Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Nuestra nutricionista no es estricta, pero no permite refrescos en el plan nutricional. - Our nutritionist is not strict, but she doesn’t allow sodas in the nutritional plan.

nutricionista here is feminine (a female nutritionist), so you use the feminine form nuestra.
If it were a male nutritionist, you would say nuestro nutricionista.

So:

Nuestra nutricionista = our (female) nutritionist
Nuestro nutricionista = our (male) nutritionist

How do I know that nutricionista is feminine in this sentence?

The word nutricionista itself is gender-neutral in form; it can be masculine or feminine, depending on context.

In this sentence, the clues are:

nuestra is feminine
estricta is the feminine form of the adjective

Because both nuestra and estricta are feminine, we know nutricionista refers to a woman.

Compare:

Nuestra nutricionista no es estricta. (female)
Nuestro nutricionista no es estricto. (male)

Why is it estricta and not estricto?

Adjectives in Spanish must agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.

The noun here is nutricionista, and in this sentence it is feminine (because of nuestra).
Therefore, the adjective estricto must also be feminine: estricta.

Examples:

La nutricionista es estricta. (female)
El nutricionista es estricto. (male)
Las nutricionistas son estrictas. (plural feminine)
Los nutricionistas son estrictos. (plural masculine / mixed group)

Why don’t we say Ella no es estricta, pero ella no permite…? Why is ella omitted?

In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella, etc.) are usually dropped because the verb endings already show who the subject is.

no es → could be he/she is not
no permite → could be he/she doesn’t allow

But from context (nuestra nutricionista) it’s clear we’re talking about she, so you don’t need to repeat ella.

You can say:

Ella no es estricta, pero no permite refrescos…

That’s grammatically correct, but in normal speech it often sounds more natural and less repetitive to omit ella when it’s already clear who you mean.

Why is no placed before es and permite? Why not say something like es no estricta?

In Spanish, the basic rule for negation is:

no + verb

So you say:

no es estricta = is not strict
no permite = does not allow

You do not say es no estricta in standard Spanish; that word order is calqued from English and sounds wrong.

Correct patterns:

No es estricta.
No permite refrescos.
No come carne. (He/She doesn’t eat meat.)

What exactly does refrescos mean in Latin American Spanish? Is it “refreshments”?

In Latin American Spanish, refrescos almost always means soft drinks / sodas (Coke, Sprite, etc.), not “refreshments” in the broad English sense.

Typical meanings:

un refresco = a soda / a soft drink
no permite refrescos = she doesn’t allow sodas

Regional synonyms:

Many countries: refrescos
Mexico/Central America (also common): refrescos, sodas
Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile, etc.): more often gaseosas

If you say refrescos in Latin America, people will think of sugary carbonated drinks, not snacks in general.

Why is refrescos plural? Could I say no permite refresco?

The plural refrescos is used in a general sense: “(any) soft drinks / sodas”.

Spanish often uses the plural to talk about a type of thing in general:

No come carnes rojas. = He/She doesn’t eat red meats.
No permite refrescos. = She doesn’t allow soft drinks.

You can say no permite refresco in some very specific or regional contexts, but it sounds odd as a general policy. For a rule like a nutrition plan, refrescos (plural) is the natural choice.

Could you also say no deja refrescos instead of no permite refrescos? What’s the difference between permitir and dejar?

Both permitir and dejar can mean “to allow,” but they’re used a bit differently.

permitir is slightly more formal or neutral and is very common in rules, policies, and official contexts:
- No permite refrescos en el plan nutricional.
- No está permitido fumar. (Smoking is not allowed.)
dejar is more colloquial and often used in everyday speech:
- No deja que tomemos refrescos. (She doesn’t let us drink sodas.)
- Mi mamá no me deja salir. (My mom doesn’t let me go out.)

In this exact sentence:

no permite refrescos en el plan nutricional sounds very natural and fits the idea of a professional rule.
no deja refrescos en el plan nutricional is less standard; if you use dejar, you’d more naturally say something like:
- no nos deja tomar refrescos (she doesn’t let us drink sodas).

What’s the difference between plan nutricional, plan de nutrición, and dieta?

They’re related but not identical:

plan nutricional
- Very common in professional / health contexts.
- Suggests a structured, maybe personalized nutrition plan.
- Sounds technical and modern.
plan de nutrición
- Also understandable and correct.
- Slightly less “set phrase” than plan nutricional, but still okay.
dieta
- Literally “diet”.
- Can mean your normal eating pattern or a special eating plan to lose weight, gain muscle, etc.
- More common in everyday speech:
  - Estoy a dieta. = I’m on a diet.
  - Mi nutricionista me dio una dieta.

In the original sentence, plan nutricional fits well because it sounds like something a nutrition professional designs.

Could I say Nuestra nutricionista no es muy estricta? How does adding muy change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Nuestra nutricionista no es muy estricta, pero no permite refrescos en el plan nutricional.

The nuance:

no es estricta = she’s not strict
no es muy estricta = she’s not very strict / not that strict

So no es muy estricta softens it a bit; it implies she has some rules, but overall she’s not too tough. The pero no permite refrescos then contrasts that “not very strict” image with one clear, firm rule.

Why is there a comma before pero? Could the word order change around pero?

Pero means “but”, and in Spanish it usually starts a new clause, just like in English. You normally put a comma before it when it links two independent ideas:

Nuestra nutricionista no es estricta, pero no permite refrescos…

Word order around pero is fairly fixed:

No es estricta, pero no permite refrescos. ✅
You would not rearrange it like: Pero no es estricta no permite refrescos. ❌

So:

Comma before pero: normal and recommended.
pero itself stays at the start of the contrasting clause, just like “but” in English.

Can I say no refrescos in a sentence, like in English “no sodas”?

In full sentences, Spanish usually negates the verb, not the noun:

Natural: No permite refrescos. (She doesn’t allow sodas.)
Unnatural as a full sentence: Permite no refrescos. ❌

However, in signs or labels, Spanish does use no + noun, just like English:

No fumar = No smoking
No mascotas = No pets
No refrescos = No sodas

So:

For normal sentences: use no + verb → No permite refrescos.
For short signs / notices: No refrescos is fine and common.