Hi, I’m Ana! I am a registered dietitian, foodie, and animal lover. Join my passion for nutrition, food, and creating together and you have Zest & The City.

Story behind Zest & The City
I’m Ana Rebelo, a registered dietitian from Portugal. I absolutely love animals, delicious food, and travel around. I believe in living life with compassion, with purpose and joy. Put my love for nutrition, food, animals, and creating together, and you have Zest & The City. I always loved photography and videography as well (and if I hadn’t studied nutrition, I would have studied design and multimedia) so I wanted to create a platform that brought all my passions together.
Besides that, I wanted to present you with a more visual way of learning nutrition. Unfortunately during nutrition consultations isn’t possible to share with the costumers all of the nutritional info we, dietitians, would like to share, so it’s always good to have a reliable platform where people can get science-based (and fun!) nutrition articles to learn more!
Zest & The City was meant to help you become more in tune with your wellbeing by practicing little actions that will lead you to a wholesome and fulfilling lifestyle. I will share with you nutrition articles, YouTube videos, and plant-based, nutritious and delicious recipes made with fresh and natural ingredients to help you replenish your health and create life-long healthy habits.
I’m so grateful you are here & I am so grateful to be able to share my nutrition point of view with you, wherever in the world you are! I really hope you enjoy watching our videos, try and indulge in our healthy recipes at home and find your way to a more healthy and zesty life! Thank you all for sticking around. Love, Ana 💛

Some Questions
I don’t believe in diets. I believe in constant changes and small daily habits that lead to a permanent shift in your lifestyle. I believe in an uncomplicated, fresh, and gentle nutrition. I believe the key to our wellbeing is falling in love every day with a healthy lifestyle and good nutritional habits. This is the only way to achieve a natural process. Eating well by choice and not by obligation makes all the difference.
I learned that eating well is a gift we give ourselves. It is a process of self-love. That is why I defend the perspective of conscious nutrition. Looking inward, healing your relationship with food and yourself can be liberating.
I only advise, prescribe, and indicate what I trust, what I study, and what I test, always respecting individuality and food preferences and basing my practice on the most recent scientific evidence.
I believe we should all strive to prioritize “real” and less processed foods. I believe a good diet is not measured by calories but by nutrients. That’s why I believe in natural and lively nutrition. Life brings life!
Since I believe life brings life, that our nutrition must be gentle, kind and a process of self-love and love for others, I advocate a plant-based nutrition, with little to no animal products.
Although I am not a vegan or a vegetarian – as occasionally I might still eat some fish or eggs – I eat a mostly plant-based diet and my cookings are always free of animal products, as will almost any recipe shared with you in Zest & The City (I might occasionally use backyard eggs for some recipes, but I’ll always let you know!).
My diet consists mainly of whole foods from plant sources like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, beans, nuts and seeds, but sometimes you might find me indulging in some non-healthy and processed foods, like pastries or French fries (my favorites ❤︎). And that’s ok if you know how to make exceptions.
From a nutritional perspective, unprocessed animal products are not bad for your health, when eaten in the right amounts. I choose to leave them out of my plate for ethical reasons.
Although you’ll find plenty of nutrition advice on plant-based, vegan and vegetarian diets, here on the blog and in my youtube, if you’re thinking of giving these diets a go, talk with your dietitian or doctor so he can advise you on your specific case. Plant-based, vegetarian or vegan diets are definitely healthy if care is taken with regard to nutrients, restrictions, and deficiencies. In some cases, a meal plan might be needed, so don’t be afraid to look for a health professional to discuss your case!
I completed a 4 year bachelor degree in Dietetics and Nutrition, which included a 10 month internship in one of my country’s largest hospital, a fitness academy and a research center. Right now, I’m concluding my post-graduate studies in Clinical Nutrition, where I study in depth different pathologies and the way they interact with nutrients and foods.
Since I finished my degree, I have worked in private-practice clinical nutrition, helping my customers adopt a personalized and healthy diet, taking in consideration their goals, individual needs, healthy concerns (such as diabetes, obesity, eating disorders, cardiovascular diseases or food allergies and intolerances) and lifestyle.
More questions answered HERE!
Ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.