Elite Eating with Emma Inglis

Emma Inglis always had an eye on her career after cricket. During her playing days she completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Nutrition and followed that with a Masters of Dietetics through an Australian Cricketers’ Association’s Education and Training Grant.

“I was fortunate to be going through cricket at a time where I was also able to study as well and make the most of that by using the ACA’s Education Grants which was very helpful, she said.

“My HECS debt is not quite as big as it would have been otherwise. It’s a fantastic opportunity that’s given by the ACA. I've also used the grant to complete a Sports Dietician’s course as well.”

Inglis retired from cricket at the end of last season following more than a decade at the top level with Victoria, before playing her final season with Western Australia. She now currently works as a clinical dietitian at Northern Health caring for some of society’s most vulnerable people, including those impacted by COVID-19.

“Recently we've had a lot of patients who have had COVID-19, and during that period have become malnourished because they haven't been able to eat properly due to being incubated in the ICU. So, I’ve working with them when they're coming out of the ICU.”

As a cricketer, Inglis was able to see firsthand the impact a dietitian and good nutrition had on performance and wellbeing, crediting former Cricket Victoria dietitian Helen Duong for igniting her passion in the field. Adjacent to her role at Northern Health, Inglis has been exercising her sports dietitian qualification, supporting various cricket clubs and has worked in the Williamstown Victorian Football League senior men’s and women’s programs.

“From a sporting point of view, I’m working with athletes to try and maximize their performance and making sure they're properly fueled, as well as recovering from matches or training. So, I've got the real elite players as well as those who were really vulnerable and unwell as part of my job. It's a good balance between both.”

Recently, Inglis has started her own business called Elite Eating which helps to educate people on healthy eating and how to improve their wellbeing through food. And from a sporting perspective, helping people achieve their goals through nutrition.

“I do a fair bit of promotion through Instagram. I’ve put some videos together with a few recipes and different things that I thought would be helpful for people to know, and tried to have a little bit of fun while doing it.

“A lot of people don't have the knowledge or are stuck for ideas sometimes on what they should eat or what they can eat and I guess, just being pretty flexible with that and giving a whole range of different meal ideas that people might want to try,” she said.

“I'm looking forward to proving my monthly recipes for the ACA and going out to members, it'll be good to be able to give back to the ACA and the past players as well as all the members.”

Inglis will be passing on some recipes, dietary and nutritional tips to ACA members starting from January. In each monthly member newsletters (Onside), the ACA will feature a new recipe from Inglis.