athletics and diving programs
  • Brisbane Lions AFL – Consultant Sports Dietitian
  • Reds Rugby Union – Consultant Sports Dietitian
  • Consultant / guest presenter: Bond University (dietetics), University of Queensland (physiotherapy & dietetics), Athletics Australia, Cricket Australia, Gymnastics Australia, Hockey Queensland, Lawn Bowls Australia, Officiating Collective, Triathlon Queensland, and secondary school sport programs within the Brisbane schools network

Positions

  • Sports Dietitians Australia – Board member
  • Sports Dietitians Australia – Education Committee member
  • Sports Dietitians Australia – Partnerships Committee chair
  • University of Queensland – Master of Dietetics  – Board member

Qualifications

Two things I can’t live without are:
Eyeliner, my two little people, furry friends and #hothusband (perhaps not in that order)

9am on a Sunday morning, and I am:
At the gym or on the bike… I definitely feel more human after training; this is inevitably closely followed by a mission to source fruit sourdough & coffee. 

My favourite training session is:
A run in a new city/holiday spot so I get to know the place at the best time of the day (~5am)

Tea or coffee:
Don’t mind, so long as it is hot. I would drink hot water over cold any day

My last meal would be:
I always check the dessert menu before ordering… Mum’s carrot cake (extra cream cheese icing), and an honourable mention must go to her fudgey brownies – the slight reduction in baking time makes them hard to beat

One thing I wish everyone in the world could know about nutrition is:
Alcohol – while moderate consumption is sometimes linked to certain health benefits, what’s often underestimated is how significantly it can put a handbrake on fat loss. The health improvements from reducing body fat are likely to surpass any minor cardiovascular advantages associated with moderate alcohol intake.

My nutrition philosophy:
Think about what you are eating. Not every single bite you take (that is just being extreme!), but think about the majority of the food choices you make day-to-day. Can you make a better choice? One that will end up in a better result for your body, your training, your health, and for the world around us? Take note of how your body reacts to the choices you make. We are all different, and while science can guide us, the ultimate meal plan is one which combines the science with your body’s reaction. When faced with choosing a food…my rule of thumb is: “the less processed the food is, the better it is for me”.

It is hard to summarise what we know about nutrition and health, however these two gentlemen do a cracking job: Michael Pollan & Glenn Cardwell – their writings are WELL worth the time &/or monetary investment.