Rise of the Aussie celebrity nutritionists on social media
In a social media and wellness-obsessed world, nutrition experts are the new celebrities. They are genetically blessed, advocate a no-diet mantra and generally believe eating clean, whole foods is the way to go — just beware of the fakes.
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They’re beautiful, fit and healthy and have millions of eyes trained on their every move. In our social media-obsessed world they are the new celebrity: The nutritionist.
And they’ve come a long way in the past decade, from anonymous suburban consulting rooms to the global digital platform.
Among the best known in Australia are JSHealth’s Jessica Sepel, Brown Paper Bag Nutritionist’s Jacqueline Alwill, and the Nude Nutritionist Lyndi Cohen, who is also one of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution ambassadors.
They have a few things in common — they are genetically blessed, advocate a no-diet mantra and generally believe eating clean, whole foods is the way to go.
With this message, and perfectly styled Instagram feeds, they are making a name for themselves in Australia and overseas and building empires worth several million dollars.
Alwill is one of the many successful nutritionists helping to popularise the three modern day buzzwords — mindfulness, nourishment and wellness. Her meal ideas have a loyal fanbase of more than 78,000 followers who eat up her every word.
“The industry has grown massively and diversified significantly,” Alwill says.
“When I was studying 10 years ago it was on the brink of exploding, but digital platforms as we have now to communicate and connect with clients and our community weren’t as established then.”
Gone are the days of the one-on-one consultation, the modern day nutritionist is speaking to and influencing thousands with a single social media post.
“I had my own clinic and Skype consulting nutrition practice for three years,” Alwill says.
“My work since then has evolved into group nutrition, health, cooking workshops for both corporates and privates, speaking at industry events, consulting on the development of products, partnering with like-minded brands and writing and presenting in the media sphere.
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“It’s incredible being able to speak to a huge community each day and it’s why I want to deliver a very balanced message through my platform. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to health, everyone is on a different journey, what we can do through the social media community is provide support to each other.”
Sepel of JSHealth is the most famous health advocate in Australia. The nutritionist has forged a career on the mantra “eat with balance”.
“People are more health conscious than ever,” says Sepel, who has an Instagram following of 214,000.
“People are starting to understand the connection between what you eat and how you feel. JSHealth was created to help remove the feeling of being overwhelmed and help people see how easy, simple and achievable the healthy life can be.”
The one-time chronic dieter says she suffered from years of disordered eating and it wasn’t until her final year at university studying a Bachelor of Health Science that the penny dropped and she embarked on a path to wellness.
The 29-year-old was inspired to write a blog about her transformation from fad dieter to health-obsessed. A week later Sepel had 20,000 subscribers.
Fast forward six years and the now LA-based beauty’s company revenue in the past financial year stands at more than $5 million, thanks to her hugely successful eight-week online program launched in 2017.
She has now launched two vitamin products and recently revealed her highly anticipated online app which contains the first online nutrition clinic where users can message a nutritionist one-on-one at any time.
Despite her financial success, Sepel insists her career remains a passion project.
“Honestly I never ever, ever thought about money and JSHealth didn’t make any money at all for the first three to four years,” she says.
“Not a cent.”
Six years on, Sepel still insists it’s not about the money but creating change and helping her followers adhere to her philosophy of not dieting but finding freedom with food, weight and your body.
“I am focused on my community,” she says.
“You can feel when a blogger is being genuine. You can tell whether their intention is to help you or make money out of you for themselves.
“My community can feel how loyal I am. Yes, JSHealth has recently had financial success but I don’t find it anywhere near as rewarding as a positive testimonial. There is nothing more rewarding for me.”
Social media expert Roxy Jacenko says authenticity and a genuine message are essential if a blogger or influencer wants to attract a following. The Ministry of Talent founder says nutritionists, naturopaths and health experts have become minor celebrities due to our health-obsessed community and the popularisation of social media.
“The fitness and wellness space is now ‘on trend’,” Jacenko says.
“Being healthy was important for past generations but now it’s more of a lifestyle change that people are seeking. If you look at how many gyms have popped up in the past five years, it’s obvious that people are putting their wellness first. Influencers are cashing in while doing what they love.”
Being a nutritionist to the stars is not new. To help them look and feel their best at all times, A-listers have been seeking the help of dietitians, nutritionists and chefs for years.
One of the most famous is Dr Philip Goglia, whose list of clients includes models Cara Delevingne and Khloe Kardashian and actors Brie Larson and Chris Hemsworth.
The LA-based nutritionist ensures his clients never skip a meal, instead he recommends five to seven meals a day and lots of water.
“I have enjoyed working with and have been honoured to work with many stars and celebrities like the Kardashians and Marvel Comics action heroes,” he says.
“I’m always providing tips and food plan strategies to help support their goals and training strategies.”
Back home, a devoted member of the JSHealth community is model and 2017 Miss Universe Australia, Olivia Rogers.
In a world where faux Instagram health advocates preach everything from gluten-free, sugar-free and grain-free to plant-based, raw and vegan, Rogers appreciates Sepel’s simple message which focuses on balance.
“It can be quite overwhelming trying to figure out what we should be doing to lead a healthy life,” Rogers says.
“Enlisting the help of a knowledgeable nutritionist is beneficial, you know you can trust them to figure out your individual needs and how to best incorporate a balanced diet into your life.
“As much as I feel I am quite capable of creating healthy meals, it can be hard to find inspiration and ideas.”
In a digital world filled with underqualified health preachers, Rogers says it’s Sepel’s experience and undisputed reputation that made her stand out.
The concern in the industry, experts say, is that fraudulent wellness gurus can often spread a troubling message.
Take Belle Gibson.
In 2017 she was fined $410,000 after she was found guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct when she claimed her brain cancer was cured through alternative therapies and nutrition.
In Australia, both nutritionists and dietitians require tertiary qualifications but a dietitian will also undergo additional supervised training in clinical and medical nutrition and food service management.
As the Dietitian’s Association of Australia says: “All dietitians are nutritionists but nutritionists, without dietetics qualifications, cannot take on the expert role of a dietitian.”
Lyndi Cohen, who has a double degree from the University of Newcastle — a bachelor in nutrition and dietetics making her a nutritionist and a dietitian — says the popularisation of her industry has made it possible for fake health bloggers like Gibson to get an audience.
“There are many people who have a large following who preach health and wellness without credentials and this can be dangerous,” Cohen says.
“Moderation and balance doesn’t sell as well as detoxes and cutting out whole food groups and so some of these people have a strong and appealing message. However it is unattainable for the average person.”
Cohen’s advice is to be mindful of who you follow and check their credentials; just as you would when selecting a health professional in the real world.
Originally published as Rise of the Aussie celebrity nutritionists on social media
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