In short
This episode of Wellness Scoop focuses on protein vs fiber for muscle gain, supplement safety (especially protein powders), flaxseed guidance, iodine/seaweed claims, and gut health during long antibiotic courses.
Guests
none. Hosts are Ella Mills and Rihanna Lambert; they answer listener questions.
Key claims
adequate (not excessive) protein supports muscle repair; a rough target is up to ~1.6 g/kg body weight, and 20–30 g per meal is often enough—protein powders are optional if you can’t hit that. Protein powders may be risky: a consumer analysis of 23 powders (2025) found over two-thirds had more lead than safety thresholds. Flaxseed: cyanide-forming compounds exist, but normal amounts (about 1–2 tbsp/day; ~20 g) are fine; avoid large, frequent intakes; store milled flax airtight and refrigerate to prevent rancidity. Iodine: seaweed supplements are oversold; iodine needs careful dosing since too much can harm thyroid function. Antibiotics: long courses can reduce gut microbial diversity; consider strain-specific probiotics and discuss fiber tolerance with a clinician.
Notable examples
roasted harissa chickpeas as a snack; Greek vs Greek-style yogurt protein differences; advice to stop feeding birds seeds/peanuts seasonally (May–Oct).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOExploring Listener Questions
1:15 to 1:41
The hosts dive into various health-related questions from listeners.
Bee Documentary Recommendation
1:41 to 2:20
Ella shares her thoughts on a captivating bee documentary and its insights.
“bee documentary on Disney Plus, the one I mentioned ages ago.”
Importance of Bees
2:20 to 3:06
Discussion on the critical role of bees in our ecosystem and food production.
“You know, I went down to my mum's house the other day and they live in this really beautiful nature spot.”
Bird Feeding Guidelines
3:06 to 3:54
Rihanna shares new guidelines on feeding birds to prevent disease.
“So the risk of disease in birds is now higher than ever.”
Comforting Food and Drink
3:54 to 4:25
The hosts discuss comfort foods, including chai lattes and cooking habits.
Ella's Baking Adventures
5:18 to 5:39
Ella shares her recent baking experiences and passion for bread.
Cooking and Enjoying Food
5:39 to 6:38
Discussion on the joy of cooking and savoring meals at a relaxed pace.
Healthy Snack Ideas
6:38 to 7:17
Ella shares a simple recipe for roasting chickpeas as a healthy snack.
Protein and Muscle Building
7:17 to 8:15
Addressing listener Simone's questions around protein intake and muscle gain.
“Now our first question today is from Simone.”
Understanding Protein Needs
8:15 to 9:24
Discussion on the appropriate amount of protein needed for muscle growth.
“And I'm so excited to hear your answer to it.”
Show all 19 chapters
Protein Sources and Quality
9:24 to 11:00
Exploration of protein sources, the importance of quality, and concerns with protein powders.
“And for most people training regularly, roughly up to 1.6 grams of protein per kilo of body weight is an estimation.”
Healthy Snacks for Toddlers
11:00 to 12:39
Laura's inquiry about healthy toddler snacks and their nutritional differences.
“But what I don't like is how emotive people can get about it.”
Greek Yogurt vs Greek Style
12:39 to 14:00
Discussion on the differences between Greek yogurt and Greek style yogurt.
“But either way, they both will contain the same amount of calcium and phosphorus if you're looking at it that way.”
Healthy Snacking for Kids
14:00 to 16:40
Discover nutritious snack ideas for children and the importance of meal structure.
“you know, almost twice as high, can't it?”
Flax Seeds: Benefits and Concerns
18:13 to 22:57
Understand the nutritional value and safety of flax seeds including cyanide concerns.
“Go further with the American Express Business Gold Card.”
The Iodine Debate: Seaweed Supplements
22:58 to 26:50
Examine the claims about iodine deficiency and the role of seaweed supplements.
“She said, I was listening to the podcast.”
Antibiotics and Gut Health
26:51 to 28:03
Learn about the impact of antibiotics on gut health and ways to support it.
“I may need a third, which could mean being on antibiotics for nearly five months.”
The Impact of Long-Term Antibiotic Use on Gut Health
28:03 to 30:06
Learn about the long-term effects of antibiotics on gut health and the importance of probiotics.
“And we also get a lot of questions on this into the inbox.”
Understanding Antimicrobial Resistance
30:07 to 31:24
Discover the issue of antimicrobial resistance and its implications for modern medicine.
“Antibiotics remain one of the most important revolutionary advancements in modern medicine.”
Transcript
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1:03welcome to the wellness scoop your weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration and as always we are here as your hosts i'm ella mills and i'm rihanna lambert and today we're delving into all of the wonderful questions that you've been sending us here on our extra scoop so let's go we have a real mixture of things from flax seeds to seaweed supplements and iodine gut health after antibiotics easy snacks balancing protein and fiber protein powders what you actually need for strength um so yeah whole mix of things to dive into but first we have you got any great recommendations for us things we need in our lives well i watched the bee documentary on Disney Plus, the one I mentioned ages ago.
1:49It's phenomenal. Absolutely amazing. My husband at first was like, oh, I can't believe you're going to put that on. Do I really have to sit here and watch bees, you know, for a prolonged period of time? But I could see him looking up from scrolling on his phone to being intrigued by what was happening on the screen. I cannot recommend it enough. Bees are like, they can play like dogs. It's unbelievable. They are so clever. But they are. Can you hear it in my voice? I'm absolutely dumbfounded by the whole thing. It was incredible. Oh, I need to watch that. You know, I went down to my mum's house the other day and they live in this really beautiful nature spot.
2:30They have it's not a hive because they don't collect it, but it's just a kind of I'm not sure what it is called, but it's like a structure they've put in the garden where the bees can just make a hive. and they don't take the honey or anything that's just there for like um supporting nature and everything but they put a bench just nearby and to sit and just watch them come in and out and the sound and everything is amazing i think there's a big misconception with bees that they just sting and they really don't and they won't sting you unless they're provoked and bees are crucial i think it's a third of the food we eat comes from bees and the pollination role they have and now whenever I look at a bee I smile and we should go out of our ways to save them and not hurt them or swat them you know we really need to be looking after the bees I love that there's also one very serious um bit of news I really wanted to share with you from the Royal Society of um the protection of birds because Dr Amir my friend and colleague is the president of this now they've come out and said lots of um birds are very sadly getting poorly and all it takes is one infected bird, a bird feeding table to spread disease.
3:37So the risk of disease in birds is now higher than ever. And in the summer and autumn, that's also when natural bird food like bugs and berries is easier to find. So there's a new recommendation now that everybody, if you're like me and you love feeding the birds, that we need to stop feeding them between the 1st of May and the 31st of October. We need to take seeds and peanuts off the menu and only feed them suet balls, you know those kind of fat balls that you can buy or things like mealworms instead of the seeds and I didn't know I didn't know that oh I did not know that either so thank you so much for that pleasure everyone as always giving me the environmental advice I am now a fan and I've got so many recommendations chai lattes have come back in my life full of sugar but wow are they good oh my gosh you know what they are such good like not comfort food but there's something like so comforting and cozy about a child artist I completely agree so unbelievably cozy honestly I really fancied it that one day and then as I've shared before with you all you can sign up to the Retrition Plus which is the brand new online space that my team and I have designed to bring you closer to the Retrition world so it actually fits with real life and I think it's all of the conflicting things and it's access to the clinic because for over 10 years through the Retrition clinic, I've seen so much and it's so hard for people to access one-to-one help.
5:01And inside, you'll get direct access to my multidisciplinary team, you know, amazing masterclasses from them, journeys through different areas, menopause, fertility, eating disorders, anything that you need, we can be your guide. And I've popped the link in the show notes to sign up. Amazing. So cool, Rhi, what you're doing. Ella, I need your recommendations. What have you been doing? I don't have any good ones if I'm completely honest how bad is that you made bread again you you were doing I saw it on your gram oh my god really I'm like a bread lady I honestly I've become this like mad bread lady I bake bread like five times a week I'm obsessed I fed my starter before we started chatting this morning next up I really want to do bagels I've been doing a lot of sourdough focaccia and just loaves um it doesn't mean I eat a lot of bread which we know bread's great it's like a good carrier but I'm not sure it's great for my like mixing it up diversity situation just because it's so good honestly when I um look at these loaves I really start craving bread it's like all I want when I see you still should have an Ella's bakery I do still think that's a future business for you Ella really take that bread love to another level yeah yeah it is fun though I am I am actually really enjoying it and I like the kind of slowness of the process but no I have just been kind of I've been enjoying cooking slowly and I think that's one of the things like I love because our kitchen has you know a lovely view whereas our kitchen was in the basement in London I love just like on a Sunday afternoon porching around the kitchen and I don't know I've made granola or I'll just do things in a bit of a slower way and I'm I'm really really enjoying that.
6:39I think that's a really healthy way to be and everybody listening we still love it when you send in your recommendations so send them into our email address ella would you like to do the honors okay hello at wellness hyphen scoop.com but the only recommendation i have for you other than that is to um we said this before about roasting beans but i've been roasting harissa chickpeas recently so nice so nice so just um drain your chickpeas pat them dry and then just mix honey or maple syrup with some chili oil or harissa and then roast them for like 15-20 minutes till they're crispy. So good. I love that.
7:19What a fantastic wreck. Put them in your salads.
7:25Now our first question today is from Simone. She said my question is related to protein and building muscle and these past few months I've started to strength train or do some form of Pilates three to four times a week. Wow, you're doing very well with the goal of building muscle, getting stronger and losing a small amount of fat. I know on here you guys always say that we shouldn't be too focused on eating a bunch of protein and instead focus more on fiber. But everything I see online says you need to be eating a large amount of protein to gain muscle. And if you don't eat enough protein while I'm in a slight calorie deficit, you will lose lean mass.
7:59I eat generally healthily whole foods and I'm wondering if I need to be upping my protein intake before I reach my goals. If I do increase it, how do I fit in all the protein and 30 grams of fiber without becoming uncomfortable? And she said she knows that protein snacks like protein bars are not great options. But how about powders? Are they a good supplement? Any you'd recommend? This is such a great question. And I'm so excited to hear your answer to it. Because actually, this is so not my remit in any shape or form. Because I do think it's quite confusing that in order to kind of maximize your training and build muscle, do you need to be eating like 30 grams of protein per meal?
8:39No, this is the thing. First of all, yes, there are lots of very loud voices that talk about calorie deficits online and the importance of protein within a calorie deficit. But then there's also an importance of micronutrients and fiber within that calorie deficit too. So don't listen too much to the people online. But it's true. To build muscle, you need to be lifting consistently or doing the exercises you're doing with additional tension. Because when you build muscle, you break down a muscle via an exercise and your muscle needs to repair and regrow. And those broken little muscle fibers need to kind of fuse back together with additional strength.
9:19And that is why you do need to be eating enough protein to support that. And the key point here is you don't need excessive amounts. You just you need adequate amounts. And for most people training regularly, roughly up to 1.6 grams of protein per kilo of body weight is an estimation. and to be honest with you when you're looking through it this can absolutely sit alongside a high fiber plant diverse meal because you're just swapping different protein sources like beans and pulses contain all the fiber and the protein which makes it far more practical I think you're not trying to add the beans to the plate with the chicken or meat already because then your protein intake will be through the roof you know one chicken breast is around 23 grams of protein two eggs can be depending how large they are like 12 grams of protein roughly and perhaps 10 to 12 so you definitely will hit the protein you need you just need to make sure you've got it across the course of a day because protein synthesis works more efficiently when you're constantly topping it up we have research now that it's not an anabolic window of muscle building after a workout where we used to think incorrectly in science until more recent years that you had to down a protein shake the minute you've done a workout this only really lies true if you're bodybuilding or you are um you know doing extreme uh competitive lifting that sort of area as an athlete you really need to have targeted nutrition there but i'd say 20 to 30 grams to answer your question before i waffle on is the way you don't need to add protein powder unless you're struggling to get 20 to 30 grams at a meal okay because there's some people online they're having like 50 grams a meal and that then just feels as you said I totally can see the point of the question for Simone where it's like that just gets uncomfortable trying to have 50 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber say in a meal just suddenly feels a bit like yeah a not very joyful and b quite difficult to fit it all on a plate do you know what I don't like about the protein conversation and I was in an article recently which I did like that said you know protein has the fixation on protein has detracted from the real deficiencies that we have, the real issues in our diets in this country, which is objectively true.
11:32But what I don't like is how emotive people can get about it. It's very, very strange, isn't it? Online where people would assume because I've said that, that I'm anti-protein. I am not. Protein is so important. We need it. But I know you can all get it. And I know you can get enough. And if you are struggling, you have that option of a shake. But Ella, there's some data that we had, consumer research reports that did analyze 23 popular protein powders. This happened over 2025. And they found that over two thirds contained more lead per serving than safety threshold. So it really is concerning and really important that you look at the quality of protein when you're looking at the back of the pack.
12:12Look at the artificial sweeteners. Look at the additives within it. Check the company online because there's so many out there that are too good to be true. yeah i totally agree i think it is as always better to get it from whole food sources um if you can absolutely so that was a very very good question and then ella we've got one from laura exactly laura says i have a nearly two-year-old who loves eating but i struggle with healthy snacks when we're out and about especially when other families have very processed options do you have any suggestions for easy snacks that will match the appeal of crisps for a toddler my current go-to is the breadsticks and satsumas i was ever two month old so snacks need to be very quick and easy also can you help me understand the nutritional difference between greek yogurt and greek style yogurt i often buy both each week but using greek style for things like overnight oats is cheaper and greek yogurt for desserts so greek yogurt is traditionally strained and that means it often contains more protein per gram and which removes some of the whey and this makes it thicker and that's when you can tell it's really authentic because it's really thick when you put that spoon in and you dollop it on your plate and you kind of have to chuck the spoon down you know for it to fall off your plate whereas greek style just feels like a kind of liquid and it's like a mimic of that texture but it's not really strained it may contain added cream milk powders or thickeners and it's typically lower in protein and also beneficial bacteria so you've got to check on the live strains that are added but in the instance of getting a higher amount of protein in, then you definitely want to go for Greek, not Greek style in the supermarket.
13:47But either way, they both will contain the same amount of calcium and phosphorus if you're looking at it that way. That's really good to know that actually. I didn't realise that the calcium was always the same because obviously, as you said, the protein can be wildly different actually in Greek yogurt, you know, almost twice as high, can't it? Yeah, often these little micronutrients, that's really negligible. It's like the organic versus non-organic debate in a way as well of how vegetables are grown with the amount of micronutrients within them. And the processing in this instance doesn't impact particularly the micronutrient value.
14:21You know, you're still going to get a good amount of what you need. So it depends what you're buying that particular type of yogurt for. Really, really helpful. Okay. And then let's talk about easy snacks. Rhi, what kind of thing do you reach for? Easy snacks. I want to say dark chocolate because it's like my thing. But I am going to say breadsticks and satsumas are fab. Well done. Oh my goodness, the newborn toddler days, they are hard. Finger foods, things that they can eat independently are great. Make sure they're cooked and soft. The thing is with veg sticks, with hummus, you've just got to make sure they're not choking hazards, that sort of thing.
15:01But you know, yogurt pots um ella mentioned roasted chickpeas earlier even just butter beans are great you can have them straight out of the jar if you're that way inclined or you can roast them up and make them into little kind of roast potatoes which are delicious when you bake them with olive oil sprinkle of salt or cheese whatever floats your boat i made a delicious sweet corn butter bean with parmesan melted on top baked for my kids and they absolutely go crazy for that mini wraps or sandwiches soft fruit if you have time i think familiarity is so important ella because it has to be something that for children they're going to eat essentially and pairing it alongside something they're used to is good you know think of snacks as an opportunity to add in nutrients not something to stress on yeah i totally agree i often used to do like mini pancakes we talked about the other day which were like banana peanut butter oats a little bit of self-raising flour and an egg that was always quite good because i could have breakfast i could make more for later and quite un-messy when we're out and about but then I have to be completely honest as my kids have got older like I really don't stress about snacks and our rule we've obviously just had the Easter holidays my rule in the Easter holidays are so bored of always saying no to things it's like as long as you eat real meals you can have as many snacks as you want because I found it just otherwise I lived in a constant world of no and I found it really frustrating whereas I'm really trying to get them to see like the foundation is real meals and obviously my kids are a teeny bit older than than yours are Laura but yeah it's just trying to get that balance but yeah I'm trying to teach my children that let's really have like delicious meals at home and let's make sure we enjoy those and then at that point you can add on whatever you want.
16:41100 % I think that's a lovely way to answer that question and we have a short little ad break and we will be back with a wonderful question about flax seeds in a moment.
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18:46welcome back guys um yes we have got a question from claire who said first of all i love your podcast listening to you feels like a warm hug love that claire i have a question regarding flax seeds i usually add a few tablespoons of flax seeds to my porridge because of their bulk forming laxative effect and i know many recipes use milled or ground flax seeds in baking however the swedish food agency warns that flax seeds can be poisonous as they contain cyanide forming compounds and advises against consuming milled flaxseeds in large amounts. I would really appreciate if you could clear this up for me.
19:19Yeah, I wouldn't refer to flaxseeds as laxatives, but of course, things can be very alarming, don't they? You hear those kind of words, cyanide, and you go, ah, panic zone. But it's a good one to ask. I am currently working with a flaxseed company, actually, and they do naturally contain these compounds. All plants do naturally contain powerful compounds and these in particular contain cyanogenic glycosides which can release very small amounts of cyanide but that's why organizations like the Swedish Food Agency have issued guidance around using large quantities and it's interesting because I feel we would follow suit here if our culture in the UK were to use this ingredient more commonly because actually 20 grams is a serving that we suggest and you know you can say the same thing about rice containing arsenic, which you probably have heard before, people say, oh, I don't drink rice milk or give it to children because of the levels of arsenic.
20:11It doesn't mean it's going to kill you. It just contains traces. And in children, that can be larger than within an adult. So normal dietary amounts, flaxseeds are so fantastic for you. But if you're having that 20-gram portion of flaxseed three times a day, that's not so good. You just need to have that one 20-gram portion a day. They contain omega-3 fats. They contain fiber. I'm working with Linwoods at the moment on this, And I do believe that around one to two tablespoons a day is so beneficial. But in a wonderful country where you eat loads of rye bread that might be made with some flax, and then you're also having it in your porridge in the morning, and then you're also adding it to other delicacies.
20:48I do believe that's where guidance like that is useful. What constitutes a large amount, do you think, Rae? I would say a large amount would be, I mean, look, I'm guessing here, guys, I would say it's probably around like 50 to 60 grams excessively. And what we mean is having that consistently. So you'd have to have that amount for several days, few weeks, probably to see any harm come from it. But you definitely just don't need to be consuming more than those one to two tablespoons a day to get the benefits from the flaxseed that you need. OK, and then also important note that really want to have the milled flaxseeds aren't, don't you, to get better nutrient absorption?
21:25oh 100 % yeah and then remember seal them airtight and put them in the fridge because they can go rancid because of the omega-3 and I think a lot of people I know I didn't used to know that before I started working with the company a few years ago that you have to keep them refrigerated that is such good advice yep I have hemp seeds and flax seeds in my fridge right now same hemp seeds I love the texture of hemp seeds I'm obsessed with hemp seeds I um sound like a real loser they're just one of those like real wins to me where it tastes yummy completely and it's one of those things I don't know like the kids are hungry or like and they just they want a rice cake with peanut butter and jam and then I'll just put a little bit of um tiny sprinkling of hemp seeds on the top and I'm like yeah that's a really nice boost now I try and do kind of two-thirds peanut butter to a third jam and then the hemp seeds on the top and you think yeah that's a nice little omega-3 hit a little extra protein boost a bit more nutrition in just a lovely little one minute snack so I do try and use them like that I put them in our smoothies and they're just a nice boost yeah I absolutely agree I remember back in 2015 working in the um the cafe I used to work at I used to do hemp seed balls and all those sorts of things and they were really yummy I think I think honestly can I just say I think we should be bringing those back like I used to make energy balls all the time I haven't done in ages and I'm just thinking like actually they were so good because as you said it's like opportunity to get nuts in to get dates great for fiber digestion you get things like yeah flax or hemp seeds it's and that really is a nutrient boost I'm gonna I'm gonna make some energy balls oh a hundred percent you know what Ella and I both have many books with energy balls in them so go and open a few if you've got them at home and let's do I'm going to do it too.
23:14Yes, afternoon planned ahead. Thank you. The next question is from Lou. She said, I was listening to the podcast. Oh, no, not our podcast. She was listening to a podcast where they interviewed Dr. Seaweed, who said we are all depleted in iodine and should be taking seaweed supplements. Is this correct? He says it will improve energy levels, skin health, nails and brain function. I'd love to know your thoughts. Is this another supplement to add to the list? now look i don't want to sound like a skeptic or a grumpy lady today but like if dr seaweed's selling you seaweed yeah it's kind of i'm not trying to be facetious about the whole thing but like i think we should be aware of that so dr seaweed's a marine biologist called dr craig rose um he's very passionate about bringing the wonderful benefits of seaweed into people's lives seaweed is a long forgotten food i totally agree like it has been used in the past it can be an abundant source of nutrition it's not to say that like seaweed's inherently bad but i just think that like we should be careful about who's selling us what and what we actually need i think probably oh my goodness ella dr seaweed selling seaweed is obviously going to say yes it's a great idea i completely hear what you're saying and it's not to be in a patronizing way it's just so i'm glad this question's been asked because the thing is again there is underlying truth yes iodine is essential you only really get it in fish and dairy and we have real issues at the moment with the fish and sustainability for instance waitrose have just stopped in this country a large supermarket retailer just stopped selling macro because of sustainability reasons and i'll go into it on another um maybe next week's episode actually the current state of our oceans and then if you're not consuming dairy then yeah you probably do need to be looking at your iodine function.
25:04I often say it should be in vegan multis. Thyroid function, it plays a role in, of course, general metabolism, which means the function of our cells, not just how many calories we burn. And importantly, brain development, especially during pregnancy because of cognitive function. So seaweed supplements, you don't need to be supplementing seaweed for iodine specifically. If you can eat some seaweed, great. But the amount of iodine in seaweed is really variable, Ella's like some some of them would be really high some of them be too little some of them would be dangerous because if you have too much iodine and excessive intake that's equally dangerous so it can impact your thyroid negatively it's one of those things that needs to be carefully considered yeah I think it's one of those things you know we talked the other day about nutritional yeast and b12 I kind of think if you're not consuming any sources of iodine you would be better to supplement it and just know that you're getting the right amount because as you said seaweed can be really rich and seaweed is a really like can be I think also really delicious food and a great kind of different varied thing to add into your diet so I think the awareness that there is an interesting thing to add in and making homemade miso soup type things like that's amazing but I'm just not sure we should I think it's if you're really concerned about your iodine intake it's probably better to supplement it because it's just not specific enough otherwise I would say.
26:29And you don't know what you're buying on the internet. You don't know if it is actually seaweed. It could just be cabbage in disguise. There's so many areas to think about here but you know the claims that iodine alone will improve your energy, skin, nails, brain function. It's just oversimplified. Of course it plays a role but there's so many other factors of your life like a good night's sleep that also do too. How much water you're drinking. I agree Ella. So I think that was a really important discussion to have had and it leads me on to a gut health question from is that mommy i think maybe maybe let us know or mommy um i have a question about antibiotics so important and their effect on gut health long term i've been struggling with adult acne and have been prescribed antibiotics by my dermatologist the first one didn't work so i've been prescribed a second round but i have to take them for at least six weeks to see if i respond if this doesn't work.
27:21I may need a third, which could mean being on antibiotics for nearly five months. I've heard you mention this briefly on the podcast, but could you explain why they're harmful and what I can be doing during this process to support my gut? For background, I'm a pescatarian, eat a pretty healthy, plant-based healthy diet, but she does have Crohn's disease. So she's aware that the area of her body needs some extra support. Any advice would be helpful. And I think we can give some here, Ella, but I've also got a voice note from dr zoe williams on the overall issue and why over prescribing of antibiotics is occurring as well yeah and also um i so appreciate the concern when i was unwell crushed back in 2011 i was on continuous antibiotics for two and a half years and it had a really bad impact on my gut health and i think in lots of ways long term yeah yeah i think it's been incredibly long term And it's taken me a very, very long time to build back any diversity in my gut from different kind of tests that I've done, which has been really interesting.
28:25That's not to scare you. It's just to say. And we also get a lot of questions on this into the inbox. So you're not alone in being concerned or conscious about this. No, 100 percent. Antipodes are important. And when you're being told to take them, you definitely want to take them because they can save your life. You know, there's lots of parents that have children that need to be consistent on antibiotics for various reasons. But of course, you've mentioned here as well for added context, Crohn's disease does mean that you need to be thinking of your gut health and in a different way to most people, actually, because of that, too.
29:00So antibiotics on longer courses, we know, can cause a reduction in microbial diversity, temporary shifts in gut balance, changes in digestion, tolerance, so many things here. so when you're taking antibiotics you can take probiotics and that's one of the good pieces of news there is that there is a lot of strong evidence that certain probiotics may reduce antibiotic associated side effects but it is strain specific and i think it's definitely worth before we mention things on here you need to speak to a gp or pharmacist or a registered dietitian or nutritionist before you seek out exactly what that would be depending on what antibiotic you're on, for instance, there are so many factors there as well.
29:41But whilst you're on them within Crohn's disease remits and within what your team have suggested, consider what type of fiber you can tolerate, consider the variety of food you're eating, consider the other areas of lifestyle you can control, because that's what you can do during that time. And then I would take, yeah, the probiotic that has been recommended alongside that. Very, very good advice. Okay, fantastic. And then we will play you that brilliant voice note that Rhi has. Antibiotics remain one of the most important revolutionary advancements in modern medicine. But antimicrobial resistance, or AMR for short, is one of its biggest threats.
30:25It's what happens when bacteria evolve so that our antibiotics stop working against them properly. And it's not some future distant problem. It's already happening right now. A big driver of this is how we use antibiotics. Around one in three people take them when they don't actually need them, often for viral illnesses like colds or flu, which they're ineffective for. And things like not finishing a course or using leftover antibiotics also add to the issue. The result is that infections become harder to treat. In fact, drug-resistant infections are already linked to over a million deaths globally each year.
31:03So really, it comes down to using antibiotics safely, sensibly and appropriately. So that means only taking them when they're prescribed for you and taking them exactly as directed. Because preserving antibiotics is so important for our future health and actually for protecting modern medicine itself. oh zoe always i feel gives such clarity on matters and also it's so important that we do understand more about antibiotic use that it has a place of course but we need to remember strongly that you know if you've just got a common cold it's definitely not anything you can do first try different methods of treatment you know first line idea then second line and there's no other option take the antibiotic so yeah thank you very much zoe well thank you guys as always for being here We will be back on Monday.
31:53Any questions you want us to answer, ping them over. Hello at wellness-scoot.com. We can't wait to hear from you. Otherwise, have a lovely, lovely day. Have a lovely day, everyone. Bye.
32:21Ross. Work your magic.
From the publisher
This week on The Wellness Scoop, we answer your questions on some of the most common and confusing nutrition topics, from how much protein you actually need to build muscle to whether everyday foods like flaxseeds are as straightforward as they seem.
We break down the protein conversation and how to balance it with fibre without overdoing it, explore whether protein powders are worth it, unpack the confusion around toddler snacks and Greek vs Greek-style yoghurt, look at the safety and benefits of flaxseeds, question iodine and seaweed supplement trends, and share simple, realistic ways to support your gut during and after antibiotics.
Send your questions for our weekly Q&A to hello@wellness-scoop.com
Recommendations:
Order your copy of Ella's new book: Quick Wins: Healthy Cooking for Busy Lives
Pre-order your copy of Rhi's upcoming book: The Fibre Formula
Sign up to the wait list for Rhitrition+
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