Diet trends come and go. Long-term science doesn't.
If you're living with diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, or another lifestyle condition, you've probably been given more advice than you know what to do with... You're not the only one.
You don't need another diet. You need a proven way of eating that's grounded in long-term scientific evidence and realistic enough to follow for life. I'm here to help you stop "starting over", take control of your health, and build habits that last.
I understand the pain & frustration of constantly needing to "start over"...
✔ You’re trying to eat “healthy”… but your blood sugar, blood pressure, chronic constipation, cholesterol, and weight are still not improving.
✔ You feel overwhelmed by conflicting advice — one person says cut carbs, another says eat more of them.
✔ You’re dealing with low energy, cravings, or feeling out of control around food.
✔ You’re tired of trying to follow yet another diet that promises to fix everything, but then feels impossible to stick to.
✔ You worry about your long-term health and don’t want to rely more and more on medication.
✔ You feel stuck — not because you’re not trying, but because nothing has been realistic or worked long-term.
Want to eat in a way that's delicious, simple, combats lifestyle disease, and even heals your body in the long run?
Join the FREE 1 Week Smart Health Challenge and discover a delicious way of eating that helps you take control of your health - without feeling like you're on a diet. (Yes, it's delicious. No, it's not seven days of sad salads 😜)
Created by Liesbet Delport
(Registered Dietitian, M.Sc. Dietetics)
A truth-bomb for you...
Most popular diets
(Like carnivore, keto, blood group, intermittent fasting, paleo, detox, soup, low-carb, high protein, etc.)
are BAD diets - with good marketing.
They aren't based on long-term scientific evidence.
They're mostly developed by people who are NOT trained in nutrition.
Because these people aren't trained, they don't know the long-term risks.
Fad diets promise short-term weight loss, but what about the associated risks?
... Kidney damage
... Heart damage
... Bone and calcium loss
... Increased Cancer risk
... Gut health issues e.g. constipation
... Kidney stones
... Pancreas damage
... Loss of lean body mass
... Slower metabolism
... Severe cravings, and more.
NUTRITION SHOULDN'T BE A RISKY GUESSING GAME.
When you're trying to manage a health condition, you deserve advice that's grounded in evidence - not trends.
That's why it's always worth working with a Registered Dietitian.
Registered Dietitians are university-trained nutrition professionals who are required to stay up to date with current scientific research and provide evidence-based guidance that's tailored to your individual health needs. If you need a personalised eating plan or one-on-one support we always recommend consulting a Registered Dietitian.
If you happen to live in South Africa, we recommend consulting a dietitian registered with the HPCSA.
And if you want to consult a Registered Dietitian who shares our long-term, scientific-evidence (Smart Health Diet) approach, you can find one here (select your province from the dropdown menu under the "Dietitians" tab).
If you've chosen to learn from me online instead, here's a little about who I am and how the Smart Health Diet came to be...
I'm Elizabeth Delport - a Registered Dietitian, but I chose NOT to invent another diet.
Over more than 40 years in clinical practice, I've helped more than 10,000 patients improve their weight, blood glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, digestive health, and overall well-being.
Along the way, I kept asking one simple question: What do the people who stay healthy and live to 100 actually have in common?
The answer wasn't hidden in the latest diet trend.
It was already hiding in decades of nutrition research... and in the eating patterns of the world's longest-living populations.
That's how the Smart Health Diet was born.
A balanced, delicious, science-based way of eating that's designed to restore and improve long-term health — for the whole family, for life.
We've identified 12 simple, science-based KEYS for better health.
And they’re not just theoretical — you’ll find these same patterns in the diets of the world’s longest-living populations...
- KEY 1 -
Eat Regular, Portion-controlled Meals.
Stop skipping meals - it only leads to bingeing later in the day. Eat regular, balanced meals (starting with breakfast) so your blood sugar stays stable, you stay full longer, and you avoid overeating later. Learn more →
- KEY 3 -
Vegetables, Legumes and Fruit
Fill half your plate with them at every meal to boost nutrients, support your immune system, protect your organs, and protect against lifestyle diseases.
Learn more →
- KEY 5 -
Quality, Lean, Unprocessed Protein
Include small portions of lean protein with each meal, prioritise variety and plant proteins, and avoid relying on processed meats or high-protein diets that can harm long-term health.
Learn more →
- KEY 7 -
Have Lower Fat Dairy
Every Day
Dairy is one of the best sources of calcium and other essential nutrients that support strong bones, heart health, blood sugar control, and healthy ageing.
Learn more →
- KEY 9 -
Water And Lower KJ Beverages
Small changes to your drinking habits can have a big impact on your weight, energy levels, blood sugar control, and overall health. Prioritise hydration while limiting drinks that add unnecessary kilojoules and sugar.
Learn more →
- KEY 11 -
Limit Alcohol to One Drink Per Day
Moderation is key. Keeping alcohol intake low helps reduce your risk of lifestyle diseases while supporting healthy weight management and long-term health. Learn more →
- KEY 2 -
Make Every Meal Smartly Balanced
Cutting out food groups only leads to cravings. Aim for a balanced mix of low GI carbs, healthy fats, and protein (about 50:30:20) to keep your energy stable, support your health, and avoid the risks of extreme diets. Learn more →
- KEY 4 -
Choose Smarter Carbs
Focus on slow-digesting (low-GI) whole-grain carbs to keep your blood sugar stable, energy steady, and digestion regular, and to reduce your risk of lifestyle diseases. Learn more →
- KEY 6 -
Target Good Fats and
Nutrient Dense Foods
Good fats are rich in Omega-3 PUFAs and MUFAs. Nutrient-dense foods are high in vitamins, fibre, and phytonutrients. These foods can make a major contribution to your health. They reduce inflammation and help protect against lifestyle diseases, helping you limit foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients.
Learn more →
- KEY 8 -
Snack on Fruit and a Few Nuts
Choose nutrient-dense snacks that keep you satisfied between meals, support stable blood sugar levels, and help prevent overeating later in the day.
Learn more →
- KEY 10 -
Move Your Body for 30-60 mins Every Day
Exercise isn't just about burning calories. Regular movement improves energy, fitness, blood sugar control, heart health, stress levels, lean body mass, metabolism, and long-term well-being. The best exercise is the one you'll do consistently.
Learn more →
- KEY 12 -
Use Salt/Sodium (and Salty Foods) Sparingly
Most people eat far more salt than necessary, mainly from processed foods, increasing the risk of high blood pressure and disease. Flavour your food with herbs and pure spices (not spice mixes) instead because they can help reduce salt intake and support better health.
Learn more →
Look at what's possible
when you follow these 12 keys...
Meet Jacques...
"I was 145kg (320 lbs), diabetic, on multiple medications... and I just felt terrible...
I was constantly tired.
Always hungry.
And completely out of control around food.
I’d skip meals… then snack on whatever I could find. Soft drinks, crisps, leftovers — anything. By dinner time, I was starving and would eat way too much. Sometimes I’d even wake up at night to eat.
I was diabetic, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and I was on several medications. I knew something had to change.
When I started following the low-GI approach and recipes from the Eating for Sustained Energy books, things finally began to click. There's no extreme dieting or feeling deprived.
Just simple, consistent changes that made sense and weren't hard to implement.
Within the first month, I started losing weight. And for the first time, eating healthy felt sustainable.
After 12 months:
• I lost 50kg of fat (not muscle)
• My blood sugar returned to normal
• I came off all my medication
• I had more energy than I’d had in years.
It wasn’t even difficult.
This doesn’t feel like a diet. It’s just how I live now — and I know I can stick to it for life."
- Jacques van Zyl
Meet the dietitian behind the Smart Health Diet
"Hi! I'm Elizabeth (Liesbet) Delport...
... Registered Dietitian, author, and firm believer that healthy eating should be sustainable, enjoyable, and rooted in science.
My fascination with nutrition started long before I became a dietitian.
As a teenager, I struggled with my weight and, like many young women, I did what I thought I was supposed to do... I ate less, lost the weight, and celebrated the results!
Then I gained it all back.
That experience taught me something I've never forgotten: Losing weight and being & feeling healthy are not the same thing.
Determined to understand why, I went on to study nutrition and become a registered dietitian. What I discovered changed my life.
Lasting health is NOT about deprivation, willpower, or cutting out everything you enjoy. It's about understanding how your body works and building habits you can actually sustain.
I've maintained my own weight loss ever since, but what truly shaped my career was seeing the same pattern play out in thousands of patients:
People weren't failing. The diets were.
Over the last 40+ years, I've helped more than 10,000 patients improve their weight, stabilize their blood glucose levels, cholesterol, blood pressure, and even come off their medication through practical, evidence-based nutrition.
I've also co-authored 10 published books, including bestselling recipe books that have sold more than 300,000 copies.
What still frustrates me today is seeing people misled by fad diets, fear-based nutrition advice, and quick-fix "solutions" that promise everything and deliver very little in the long run.
That's why my approach has always been different.
I don't believe in starving yourself, cutting out entire food groups, or following unsustainable rules.
I believe in helping people:
understand how food affects their bodies
make informed food choices with confidence
create habits that support long term health
For some people, that means losing weight. For others, it means...
... improving blood glucose control,
... combating constipation,
... lowering cholesterol,
... managing blood pressure,
... increasing energy & mental clarity, or
... healing their body through their diet so they can decrease their need for medication.
My goal isn't to help you follow another diet or just "lose weight".
→ My goal is to help you build a way of eating that supports your health for the rest of your life.
Because when nutrition becomes sustainable, you're finally building your long-term health - and most importantly, you stop feeling like you're constantly starting over."
Ways to work with me:
From recipe books to blood glucose control and science-backed weight loss books, these are the perfect companions to help you DIY your journey to long-term health.
"My reflux and hip pain disappeared, my cholesterol dropped, my energy soared, and that foggy morning feeling is gone. My doctor said I must encourage other people to buy the books!"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Lorinda Brown
If you want someone to walk this road with you or if you want guidance tailored to your unique situation, then a 1:1 consultation is for you.
We rebuild your relationship with food from the inside out. Then we create new routines and sustainable habits so this next chapter actually fits your life, feels good, and sticks.
Want to try out the Smart Health Approach for free?
Join the FREE 1 Week Smart Health Challenge and discover a delicious way of eating that helps you take control of your health - without feeling like you're on a diet. (Yes, it's delicious. No, it's not seven days of sad salads 😜)
Give it a shot - what have you got to lose?
Created by Liesbet Delport
(Registered Dietitian, M.Sc. Dietetics)
