Nutritionists Kuala Lumpur

Interview with Ahmad Aizat, Nutritionist, La Juiceria

What do you do and how did you get into the industry? 

I call myself a food and culture enthusiast. I prefer spending more on food than on clothes to put on my body. My background is Nutrition and Dietetics which are more clinical, but I chose to be in the Food & Beverage line so that I can blend my interest in food with my career as a nutritionist. Currently, I’m working with La Juiceria, a cold-pressed juice and superfoods company as their In-House Nutritionist. Besides providing education such as public diet talks, writing articles and calories counting, I perform product training sessions and assist with customer service with La Juiceria’s retail staff.

What’s the best / worst part of your job? 

The best part is that I really enjoy sharing knowledge. Providing training about products and nutrition with our staff is inspiring. A healthy conversation about food and nutrition is such an awesome feeling when dealing with someone you’re not used to hanging out with. I especially enjoy spending time with customers.

At first, I had a hard time adapting to retail and café operations as I had been practising in a clinical setting previously. As the days go on though, I learned to manage and now love what I do.

What’s your favourite meal/drink in La Juiceria Superfoods?

My favourite meal at La Juiceria Superfoods is the Vegetarian Rendang Bowl (formerly known as Vegetarian Nasi Lemak) as the meal is well mixed with balanced nutrition, a perfect combination of rendang spices, crunchiness from the tortilla chips, a good source of plant-based protein and surely it suits my palate. For the drinks, absolutely I would love all the flavours! But I do really like the taste of Beet Aid and Tropical Greens. What I like about Beet Aid is that it gives me a source of energy with its powerful taste of beetroot and a hint of ginger. Tropical Greens is best consumed for those who are not a fan of greens but need those benefits from the veggies in their body. Pineapple inside it probably gives a good experience in drinking a green juice and the rest is a mixture of kale and spinach.

What’s one of the funniest things you’ve seen behind the scenes?

As a product trainer, its quite entertaining seeing retail staff get nervous, turning pale when I say, “Ok, today we’re going to have a product oral test and evaluation.” Most of them will suddenly feel uncomfortable and sneak their notes from their last session. Well, at least I know how it feels to be called on as a teacher!

The perfect day off would be… 

… when I have time with my family, hanging out with friends and enjoying the scenery by taking photos.

A day in the life of a nutritionist is…

… quite tough, yet fun. You know that currently, there’s a lot of “Nutritionist-to-be” spreading their thoughts on social media and throw words such as “this food is good to cure this disease, you can eat this food when you’re having a certain sickness, you cannot eat that” and such. I’m not saying it is not true, but as a nutritionist, we are dealing more than just a single food and health. You need to know some of the scientific, clinically and physiologically when talking about diet. And the reality is, nutrition is not simply about eating more veggies.

What do you do for fun?

I enjoy photography very much. Every time I visit a café, I don’t miss snapping a photo of my meal. Watching documentaries and cooking programmes really boost my knowledge. I also enjoy jogging in my neighbourhood a few times a week.

What’s something you’d like guests to know about La Juiceria Superfoods? 

You don’t want your typical health food to be bland and uninteresting, do you? Well, I can say that La Juiceria Superfoods serves you a healthy option that can mimic the tastes of your normal meals such as nasi lemak, spaghetti, rice and salad bowls with equal if not better flavour. We balance nutrition, providing good portions of vegetables, use less sugar and salt while maintaining a focus on good taste!

What’s your favourite food and beverage pairing?

I’m a tea-fanatic! Every food I take is enjoyed with a cup of tea. I also love Hainanese chicken rice and Chinese fried rice is at the top of my list to satisfy my tummy! Yummy!

What’s your view on the food scene in Kuala Lumpur?

Do you want to have Malay food for your breakfast? You dream of Chinese food for lunch? Are you planning to have a good dinner with Indian food? All of these rich flavours, textures and feelings can be satisfied in just at one place – Kuala Lumpur!

What’s in store for you in the upcoming months?

We are planning to expand by opening a healthy café in town! We are also going to open La Juiceria Superfoods at SS18, Subang Jaya, Selangor very soon!

Read about the recently opened La Juiceria Superfoods Signature in Bangsar here.

3 Comments

  1. fantastic interview

  2. Interesting interview, enjoyed reading this. Cheers Diane

  3. Vegetarian nasi lemak? I sure would love to give that a try.

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