Can Stress Affect Digestion? Creatine & Healthy Shortcuts

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1:00I am genuinely so excited about today's sponsor because it's the way. Honestly, if you have listened to me any time over the last few months, you know I have become a little bit evangelical about this app and I honestly recommend it to everyone. My friends, my family, people on Instagram, everyone. And she recommended it to me, so it's true. I've heard so much about it. It's just because it has had such a big impact on me. I've meditated on and off for 15 years or so now, but using the way it's honestly the first time we've become so consistent with this daily practice and i've just seen the most unbelievable results as a result of that the app is just incredible and what i love is every day you open it and there's a meditation waiting for you so you don't scroll that you don't have to choose between hundreds of options there's no wondering what to do it just takes you on a path well i think that's why it works so well because you know most of us just don't need more big decisions every day to make ella no exactly that we've got decisions fatigue haven't we so this is so nice because you just follow this path of meditation which is led by Henry the founder who's just the most amazing teacher and he makes it seem somehow just incredibly simple but exceptionally profound at the same time which is a very rare skill.

2:14And I've been using it too yes I've now finally begun my meditation journey and I've been doing some of the shorter practices on busy days because I completely understand why you talk about it so much Ella it really is a nice intro in for me. Yeah, it is. And I'm so glad. Anyway, it's helped me feel so much calmer, less reactive, more present. It all sounds like huge claims, but I just say, please, please, please try it. If you're struggling with stress or overwhelm, you just got to give it a go. And the lovely thing is that everyone listening can definitely try it themselves. Exactly. So you can get a 30 day free trial.

2:50So just try it every day per month. It'll change your life. All you do is head to thewayapp.com forward slash wellness scoop. Yeah, that's thewayapp.com forward slash wellness scoop. Welcome to The Wellness Scoop, your twice weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration. And as always, we're both here as your hosts today. I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Rhiannon Lambert. And we're here taking the fantastic questions that you have sent us and sharing some of our recommendations. So let's go. Guys, today we're going to talk about the impact of stress and of grief on our digestion and why sometimes our appetite just can completely disappear.

3:32We are going to be talking about which foods we're making from scratch. We're going to talk about MCT oils, what on earth they are. Do they actually help with performance? Could creatine help protect our brain health? The efficacy of basilium husks? We've got some recipe recommendations. We've got lots of other recommendations and so much more to chat through. So welcome to today's episode. Welcome to today's episode. And I would love to kick it off with a clip that I've got to play to Ella. It was actually on the BBC by Dr. Zandt, who's Dr. Chris Van Tilken's twin. You know, they do those TV shows together.

4:06And I thought it kind of emphasises what Ella and I have always thought and said. There's a chapter in the book about collagen. Of course, we hear about its anti-aging properties truth myth somewhere in between anyone who is is is uh is into their wellness i will tell you i was into it too i think the collagen story is so persuasive so collagen is the most common protein in your body that's collagen your ear flaps your skin is collagen you're held together with collagen and when you get older it's your collagen starts to degrade and that's why your joints get creaky and you get wrinkly and so eating collagen makes sense you You think, oh, it'll get into my skin, it'll get into my joints, it'll repair me.

4:46But I went to the factory in China where they boil donkeys to make collagen supplements. When you look at the collagen industry, the collagen industry entirely relies on the waste products of industrial meat and fish processing. So the hooves, the chicken's claws, the pig's trotters, the pig's ears, the tails, the skin, all the stuff, the fish heads, the fish spines. you boil it up with hydrochloric acid and you get collagen out the other end and in the mid-90s they realized that rather than selling it as sort of pig food or or filler for for diet bars they could sell it as a beauty product beauty from within so first of all the research says it doesn't work but the other thing is wouldn't it be amazing if an industrial waste product was a side effect free cure for problems that affect every single person on earth it seems a bit too good to be true yeah do you know we have said this before i said it far more lightly by saying cartilage and fish scales i believe last year but i just think it's so important people know where their food is from and know what is actually happening in an industry because when it comes in a lovely pink pot with flavorings i think it's really easy to disconnect from where the food is from but dr zarn's obviously spent ages researching it for his new but but i do feel that it's important to let everyone know it really is honestly and i was about to be like i really would love to go to that factory as well and i don't mean oh no sick a weird way but no i do find it interesting how the kind of inner workings of the industry and having been to many a food factory i'll tell you what i mean i'm not like a humongous lover of consumer of generally upfs because you've seen the sludge yeah when you see the gray sludge being poured from bucket to bucket that ends up and these were some like meat mimic products you're just not desperate to munch on them like it's just foul like it really is and obviously there's some great factories as well and you know you really see the difference when like the core things in the factory are like oats and peanuts or they're you know different like frozen fruits and vegetables you know it's completely world's part but you we i've been to some and i'm like i'm okay not eating this again That's really gross.

7:01And I do wonder, without the fancy marketing and just breaking it down, if it would change people's perspectives and the money in these types of industries. But that sparked obviously a whole debate between scientists that had an affiliation that were advertising and have been paid to promote collagen. collagen. It caused a huge, as you can imagine, online dispute between various voices, him coming out and saying that. But I have huge respect for him just telling it as it is. Yeah, I completely agree. And as you said, it's good to know what we're eating and where it comes from. Rhi, have you got any other acts for us today?

7:41Totally different. Yes, obviously. A bit lighthearted now. I do love Holly Willoughby's new YouTube channel because I'm a Spice Girls fan And she's besties of Emma Bunton. I was about to be like, she's not a Spice Girl. No, she's not a Spice Girl, but she's besties of Emma Bunton. And Holly, if you listen to Wellness Scoop, that would be amazing. But honestly, I thoroughly loved when you had, it was Mel from All Saints and Emma Bunton on the couch. And they went through their history with the girl groups, the fashion at the time. And it was just a really good discussion. It's worth a watch because you know, when you feel a bit down in the dumps, and I think I've said this before, and I think we both did, I do sometimes watch old This Morning clips with Holly, Alison Hammond, you know, they come out with these hilarious things and they just pick up your day.

8:31So that's a lighthearted listen if you can't sleep and you just want to be happy and laugh before you go to bed. And then my other recommendation is very random, but I think could apply to some people is obviously being pregnant. Now, I don't know if this is just a thing, and I'm sure it's genetically predisposed. But I've used bio oil in every pregnancy. I don't have any stretch marks and I might do this time, third pregnancy, but I have been using bio oil for stretch marks and this is totally anecdotal. I know there'll be women out there that get stretch marks and they've used bio oil and they've tried everything.

9:08But I think it's worth, it's just worth the go. My skin feels quite nice using bio oil. So that's my other recommendation. It's a bit of bio oil. You can get scented lavender. Ella might help you sleep at night. You remember when you tried the castor oil packs? Maybe we can try a bit of bio oil. Yeah. And then I have a final one is just keep an eye on the food nutrition space at school. And please do let us know what your feedback is. There's been a lot of discussion in the press recently. I think Prueleaf came out and said something that was a bit drastic. And she said about banning school lunchboxes from school.

9:44But the problem we obviously have is that even though the new school food guidelines have said they will be implemented in September 2027, I attended an off-the-record discussion last week. So some things I can and can't discuss with many different people involved in this, and they still don't know how they're going to make it mandatory. So there's people arguing left, right and centre still on who's going to actually help the schools around the country implement these new changes that need to happen. So we can't blanket say we're going to ban pat lunches and not even have an infrastructure in place where kids are going to get the right school food.

10:20So please do. This is more of a plea to you all. Let me know what you think of your current school lunches at school. Obviously, it helps me. I'm releasing Ready, Set, Cook. I'm into children's nutrition at the moment, but I would really love your feedback on if you'd rather have lunch boxes or school dinners and if you can see the future being a bit brighter. Ella, tell us your recs. That before my recs, which are very lighthearted, that is so depressing, Ray, because as we said, when these guidelines, quote unquote, guidelines came out, we were saying on the show, weren't we like, yeah, okay, it's a step forward, but it's so frustrating.

10:54These are just guidelines anyway. And the fact that there is clearly an uncertainty on whether they're even going to be enforced, and we're not even talking about for another year anyway it's like we are looking at you know currently and i'm not saying it's you know one causes the other it's obviously infinitely more complex than that but like record number of six-year-olds in a and e for mental health distress you know obesity rates etc like we are struggling so much that we just don't have time i it really i know there's such huge issues in the world but our mental health and our physical health is so impacted by what we eat and we have such a crisis in our hands with our health.

11:32We just need such a change. It's at the same time where there are promises in this country to lift half a million children out of poverty, but what are they lifting them on to? And it is a big discussion. Yeah, we do need change. Anyway, I'm not going to give up. We're going to keep fighting. I'm going to keep talking about it on the Wellness School. Please share with us your thoughts. Climate change is going to impact this, food production. There are big conversations. We are going to be here for you climate change i mean because we're about to scientists think have a record el nino year could equate to a three degree rise i mean it could be four degree they said now ella it's terrifying yeah the level of impact on food production this year next year is likely going to be the hottest year on record for the planet i mean genuinely it's the first time where it feels to me in my memory that there's like genuine sense of kind of food scarcity and it's absolutely terrifying it really is my algorithm just to share with you all so you don't feel alone but also just to bring me back to a sense of if you can't control it sometimes you do have to let it go but i am being served a lot of emergency food box headlines and terrifying things at the moment so you're not alone out there we're we're here to talk about this too and break it down and sometimes we can only do what we can do.

12:52But yeah, you're not alone. It is a bit of a very overwhelming time. And that's probably why I got onto my Holly Willoughby, Emma Bunton episode, because I just needed a bit of light relief at her. The world is so heavy. Okay. Well, I've got more light relief than the same category as that. So I told you, I started reading the Emily Henry books. I've now read five. Oh my gosh. You said I would love them. This is like you are on a roll. yeah so in a month i read five of them love them all but if you're gonna do one personally funny story funny stories that's the one i'll start with one on postpartum okay i'm making a note i really have enjoyed all of them i probably wouldn't recommend reading them all at the same time because ultimately they're very similar but what's nice about it is that they are actually like love stories you know there's a little sexiness in there but they're not like really raunchy or really this or really that they're like actually love stories and I just think that's so I don't know I just think that's so nice they always make me feel really good it's like oh people do love each other and it works out okay in the end and that's not a spoiler because all the books work out okay in the end and actually I feel like I haven't read loads of books in a while where it like all works out in the end I have to say you haven't so this is music to my ears I feel you need this you will love them Ray oh bring it on I need I need all of this anyway if you've been hearing about her books and you want to know where to start the funny story one is personally my favorite i think that's fantastic it's a funny story everybody emily henry we now have a recommendation from jenny yes we do this is such a nice one um jenny said she'd been following a chef called chetna macken for a while on youtube um i didn't watch her but she says lots of you guys might remember um her from the great british bake-off She was on the 2014 series, but she was just saying that Chetna's videos make home cooking feel very accessible.

14:47Loads of her recipes are really nutritious. She uses lots of beans, pulses, huge variety of plants. So she thought it would resonate very much with the message that we have on the show. She had loads of recipes, Indian inspired. She also has great salads, snacks like spicy roasted nuts, delicious shakshuka that Jenny tried recently and particularly recommends. I love that. Thank you so much. I need to get better. It's a good reminder for me and myself to incorporate more spices and flavours into my foods. And then we also have a recommendation from Katie, who said, worth a watch on Prime is Every Year After, which is based on the book Every Summer After.

15:25And if nothing else, you'll love Canada. Also, a Sterling Point worth a watch. Oh my God, I watched all of Sterling Point. Did you? What, really, like binge watched? It is 10 out of 10. I am also now in love with Canada, so I've got to watch every year after clearly I watched it we were away last week I watched it um like on the plane and stuff Sterling Point it's on Prime as well I feel like Prime's really knocking it out because I had off campus as well didn't it really you will be obsessed with Sterling Point okay it's also like pretty feel good and it's interesting I was reading a review of it that was very very complimentary before I watched it it was like this is a kind of perfect sort of rom-com type show and I personally would agree with that but what it was also saying you know how we were saying when we watched off campus we were like wow these feel like actual women like real bodies like beautiful sexy women but like not emaciated and that felt quite rare this was really interesting and this reviewer pointed out this is the least like objectification of women's bodies they're all sort of about 18 it's like a you know young adult type like off campus age but you know they're in Canada and they're swimming a lot and things like that and like there are no bikini shots there's no boobs there's like some sweet romance but there's no kind of like hot and heavy in a way that again it's like it feels quite notable in a very positive way I think I'm so pleased because I don't know if and this is no no shame to actresses that look like models at all but often you do find these types of really popular series are dominated by the particularly one aesthetic type don't you like you've said and one image and one popularization of a type of female yeah it's nice to highlight our unique differences and just have more more accessible viewing diversity that's fantastic I can't wait to watch it Ella thank you but it's a Really fun show.

17:26I like really binged it. Loved it. Yeah. Again, more feel good stuff.

17:35We have our first question from Perth in Western Australia from Jessica. And she said, thank you for making such an amazing podcast. I look forward to every week to keep me engaged and excited about wellness. Well, we're very happy to hear that. Oh gosh, bless her. She said, 18 months ago, unexpectedly, we lost my younger sister and I found myself not caring for myself and feeling very disconnected from my own body. So I went and saw a nutritionist a year ago who has been absolutely amazing. And I have learned so much about fueling my body, caring for myself in a holistic way and a better understanding of the physical effect of things like grief and stress, because obviously they can have a huge impact on our bodies.

18:14Gosh, you've had a rough ride, Jessica. She then said, we lost my dad about a month ago after his battle with cancer. And I'm noticing again the effects that grief is having on my body, such as the bloating, the digestive impact, even with her whole food diet. And she said that the human body really is an interesting and an amazing thing. I mean, Jessica, first of all, wow, you can notice that. She's then said, while I'm grateful to be in a much better position of education and understanding, I'm just wondering if you both have any suggestions or tips on what I can do to help my body heal from the stress.

18:46Thank you for everything that you do and the joy and support that you bring to everyone with this podcast? Jess, oh my goodness, Ella. Well, first and foremost, Jess, thank you for listening. We're just sending you so much love. You've obviously been through such a difficult few years and we're just really grateful that you're here and that we're able to play just the smallest part in your life at the moment. Look, everybody is so different and everyone's experience of grief is so incredibly different. It's such a extraordinarily kind of nuanced and complex topic, isn't it? It affects everyone so differently.

19:23But I think it sounds like you're doing all of the right things and just being in tune with yourself and listening to yourself. But you're absolutely right that stress affects the body massively and it particularly can affect our digestive system, right, Rae? Oh, my goodness. Grief is a form of stress. Yes, I think grief is that they come together hand in hand because when we're stressed, blood flow is drawn away from our digestive system, which is why people experience discomfort. You know, we've also got that gut brain axis of the fact that, you know, even feeling nerves or butterflies, you might get, you know, discomfort and sped up your bowel motility and diarrhea, all sorts of different things.

20:04when you're grieving, the emotions that are running through your body that are linked directly your vagus nerve to your digestive system are huge. So I thought, as I'm very fortunate to know Dr. Ali Jaffe, who works with NutriTank particularly, but she is an award-winning NHS psychiatry doctor. She works a lot with grief and this is her special area, mental health and nutrition. So I've asked her to contribute today and to give us a voice note, which hopefully will offer you just as much compassion and some pointers here. So over to Dr. Ali. Firstly, I'm so sorry for the loss of both your sister and your dad.

20:48Experiencing two significant bereavements within 18 months is an enormous amount to carry. I'm Dr. Ali Jaffe, and an NHS doctor in the UK specialising in psychiatry. I'm also a mental health advocate and co-founder of NutriTank. My work focuses on mental health, preventative health and the role things like food, movement and social connection can play in our wellbeing. I also speak openly online about my own lived experience of mental health challenges. One thing I really want to emphasise is that grief isn't just psychological, we can feel it physically too. Stress can affect the gut-brain connection, appetite, digestion and bowel habits so it isn't unusual to notice changes in your body during periods of intense grief.

21:34But I'd also be really careful not to put too much pressure on yourself to somehow wellness your way out of grief. Food is so much more than nutrients. It's memory, culture, family, comfort, celebration and connection. after losing somebody those associations can become incredibly emotional and grief can bring guilt too guilt about enjoying food having a good day laughing or experiencing pleasure when somebody we love is no longer here i think control is another important part of this conversation when something devastating happens that is completely outside our control it's understandable to look for something we can control.

22:18Sometimes that becomes food restricting, becoming very rigid about eating perfectly, losing our appetite or feeling disconnected from our usual hunger cues. Rather than judging those responses I'd approach them with curiosity. What might my body and mind need from me right now? Some people may also emotionally eat or comfort eat. My biggest suggestion would be to think care rather than control. Keep nourishing yourself regularly but allow food to be comforting and connecting too. Gentle movement, sleep, time outside, creativity and being around people who make you feel safe. These can be all forms of nourishment as well.

23:02There's no perfect diet or any sort of cure that can take grief away. Sometimes looking after ourselves isn't about optimization and biohacking. It's about giving our bodies enough nourishment, rest, connection and compassion to carry us through something incredibly difficult. And while grief can absolutely affect the gut, I wouldn't automatically attribute persistent or concerning digestive symptoms to stress. So please do speak to your doctor if they continue or worsen and you notice that you're losing weight or that you have blood in your stools. I'm also on social media at Dr Ali Jaffe that's Dr D-R-A-L-L-Y-J-A-F-F-E-E where I talk more about mental health food and the things outside the consulting room that can support our well-being also if you want nutrition and lifestyle medicine education then do check out our award-winning non-for-profit NutriTank.

24:04Gosh, we are really international today because our second question comes from Ursula, who's in Germany. Hi, Ursula. She has said, my question is about psyllium husks, which is the PSY, in case you see it written down, didn't it what it was, which I was recommended by my GP. They're very high in fiber with two teaspoons containing approximately five grams of fiber. I've read they can ease symptoms of both constipation and diarrhea and generally regulate your digestion. I wanted to ask your thoughts on these and how best to take them. I noticed they swell up very quickly and if they are really beneficial for one's digestion.

24:39They are so gross, I found. I remember like a long, long time ago when I wasn't very well, someone recommended, because I was having huge digestive issues, I was recommended them by a nutritionist to try and yeah, get things more regulated. And I couldn't do it. They were so grows and you're right they like swell up really quickly into this like weird grassy jelly I couldn't hack it personally we use it a lot in our industry in our line of work they look like sawdust tastes like sawdust but like imagine jelly sawdust yeah yeah it turns into a viscous jelly with a grassy flavor it is quite remarkable and I will say um I think they can be really beneficial because when you mix phacillium husks with water, almost like chia seeds, they say expand 10 times their weight in water, which is why you had all those trends floating around of chia water and all sorts of things.

25:39But the gel is the real key part to phacillium husk. It's originally from a plant. It's rich in soluble gel forming fiber, and it's actually really beneficial for helping make stores softer. So interestingly, a little random fact for you, when I give birth, what I intend to do is make sure I have a cheer pudding a day with phacillium husk added just afterwards, just to help me out and two kiwis a day. Because I know that that's, I've never luckily had to take laxatives. I know what I'm doing with my diet. And sadly on NHS wards, they, I mean, they dish out that pink, pink liquid like there's no tomorrow, obviously for comfort and you have to do what you need to do.

26:19But it's, phacillium husk is quite remarkable. It helps stools pass when you're constipated. There's really good evidence for it. But what I will say, big warning, you have to drink a lot of water alongside suddenly taking a thick gel like this. It holds on to water to form the gel, you see, and you're going to need even more to help wash it through and push it through. So rather than thinking of it as a laxative like I've compared it to, try to just think of it as normalizing the consistency of your stool. But it doesn't add plant diversity. so you'll see a lot of these fiber supplements out there in sachets i suspect a lot of them will have psyllium husk it doesn't contribute to your plant points in that way and i don't want you to look at it as replacing what you can get from your overall diet with lots of lovely fiber and plants you know the nhs guidance is that you have at least 150 mils of water with a dose of it and loads of water throughout the day.

27:15So while your GP was right to recommend it, I really hope it came with a lot of extra guidance around how you're consuming it in your diet. And just to have it in your kind of fiber toolbox. I write about it and the fiber formula. I actually put Phacillium Haskella in and it does taste really delicious. I should make these fennel bars. I've been saying I'll make fennel and grape bars for so long and I never got around to posting the recipes it's just a reminder that i it's in my bank of recipes i did put psyllium husk in it just as another way to um also by the way while i'm speaking everyone ella just did kind of like what do you call it sphink what's the pose in yoga kind of repose and i just that's also really beneficial for your bowel movements to stretch out that digestive tract and um keep everything regular.

28:03I'm like a teenager down here. I am hiding from my children. She's on the floor. It's our last day of the school holidays. We're recording the same day as the Monday one today. My room is like the only quieter place, like three dogs. Everyone's in the house. It's raining, but I then run out of batteries. So now I'm lying on the floor. On the floor. Charge it like a teenager. Anyway, love teenagers, but I do feel like I'm 14 right now. Can we talk about sitting on the floor just for a second? It's a totally off topic. So I'm in my late 30s now, officially. And I, for the first time ever, got a dressing table.

28:38I've never had one my whole life because I've sat on the floor like a teenager, cross-legged in front of the mirror to do my makeup. Doing your makeup. And there's something about sitting at the dressing table, which feels really special, but also something very grounding about being able to still sit on the floor. And I think it's something we probably should practice more like they do in Asia, you know, squatting and getting down and sitting on the floor. That was totally off topic to Facilium House. You're now officially a sophisticated lady, I think, Ray. I'm aging, Ella. What can I say? I'm aging.

29:11No, no, no. Sophisticated, not aging. Sophisticated. I will tell you one thing as someone who, obviously, this is specific for your GP. So that's very important for you, I mean, just generally speaking. As someone I have, I really don't need to give everyone TMI, but you know what, I'm in an oversharing mood. I don't have very good digestion or, you know, that's been my whole life, you know, can struggle with bloating and, you know, can get upset tummies quite easily and all the rest of it. And I find when I don't have enough fiber, actually my digestion is so much worse. Surprise, surprise. But the thing that I find the most helpful are, as you just said, the cheer puddings.

29:48I find my daily digestion, like stool passing or risk of TMI is day and night when I have my daily cheer pudding. And A, I find it really delicious. I do cheer seeds, jumbo oats. I do a bit of kefir. I do coconut milk and coconut yogurt. I have a little bit of honey on the top, spring of hemp seeds and raspberries, some frozen berries. I find it really yummy. And it gives me like almost half my fiber. But I do find my digestion is like day and night when I have it. And you're getting omega-3s that are in the plant variety, alpha-linic acid, and you're getting protein. like chia is an absolute nutritional powerhouse it's worth investing i mean yes to your gp with salim husk take it but be careful alongside it but maybe chuck in some chia seeds of your porridge like hella does and yeah it will it will genuinely be like day and night yeah it is day and night for me it's unbelievable but there we have it there's the um secrets of the gut health world

31:13We'll see you next time. Start today at equinox.com.

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31:55Our next question is from Esme, and she said, I'm wondering about creatine and whether it helps preventing dementia. Now, this question's interesting because from one pilot study, and I remember we looked at it as one of our weekly headlines last year or at the beginning of this year, There was a lot of talk about three to five milligrams of creatine a day contributing to brain health, but actually all the headlines had just come from a pilot study trying to get more research on the impacts on neurological health and creatine. So I've asked Melanie Wilkinson, who is a neuroscientist and a nutritionist, to break this down and give us a bit of insight into where we're currently at on this subject.