Hormones, Healthy Mornings & The Truth About Sugar

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0:36What matters is what's healthy for you. Google Health offers a new kind of coach built with Gemini for effortless tracking, sleep insights and holistic coaching tailored to you. Visit GoogleStore.com to learn more and start a new relationship with your health. Requires Google account, Google Health app, Internet and Google Health premium subscription. Features subject to change. Availability and results vary. Not intended for medical purposes. Works independently of Gemini apps. Check responses for accuracy. I 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.

1:14My 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 I'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.

1:48It 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 decision 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. And I've been using it too. Yes, I've now finally began 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.

2:46Exactly. So you can get a 30-day free trial. So 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 host today i'm ella mills and i'm riannon lambert and we could not be more delighted today to be discussing all of the wonderful questions and recommendations that you send in to us on a thursday so ella let's do it guys we're talking about hormones healthy mornings the truth about sugar things like the kind of quote-unquote healthy sodas or fizzy drinks do breakfast need to be high on protein coffee on an empty stomach oh we've got so much to go into today but re before we do that any good recommendations for us right now do you know i actually do oh tell me i know so i feel like i've had a few weeks of these actually to echo i'm on a roll and it's thanks to the one we said last week first of all i've become so obsessed with those chocolate ice lollies it's the lick-a-licks oh my goodness literally the ingredient deck's amazing it's just coconut milk and cocoa powder like it's just unbelievable Yeah, we've recommended these a few times.

4:05No affiliation to it. No. Like lick and then a licks with a ks. I just feel like I'm in a phonics lesson. Honestly, I am heatwave obsessed with those. And it's something I turn to in pregnancy. And then my second recommendation is if you are struggling with your relationship with food, you can join our four week food freedom course on nutrition plus. I just had a message through while we're here today from someone that watched my old TED Talk on relationships with food that I'd forget that I even did back in 2017, discussing all the things that are actually coming up a lot today with the maxing trends we discussed on Monday.

4:42Oh, like what? Give us a bit of a summary. So in my TED Talks, many, many moons ago. She's so understated. I say this the whole time, but we'll be like, oh, I'm just back from Parliament. Like, I'm just back from my TED Talk. Like, really, this is quite cool. It does feel like a lifetime ago. It's pre-COVID, Ella. I think for everybody, pre-COVID feels like just a different version of yourself completely. It is an odd one. But I did a TED Talk on how to have a healthy relationship with food. And I was discussing all the things that we discussed in the Wellness Scoop, such as, you know, you have to have enjoyed items in moderation.

5:14We have to have ownership over our own intuition around food, because until we can gather that aspect, it's really difficult, of course, to navigate the world we live in, let alone today, where we do place such a reliance on other things. So you can go and watch the TED Talk. This is so weird to say, I guess. Please go and watch it. On YouTube. You probably just Google my name. It'll be there. But in the show notes, you can sign up to Retrition Plus. It's four weeks long. And I've got my dietician in the clinic, our psychologist in the clinic, Dr. Laura Jackson, Sarah Elder and myself will guide you through for four weeks.

5:47And then my final recommendation is if you have a balcony or you have a garden, just put out a little shallow bowl of water, put some stones in and let's just help feed the bees and the birds because bees are dying in the heat and it's killing me it's just awful they're just dropping out the sky because the heat wave we're losing so many species because of this heat wave so what we can all do is just put a bowl look at me like that i know sorry i was actually just thinking there'd been loads of dead flies in my house and i'm wondering if that's why yes probably because they can't cope you know we if we can't cope with this heat they're not meant to cope with this climate in this country so So we're losing a large population of wildlife without being doom and gloom.

6:28You can help. Put something outside. I love it. Put a bit of water out in the evening. Just a very shallow bowl, right? So don't drown. Fill it with stones because you don't want them to drown. And then lots of different wildlife, you won't even see it happening when you're asleep, will hopefully benefit. Ella, how about you? I'm going to do that tonight. Yes, thank you. When I get home. Thank you. Take a picture for me. Send it to me. Yeah, proof point. Prove it. What is my recommendation? I didn't mean that you have to prove it. but yeah send it to me Ella I will I will I promise you and I will prove it um because that's the right thing to do um do you know what I really recommend Rhi always looks at me um like I'm very naughty because I'll often not have breakfast and then I have breakfast when I'm at home because I'll do it like after this kids but the idea of eating I can't eat breakfast at seven in the morning anyway you're not that bad you have come in so many times and things and some days that's okay Exactly.

7:18Anyways, sometimes when we start recording, I'm like three coffees in, haven't had any water and haven't had any breakfast. And obviously that's not like ultimate wellness goals. Anyways, but since I became allergic to almonds, I stopped drinking matcha because I used, I didn't really like oat milk and I couldn't have almond milk with it. And then I was getting off the tube this morning. I was a little bit early. I went into a shop and they had on their board app matcha with coconut milk and coconut water. anyway it was such a good combo I find coconut milk on its own a bit sweet so like this I felt hydrated anyway just really recommend it again while it's nice and warm over the summer matcha with coconut milk and coconut water 10 out of 10.

7:57I have got back into coconut water and thank you so much for matcha it was so kind and I was like I've got your matcha today I was like yay because in the hot weather again coconut water can help with a bit of rehydration I've got the coconut collab one you can also make ice lollipops with them you know just freeze the coconut water that's a really good tip if you want something hydrating. Yeah, I'm really trying hard not to be a camel at the moment and be good at drinking my water. We also have a recommendation from you guys that came in, which is such a nice one. My recommendation is to go to Park Yoga.

8:28I didn't even know Park Yoga was a thing. Hello, nor did I. This is a bit of me. Park Yoga on a Sunday morning with a friend, then go for a coffee or a match afterwards. I was listening to a recent episode about managing all the burning hobs. If you missed that, we're talking about the four burner theory and the idea that you can't have all aspects of your life on full blast at one time and how best to juggle all the important elements of your life. This means I get to move my body in a beautiful outdoor space which you always talk about how calming nature and the sound of birds are for us. Then I get to fill out my social cup by meeting my best friend afterwards for a catch-up.

8:58Park Yoga is free. There are over 70 venues in the UK. Her job is all about encouraging people to move more in a way they feel comfortable. Some people bring their children on a picnic blanket, some older people sit on the benches and move in a way that their body can but I think it's really great and I highly recommend it anyway that was one of the coolest recommendations we have because I did not know park yoga was a thing so guys have a look at it online there's 70 venues and I just think what a lovely way to spend a morning that's so wholesome oh I'd easily swap the football pitches for a park yoga my goodness me on a Sunday morning thank you so much for that one

9:37our first question today ella is from lizzie she's got a question about fiber and digestion yes lizzie said i've been making a conscious effort to increase my plant diversity including eating more seeds and other high fiber foods love it apologies for the graphic question but i've noticed that some seeds tend to come out the other end looking pretty much whole does this mean i'm not properly digesting the nutrients from these foods even so am i still absorbing the calories from them or are they effectively passing straight through me? I thought this was such a good question because I bet this is one of those things so many people wonder and never want to ask because they don't want to be embarrassed so thank you for asking.

10:13Yeah and it's an appearances can be deceiving question too although it's quite useful to measure gut transit time so you know how long it takes your body to digest foods by eating certain foods like seeds or sweet corn and things that break down differently within the body because of the fibre component. So some seeds particularly flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, they've got a really good outer shell lining, cell lining that protects them. They're not always fully broken down. And that's why you probably see them. But just because of that, it doesn't mean that your digestive system hasn't extracted something from them.

10:45Now, it is true that it's better to ground down like ground flax seed is easier for your body to absorb and get the benefits from especially the omega threes, because that's something that's really helpful to increase that content. But your gut microbes do love these foods that pass through you, interestingly enough. And that's when it can help pollinate the garden. You know, I've just said, let's help, you know, hydrate the wildlife. Let's hydrate our gut garden, our gut bugs that live there. They need to have exposure to all these different types of foods because they're fermented into compounds called short-chain fatty acids.

11:20And one of the most researched is called butyrate. and that helps support our gut lining in particular. I support our overall immune system. And as I wrote in the Fibre Formula book, you know, it's not just about keeping you regular. And I see, as Ella and I both see, this whole fiber industry now. Thank you for sending it to us. I get your DMs a lot on socials as well. Ella gets emails. We see so many products now with added fiber in drinks and gums and everything you could possibly ever imagine. that's not what we want we want a variety of beans pulses legumes spices herbs within your food so don't worry about the occasional seed don't panic please keep eating them yeah i love it and also keep being honest i always think this is so important with health people like oh is it just me and so i love questions like this um okay our second question today comes from jane jane said i have three daughters two of whom have issues with hormonal health one of whom is 23 and has suspected PCOS, polycystic ovary system, and perhaps endometriosis.

12:23And the other one who's 21 is experiencing her second valve amenorrhea. And we'll talk about what that is in a sec. Both are low and estrogen are quite slim. My question is, how can I help them start to heal their hormones, particularly through diet? Obviously, this whole question about hormones, particularly when it comes to female menstrual cycle health is so prevalent, I think, at the moment. Rhi, have you got any kind of general advice for everybody listening? How true is it in terms of healing hormones? I'm going to actually get a voice note from a colleague here on this one as well to answer further that specialises in this area because we're learning a lot more about female health conditions.

13:01You know, we've actually recently renamed PCOS to PMOS and we've changed the spectrum of symptoms that cause a classification of a condition. So while you can't directly influence your hormones through just one or two different types of foods, I would say how healthy you are overall and your health status can help influence the symptoms and side effects you may experience or even your cycle. And mentioning amenorrhea here is concerning. And definitely there are elements of dietary intake that massively contribute to our periods. But when you've got other gynecological conditions at the same time, it's very hard.

13:39It's like chicken and egg. You know, which one do you go to first? But I will let our expert take over for you on a voice note here. Hi, my name is Lisa. I'm one of the nutrition dieticians and I specialize in eating disorders and mental health. Firstly, although your daughters have different diagnoses, the fact that they're both lean and have low estrogen suggests they need an individual assessment rather than a one size fits all approach. From a nutrition perspective, the priority is making sure they're eating enough to support their healthy hormone production. So that means adequate calories, regular meals, plenty of quality protein, healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, seeds and oily fish and enough carbohydrates.

14:20Because underfueling can disrupt reproductive hormones, particularly in young women. It's also worth checking for nutrient deficiencies. and if amenorrhea is persistent they should be working with a GP or a specialist to investigate the underlying cause. The best support you can offer your daughters is encouraging them to eat enough, avoid unnecessary dieting, managing their stress levels, prioritising sleep and then looking to seek personalised care from a healthcare professional who specialises in women's hormonal health. So it's really important not to access generic hormonal health information that you might see online.

14:56It's not going to be relevant. It can actually send you down quite an unhelpful path. Hope that helps. Thank you so, so much. I think it's so invaluable to have lots of words of wisdom on this subject here. Now, our next question is from Nora in the USA. She says, I'm American and I really enjoy my probiotic sodas. I drink one almost every day, usually poppy, but sometimes other brands. I'm wondering, are these probiotic sodas bad for your gut health and overall heart health when consumed regularly. I drink them because they're more flavoured than seltzer water and I'm not a soda drinker. Ella, over to you because we need to do some cross definitions here of what seltzer water is in the UK, I think, as well as the soda.

15:39Yeah, exactly. So seltzer water is, as far as I understand, basically just like fizzy water, right? Yeah, okay. So Poppy has just launched here. You might have seen them in Pratt, for example. They're the ones that sold for 1.95 billion to Pepsi. so on a just like a personal kind of level from the industry I'm so curious to see how poppy do in the UK if I was a betting woman I would bet on not that well because we just don't have the same culture in terms of like fizzy drinks and there have been a lot of healthier quote-unquote soda fizzy drink brands that have popped up in the UK over the last couple of years been watching there quite closely.

16:18I don't think any of them have kind of gone mega mainstream. So it'll be interesting to see. But if you haven't, basically, as I said, they're in Pratt now. This is not an ad. I just was curious to see it the other day. So just in terms of ingredient deck, what we're talking about here, if you haven't seen these drinks around, Poppy, for example, is carbonated water, cassava, root fiber, sugar, fruit juice concentrate, apple cider vinegar, natural strawberry lemon flavorings and other natural flavorings agave inulin sweetener which is stevia glycosides from stevia and black carrot juice concentrate now goodness me ella how much sweetness is in that i mean it's a little better than a coke but i think it's completely misleading reason kind of shaking your head i have to say i find these kinds of things again a little bit frustrating you know not that one of these and amongst a healthy diet is going to have a terrible effect on you but I find the kind of claim that they're healthy very irritating they're not healthy does having them on occasion mean bad things for your health no I don't think it does but also some of the other ones this one doesn't has um erythritol I never say that right the artificial sweetener that can be really aggravating if you have IBS and um kind of really exacerbate those symptoms likewise lots of them then have things like inulin again this is a chicory root fiber and lots of these things again it can be not amazing for your digestive system and make you feel a little gassy and bloated and things like that anyway sometimes they have like two grams of fiber in like excellent eat an apple like i don't mean to be that like facetious but it's like it's not this magic amount of fiber as re would tell us it's not like it's giving you all the same kind of beneficial bacteria because it's not this amazing diversity in array so i'm not i don't think that they're inherently bad if they don't affect your gut and they feel good and you enjoy them like that's fine in amongst a healthy diet but I find it irritating that people say they're good for you and that they can make these claims because they're not.

18:18If you're trying to cut a soda habit in general with the other big massive ones it's a good starting point but it's not in isolation a good swap I would say you're better off going for a sparkling water variety of flavor because actually the claim on the pack with that is negligible, like we've just said. So that's a very good question. We now have a question from Millie who has said, what foods can really help with hormonal acne? I also heard on a podcast that they said to save your money on bananas and avocado. Is this true or are they beneficial in our diets? I'm sorry, does that mean someone on a podcast has literally said, you can't have bananas and avocado?

19:00Yeah, I think it's like, do waste your money. That is absolutely insane. And so to clarify this, the guru, Dr. Thivy, who is a dermatologist, registered nutritionist, has a voice note for you. Dr. Thivy here, thank you for your question. So with regards to hormonal acne, what I would recommend is to be careful about your refined sugar intake. That doesn't mean cutting out all sweet things altogether. It just means being balanced and having those foods at the end of a meal rather than on their own when they're more likely to increase your blood sugar and that blood sugar elevation can sometimes contribute to breakouts.

19:38Of course, you know, we all enjoy these things as part of a balanced diet. The other thing is to eat plenty of fiber and look after your gut health because there is a gut skin link in acne as well. And to save money on bananas and avocado. No, I think these are really important for our overall health and well-being. So bananas are a great source of fiber and several vitamins as well. And avocados, of course, are full of essential fatty acids, which are very important for skin health because they moisturise your skin from within. So don't need to cut these out of your diet. Thank you so much, Thithi.

20:14And just to reiterate, we cannot be saying an isolation particular foods are good or bad for your skin. I mean, to say save your money on bananas and avocados. I mean, these foods will have very good beneficial components for our skin health long term especially avocados with healthy fats you know we don't talk about that enough and the antioxidant vitamin e which you find within avocados as well i'm sure that having a bit of fruit and veg in your diet is nothing to fear when it comes to your skin health if anything it's what we should be encouraging what was this podcast yeah it was it's all just part of the kind of soup that makes health and wellness so confusing where you're like oh my gosh shall i now not eat avocados and okay not big soup pot is being stirred the giant quagmire of like pretty murky soup is getting i'm imagining it like a witch's brew you know yeah yeah um like all green and like frogs and anyways okay steaming oh love it starting or growing your own business can be intimidating and lonely at times your to-do list may feel endless with new tasks and lists can easily begin to overrun your life.

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23:05Right, Lorena, she said, after six years of trying to control my insulin resistance, we'll define that for everyone else in a sec, my doctor prescribed me a GLP-1. Interesting. She said, I know it's controversial, but it's not for losing weight. It's because if my insulin keeps rising, I'll be pre-diabetic. My question is, do you have a recommendation as to how to eat while on the medication? I know I'm supposed to prioritize protein and strength training to prevent muscle loss, but I don't want to overlook my fiber. Love it. How do I take care of my microbiome while I'm doing this? Big question.

23:35And it's actually really important to raise that GLP-1s are used for such a variety of reasons. And there's actually loads of research coming out now that they can be used for different types of illnesses as well. well, even fertility, they can enhance fertility potentially as well, but then you're not meant to take them once you fall pregnant. So we're learning a lot more on GLP-1s at the moment. But what I would say, first of all, is to keep, if you are on this medication, is to keep in touch with the medical team. I know a lot of people can self-prescribe themselves these now, which I have a real issue with, but you do need to be checking your levels and status.

24:12So it's a valid reason, First of all, I want to change the perception that it's just about protein, though, because it really isn't just about protein. Yes, while your appetite decreases, all the food you eat decreases. That in itself needs addressing for everybody that's on GLP-1s. But the problem is you don't know how each individual is going to react to GLP-1s. They can react very differently in terms of side effects. But what I would be thinking about is nutrient density here as well. So trying to support your gut microbiome, which does take a knock when people are on GLP-1 medications, you know, simply because we're not getting the variety of food, the quantity of fiber, you've quite rightly said.

24:54Really, really think about eating little and often if you can and make sure those snacks and those items are whole foods and things that are really beneficial for your microbiome rather than focusing just on protein alone. because protein comes from the plant-based protein sources. And I would try and opt for those if you've not got a huge appetite right now. It's also really, really good for insulin resistance to have things like beans and pulses that are slowly released into the system because of the amount of fiber, oats, nuts, seeds, whole grains. Micronutrient deficiency is very hard to avoid on the medications.

25:28We often actually, this is a rare case where I suggest supplementation. And in the clinic, we're noticing a lot of iron deficiency cropping up as well. B vitamins usually are easy to obtain on a diet. But when you have medication like GLP-1s, there's also a question of nutrient absorption on GLP-1s now, which is being raised as well. Or a bit hampering nutrient absorption. Yeah. My advice would be don't just think protein. Just think I need a Mediterranean style diet that's full of color, lots of it and get frequent blood tests and speak to your GP about that. Because then you can measure lots of these markers more efficiently.

26:05Amazing. that's so helpful Rae okay Ellie has written in to say my questions around healthy mornings love that question yeah she says I feel like there is so much noise around how best to start your day it's hard to know where to begin and what to do for the best is it really that bad having a coffee on an empty stomach I feel like we all just everybody wants to know that one and do I need to be eating within 30 minutes of waking up and does my breakfast have to revolve around protein rather than carbs. Ella, I just think mornings, you are such a morning person in comparison to myself. Yeah, I mean, look, this is really like unspecific advice.

26:41I think you have to do it in a way that works for you. Like, I think that's the healthiest morning because I think that's the most sustainable morning. Are there some kind of black and white rules to that? Yeah, you know, I think that we know unequivocally that we should try not to scroll our phones when we wake up or like wake up and look straight at our emails. I think there are some guardrails in terms of healthy mornings I think a very very gentle routine that kind of sets you up for a sense of like I'm gonna look after myself today can be great that might just be having a shower you know it doesn't need to be anything really complicated it might be that you just leave your phone off for the first 40 minutes of the day or something like that maybe you live somewhere you're more rural and you can open the windows and just look outside you know there's huge benefits of natural light when you wake up in the morning you might not be able to take a walk but you might be able to just open the window and like breathe in a little fresh air or you might be able to walk to the tube you know whatever it is there are some simple things like really try and see natural light if you can try and stay off your phone just for a bit if you can don't do scroll first thing or read really depressing news the second you wake up or open your emails breakfast I think all these things don't have to work for you you know I hate eating when I wake up first thing in the morning I don't think I'm less healthy for it but again I think we I'll pass over to you now but I think my only caveat is like again we've talked a lot about this recently but trying to be a bit in tune with yourself and understand kind of where you're at right now like if you are in a really great place in your life you know you have natural stresses but like not overly stressed you're probably okay you know waiting for your breakfast and having a coffee and just feeling good if you're in a stage where you are in quite a stress dominant chapter of your life and you're feeling a little overwhelmed you may find not having breakfast and just having coffee and rushing around isn't great for your overall health and so it's a very nuanced thing which is why i said i think a healthy morning is a morning that suits you and your lifestyle i think that's the perfect answer ella because there's no rule that you have to eat within 30 minutes of waking up where does that come from Do you know, let's have a look.

28:50There's so many myths surrounding that one. I do believe that some of it may have linked to the fitness industry and fat storage and working out and all that sort of thing in the morning, perhaps myths surrounding cortisol. I think that's where quite a lot comes from as well. Because when we wake up, your cortisol is naturally higher and then it will peter off throughout the day. And that stress hormone is there purely to wake you up. You know, there's a purpose behind it. But, you know, this is why having a balanced breakfast is key when you do choose to eat, because you want to be giving your body all the nutrients it requires, the protein, the fiber, the micronutrients, the vitamins, the minerals.