Skip to main content

Cart

Close Cart
Meet Our Pregnancy Professionals

Stefanie Valakas APD

Fertility & Pregnancy Dietitian & Nutritionist

Stefanie Valakas is an expert fertility & pregnancy dietitian and nutritionist. Stefanie works in her own clinic, The Dietologist and is a leader in the fertility, reproductive and pregnancy health space. In 2021 she was recongnised for her work when she qualified as a finalist in the Dietitian of the Year Awards.

Stefanie realises the importance that diet and supplements play in helping women fall pregnant and maintain their own health as well as their baby’s health throughout pregnancy.

Working with Perdays

Stefanie works with Perdays to lead our educational content, providing women with up to date, science backed information. In addition to this Stefanie uses her clinical knowledge and experience to help us create cutting edge pregnancy supplement formulations by reviewing formulations and recommending the best ingredients.

“During pregnancy there are certain nutrients that we require more off and so that is why we need to prioritise these both in the diet and where the diet can’t be sufficient if your prenatal supplement regime”

5 Minutes with Our Professionals

Q.

How did you become interested in fertility and pregnancy nutrition?

A.

I started working in children’s nutrition when I first started my career as an Accredited Practising Dietitian, and I absolutely loved helping parents with their fussy eaters and supporting kids growth. But I started to learn that a lot of the challenges with eating and their child’s health that were occurring in my office, were somehow linked to their parent’s health before or during pregnancy.

I then stumbled across a series of papers published by the Lancet, outlining the importance of pre-conception health and nutrition, and how this would impact not just the health of hopefully parents and reducing pregnancy-related complications, but could have the potential to reduce the risk of a child’s future health conditions. I always felt drawn to preventative health care.

From there, I dropped everything and pursued further training, reading and experience in the fertility & pregnancy nutrition space, and the rest was history!

Q.

What is the one piece of advice you could give someone about pre-conception and pregnancy nutrition?

A.

Start earlier than you think and be really pro-active about your health, especially during this time. Whilst it is recommended to focus on diet and lifestyle and prenatal supplementation at least 3 months prior to conception, there’s no time like the present to focus on your health for yourself and for your future child!

Q.

Why should I invest in my pre-conception and pregnancy health?

A.

It is by far one of the most underrated investments to dedicate time and energy into your pre-conception and pregnancy health, even if everything seems healthy and normal, we know that dietary changes can reduce time to conception and reduce the risks of infertility, we also know that it can influence the ways our baby’s genes are expressed and program their life-long risks for future health conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, allergies and eczema. Plus, who doesn’t want to feel confident heading into this phase of life knowing you’re doing everything you can to support yourself and your future baby’s health?

View other pregnancy professionals