Hormones, Healthy Skin and the Truth About Oats

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1:00Welcome to The Wellness Scoop, your weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration. And as always, we are both here as your hosts. I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Rhiannon Lambert. And today we are diving into some amazing topics that you've chosen. Thank you. We love the messages. So let's go. So this is our Q &A episode. So if you guys have questions you want to add, remember Spotify comments, Apple podcast comments, or you can email them to me, Ella at deliciouslyella.com. We love hearing from you guys. What's so nice, Ella, before we go on as well, is seeing you all interacting on Spotify as well, like replying to each other.

1:37And we do read it. So we do store everything and we will get round, hopefully, to nearly all the topics. I think we will in time. Have you got any good recs for us this week, Rui? Recs this week? No. You just got to be honest about these things, haven't you? I'm going to be honest. No. I'm a bit of a blank canvas this week. I feel like I'm starting term again in school and getting into, I'm just so head deep in book, Ella. So please, Ella, give us some recommendations. I will give you one. I have got one this week. Good. So thank you. At least I was like, that's good because when one of us does, it's helpful.

2:10You know what I'm obsessed with? Okay, you know I love my morning routines. Yes, you are good at that. I just think it's this sense, right? That oftentimes days run away from us. They're really busy, unexpectedly so. You never know what's coming. And ultimately there is something for me personally, but I'm sure I'm not alone in it in how you set the tone for the day and just taking a minute literally like just fractions of time to do something nice for yourself first thing in the morning I find so valuable it's probably maybe it's because I've always had like relatively low self-esteem so it's effective I don't know if you would agree with this for you but like there's something about sort of saying like oh I actually do matter like I'm gonna be kind to myself by doing little nice things first thing in the morning as opposed to just being a full headless chicken and I just find that kind of ripples into my day I think is why I like my morning routine.

3:05I think that's lovely I think it also stems into trying to help yourself out first thing in the morning I guess maybe a wreck I could do is I actually laid the table knowing that I've been solo parenting and I had a really busy start I lay the table the night before and get out everything that I possibly can get out that's not in the fridge set the whole table so when I come down in the morning it's just easy you're thinking of your future self so you did have a rack i did okay so the thing i've added to my morning routine that's my rack is dry body brushing yes i saw you say that i've got two of those things have you i love it but do you actually keep it up because i remember people talking about this again so long ago and then i got them but i got them for the wrong reasons anti-cellulite and i before i went to university i had them thinking that celebs do it to get rid of cellulite so dry body brushing is basically like a not really bristly but it kind of tingly on your skin level of bristle and you're meant to do it sort of upward towards your heart essentially so up on your legs down on your arms it's meant to be really good for your lymphatic do you do it on your arms because i found it was quite rough on my arms i found it easy to do it on the legs yeah oh yeah i love it do it everywhere and who knows if it actually has well let's do a transaction on this I'm going to do some research in terms of the any studied health benefits or dry body brushing and the lymphatic system but getting your lymphatic system moving it's important exercise etc helps with that too but just feels really nice and there's something about as I said like I was really tired on the weekend and on Sunday morning we had a sleepover with my nephews on over Halloween it was all so cute but it was super sugar filled and not huge amount of sleeping in the overing and I was just knackered and so but I did it and I did a face mask and I did that and I just felt so good but I'm loving it I will come back to you guys with more if there's any evidence on dry body brushing there is because when I got diagnosed with Raynaud's when I was a teenager at the GP they told me to dry body brush before I got into it because of the wrong reasons with cellulite but I love it and anyway I did put it on Instagram though and I had loads of questions about the one I'm using I like it because it's a brush and it has a long stick That's what I need, a long stick.

5:13Long stick. I would say, excuse the name, because it's from a brand called The Skinny Confidential. I wouldn't say that's my favourite name, sorry. But actually the brand's got loads of like, you know, Gua Sha and like face rollers and things like that. But their dry body brush, 10 out of 10. I love that. Just change your name and then we love it. I know, I shout about it a little louder. But that's probably why I used to think it was to do with cellulite. I'm going to try it now. Okay, you've inspired me, Ella. that's going to be in my routine now this week. I'll give it a go.

5:47Now, our first question today is actually related to a question from last week. So it's a sort of question slash pickup that comes from Maya. And Maya says, I just finished listening to today's episode on gluten and dark chocolate. So if you haven't listened, we were talking about dark chocolate in relation actually to 30 plants a week, but then also that it has lots of health benefits like polyphenols etc and Maya's then asking I wanted to ask further about chocolate I'm a huge dark chocolate fan like yourselves and I know Rhi has cleared up that it is healthy but I still struggle to believe this not because I doubt your knowledge at all Rhi that's in capital letters Maya is not doubting you but just because I know that dark chocolate contains saturated fats sugars and emulsifiers plus it can be a UPF although dark chocolate contains polyphenols isn't it better to be getting those polyphenols from berries and veg instead?

6:36And when I do buy dark chocolate, what should I be looking out for? I really liked this question. It's a good one. And I think you should start, Ella, by just explaining the different types of chocolate because I'm going to add a, there's a moral kind of compass placed on food again and we'll get into that. So do you want to break down the difference? Because you make chocolate. Yeah, so many bits of your question, Maya, I want to pick up on actually. First of all, I just want to say, you are 100 % right, Maya, that you would be better getting polyphenols from berries. Like that is true. A punnet of berries versus 100 grams of dark chocolate, you're getting more health benefits from the berries.

7:12But that, I would say, it's just not reflective of the world that we live in and who we therefore are as individuals. And I think most of us like treats. We like something sweet. We like a pudding. And then it's all about, we talked about this at length on Monday and my bugbear of the word balance and then not really representing balance. but it is then about finding the right balance. And dark chocolate is one of those foods that can have, and we'll talk about the different types of dark chocolate and how it's made in a sec, but it can have those health benefits over 70%. It has got, as you said, those polyphenols, et cetera.

7:47It counts as one of your 30 plants a week. It's much better than a bag of sweets. And so on your continuum of like berries at one end, haribo at the other. That's in the middle. Dark chocolate sits in the middle. The UPF dark chocolate is in the middle and then we'll talk about the different types. So you want a treat? It's a really good one. And I think, you know, most of us do want that in our lives. So I think it's not about being perfect. It's about making better choices when we can to support our health. And so that's how I would see. You're right. It is better to get it from berries and veg.

8:18But most of us don't just want to eat broccoli and blackberries, basically. So do you want to break down, Ella, that the quality of chocolate, it does matter because the ones that are researched in studies that I discuss are not the Bourneville's. Yeah. So chocolate is, again, keep using the word continuum. Let's call it a sliding scale. Sorry, Bourneville, by the way. My father-in-law loves Bourneville and I keep trying to say it's not really dark chocolate. Yeah. Look, like so many foods, chocolate exists on a sliding scale where you've got kind of your classic dairy, milk and galaxy at one end and then sort of small batch 90 % on the other end.

8:56And as always, there's lots of things in between. What we know is that really for the health benefits, you want the 70 % plus. So you want dark chocolate, but it doesn't have to be 90 % because lots of people, again, won't enjoy that. It's just simply not sweet enough. Now, we did at Delicious Yellow make our own chocolate for a while. It's actually not in market anymore. Oh, I'm sad because it was the kids. I remember you bought me loads of bars one day. Oh my gosh, I loved it. I can't remember when that was. Do you know what? Yeah. It just wasn't a wild success. I get it because the chocolate market must be incredibly difficult.

9:28Everyone's got emotive connections to chocolate and childhood memories. They do. And unfortunately, such a broken record. I feel like I keep saying this, but it's more expensive to make it without emulsifiers and things. And most consumers just when it comes to treats aren't really that bothered about that sort of thing. So we'd rather have the cheaper version. But we do make our own chocolate for things like our dip nuts, etc. So I can say firsthand, it is more than possible to make chocolate without using UPFs. You don't need an emulsifier in there. You really don't. But it's harder and more expensive to make it without emulsifiers.

10:03So chocolate doesn't have to be a UPF. There are brands out there who don't use any UPFs in their chocolate. And you'll just have like cocoa, cocoa butter, some form of sugar, maybe a little bit of vanilla, but you don't need to have artificial flavorings. You don't need to have emulsifiers and that's as you go up the cocoa scale right because it is not necessarily harder when you do a white chocolate for instance i mean i think it's impossible to make that's just white chocolate that's what i mean but in a dark chocolate but it's just more expensive ultimately it's just more expensive you can it is slightly creamier when you're using an emulsifier because you're getting that emulsification but you can have a fantastic tasting chocolate but there aren't loads of brands that do it and again we come back to the same problem which is that ultimately it is more expensive but then re you can speak to this we're talking about you know then you take a brand like a montezuma for example in the uk which is really great ingredient deck and has a small amount of something in it as an emulsifier again all things considered that's a much better choice than so many other sweet options i would say it's a continuum it is a continuum i almost wish that i could have all the chocolates here in front of me now that'd be a fun game to play.

11:13Let's do that for Christmas. Oh my gosh, should we do a Christmas chocolate hierarchy scale? Let's do it. And then we can eat them all. Yeah, I know. That would be like the best test ever. But I think I was reading this question and my clinician hat went on with the moral compass of food. So we've explained that the studies, I don't think I ever said chocolate was a health food. Perhaps I did use that language, but it's really interesting because yes, studies dictate there can be health benefits from consuming it. But to label chocolate as it's healthy therefore it could be compared to berries isn't correct at all you know you can't compare foods to fruits and vegetables that contain the fiber the vitamins the minerals the different aspects within them however this is where we start to see problems of good and bad foods with things like chocolate because this is what triggers disordered eating and overeating of items once you deprive yourself of what you really want you are more likely to overeat it or just think about it non-stop and then other habits can spiral.

12:12So I think it's totally acceptable. Even if it was Bourneville as dark chocolate, I'm really sorry I've used that as an example, but it's the only one I could think of with a low cocoa percentage that parades as dark chocolate. Even just having like two or three squares of that every day is not going to harm you if your overall diet is good and that's okay. But if you were to have that 75 to 80 % chocolate every day, you're then going to see the benefits that we've discussed, which is those polyphenols, the stem cells that can escalate from having that drinking chocolate that's really dark every day.

12:44So for me, it's more about train yourself gradually in your taste buds. They can get used to darker chocolate to enjoying it. And I find there's something about that crunch of dark chocolate in the morning and on a winter's day. I don't know why. I've got a thing like I could happily wake up. I have chocolate in the morning, nearly always. That reminds me of Christmas. Yeah, that's what I mean maybe it's just because I am chocolate buttons I am just Christmas honestly I feel like the first of November hit and I was like oh thank goodness I can now talk about Christmas I got a coffee this morning and they were playing like it wasn't Jingle Bells but it was that sort of vibe I've got two Christmas gigs and I love the Christmas songs I'm doing Oh Holy Night and all sorts of traditional carols so anyway look for 70 % plus and the darker chocolate you go the more likely there are to be less ingredients shorter list yeah yeah for sure cool great question my thank you so much okay lovely question here from bromwin who says hi ella and rey i just have to say my daughters and i love your podcast and we really try to take on board your advice the fact that you guys are so knowledgeable separate facts from sensationalism and are trusted source is so reassuring thank you we followed rey for many years too i have a question about skincare although in recent years i try really hard to cut out additives, stabilizers, etc.

14:01I'm getting myself stressed by looking at what I put into my face. Would love to use a retinol but cannot find any without BHT and phenoxyethanol. I would love to know what skincare products you would recommend or use. I'm 61, so much older than you, but my girl's a similar age to you both. Thanks for everything you do. Oh, do you know what? We've got all ages that listen to this podcast and I think that's what's so refreshing is that there are actionable tips for everybody. I will say, so thank you Bronwyn and family. I'm not a dermatologist or a skin expert. So I think we need to have a listen to somebody that definitely could potentially have those answers.

14:37But when it comes to recommending, I think it depends on your skin type, doesn't it? For sure. Look, I think I've always felt this, that food is quite straightforward, right? We're talking about UPFs, for example, you go into Tesco's or Santeres or Morrison's. You can generalise more with food. Yeah, I think this idea that, you know, look for kitchen cupboard ingredients. Most of us can then turn over back a pack and then we're like oh what on earth is e452 or whatever it is as opposed to skincare where you turn over back a pack and it's sort of it's complete foreign language no idea i'd have no idea exactly and some people have oily types or dry types it depends how hydrated you are i can only really give dietary tips for skin so let's get a voice note from dr thithy who we've had on the podcast before and she is going to give us more of a breakdown here so you can get some concrete advice that's not guesswork.

15:26I don't think Ella and I want to give you guesswork. Thank you for your question asking about retinols which don't contain preservatives such as BHT and phenoxyethanol. So there are a few options here. You can get retinols that are in oils and those ones need less preservatives in them. So an example of that is bioma sensitive retinol oil that does not contain BHT or phenoxyethanol. An alternative is, however, a natural plant-derived type of retinol called Bacuchiol. And Bacuchiol is a gentler version of retinol. There's quite a few brands that do Bacuchiol serum. This includes Dose by Victoria Health.

16:08They do a super Bacuchiol serum. And this is in a natural oil called squalane. And squalane is a natural oil that's present in the skin. So both of those are gentle options that don't contain the preservatives that you're concerned about. Thank you so much, Vivi. And to add to that as well, I've got another incredible dermatologist, Dr. Anjali Marto, and she's also written to me a little bit of an explanation around this area. And she said that there's a lot of confusion around ingredients like BHT and phenoxylethanol. She said that both are actually approved by the UK and EE regulators and are used in tiny safe concentrations.

16:51Now, they act as preservatives to stop products growing bacteria or going off, which is really important for skin health. But she has said, unfortunately, and she's got an inverted commas, the clean beauty movement has made people unnecessarily anxious about them. So there's no credible evidence of harm at cosmetic levels unless you have a specific sensitivity you don't need to avoid them and she said in fact using unpreserved products can be riskier so the focus should be on well-formulated skincare that suits your skin type rather than fixating on single ingredients and to me Ella it sort of makes sense because I don't really understand what I'm reading on the back of skin packets sometimes and I think we've just all got unique skin that needs different things.

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18:56And trust us once you try them you will not want to wear anything else. We've now got a question from Lauren that says, hope you're both OK. I love listening to the podcast every week and I learn so much. And would you believe it? I'm feeling so much better for engaging in healthier habits. Yay, Lauren. I just had a massive smile on my face. Me too. I love it. I've had one all day. I really love these question sessions. I just have a question she said about healthy eating when you're on your period. I generally react well to fibre, shall we say. But normally the first couple of days of my period, I'm super sensitive.

19:29my bowels just cannot tolerate the healthy fibrous foods she says it's frustrating because unless i'm at home i won't be eating much fruit and veg for the first few days of my period because it will go straight through me do you have any advice around this or any healthy foods that will be more compatible for that time of month or should i just embrace it for the first few days and then thank you so much for all your wisdom please never stop this podcast love it lauren um we love this show too so yeah I'll stay with you on that you know what I love talking about this just because for women when you have a period when you have a as in like when you have a monthly cycle I think that the more you know about what that cycle means and what the different stages of it entail in terms of how you feel mentally and physically it's so incredibly empowering and I remember the first time there's a really good book called period power by a lady called Maisie Hill and I remember the first time I read it and I was just like it just was so powerful it's like right this is why you feel really down or emotional before your period there's nothing wrong with you don't worry this is really normal and it's just brilliant and it's very normal as well to have digestive changes throughout your period so I think I would really recommend that book if anyone is and as good as an audiobook as well probably I can imagine wants to know a bit more to get that sense of empowerment because obviously you've got your different stages of menstruation, follicular, ovulation, luteal and I know I feel so fundamentally different as I go through a monthly cycle.

21:06It's so important we learn more about our hormones and really sadly women are only just as we know starting to get a light shone on the fact that we deserve to have this investigated we deserve to learn more. Another great recommendation is the gynae geek. She's known as an Instagram doctor, Anita Mitra. She's an obstetrician and every day she surrounds herself in the matters of female health. So there are different stages, aren't there, Ella, of menstruation anyway that we need to learn about and understand. Exactly. Rhi, will you just give us a kind of an overview and particularly what happens to our digestion as we go through it?

21:39A thousand percent. And we all feel things differently. And, you know, I even feel ovulation pain now, which I never used to have before children. So I think it's really important that people understand there's so many different things that can happen. So first of all, if you look at the actual menstrual phase, which is the bleed itself, this is when your hormones, estrogen and progesterone are actually lower. But this potentially impacts our iron. And some people, of course, will get cramps. And this is the time when your digestion might also feel a bit irritated and you're generally lower in energy.

22:08And I think it's really important around that time. and it must sound so cliche oh you're losing blood eat more iron but it is true we do need to be aware of where it comes from in our diet which is even things like pumpkin seeds ella like we talk about sprinkles all the time don't we on porridge if you eat eggs or fish that sort of thing and you need vitamin c alongside those plant-based iron sources particularly like lentils pulses to help your gut absorb the iron but things that are not going to help us around that time which can actually make fluid retention worse. I think a lot of us feel that a lot, the fluid retention and the cramps.

22:46You know, it's having a lot of highly processed foods. It's the UPFs again, caffeine, cutting your coffee around the bleed time in your cycle. Interestingly, some research says it can really help you cope better. So you might feel like you need it more because you feel so exhausted, but actually it can have the opposite effect. And then foods in high and salt basically, which affect water retention. So that's the period itself. but I think what's so fascinating what Ella's discussed about discovering is the other phases as well so you've got the kind of after that phase which is when I always feel so much better after my period oh my gosh you're just winning a life yeah I'm like I feel great I've got energy again I feel normal and that's post period it's called follicular and that's when estrogen begins to rise I mean we love estrogen we love it insulin sensitivity though does tend to be higher but energy, creativity all go up and that's when you can get back on your healthy diet again.

23:42You feel more motivated. Most women feel they can stick to that Mediterranean style diet pattern after their period because energy is higher. We don't have those cravings in the same way, but I'd still obviously avoid EPFs if you want. The stage that I find is really interesting, like I discussed, I get pain around this period now in my cycle, but ovulation phase, because when oestrogen peaks, this is kind of a really short window of a few days, but energy and appetite change like you might suddenly be like I'm so hungry I just need to eat more and more and this is when this is your opportunity to get those healthy fats in those mono and polyunsaturated fats don't forget your vitamin d guys this time of year and just really really watch again those very salty high foods because water retention when we ovulate is also a thing with people like myself can also get cramps and that makes it worse with water retention so You really need to get the fluids going.

24:37And I'd say the worst time, Ella, I don't know. Is this? A hundred percent. And this is the phase that I think you're referring to here, Lauren, which is the luteal phase. So that's post-ovulation, pre-period. Just know you're normal. Yeah. And it's really normal as your metabolism sort of is up a little bit. You've got more cravings. It's really normal to have, because of these change in your hormones, a much more sensitive digestive system. Like that kind of, yeah, very common. So common. And I've written all of this out. It's on the Retrition website somewhere. I pulled it from one of our blogs and we use this in the clinic a lot.

25:12But this is where you actually want to be focusing. And it's really hard to do because of the blood sugar dips that you're experiencing post ovulation just before your period. It's called PMS. I mean, some people have PMDD. There's so many different factors that can involve it. But you want more quality proteins and healthy fats. You really need those. Magnesium rich foods, which most of us do get enough of, despite what the Internet tells you. avocado, banana, legumes, chocolate, even spinach, chocolate, if it's a higher percentage, that's what we want to be aware of there, high fiber carbs, all of that sort of stuff.

25:44And again, caffeine just before your period. I think we forget, don't we? Because we're so used to having a period every month if that's your age bracket. And sadly, of course, so many people experience this differently because not everyone's got a regular cycle. Everyone's got different things. We're just learning more about endometriosis. But caffeine makes it so much worse. It can exacerbate all the symptoms around that luteal phase. So can refined carbohydrates, high sugar, high salt, fast dipping foods. Even though we really want to reach for that bag of sweets, I'd almost save those foods for the week where you're feeling great alongside your balanced diet.

26:18But who can live like that? I can't. She's got the willpower of steel. No, I don't. This is just it. I need to look at my app where I track my period and I'm like, oh, that explains it. But linked to the digestion bit, you know, with the diarrheal-esque symptoms when you're just about to come to your period, it's totally normal because of oestrogens also stored in our gut linings and our bowels. So it makes sense that when oestrogen levels fall and rise that we experience different digestive issues there. And what I would advise you to do is just stick with it and try to still continue to eat healthy foods.

26:52And it is actually normal to have looser bowel movements just before and around your period, often for some women it's a sign their period is coming so that's i hope that's reassuring it's normal it's so helpful that's why i found learning about your cycle so helpful because it's that normalization and like you i track it just i do it super simply just literally on the iphone like the inbuilt app we never used to know anything no and like how amazing it's in an iphone but i just find it so helpful because i'll suddenly be like oh my gosh the world's ending like doom and gloom literally nothing will happen and i'll be you know my train will be late or like i'll miss a train or something and I'll be just like about to sob on the floor.

27:26Or snap. I tend to snap. Oh, I'm just like, why am I so snappy today? I'm just an emotional wreck. It's not fair. I wish I was just normal all the time. But that is normal. It's normal for us women. It's normal. But I then find my iPhone then always pops up with like, your period's due. And I'm like, ah, right. I haven't turned into like a fundamentally different person. But I really am. I do find that like really affects me those few days beforehand. And the more I realise that it's normal and the more I realise there's a reason for it and it's not me and there's nothing wrong with me. But if you are concerned, I think we should also say, because we were discussing this actually before we came on air to record.

28:05If you feel there is something inherently wrong with you, do not feel like your GP won't listen. You have to go. You just have to get yourself checked out because there's so many different things going on sometimes, but we can't always be 100 % sure. That is great advice. OK, we move on to Hannah. Hannah says, I've never emailed a podcast before. oh thanks Hannah and we're honoured um but listening to you and Marie discussing low carb diets and thought it was time last year I learned about whole foods and avoiding UPFs and gained a lot from it but as the year went on I added more rules based on what I thought was healthy I got into intermittent fasting and keto too I felt pretty good but I actually lost my period although I went from overweight to a normal BMI I think this was just too low for my set point all the intermittent fasting slash keto just did not suit my body type or hormones it's been a year now and sadly i have still not got my period back i've researched lots on this as eating a lot more all food groups and gaining my weight back but no luck yet i've never heard you talk before about hypothalamic amenorrhea but i wanted to shine a light on this in case anyone else is accidentally going down this path of adding on rule on rule and also if re has any advice for me I've had an internal ultrasound with nothing so this is all hormone based for me first of all Hannah thank you so so much for being so honest and so open yeah and wanting to share this because actually you're right we haven't mentioned this and actually it's quite common unfortunately and it's a really important topic and I just want to say it's this this is the thing that I find and really I'm sure you feel the same way so difficult when it comes to talking about health and wellness because some of this you know like we're talking about processed meats for example there's things out there that aren't very good for us and we want to talk a bit to talk honestly about what a kind of healthy diet and healthy lifestyle looks like upsetting anyone yeah and without creating a world in which we all feel like we have to have so many rules and restriction that there's actually kind of harmful consequences so Hannah thank you for flagging I think this is really important.

30:07Rhi first of all will you just explain to everyone listening what hypothalamic amenorrhea is why it happens it's really important it's actually very common in athletes female athletes as well because they maintain very low body fat percentages and without that extra fat we've got to remember our hormones and building blocks of hormones they're transported stored in tissues so when you have lower fat percentage you're less likely to be able to have a period because your body's saying well you don't have enough body fat i don't feel like you are in the right phase to have a baby essentially evolutionary that's what your body's saying to you so it kind of puts a pause on your period and the brain down regulates the reproductive hormones due to the stress on the body that can come from this as well so amenorrhea means without a cycle and that can be physical it can be under eating which we see a lot in eating disorders particularly anorexia we tend to find those that are bulimic keep cycles but this data can vary every case is unique and over-exercising or emotional stress.

31:06And the body does know that there's not enough energy to support the cycle. It pauses everything. It's a protective mechanism. And our body's really clever at doing that. It can also give us a psychological protective mask, a state of euphoria when we go through periods of starvation, that sort of thing. But I've actually got a voice note from one of the clinicians that specializes in eating disorders as well, just to go into a little bit more detail because I think it's really, really important that you don't just get this from me, but you get somebody that trains others. I mean, Sarah Elder trains other eating disorder dieticians in the UK, and she works for the charity Beat.