Eating for Colds, Digestion Hacks & Why Weight Won’t Shift

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0:57Welcome to The Wellness Scoop. your weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration and as always we're both here as your host today I'm Ella Mills and I'm Rhianna Lambert and today we delve deep into all of your questions and share our recommendations so let's go gosh guys your questions at the moment are phenomenal we have got so many amazing questions coming through we're so grateful for it if you ever want to add yours to the list just email us hello at wellness-scoop.com. We love hearing from you and share your recommendations as well, please. Rhi, have you got any good recs for us today? I couldn't wait to get back from Disney and I had my little trip there to the center parks, but a BBC night at the musicals, I think it's sponsored by the National Lottery or something.

1:43It means if, you know, getting to a Western show is too far away from you, you really want to experience a bit of musical theater. It's such a feel good program and you get to watch all the highlights from the best Western shows. A few of my friends are singing in that show and it's on BBC iPlayer on demand and you can watch it anytime. It's such a feel good. They opened with The Lion King at the beginning and you know they're going through the O2 in the audience and it's just incredible. Oh my gosh is it on now? I want to watch this. Yeah watch it tonight. It's just such a feel good and you can fast forward through the musicals you don't know or you don't want to watch and then you watch Wicked's on there.

2:17They've got a bit of Wicked as well. Oh my gosh. My friend Lucy's doing The Little Mermaid. It's great. Oh my god I can't wait. Thanks for that. And I've gone on to book number four of the ACOTAR series. I am smashing them. Oh, ACOTAR, A Court of Thorn and Roses. I was like, what's ACOTAR? It sounds a bit like Avatar, doesn't it? What is this? Oh my gosh, you are racing through these. I'm racing through them, but it's meant that I am not scrolling. And I looked at my screen time on my social media app significantly less because my commutes, I mean, my team probably aren't happy I'm not on the inbox as much, but I am reading far more.

2:51I love that. Do you know what? I'm halfway through, so I can't officially recommend it yet because I haven't finished it, but I'll secretly recommend it because I'm loving it. A book that a few people recommended to me called Consider Yourself Kissed. I have to say I'm not obsessed with the title. Oh my gosh, I am loving it. It is fantastic. If you're like maybe taking a few days off or you've got a nice quiet weekend or something coming up and you just want a book that's easy to get into and that's just kind of like a great little rom-com situation. this feels like a great little rom-com situation.

3:24Okay, that's next on my list because I'm going to be devastated when the series ends. So I need to pick me up, Ella. Yeah, I feel like it's probably quite different because it's very much like set in real life and it's in East London and like, you know, they go to Victoria Park and Pavilion Cafe and all these places. And so that's quite nice if you've spent time in East London. It feels like quite homey and familiar. I love that. Ella, do you have any other recs or should we move on to our first question? I use wild garlic at the moment that's my only other thing I'm obsessed with wild garlic it's much milder and gentler but with a such a beautiful flavor and the color it's just stunning oh my gosh wild garlic pasto mushrooms on toast that is what I've just you know what's that thing I actually said to my husband last night we used to get quite lazy when we lived in London and we were working loads and we would deliver way too much and now obviously we live in the middle of nowhere we don't have lazy options like that available.

4:15And actually it's been great for us to be honest with you. But I was like, said to him last night, I was like, it's funny. It's just sometimes I would end up getting lazy and now I don't have the option to be lazy. And you realize like, actually that supper took me 10 minutes. I just chopped loads. I had loads of different types of mushrooms, which is always lovely. I did some shallots first, a bit of normal garlic, loads of mushrooms, a teeny bit of yogurt, a little bit of lemon, and then lots of wild garlic. And then I had made at the weekend to go with a like crispy um soy seed as in i roasted loads of seeds and pine nuts with soy um and some hot honey until they're crispy and then did that as an asparagus and rocket salad on the side it was so nice but anyway i had leftover uh wild garlic pesto and i put that on top of the mushrooms the whole thing was actually 10 minutes and it was oh my gosh it was so good on sourdough with like a drenching of olive oil i love that i mean what delicious just all the flavors, but also you've saved a fortune from not delivering.

5:10And I was going to say when you move to the country, one of the biggest things that really hits you is that lack of variety of food outlets. If you are like Ella and I, and you'd love to be variety that was there for you, but that sounds amazing. So wild garlic, it is. I think that's a good recommendation. Yeah. And if you do make pesto normally, literally just add a pot of wild garlic to your pesto. Super simple, but it's so good. Delicious, Ella. Thank you so much. It's a good recommendation.

5:39Okay, our first question today comes from Corrie. And Corrie said, Rhi, I'm going to leave this one all to you. I haven't heard it, I don't know anything about it. And Corrie says, I have heard that swirling water in your mouth before swallowing can help aid nutrition absorption. Is there any evidence to back this up or is it a load of nonsense? I mean, it's a good question. I think the wildest space can make us feel like we need to optimize every little behavior um no uh i've seen things like this as well it's almost like i'm trying to eat in the correct way for glucose you know responses in the body and i think this is also another way of trying to optimize but there's no scientific evidence that it does improve nutrient absorption because your digestive process actually starts within that physiological response in your mouth when we see the food you know we talk about this a lot mindful eating when you see the food smell the food you hear the crunch or the chew the texture the touch which is why in some cultures it is actually really beneficial to eat with your hands believe it or not because you're actually touching food there's some evidence for that as long as your hands are clean that produces the enzymes that we need and it's known as well to play a key role in the breakdown of certain nutrients so actually what you're doing by taking that water through your mouth is you're not helping the salivary amylase that you need to break down your food.

6:59And you actually want to keep things pretty simple. You just want to look at your food and do all that sort of stuff and prepare your digestive process. So by simply swirling water around your mouth, it doesn't meaningfully alter that process. If there's one process that you should do, it's chew your food. Like I say, the fiber form, it's 30 chews a meal, maybe start at 15 if that's a struggle, work your way up to 30 and really work on not eating in front of a screen. And I know how hard that is. Try and get calm before you eat. Eating when you're stressed, you most likely will experience more bloating.

7:29So yeah, this hack is a myth. I love that. I also always, I remember the first time I learned about that cephalic phase of digestion, that kind of getting ready phase where actually it's so interesting because it's even like smelling the food or cooking the food. Like my mushrooms, I was just talking about, you look in the pan and I was like, oh my gosh, you are eating with your eyes. I was like, this looks so good. And the toast is toasting. And I'm like, oh, this is so good. But that really gets your digestive juices going, doesn't it? Like it helps you get ready to digest your food. Literally gets the juices going.

7:58Which is quite cool, actually, in terms of a tip for digestion. This like the whole idea of mindful eating where you like slow down and you appreciate your food. Actually, there's quite a lot of science in it in terms of supporting your digestion. So one of the first things we do as nutritionist at university with clients, just teach them to mindfully eat. And it's a reason to cook as well. Question two is from Matilda. Now, it's quite a big question. She's said, considering the Paul McCartney quote, if slaughterhouses had walls, everyone would be vegetarian. If we could see all the non-real food ingredients in UPFs, like the emulsifiers, what a quaver or what a Watsit crisp looks like in its component form, etc.

8:41Do you think it would help the public think twice. Now, before we answer this fully, Ella, I think you definitely can go into that with being in the UPF factories. And then this might be a little trigger warning for anyone. I will touch on ethical side of the quote. It's such an interesting question, Matilda. I have spent a lot of time in factories, in food factories over the last 15 years while we were building the business. And because we have played in so many different areas from like one-pop meals and kind of ready-to-go meals to soups to stews frozen things snacks sweet savory you name it and lots of things that we never even launched as well so all sorts of things i will tell you i agree oh my god it can be so disgusting i still remember um my husband who spent infinitely more time than i am in food factories coming back from one factory then they were making some um like upf kind of meat mimic type products at the kind of phase of like meat mimics being so mega and i remember him just describing in like vivid detail this like gray sludge that was pouring through but like tub to tub and would eventually become some kind of like fake chicken sausage type situation and it kind of makes you feel physically sick like it's And the thing that I would say as well, that's interesting is it also highlights like how much it's not food.

10:10And I think that's one of been one of my take homes from working in this industry is you do see these things. It's funny because like Haribo doesn't ever look like food. I use it as an example. Like I don't think most of us look at a gummy cola bottle and think like that's food, like that's not dinner. You know what I mean? Like that's not a meal. And so it feels a bit different whereas it's interesting with some of these foods because they do ultimately end up sort of looking and feeling like food but really they don't actually have almost any food in them it's like component parts or like food like substances people sometimes call it and it is yeah it is extraordinarily off-putting so I don't disagree with you Matilda and I think when you look at it you kind of are like huh this doesn't really look like a meal do you know when When you look at the quote itself, you know, slaughterhouses had walls, I think there's something and I don't want to on this podcast, go off about this on one.

11:06I want, you know, on this podcast, we talk a lot about how to feel better in our bodies. And today we're looking at something I think that sits quietly behind a lot of our food choices and stress levels, and it's how food is produced. And that is really, really important. And this isn't about judging anyone's plate. It's about bringing you information. and many of us were never told you know we don't have that sight that visual that you've just described matt saw in the factory and then you need to do what feels right for you because there's no perfect way to eat you've got to think of it as one more piece of the puzzle that you can use to nudge your habits in a direction that feels more aligned to yours and i think um you know in particular this whole you know slaughterhouses had walls that for me really resonated in your question as well.

11:49And I think it's so important from a wellness perspective to remember that these are, I think most of us picture small green fields as well that livestock are reared in, you know, for a handful of animals. And in reality, I think most meat on the supermarket shelves, the journey is really different from what that image looks like as well. And I think once we get transparency in the food system, you know, I know this might make you feel uncomfortable hearing this because that's a really real human response, isn't it? To hear how Ella just described the food to hear what I'm talking about now. It means your empathy is working.

12:19It means we are human beings because I think if we all saw the food chain and if we're talking about wellness as well with food, it's not just green smoothies and gym sessions. It's also the quiet feeling that you get when your choices line up with what you believe in. And for so many people with animal welfare in particular in this country, we're not talking about blame. We're just talking about information. Lots of animals, the majority are just bred for the purpose of being in that factory environment. They don't grow up on the green pastures, Ella. And I think that's one something that I have to honestly say, I'd feel I'd done a sort of service today if I didn't raise that.

12:58No, completely. I mean, there's huge issues with factory farming. And as you said, I think it's indicative of an industry where the images on front of pack just don't match the reality. We're also told about the word humane, slaughtering, that that's not really a thing either. So it's really, it's really, there's a lot we could delve into. I don't think this is the time or place for that conversation completely, but I feel like it's so important to have more transparency in the food system in general. Completely. And we are missing it massively. We are generally quite far removed from our food, which I think in itself is such a big challenge.

13:35And we see in everything, as we said, it's like even all the fake sourdough kind of thing. And I know not all sourdough is fake sourdough. But I think that's a much less challenging example. I think it's indicative, again, of kind of claims, imagery on pack, etc. versus what something really is. And I think that it's a wide scale issue across the board in our food industry. It is. And, you know, I'm first to put my hands up and say, I know that these products have a place for some people. not everybody has the luxury of a healthy body or different conditions and things to choose from and we have to develop and we have to use science and we have to manipulate sometimes but I think when the majority of the time for most people that don't need to use those alternatives there is an issue yeah and I do think that we just don't know where our food comes from in general it's huge so let's go on from that question because it's very thought-provoking to question three from Tessa ella tessa is writing to us from manchester so hi tessa she also has a recommendation for us which is for crispy tempeh as a salad or soup topper she said i love tempeh i know it's not everyone's favorite but i'm gonna bring you crispy tempeh it's really easy to make you break it up into small pieces pop the pieces in the air fryer at 200 degrees for five to ten minutes works well with or without olive oil and you're done it's a great topper to salads or soups it provides a great texture and crunch it's high in protein and it's an easy way to get those plant points up and to get fermented food in love that i know thank you tessa i have to shout out all plants we've developed some vegetable tempeh which is really cool um sin tuscos um and waitress now but so it's made from things like peas and lentils yeah and she also said she loves your quick wins cook book and she cooked the quinoa chili the other day for my partner who doesn't have the best diet in brackets she said we're working on this with the help of the podcast and he was like wow this is really tasty is it healthy i mean ella what a win what a win that's a quick win right there you know i love it when people try things and they're like oh wait it can be healthy and delicious that is the ultimate okay so we bring it on to tessa's question who says i think it's a fantastic question how to balance nutrient dense food with getting your plant points and weight maintenance loss i eat a really healthy majority whole food diet and exercise regularly but i'm still maintaining my weight i am wondering if this is to do with how nutrient dense my diet is adding things like seeds, nuts, chia, hemp, nut butters, et cetera, to boost those plant points is adding unnecessary calories.

16:01Is there a balance? For example, should you not add seeds if you already have a meal with avocado and olive oil? I don't want to be prescriptive, but it'd be helpful to know how to balance these healthy fats in my diet. Do you know what? It's a very valid question. I mean, I can see where the concern comes from, but we have to remember foods aren't just, if you're talking about olive oil, butter, cheese, yeah, you could pretty much put them all in one category as a source of fat. But the difference in comparing avocados and seeds is that, you know, avocado technically is a fruit, but loads of fiber within them as well.

16:33So it changes the state of absorption within your body anyway. You don't absorb all of the calories because of the type of fat and the amount of fiber within the food. So it's not as black and white as it may well appear. But I think sticking to portion sizes is really important. So you can add seeds, but why not just do a small handful rather than a larger amount? And with nut butters in particular, things that have been slightly processed to become, you know, nuts from their whole form to a nut butter. If you are watching what you're eating a bit, then just have one spoon instead of having a really large, unmeasured amount.

17:08And there's some areas where you can take a bit of portion practice within it. And then there's some areas where you don't need to worry about it. Now, my argument would be most people are not getting enough of these items. So first of all, well done. You're doing a clearly a fantastic job. And there's also a set point theory that your body's happier within a kilo or two of either side, where you don't get sick often, you're healthy. But those fat sources, like I said, of olive oil, one spoon is 120 calories. So you've got to know that day, if you had quite a heavy oil laden meal, you probably don't want to be adding even more oil for the rest of the day.

17:47We do get a fair number of questions on this into the inbox of people saying like, I've switched a super healthy diet. They're seeing people do, you know, we talked about on Monday things like olive oil shots. And I don't want to mean make anyone feel nervous or anything around, but it is interesting because you can suddenly, if you're having olive oil shots breakfast in the morning and then you're having, you know, nut butter in every meal and then you're, you know, all the rest of it, you can have, as you always say, really too much of a good thing. Yeah, 100%. And an example is, you know, if at breakfast, you start your day with porridge, and you fiber layered it, and you've put on nut butter, seeds and everything else, and you probably don't need to add seeds and nut butter to any other meal that day.

18:30You know, have a think sensibly about it. You've done that for the day, let's try and focus on some extra fruit or a different type of grain cooking. Because actually, plant foods are lower in energy overall. It's just the fats, like you've quite rightly said, that contain slightly more energy. But they're good fats. And what I also want you to remember is if you're eating a predominantly plant-based diet, you're going to have lower amounts of what we call saturated fat, which is solid at room temperature in the form of like butter or ghee or coconut. And those sorts of things you definitely don't want to be having in excess because they contribute to heart disease.

19:01But these fats you're describing, they might play a role depending on how much you're having with weight maintenance, but they're not going to be unhealthy for your heart, which is also important. So for weight regulation, just try and get the variety, more of the vegetables then and the whole grains and just try one meal each day by layering up your fats with some extra seeds and nuts. You don't need to do it every single meal.

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22:03Go to shopify.com slash realm. That's shopify.com slash realm. You all know me. I'm about adding more in, not cutting things out. No fads, no diets, just evidence and transparency. And right now in the UK, everyone, 96 % of us, that's 96 % are not getting enough fiber. It's one of the lowest figures in the world. And I couldn't ignore it. So we've spent years obsessing over protein and other trends. And I'm delighted to share that after a year in the making, my new book, The Fiber Formula, is available to purchase. I have answered every question from gut health and energy, cancers and heart disease to aging, skin longevity and even microplastics.

22:52Built on over a decade of clinical research, it gives you my fibre formula. 30 grams of fibre a day, 30 different plants a week, 30 chews and 30 minute meals, plus 60 delicious minimally processed recipes to make it doable. ball. I've done the hard work. So the protein, fiber and plant points are all laid out for you. So the fiber formula is out now, everyone. If you head to the link in the show notes, you can purchase it from any bookstore or on Amazon. And I'd love to hear your feedback. Let me know how you get on. Question four comes from Gabrielle, who said, first off, I want to say what a big fan I am of the wellness scoop.

23:32Thank you, Gabrielle. I really appreciate the way you break down health and wellness topics, make them approachable, but still keep the new once in the studies. I'm writing today because lately I've caught a bit of a cold with a sore throat is my main symptom. I know you guys talk a lot about how eating healthily doesn't have to be complicated. And I was wondering if you could share some food and meal ideas to help fight colds, but that don't take time or energy when you're feeling unwell. For example, I know oranges are a great source of vitamin C, but citrus can sting if you have a sore throat.

23:58My go-to is buttered noodles, but I don't think that's helping me boost my immune response. There we go on the boost. By the way, I'm also vegetarian. Okay. I think this is such a great question because people talk, we obviously talked to Monday about not boosting the immune system and actually just supporting it. Can we talk a little bit about kind of immune system 101 first, really? And like, you know, the interplay of our diet with our immune system and how we kind of overall support our immune system? Yeah, we have the power. Our gut bugs train our immune system. So the more fiber and plant diversity you're getting, the more help you're going to be giving it naturally, which is really important, first of all, to remember that our diet has a direct impact on our gut bugs or the pet in your tummy.

24:42And that has a direct impact on your immune system as well. So what you're doing long term is probably more powerful than anything you could do short term. There's only research when you get a cold and you feel run down with a bit of vitamin C. it just prevents the length of the cold. Like we discussed on Monday, it doesn't prevent you getting it at all. And when you get a sore throat, actually, that's a sign you need to start resting. And that's often the thing we all ignore because we just crack on with it. But that's really your body saying you need to stay hydrated, get enough sleep, rest, and include those key nutrients like zinc, which you get from those extra seeds in the morning on your breakfast.

25:18Keep your protein intake all there, your vitamin C. But I think ultimately, when you do have a sore throat, I know how difficult it is. It's really, really hard. Just go for soups instead if you can. Buttered noodles sound delicious, but yeah, probably in a small amount. But let's switch it up. Make a ramen bowl, like Ella said. Have like a miso sachet and chuck some noodles in with it instead. Anything that you fancy when you're feeling run down, there's a bit more bit more nourishing maybe swap for olive oil instead of butter with with the noodles although it's up to you taste wise I love that with a bit of parmesan and pasta you know just olive oil parmesan a classic um classic what do you call it wrong wrong alone when you've got garlic and chili as well so yeah just think about it that way really um when we talk about honey I think we need to just go there a little bit because a lot of people get a sore throat and they go out and buy honey.

26:12Actually, there's no benefit to that unless you're buying manuka honey because that's the only antimicrobial. So it's something that might fight any bacteria within your throat and you only want a teaspoon a day and you actually want it straight from the jar rather than putting it in the hot drink because most of us just add honey to the hot drink. That's purely taste. If you want to keep those properties intact, you want a high methyl glyoxal rating MGO of manuka honey. But it's so expensive. I mean, manuka honey is an expensive thing to have. So I always keep one in the cupboard and only really use a teaspoon when I'm feeling run down.

26:45Wild honey can be good, but that's more if you have allergies or something in the local area that the local honey may be protective for. Anyway, I think the buttered noodles, if they're delicious, but yeah, mix it up a bit if you can. But if you're thinking overall about kind of immune support to prevent or make lighter your colds, thinking about your overall diet to support your gut health, to support your immune health. Yeah, those kiwis in Ella. Yeah, it's one of the most important things. Okay, our fifth question today comes from Jill, who said we're currently in Peru. Love it. And we had a delicious soup made with vegetables and quinoa.

27:23This has got me thinking about quinoa, which I've previously eaten knowing it contained protein and filled me up having it for breakfast with fruit and yogurt. I wondered what you both think about it. After a little Googling, it suggests it was much more and I should eat it regularly. What else could I do with it, the soup we had would definitely be on the menu as my husband loved it too. Do you know what, Jill? I actually am going to make quinoa for lunch today. Yeah, me too. Because the brightness reminded me of it and I'm going to do it. I've got loads of peas that I cooked for the weekend.

27:49So I'm going to do it with peas and avocado, loads of lemon, maybe some rocket, some courgettes, things like that. But it's super simple, like 10 minute salad. But quinoa is such a great food. Like, first of all, it's so easy to make in batches and chuck into easy lunches throughout the week for a bit more sustenance. Obviously, you can use rice or pasta and things like that. Nothing wrong with them. At all, they're delicious, but quinoa has got loads of health benefits. It's complete protein. You often hear people talking about vegetarian sources of protein not being complete. There are nine essential, which means you need to get them from your diet, amino acids, and lots of plant sources have in abundance eight of the nine.