The Best UPF-Free Chocolate, Greens Powders and Calories v Protein

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1:03Welcome to The Wellness Scoop, your weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration. And as always, we're here as your hosts. I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Rhianna Lambert. And today we are taking on the most amazing questions as chosen by you. Let's go.

1:20okay today is most definitely i think one of the most enjoyable episodes we've ever had to record because we are trying chocolate as chosen by you we're chocolate tasting guys it's christmas we promised this would come thanks to you exactly you had all sent us so many recommendations on the best no upf dark chocolate because we've waxed lyrical about how dark chocolate actually does have lots of health benefits counts as one of your 30 plant points each week So, Rhi, let's talk about what chocolates are in the running. Okay, so we've got a selection here. Lola's just brought them in this morning, and everyone's having a go here.

1:53So, Producer Will's also taking part. Lola's taking part. We've got... You guys recommended these. So, we have... Okay, there are six chocolates here. We have the Divine 85 % Exquisitely Smooth Dark Chocolate. Ombar, great small brand. Bean to Bar Super Chocolate, 72%. Hue, which comes from America. Get Back to Human Simple Dark Chocolate. That's 70%. We have the one, I forget the name of our listener who recommended this, but that kickstarted this whole chocolate challenge. The Madagascan Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Dark Chocolate. Tesco's Finest Peru Dark Chocolate Single Origin 85%. And then nice packaging, I would say, of the collection, the M &S Single Origin Dark Chocolate from Ecuador 75%.

2:38So we all have to have a little bit of each. Oh, this is so exciting. Let's start with M &S. because I had it locked. Should we get Lola and Will to go first? Yeah. Okay, you get first dibs. Now, I want feedback on texture of chocolate, mouth feel, apparently.

2:56Oh, my God, that's so good. Mmm. That tastes like milk chocolate. Mmm. What do you think? Really creamy. Creamy? We want creamy? I don't want to skip the whole exercise, but that's the best dark chocolate I think I've ever had. I know. Okay, we're going to the Tesco one next. Okay. Right, Lola.

3:17Nowhere near as good as the M &S. Underwhelmed. I wouldn't buy this. It's a bit one-dimensional. It just doesn't have that palette that M &S one did. Slightly acidic? Yeah, it doesn't taste quite right, does it? Okay. Okay, let's try the Sainsbury's one that kick-started this whole thing as to what the best dark chocolate is. Mmm. That's very good. I like this one, yeah. I feel like I could have more of this than the M &S one. It's really rich. This is the Divine. The Divine one is excellent. This is on a par with the M &S with me. It's 85 % as well. And it doesn't, I much prefer it to the Sainsbury's one.

3:55That's our highest percentage. Yeah, it doesn't take it. Percentage. And so it's got the extra health benefits and it is absolutely delicious. It's got a very satisfying chunkiness to it. It does. Yeah, it does. It's a really nice. It's chunky. I agree. So, so far, M &S and Divine. M &S and Divine are topping the leaderboard. Okay, now we're going to try the two smaller brands of this. The Ombar and the Hue. This is Ombar. Thank you. This is Ombar and it only has three ingredients. Yeah, I like this one. Is that your favourite? I like my favourite. Okay, producer Will's favourite so far. It's very, very creamy.

4:31How's it been like a coffee aftertaste? Mmm. Mmm, interesting. Oh my God, this is so fun. Okay, last chocolate today is Hu, which is H-U. And that is thick. Ella's having a hard time chain breaking it into chunks. I love this brand. Also uses coconut sugar, as does Ombar. It's not as creamy as Ombar. I really like this. So we have our four favourites are Ombar, Divine, Hu and M &S. Who are you giving the winner to? Well, the thing is... Ombar for Will. Producer Will, Ombar, Lola. Divine. Divine. I'm going to say M &S. Okay, re-deciding vote. Who's the winner? It's really, really hard to choose.

5:13But as much as I love the taste of all four of those, I think based on sugar content, which as a nutritionist I'm going to do, I think I'm going to go for Divine because it's got the lowest sugar content and it's co-owned by Coco Farmers. So that means Divine is our Christmas winner. The Divine 85 % cocoa, as you said, co-owned by the farmers. that's the Christmas winner with a runner up going to the M &S and the Ombar. Fantastic. Well, thank you, everybody. That was a nice Monday morning. OK, you know what's put in your stockings now, guys. We know which chocolate to go for. Anything else like that you'd like us to do again, you know, please don't hesitate to ask.

5:52If we have to. Ria, I think you've got another actual Christmas recommendation with a book, right? I have a book rec and it's called How to Be Selfish. And I actually think this time of year, I needed this. I needed something. I find it really easy, and I'm sure so many listeners do, to be all consumed. It's really difficult to take a step back. And it's by Susie Redding. And this book is essentially written for people who couldn't be selfish if they tried. So anyone that feels guilty for resting, I mean, I know I feel like they're saying no or leaning on people. It questions everything that we've been told about selfishness.

6:28and selflessness is the compassionate guide to developing the skills of self-advocacy. And it's got seven steps in it, which help you kind of bring back your power to yourself. And I think, Ella, you know, I remember before mentioning when I did one little thing for myself and, you know, the comments you can get for even saying you did something for yourself sometimes. As a society, I think we all need to change a little bit on this kind of forefront of how we deal with self-care. So that's my recommendation, How to Be Selfish by Susie Redding. Can I just say, at the risk of being wildly judged by people, I used to really struggle with this.

7:04And over the last little bit, I have got so much better at it because I just noticed when I get really overwhelmed, overstimulated and I'm just not great. Like I'm not the best mom. I'm not the best partner because I'm just, oh, my goodness, I just need a second. And I never used to ask for it. And then I'd sort of make myself like a martyr. And my husband used to be like, go, like go and exercise. Like, just go. Like, I've got the kids. Why are you making this a problem? And I've really tried hard, actually, in the last year or two to get better on a Saturday afternoon or something and saying, like, no, you know what?

7:39We're not going to come to that birthday party. It's not my daughter's best friend sort of thing. We're just going to skip it. We're going to be at home. We're going to chill out. And the kids can watch TV. And I'm going to watch TV for a minute, too. I don't have to always be doing something. And I have to say, it's really difficult to start with. It's so hard. But now I'm loving it. Oh, Ella, that's brilliant. I mean, look, it's easier because the kids are older, right? They're five and six. And so, you know, they love the idea of like getting into bed and watching something on one of our iPads for an hour and I'll have a bath and chill out.

8:08And it's lovely. And it's that's so much easier. I could never have done that when they are one and two. Obviously, they have to be supervised. So it is different. I think it's also coming into your 30s and progressing on what's 30s, 40s, 50s. You're out of, well, as you know, there is still a compelling drive to be doing everything and everything at once. And I'm really glad you shared that because it's hard work to get to that point. Yeah, and it feels quite alien to start with. But having worked through that alien, now I love it. Well done. I so recommend it. And I think we also need to call out some questions from our listeners for our nutrition myths.

8:42So we are going to have Dr. Sarah Berry on in January. We are a huge fan. She's got the biggest data pool you could possibly pull from with research. and we thought with new year you know coming up new year new me who knows how many slogans we could reel off yeah january detoxes and fads and trans and all the rest of it we thought what a great moment to do a kind of nutrition myth um busting episode so whether that's seed oils whether that's keto diets whether that's atkins diets whether that's like carbs versus fat versus sugar for weight loss all that sort of thing any of these like conundrums questions queries that have bothered you you know i read this in a magazine and i wondered what it really means or i want to do x y or z in the new year what does that mean should i be doing why send them in either email me ella at delicious yellow.com or pop them in the spotify comments apple podcast comments we want all your confusion about nutrition and the various different myths and legends that have been told over the last few decades and we will clear them all up so we can start 2026 with the best foot forward where we're prioritizing our health we're empowered with our well-being but we are not overwhelmed and we are not chasing quick fix fads

9:59we also have today tons of questions from you and the first one is on green powders yes this was a great one we talked about green powders obviously was last week wasn't it the week before i think it was the week before time ellis slips my mind it does no judgment okay recently we talked about green powders and we had a follow-up question from killeran um who is listening all the way from sunny australia um they said thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and advice and all the research you do i love listening to the pod on my daily walk on our family farm in regional new south wales australia oh beautiful i know how nice does that sound a question on greens powder i'm eight months postpartum with our second baby and still breastfeeding, I'm feeling a little depleted.

10:40I'm starting to get back into a regular routine with sleep, exercise, and paying a little more attention to the nutritional benefits of our family meals. I recently purchased a daily greens powder containing things like organic barley grass, organic wheat grass, organic spirulina, chlorella, ingredient this below, it kind of goes on in that remit. While I know you caution on quote unquote magic potions and vitamins making big health claims, I wonder if adding a greens powder like this is beneficial. Could a product like this perhaps contributes my weekly 30 plants. I feel it would be unlikely I'd get some of these ingredients for my usual meals and food choices.

11:13I can't say I've noticed any physical benefits, perhaps brighten my skin a little, but mentally it makes me feel like I'm doing a little good for myself and I would love to know your thoughts. Such an icy phrased question. Really beautifully phrased question because I think that, Keller, and you're doing an incredible job because just to say, first of all, you know, having babies and juggling a family and breastfeeding and life and finding space for yourself is really, really tricky. And I think wanting something like we said at the beginning that feels like an act of self care does make sense.

11:43You want to do something for yourself. What I would say is that the green powders, while they're not harmful for most people, and it might be a good psychological kind of or emotional boost, but nutritionally, they don't actually do what they probably promise on the packet that they're doing. Essentially, you know, they don't replace whole foods. You know, they're dried, they're processed, they're ground into a powder. You lose what we've called and discussed as the food matrix before, which is that natural structure of food that helps us absorb the vitamins, the minerals, you know, the fiber.

12:17And I discuss this so much in the next book I've written, The Fiber Formula, because those phytonutrients that come within that food matrix only really work in a certain way. And once you ground them down into a powder, you know, spirulina, wheatgrass or chlorella, they do sound like impressive powders, don't they, Ella? They're like these big green, vibrant, you think vibrant green. Wow. You know, that was going to give me everything I could possibly need. But it just doesn't count towards your 30 plant points for the week. It's just a sprinkle of powder and it does not count as an additional, you know, 30 plant points.

12:50So what I would say instead is just focus more on that extra snack. you can save yourself some money you don't need to be taking these magic potions if anything they can be dangerous sometimes you have a look at the back of the packet and you don't know what form of vitamin a it actually is especially if you're breastfeeding you might be taking supplements to support that you could be overdoing it on a fat soluble vitamin as well and i personally just feel like rebuilding yourself and caring for someone else is really hard and green powders probably aren't going to do it. But I love what you were talking about.

13:24And I really recommend this genuinely for absolutely everybody about the things that give you that emotional boost, because actually looking after yourself is not easy in a world where most people are overcommitted, overstimulated, very busy. And so I personally get a lot from those like little hooks or routines or things that you might start the day with. Yeah, I completely agree, Ella, because, you know, sometimes it can just be a handful of almonds in the morning or it could be some cacao powder like a hot chocolate drink instead of the expensive green powders like it shouldn't have to cost so much money for these green powders but my big problem is the deception of the message of green powders it's not that you're taking something for yourself it's that it's deceptive but i think what you could maybe swap it with instead that would give you buckets of nutrition goodness and probably the same like yes go me i'm looking after myself is just a morning like green smoothie yes a smoothie and you could do frozen banana you could do spinach or other greens exactly various different nut butters pop some chia seeds in there some oats um maybe some berries if you've got them but you could be getting five six seven plants easily in there so you're getting those plant points but you're also getting the fiber you're getting as you said all the vitamins minerals all of that it only takes two or three minutes to do you can even if it's helpful like pre-prep that for the week so you can portion out one smoothie's worth and do seven of them that's probably more realistic when you've got an eight month old totally pop in the little freezer bags and then you just literally pop that straight from the freezer into the blender with any liquid of choice and then blend it up so again it probably would take you 10 minutes to prep it for the week but then it will take you literally one minute to make.

15:09And it gives you that same emotional connection, which I really relate to and appreciate. I certainly feel like I need those pillars every day. And I think you will be physically depleted until you're, I know this is an awful statistic, but until you're two years postpartum, that's when research suggests you feel more like yourself. So eight months, you know, you're still in the thick of it. I think it's a hard time to feel completely replenished. Yeah. But I think for anyone who likes the emotional signal of a green powder, try a green smoothie. As I said, you'd be getting way more fiber. You'll be definitely getting those five to eight, depending what you use, plant points.

15:44Super, super easy to do, but we'll give you a bit more. I completely agree. And it leads us on to our question from Julie, who has a question about calories versus fiber and fat versus nutrition. So I love the way you titled that question, Julie. She said, I'm Julie, I'm 17. I live in Florida. We've got all the sunny locations today. Yeah, we're exotic today. We are exotic today. I love your podcast. It helps everything make sense. I have a dilemma I think many people share. She said, I'm genetically predisposed to obesity. So maintaining a healthy weight has been a lifelong effort. And I'm not just aiming to be thin.

16:18I just want to be healthy. For context, she's given her details about her height and weight here. And she says she's on statins for genetically high cholesterol. Should I struggle to fit all the required nutrition into a day? For example, to get enough fiber, I eat a cup of oatmeal, porridge over here in the UK with banana flax, cheer and a small bit of fat-free Greek yogurt and nuts. Over 500 calories for a breakfast I don't even enjoy. The rest of the day, I'm trying to work in a cup of beans, lots of vegetables, protein and sometimes grains. Cheese feels like a luxury. Coconut milk is high in saturated fat and cashew-based sauces are high in calories.

16:57it feels like everything healthy conflicts with something else. So the subject of Julie's email was, as you read, calories versus fibre versus fat versus nutrition. And I really agree with Julie that she's kind of hitting the nail on the head with I think other people are confused about this, with this like consistent conflicting messaging where, you know, you need to have X, but then you need to have Y. And the idea of trying to fit it all into a day gets really, really, really overwhelming. And re-imagine you just see this the whole time where people are trying to get, you know we've talked about this before suddenly 30 grams of protein in every single meal well if you want to get 30 grams of protein every single meal it's going to be quite difficult to also get 10 grams of fiber in every single meal and also get the amount of plant diversity that you need but also get the omega-3s and also get this and also enjoy your meals and so I totally agree with her it feels like everything's at the compromise of something else and how how do you simplify that down as a kind of simple messaging that you can just gently weave into your meals?

18:00I think we need to stop looking at meals in isolation. I think this might be helpful for you actually with this question and just start thinking about weekly patterns instead because it's just too much. You know when you're looking at food in isolation you lose the fact that we eat food for so many different reasons as well and it becomes a very numerical, methodical, almost like a sports nutrition plan for the everyday person. And I appreciate that you've got struggles here. You've mentioned with obesity and looking at cholesterol in food, it can feel incredibly overwhelming. But, you know, it's small swaps.

18:34Like if you are looking at calories, I don't think this should be for everybody, but it's things like swapping a banana for berries or something in the morning. But we have to remember calories don't all work in the same way. So instead of focusing on the numbers in your food, just go back to the visual aspect of is this portion too large for me because you can have all those components in your plate you don't have to weigh it out to hit 30 grams or to hit that amount of fiber and sometimes it helps to just remove the numbers and like you said cashew sauce just a spoonful is totally okay you don't have to saturate your plate with it go half half on things and protein and fiber the easiest way of upping both is to do plant-based options because beans and pulses are lower in calories, higher in fiber and also contain protein.

19:18So if you're having a look at things like that, that might be helpful as well. And I think enjoyment and it's really hard. And I hear you. What I'm also hearing coming through here is years of diet culture, years of being saturated, like we get in the nutrition clinic of someone online, a PT telling you this is the 30 gram or a nutritionist somewhere saying this is the goal. Everyone has I fit this one size. It's usually when we have all these numbers and targets in our heads that it becomes an overwhelming mission. And it's actually incredibly difficult to let go of that. So let's just start by looking at the week, congratulating yourself that you are actually getting diversity in your breakfast bowl.

19:55Just try halving the portions of that and try not to worry that you're not hitting the 30 grams in each meal or each day. And just start looking at the types of food on your plate rather than hitting an exact number or portion size. It's very difficult to give one-to-one advice like this ethically without knowing your health history, your clinic sessions. But I hope that by removing all those external voices and just looking at the positive aspects of food, that might be helpful. Yeah, because it gets really overwhelming, doesn't it, if you're consistently trying to measure everything. And it's the same, you look at the whole week for diversity.

20:26It's not about every single meal or every single day. It's your collective diet that counts. So you don't need to have cheer and flax in every meal, like have it one day have flax another day but also enjoy it like it sounds like you're hating your breakfast so scrap that let's get you something new i completely agree

20:47and we have close your eyes exhale feel your body relax and let go of whatever you're carrying today well i'm letting go of the worry that i wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class I got them delivered free from 1-800-CONTACTS. Oh my gosh, they're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-CONTACTS.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-CONTACTS. This episode is brought to you by Ulta Beauty. Holiday cheer is here, and Ulta Beauty has gifts for everyone on your list. Treat them to fan-favorite gift sets from Charlotte Tilbury and Peach & Lily.

21:31Go all out with timeless fragrances from YSL, Ariana Grande, and Carolina Herrera. And you can never go wrong with an Ulta Beauty gift card. Head to Ulta Beauty for gifts that make the holidays brighter and even more beautiful. Ulta Beauty. Gifting happens here. An anonymous question next, Ella, talking of something new. She said she's really, really intrigued by your sourdough baking, Ella, thinking of buying my husband a starter kit for Christmas and he loves it but I have no idea where to begin. Any recommendations please? Oh yeah I absolutely love this. I anonymized this one just in the off chance that her husband was a listener.

22:08Okay look first of all I want to just clarify I'm very new into this world by no means am I an expert but I am absolutely loving it. It's so fun making your own bread I started making my own bread rolls bagels and exed and I just I really really enjoy it and I think also like I did calculate we've talked about bread before and it's quite hard to get hold of like high quality bread sometimes there's a lot you know it's one of the most UPF items and it actually doesn't take that long to make it in terms of hands-on time it's just something to do like on a day you're working from home because you just need to have an eye on it but I reckon each loaf is costing me sub one pound for like a big sourdough loaf which is pretty cool actually compared to if you went to a bakery in central London they'd want to charge you seven pounds oh yes easily so that's quite fun but you honestly don't need much the only thing you need to do is you need to find someone who has a starter you can make your own starter which is the fermented flour and water that kickstarts the process but my understanding from anyone I've ever spoken to, making your own starter is quite hard and a strong starter is the key to good sourdough.

23:17So you're going to need to find someone really who can give you some. But if you make sourdough, you have so much starter going on that like having extra is just not a problem in any shape or form. And then you don't need much at all. You need a jar to put it in, empty jam jars or bean jars, easy peasy. You want to get quite a big one though, don't you? Quite a big one, but if you have like a big butter bean jar, excellent. or like a big kind of the like bon maman size jam jar. Yes. Great. I mean, you can also buy a starter jar on Amazon or whatever, but you don't need a Bannerton proofing basket and a little scorer.

23:50But I mean, great present, 20 pounds for everything you need. And of course, there's probably loads of YouTube tutorials on this. So many. And my only thing I would say I have learned so far with trying to make my own bread is that basically there is no recipe. Okay. So there is a ratio of kind of flour to water and starter, but the time it takes is so dependent on the strength of your starter, the heat of your kitchen or the coldness of your kitchen. The science of baking. Yeah, it's a very scientific process. And I would say the best thing I've done is send ChatGPT photos of my bread as I go to ask, like, is it proofed yet?

24:28How does it look? That's transformed the whole thing. And someone. ChatGPT is a baker now. Someone criticised me a few weeks ago for saying I use Chachi and PT for my sourdough, saying we shouldn't use it. The thing is, I don't have an expert in my pocket. I'm sorry, I don't see the harm in asking it about some bread. But also it's a bit silly to bake a pancake or wildly dense loaf of bread that ends up unusable. So what's amazing is that because there's no specific method to follow, I send pictures at every single stage. And then I send pictures of my bread afterwards and ask it for tips and tricks.

24:59And that has transformed my loaves into like airy, light gems. I am flabbergasted in like a really wonderful way. I mean, I can't wait. Yeah. So you literally, you need a starter and you need a jar for it. You need a proofing basket and a scoring knife. You need lots of strong bread flour. Maybe you could give them a nice tea towel. And time, right? You need to block out time to do this. It doesn't actually take very long. Like it's probably hands on like 20 minutes. It's just you need to be at home because I haven't bought your loaf of bread today because I didn't feed my starter in time. I've forgotten all about that, but next week now I won't.