For many South Africans, food is about far more than nutrition. It is family, culture, celebration, comfort and memory- something Verishe Rugbur, a dietitian at Diet Rite, understands from personal experience.
Growing up in Durban in a family-centred home, Rugbur was raised with both Christian and Hindu traditions.
Her mother grew up Christian while her father was raised in an orthodox Hindu household and the family embraced both faiths and their customs.
“We celebrated Christmas, Easter and New Year alongside Diwali and other traditional occasions,” Rugbur says. “Food was central to all of it.”
Some of Rugbur’s fondest memories are tied to her grandmother’s cooking. Now 80 and semi-retired from the kitchen, her grandmother’s curries remain a family favourite.
“Coming home from church to her chicken curry is still one of my happiest memories,” Rugbur says.
As the eldest child, Rugbur also learnt responsibility early, along with what she jokingly describes as “a little bossiness”, now better framed as leadership.
Family, culture, food and laughter would ultimately shape her approach to nutrition and dietetics.
From making roti to studying dietetics
Rugbur’s interest in food started young. With both parents working, she helped in the kitchen from an early age and had learnt to make traditional roti by the age of 10.
Her mother, she recalls, insisted that the roti had to be round or she would never find a husband.
“Let’s say that theory hasn’t worked out quite as planned,” Rugbur jokes.
Cooking and baking became a source of joy, while recipe books borrowed from the library fuelled her curiosity. An aunt who studied microbiology also sparked an interest in science and continues to inspire her experimental approach to food.
Eventually, dietetics emerged as the natural meeting point between these interests.
“It was the perfect combination of science, food, helping people and talking,” Rugbur says. “I’ve always been a chatterbox, so that last part came naturally.”
However, her understanding of the profession changed significantly once she began working with patients.
“When you qualify, you want everything to follow the textbook perfectly. Then you meet patients and realise humans haven’t read the textbook.”
She quickly learned that science is only one part of being a dietitian. Understanding a patient’s health, culture, finances, family circumstances and lived reality is just as important.
That philosophy is reflected in one of her favourite sayings: “I live by culture, not by profession.”
For Rugbur, traditional food should not automatically be labelled unhealthy. Instead, the goal is to understand the science while respecting the person in front of you.
Life as a busy head dietitian
Rugbur’s working day begins early. She is usually awake at about 4.30am and at work by 6am, with coffee an essential part of the routine.
Clinical work often starts in the intensive care unit, where critically ill patients may require enteral, peripheral or parenteral nutrition.
From there, the day moves between hospital wards and, depending on the schedule, different facilities covered by Diet Rite. Oversight of fellow dietitians, support with complex cases, consulting work and involvement in clinical trials are all part of the role.
Outside clinical duties, she is also involved in the growth of Diet Rite, including preparations for the launch of its nutrition platform and Diet Rite Select meal range.
Fortunately, a strong team helps keep everything running smoothly.
“My assistant is our resident drill master,” Rugbur says. “She keeps me on schedule, makes sure I drink water and reminds me that even the dietitian needs to eat.”
The conclusion, she adds, is simple: “It takes a village.”
Food is about more than hunger
Working closely with patients has reinforced that eating is rarely a purely physical act.
“We eat because we are happy, stressed, grieving, celebrating, or because something tastes like home,” Rugbur says.
That is why one of the most important questions is not only what someone ate, but why they ate it.
Her approach is to listen before prescribing.
“Food can support health and healing while still being a source of comfort, culture and joy.”
This philosophy also shapes how she approaches conversations about weight.
People are often already their own harshest critics and do not need additional judgement from a healthcare professional.
While weight can be clinically relevant, it is only one part of a much bigger picture.
“I don’t need perfection. I need to know what is really happening so we can make realistic changes,” Rugbur says.
The focus is often on improving food choices rather than simply restricting intake.
“Healthy eating should never feel like punishment.”
Cutting through nutrition misinformation
One of the biggest challenges in modern dietetics is the overwhelming amount of nutrition information available online.
“Nutrition has become incredibly noisy,” Rugbur says.
Social media users are constantly exposed to foods to avoid, supplements they supposedly cannot live without and diets promising to fix everything from gut health and hormones to weight and skin.
However, evidence-based nutrition is rarely that dramatic.
The challenge lies in communicating good science in a way that is simple enough to compete with misinformation.
“I don’t want patients leaving with 25 rules and a fear of carbohydrates. I want them saying, ‘Now I understand.’”
In her view, nutrition should bring clarity, not anxiety.
Why dietitians matter in South Africa
South Africa presents a particularly complex nutrition landscape, with obesity and lifestyle-related diseases existing alongside food insecurity and affordability challenges.
This means telling people to “just eat healthier” is rarely helpful.
“Healthy according to whose budget? Whose culture? Whose medical condition?” Rugbur asks.
Dietitians play a key role in translating clinical needs into practical, realistic nutrition advice.
“I often explain it this way: a doctor prescribes medical treatment; I look at the same clinical picture and prescribe nutrition.”
In a country as diverse as South Africa, there can never be a single diet that works for everyone.
Celebrating the small victories
The most meaningful moments in Rugbur’s career are not always dramatic.
Sometimes, they are as simple as a patient having a bowel movement.
“It sounds wild, but in my world it can mean everything,” she says.
It can signal that the gut is functioning, that nutrition is being tolerated and that a critically ill patient is improving.
Other victories include a patient tolerating a feed, eating half a meal, showing better blood results or simply smiling on a difficult day.
“When people are sick, they do not need another sullen face at the end of the bed,” Rugbur says. “Sometimes, for that moment, you become a friend.”
A legacy rooted in culture
Looking ahead, Rugbur is proud that Diet Rite combines clinical dietetics, leadership and entrepreneurship while maintaining a human-centred approach.
More broadly, she hopes South Africans understand that improving health does not require abandoning culture, family traditions or favourite foods.
“I live by culture, not by profession,” Rugbur says. “I was born South African, not a dietitian.”
If nutrition can be made more understandable, achievable and joyful while still allowing people to laugh along the way, she believes a meaningful legacy will be achieved.
zamandosi.cele@nationalmg.co.za