The Wellness Scoop - 10 Hours of Exercise a Week? The Omega-3 Debate & Brain-Boosting Beans

Episode Date: June 8, 2026

This week we unpack the huge headlines around omega-3 supplements and whether fish oils are really as protective for brain health as we once thought. We also explore fascinating new research on exercise and heart health, including the amount of movement linked to the biggest cardiovascular benefits. Plus, why beans may be one of the most underrated foods for mood, gut and brain health, the science behind the gut–brain connection, and why Gen Z has suddenly become obsessed with pickles. For more from Rhi and Ella:  Order your copy of Ella's new book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quick Wins: Healthy Cooking for Busy Lives⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Order your copy of Rhi's new book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fibre Formula⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign up to ⁠Rhitrition+⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Wellness Scoop, your twice weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration. And as always, we're both here as your host. I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Rianna Lambert. And after a decade in the wellness industry, we know how overwhelming and confusing health advice can be. And that's why we created this podcast to cut through the noise and make healthier living, simple, fun and personal. Rie, we've got some really nice stuff today, right? What have we got coming up?

It is a good show today. we've got the new exercise study everyone's talking about why fiber keeps winning in nutrition science the confusing omega three headlines explained the surprising link between beans and brain health the two bees now and which celeb has been telling everyone that fiber is cool and the most bizarre trend again pickle parties pickle lip balm and the fermented food boom oh my gosh pickle

handbags, pickles, everything, guys. I actually love pickles. I can't wait to talk about it. But really first up, how are you? I'm good, thank you. It's been half term. It was super sunny. It made my week. And it was your birthday. It was my birthday, yeah. You went to Spain? We went to Spain for a few days, which was lovely, had a lovely,

my sister and her boyfriend came down today from the weekend over my birthday. And we just potted around. We obviously had the heat wave, which has just been so nice. But I'm officially a grown-up because last night when the rain came, I looked out the window and I was like, yes, my lawn. Yeah, I know. This is so good for the grass. The crispy yellow grass everywhere.

I tried so hard as well to protect it. And it's just my lettuce died in a day on the 30, like, four degree day or whatever it was. We've had a heat wave in the UK, guys. And it was hotter than Europe, actually, in the UK. So I was in Spain and I reckon it was like 10 degrees cooler in Spain than it was at home. Which is very unusual for us. And today is the 8th of June as this comes out. So my menopause journey has begun.

on Retrition Plus, which is exciting. So that's the eight-week program. We've got the most incredible guest speakers. Dr. Philippa Kay, who's the author of The Science of Menopause, just loads of incredible people from my clinic, Joe Warner, loads of people. So if you sign up this morning, you may be just in time. That's so cool. I love what you're doing with these journeys and giving people these deep dives

in a really kind of considered accessible way. I mean, eight weeks for a fraction of the cost of a one-to-one on clinic. You get a session every week for eight weeks. So, yeah, hopefully it can help help a lot of you out there understand yourselves. And yeah, it's been a turbulent time, Ella. It has. And I think you have a little news for us. So you're a bit nervous to share this morning.

I am nervous. And I think I'm nervous because I know personally how triggering and, you know, difficult fertility journeys can be. I'm actually pregnant with my third, which is very good. exciting. As many of you may know, I didn't actually share it on the podcast. I had a loss last October. I didn't share it because I find it hard to talk about without crying, but I have made it past the 20 week mark, which is why I feel it's been a journey, hasn't it, guys? I mean, I'm on crutches for pelvic girdle pain in the evening. You wouldn't know it if you look at me.

Oh my God, you've been feeling so poorly and so sick. Sick. I've been on antisickness med meds since the fibre formula book launch and that night actually ella was on a different set of meds wasn't I remember saying to ella I walked in the room I felt like it wasn't working just my head felt like felt like I was drunk yeah she's been honestly you guys know you here every week all the things she's up to she's been working so hard and feeling so extraordinarily unwell so incredibly proud friend and yeah really really happy for you so yeah I'm here I am obviously delighted everybody don't get me wrong. I'm very excited to welcome another little one to my family. But I just wanted to say, you know, for anyone that's going through a journey like this, I just wanted to say,

don't worry, this podcast is not about me and my pregnancy at all. Because actually, this is the only thing that keeps me sane every week. Yes, exactly. No. Health and wellness versus parenting, but obviously that personal aspect is important and it's such a huge, huge thing going on in your life and we're all just so pleased for you. Oh, I'm just. I'm so relieved it's out there now because honestly I was saying to Ella and well when I go in, I don't know, I don't know how to share it, I don't know how to tell people my news. And it is almost sad as well we're in a world where we feel so guarded or I'm just particularly acutely aware of others, other people's feelings.

But equally, I'm also slightly fearful of the reactions of people, people's judgment for some reason. Isn't that strange? It should be something to be celebrated, but it's hard to share personal things. Yeah, no, it really is. I really, really understand that. Well, we are so happy for you. Thanks, Ella. So let's do the show.

Ella, the health headlines that matter today. Okay, before we get into the headlines, we have a funny clip. Oh, so this clip Ella's about to play me, has had 438,000 likes and 15 million views. Yes, exactly that. So it's insane how many likes and views it has, and it's gone so viral, and it felt so wellness, scoopy. I thought we'd play it quickly. I need to lift heavier weights. I need to take creatine.

I need to increase my protein. I need to walk more. I need to increase my fiber. I need to wear more sunscreen. I need to take magnesium. I need to take collagen. I need a sauna. I need to sleep earlier.

I need to stop drinking coffee. I need to regulate my cortisol. I mean, it inspired me to make some versions of bio when Ella sent it over. But I mean, I think absolutely everybody resonates with needing to do everything. Yeah, the pressure to need to do a billion and one things. And I thought it was so interesting, as I said. that the clip had had over 15 million views when I found it. And yeah, half a million likes.

It just shows exactly that. Like there is this collective pressure on women in particular, but on us in general, to need to do all of these things. And it feels so overwhelming. So that's a little reassurance and a bit of humor. But if you are feeling that sense of, I need to do this, I need to do that, I can't do it all. You are clearly, clearly not alone.

50 million others feel exactly the same, probably more that aren't online. So Ella, we have our first pick up today, which is a quick one, but very, very important because we know that the smartphone free childhood movement is incredibly, well, vocal right now. Thank goodness. Yeah, it's interesting actually. Because the government in the UK is doing this big consultancy period, at looking at as much data and information from as many groups as possible in order to make the most informed decision on what they do with legislation around smartphones and children.

There are so many headlines at the moment around social media because there's so many different groups submitting their reports and often they then make the headlines. And this was one, as really said, this was one of the reports submitted from the smartphone free childhood and they were looking at the potential cost of the impact of social media on teenage mental health. Now, not everyone agrees with these figures, so we'll be super clear about that from the outset, but their estimation from their report is that it may now be costing the UK economy between two and three billion pounds a year, the toll of social media because of the impact on teenage mental health. And to get that data, they were pulling together

reports from the NHS, the ONS, as well as data from research groups like the Resolution Foundation and the Health Foundation. And it just showed these very very very important. very, very stark trends that we're all really aware of, but essentially around hospital admissions for teenage mental health conditions, which have risen by 65% in a decade with almost one million children, now in contact with NHS mental health services and youth, worklessness linked to ill health, which has also doubled over the last 10 years. So, as I said, not everyone agrees with how directly all of these various costs can be attributed to social media. There was a quote actually from a woman called Sonia Livingston, who's from LSC, the London School of Economics.

And she said, the science is not going to support a simple causal claim because adolescence is not simple and social media is not one thing. And I think that summarises the nuance. Like, it's quite difficult to say that the 65% rise in teenage mental health conditions that causing these hospital admissions is solely because of smartphones. But I think everybody collectively agrees they are playing a disproportionate role. And even a fraction of that two, billion pound figure is hugely meaningful. I completely agree. It is hard. It's always chicken and egg and it's always very difficult to pull together any quantitative data. But the Office for National Statistics is pretty sound. And I think it's just another good force this survey that it drives

action towards this area. We've actually got some more headlines on social media will probably cover next week, I think as these evolve, we'll watch it more and more. Because they're stark, aren't they? Yeah. And there have been reports submitted now from some of the the largest medical bodies in the country again looking at it. So yeah, it's a very moving story. So we will keep you updated. We absolutely will. It is no wonder that we are all struggling. Once again, it brings us back to grounding that we're all in this together. And there really probably is a very meaningful impact for our mental health when it comes to our phones. So our first headline, Ella, today. Exercise for 10 hours a week. Sorry, just 10 hours.

We're doing a panic in the corner. Everybody as, well, being pregnant now, but I can barely get enough exercise in with my pelvic pain. Exercise for 10 hours a week to get the best heart benefits, everybody. Yes, this made headlines absolutely everywhere. And actually, there was some quite interesting kind of like common pieces or personal opinion pieces on it from people who say, look, I see myself as quite an avid exerciser and exercise plays a really important role in my life. And even I can't get 10 hours of exercise in a week. So it was interesting to digest, but basically there was a new study that just came out,

and it was looking at how much exercise people need for optimal heart health. And the headline figure from this research was actually a lot higher than current official guidance, because NHS guidance is 150 minutes a week, so just over two hours. It's just a better minimum to keep you healthy, I think, NHS guidance is to keep you free from sickness. Yeah, and this is the interesting thing, whereas this was looking at optimal. Exactly. Whereas that, as you said, it's more kind of minimum, potentially. Anyway, it was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

And it followed over 17,000 adults from the UK Biobank Ella for over eight years. And these participants were fitness trackers. So once again, I just want to remind people that fitness trackers are not really that accurate when it comes to measures of health, you know, heart rate monitors, all sorts of things like that. But it wasn't based on people trying to remember how much exercise they'd done. So one good thing about the fitness trackers, is that you can objectively measure when you do raise your heart rate for a prolonged period of time. So there's pros and cons to that.

And what they found was a very clear dose response relationship. So the more moderate to vigorous activity people did, I think this makes perfect sense. You know, as we exercise, we grow more blood vessels and we increase our cardiovascular capacity. So it lowers their risk of problems linked to that like heart attack, strokes and heart failure. Yeah, exactly that. And as we said, at the moment, the NHS, the world has. health organization recommend, to Bree's point, at least. I think we always say the NHS recommends 150 minutes.

Actually, they recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. So we're talking about things like brisk walking, like power walking, swimming, even gardening, continuous like mowing the lawn, things like there. And that hitting that target, the 150 minutes, was linked to around an 8 to 9% lower cardiovascular disease risk. So obviously, that's positive. but infinitely bigger benefits came at higher levels of movement. So when we got to about 370 minutes a week, so that's just over six hours,

that was linked to a 20% lower risk. But people were doing around 560 to just over 600 minutes a week. So that's when we're at the roughly 9 to 10 hour mark. They were seeing about a 30% reduction in cardiovascular events. So that is really meaningful. I think it just makes sense. I think we all have to remember as human beings are, parts of muscle. And the more you exercise that muscle, the more reward and benefit and strength

you will get from it. Of course, oxygen and all the benefits that come within your body from exercise. I just want to throw in that I feel at the moment knowing most people aren't even hitting the 150 minutes a week, 10 hours can feel. I mean, you heard my initial reaction. I was like, whoa, okay, very overwhelming. But I think it's an important reminder just to raise our heart rate a little bit. So take the steps, take the escalators and those sorts of things that raise your heart rate because those are the things that push our muscle a little bit more and make it, you know, keep it stronger. So it's just adding. And actually one of the baseline fitness levels that was mentioned here was that we need to just exercise slightly more to achieve

the same cardiovascular benefits as fitter people that are already doing it. So even just 30 to 50 additional minutes a week can be really beneficial for your heart and for me for instance right now that would be trying to walk up the stairs in the weird way that I do at the moment so it's little things Ella yeah it really is and as we say what they're talking about here is moderate um plus exercise so brisk well like exactly you can't keep doing it for hours and hours and hours but brisk walking is part of that and so yes you could go jogging yes you go swimming all these things but those are quite hard to fit into the middle of your day. You're in your office right now.

I mean, I'm looking at me. I'm in like shirt and jeans. Like I'm in my work clothes. But I could easily, you know, go for a 20 minute walk for sure. Instead of getting the bus, for example, from where I'm going next, I could walk there. It was torrential around today, so we both didn't do that. But yes, we could have walked. Next.

Later, maybe a way. Later, she might do it. And she may go up a hill. I might go up a hill. I don't think there's a hill where I'm going. But you never know. But I just think it is, it's so. easy to think, oh, put it off. And as you said, Re, I actually, it's funny because it sounds so

kind of basic and so many ways, but you're so right to remind us, like, the heart is a muscle. It needs to be exercised and it needs to be worked. And it's so easy not to do that when life is busy. It's also the mental health benefits. I mean, I know from my struggles recently, but also for many people out there, once you do do a little bit more, it could even be tidying the house that gets your heart rate up. Hoovering. Hoovering gets your heart rate up. Picking up a box and carrying it up the stairs,

if you've got stairs in your house or in your flat, going up the stairs to your flat door. All of those things are exercising your heart. Yeah, they absolutely are. And I think, you know, not to be kind of depressing, but cardiovascular disease remains one of our biggest collective health issues. According to the British Heart Foundation, it causes around 170,000 deaths a year in the UK.

So that's roughly a death every three minutes. And there are about 8 million people in this country living with cardiovascular conditions. So it's incredibly prevalent. It's responsible for one in four premature deaths in this country. Like looking after our hearts is of absolute utmost important for all of us. And although the 10 hours is obviously a huge jump for lots of people, I think it's important. You know, it's that whole idea. I always love that like get 1% closer to your goals.

each day, you know, we really overestimate what we're going to do today, tomorrow, and a week and underestimate what we'll do in a year. So if you currently manage to exercise once a week, please don't set yourself the target today of doing 10 hours. I think it is unlikely to stick. But if what you can do is start to build in maybe a second exercise session and then maybe a 20-minute walk on your lunch breaks or before work or after work while it's summer and it's lighter for longer. You can start just building in these little blocks and you might find six months from now that actually you're moving a lot more and you might find two years from now, you're moving completely differently and you're suddenly not exercising for an hour a week.

You're actually moving your body for eight hours a week and you get all those benefits. But just really adding these things in slowly, gently, incrementally. That's what Ella just said. The key is it's cumulative movement, not necessarily 10 hours in the gym. And I think that's what is really important to reinforce. And humans historically move throughout the day without thinking they need to go to the gym or X as our size. I'm not saying we were healthier many years ago. We weren't. We are living longer now.

But modern lifestyle is incredibly sedentary. We know that. And what the research has listed here was that, you know, it could even be picking up children, gardening, running around more in general, just picking up the pace if you're running late to the train. Dancing. Going out with your friends and dancing. Yeah, dancing around the house. cycling to work.

Exactly, all of that. So let's just try and remind ourselves to get our heart rates up a little bit more every day. Yeah, absolutely that. And also as reset, it's like it is actually quite addictive exercise. And that's, in this case, can be positive. Like once you start the desire to keep going and get those endorphins and that feel good boost, it is quite a good cycle. We are going to take a quick ad break, guys.

And when we come back, we are going to dive into some very confusing, conflicting headlines. that we've seen on omega-3s and whether they speed or reverse cognitive decline. Hey, y'all, it's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. Ever order furniture online and wonder, what if? Like, what if it doesn't hold up? That sofa was four days old. You should have ordered from Wayfair. With Wayfair, there's no what-if.

Just style you love and quality you can trust. Visit Wayfair.cair, every style, every home. So moving on to headline two. Wow. Okay, there's a lot about Omega-3s, but we've had lots of headlines at the moment that a stating omega-3 supplementation may increase your risk of cognitive decline and that are warnings from scientists. It's so confusing. I WhatsApp this to read exactly that and the headlines literally like study links to mega-3 supplements to faster cognitive decline and it feels so confusing because all the time you read, we need omega-3, we need fish oil for our brains, we've got to have an omega-3 for our brains.

We break this down for us what on earth. I actually am very disappointed with these headlines once again because it's not what the research and the foundings have actually said, which is typical. We know this happens. It's just that from, you know, we need to update our data essentially, first of all, for the benefits of Omega 3. But we also need to recognize that, you know, large human trials have been inconsistent. And all that it's said is that the quality of supplementation has declined. So the quality of the supplements that people are taking just to double check? 100%, these fish oils that have been marketed for years as being brain protective. But actually, when you look behind the signs, the headlines, it's so much more nuanced. It's not that omega-3 is causing dementia at all. Because that is how you can easily read it. You flip through this and you think, oh my gosh, I've got to throw away my omega-3 pills, liquid, drops, whatever. And this all came just from one observational study.

So I just want to remind you, observational studies are notoriously not the most accurate form of study. You want a double-blind, randomized control placebo-type study to look at things. And it was looking at older adults from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. And researchers found that those people taking the amygacry supplements appeared to experience faster cognitive decline over time compared with those not taking them. And that's where the headlines came from. However, the study doesn't prove that it was the omega-3 supplements that caused the decline. It's just an association from an observational study. Now, investigating or studying the elderly is really notoriously difficult anyway,

depending at what stage they initially are, how they eat overall. Remember a supplement isn't even a miracle on its own. We have to remember supplements just fill a gap. And it's actually an adult's overall diet lifestyle that's going to reduce their risk even more than just popping an omega-3 capsule. And I think that's so important to reiterate. but Omega-3 has had a healthy halo for a long time and there's not been enough attention on the quality of the supplements,

which I am very passionate about, but the wording was far too dramatic. And over roughly five years essentially in this study, omega-3 supplementation showed this deeper cognitive decline. But the researchers also didn't find the classic Alzheimer's hallmark, so many of you may have heard of amyloid plaque or tau tangles. You see these pictures of DNA that's kind of unraveled and all scrambled, and that's what happens in our brains when we develop these neurodegenerative conditions, and that particular hallmarkers of Alzheimer's. So instead, they were looking at changes in the brain that were linked to glucose metabolism and synaptic function.

These are not the same things. And those researchers couldn't fully control for the dose of the supplement, the quality of the supplement, the oxidation status, are just to remind you. cod liver or supplements can go rancid very, very quickly. There's a reason I never recommend them in clinic. I would always suggest going for a DHA supplement instead, which is the algae, the fish consume. So I could waffle on, I've actually written loads on this, I'm not going to because I feel that's kind of explained a lot of it for you.

But overwhelming research says we need these omega-3s. Our brain's 60% fat. We need the cell membranes around the cell are made of those healthy fats. And that is what we need in our diets. And most people are not getting enough. But I would swap cod liver oil for plant algae supplements. Okay. That's really helpful.

Those sort of headlines, as you say, they're so frustrating because it's like you keep reading, do this, do this, do this. And then you open the page and said, don't do that. Well, let us also list off the other benefits. Omega 3 is not just about neurodegenerative diseases. You know, it impacts your heart health as well. these healthy fats play a role of course in blood sugar regulation too reducing inflammation so there's so many things that play a role with our health and these elderly adults who knows what they were eating they didn't even measure how many they were taking of the supplements so top line don't worry you still definitely need omega-3 in your life you can get it through your diet but most of us aren't enough right yes that's it and that's why i mentioned and it's quite a sweeping statement i made last week that i do predict an amygothi three crisis sort of coming to our population at some point over the next few years because we'll finally acknowledge that we haven't been getting enough of this vital nutrient.

Then we'll realise it's too late because we've overfarmed the oceans and then we'll realize that supplementation is not a straightforward. And sadly, the sustainability issue within this whole genre of food in itself is very difficult. So farm salmon now contains significantly lower omega three levels and it did 20 years ago, for instance, because of changes in how we feed the fish and the regulation on aquaculture practices. You know, we've mentioned before and we've used the example of waitrose taking mackerel off the menu, but salmon and mackerel are still valuable sources of omega-3, but they don't

contain the same concentrations they once did. But also lots of people don't necessarily enjoy oily fish. No. So aren't eating that maybe as much. And plant sources, you can get some, but we're also talking about like, walnuts, hemp seeds, flaxsees, which aren't necessarily kind of things that people are like consuming an enormous quantity. No, that's why I predict a bit of an amiga crisis. So, you know, we should be shifting the conversation from should we take them to how can we sustainably provide omega-3 sources

for the public? And then, Rie, one other thing on the omega-3 crisis, which I think is so interesting and you guys heard it here first, is correct me if I'm wrong here, though, which is that the very rough ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is incredibly important and because of our high intake of UPFs we're eating a lot of omega-6 and nowhere near enough omega-3 and that can be problematic. It can but also I'm not worried about people's omega-6 intake in isolation. It's more the combined approach of the old-process feed. This is what I mean. The omega-3 is going down, the anti-inflammatory ingredients going down, the UPFs going up.

and the epidemi is going up. Tell us a bit about this. So this is actually where the seed oil debate comes from. Exactly. There's higher omega. I always get so anxious when I talk about it because I know people get so passionately about seed oils. Omega 6 is very high in seed oils. And that's why olive oil, for instance, rape seed oil has a good omega-3 ratio. And that's why we recommend cooking with those sorts of oils for the heart-healthy benefits.

The research of the golden liquids that are out there everywhere. omega-6, because of the use of these seed oils, it doesn't mean the seed oil and isolation is bad. It's just that they are the best type of oils to use in the majority of convenience items. And let's be honest, as we know from our discussions last year on ultra-processed foods, you know, with 60% of adults and up to 70% of children having convenience foods, their omega-6 levels are really high. So that needs to come down at a smidgen. There's no direct correlation at the moment that omega-6 in the digital.

diet is causing problems, but we do know that the omega-3 is completely neglected. It's almost like fiber conversation. Compare it to protein, protein, whereas the fiber. But it's so much harder, isn't it? Because it leads with fiber, which we'll get on to in a second, is getting cool. Oh, we are, aren't we? Yeah. At least with fiber, there are so many sources, right?

Like any plant that you eat, you know, a chocolate covered almond, that has fiber. Chocolate covered raisins, they have fiber. Like bananas, apples, these things that are pretty. accessible and probably most of us can get on board with oranges, etc. That all has fiber. You don't have to eat like a butter bean, you know, which might necessarily to other people feel new or whatever. You don't have to eat kale. You don't have to eat turmeric. You don't have to eat butter beans. You have to eat kind of wellness foods, essentially, to get your fiber. You just need to eat more plants and it can come in more accessible potatoes.

Brown rice. Totally. These much more accessible forms. The problem with the mega three, as we were just saying, is it's now, to your point, you've said before like it's not even in a fish like tuna it's in salmon it's quite a specific taste macroal becoming sardines aren't popular because of the bones and the turn yeah it's a bit more niche right and then it's in these very very niche um plant foods i would say niche like flaxseeds cheeses walnuts these are just not things that people are like stuffing in their mouth on a daily basis and also the cost of these ingredients yeah and you need a lot of them as well like we're talking about several tablespoons a day. We are. I mean, you need two tablespoons of flax around 15 grams to get

the benefits of the amount of omega-3 you need and they want to be cold-pressed and store it in the fridge because once again, flax seeds can go rancid because of these healthy fat components if you leave them out of the fridge on open. So this is not general public information. Most people growing up in this country will never have seen a flax seed before. No, and omega-3 is so important for obviously our brains, but also anti-inflammatory benefits. So it's, So really, I agree with you on the crisis. I think it's, as I said, with fibre, I know there's a huge fibre gap, but filling it feels a lot simpler to me, just more fruit bowls.

You know, it is, and I'm not trying to be reductive, but these are familiar foods, lots of them to people, the idea that we could get, encourage people to eat more, if these foods feels plausible, oats, porridge, all of the rest of it, whereas omega-3, it's in very expensive and very scarce number of foods, and yet it's so important, and that feels very concerning. Yeah, I mean, it's something.

thing I'm writing behind the scenes a lot about at the moment because I feel passionately about because algae supplements are again very expensive. It's not even an option for people at the moment. That's what's really concerning for me. It's so interesting because actually in pregnancy you're recommended to take omega-3, of course, as well. So we know the importance of it. Which brand do you like? Well, there's so many amazing options now that contain all of it. So there's some pregnant multis I know that have the omega-3 and the multi within one capsule now or two a day. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, rituals.

But again, you have to import that from America. So what I'm finding here is another thing that people haven't thought about yet. We're going to have to start tackling. But shall we move on to fiber that we can tackle now? Yeah, but just really quickly for our listeners who are thinking, I don't want to be in the crisis. Yeah, of course you don't. What's your recommendation?

Every day, if you can, have an item that you know contains these lovely omega-3s. And remember in plant forms, they take a lot longer to convert in your body. So if you are able to eat a portion of all your fish a week and you feel comfortable doing that sustainably, then go for it one portion a week. But then we're talking really about sardines and salmon. That's it now, right? Yeah. I know. And even that, the salmon, I personally don't think it's what it once was.

Well, the research backs me up there. I don't need to even doubt myself when I say that. You can get traces of omega-3 and other fish too, some white fish too, sea bass, sea bass, sea brewers. but they're very small. I would actually suggest the most cost-effective thing for your wallets to do is to buy a large bag of walnuts, keep them in the fridge, have like three or four a day, stock up on chia seeds and flax seeds in bulk.

And like Ella and I discussed in our books, like I did in the fiber formula particularly, just try and get those at least two portions of healthy seeds and nuts in your diet every day. If you have an allergy to those, I do think supplementation should be a definite consideration because we don't fortify this in generic food. It's the one of the supplements actually that I always give my kids because they have a liquid one every day because I chuck things like flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, cheer seeds, particularly hemp and cheer actually into like pancake mixes and stuff where they just they have no flavour these foods.

Hemp is great for omega-3 and protein. Yeah. Or I'll like sprinkle it on a, you know, literally even a rice cracker with peanut butter and jam, which is a snack they like. But that's the norm to them. No, totally. And I know it's weird, but I just mean if you're trying to get it in, they are. good because they don't really taste. Like if you put chia seeds in a pancake mix,

no one's going to know it's there. That's so true. It's completely it. Whereas if you don't like walnuts, it's quite a specific taste. Also, don't forget olive oil. That's an easy way for people, just cook with olive oil more.

But then once again, we have a cost of living crisis and quality of oil to consider and it needs to be in a dark glass container stored out of direct sunlight in a cool cupboard. Otherwise, those benefits are lost and they deage over time as well.

So, I mean, the eat well plate at the moment doesn't have any recommendation other than try and eat a portion of oily fish. So we are lagging seriously behind. Okay, guys, we've got a more positive headline three here for you today. Okay. How Eating Beans could boost brain health and happiness, which obviously we all need more of in our life. This was a really interesting piece. Actually, this has been on our agenda for a few months. Now it's from slightly earlier in the year, but we never had space.

We got a space for it today. And it was looking at the growing research. about beans, legumes and brain health. And full disclosure, I've just teamed up with Veg Power and Food Foundation who are doing the Bang and Some Beans Campaign. Oh, are you? What are you going to do with them? We're doing a big campaign where I'm going to be hopefully helping parents around the country

through schools educate on how we can get more beans into our diet and help increase the fibre content. I love it. So I'm filming that on Thursday, but their campaign was the one we spoke about. Do you remember we need to double the intake of beans by 2028? Yeah. Do you know what? We're going to talk about it next week.

but there's different countries sharing refreshed, kind of eat well plates, food guidelines for the population, etc. And it's so interesting to see more countries. We don't have it here yet, but more countries specifically recommending daily intake of beans and legumes. It can only be positive for the environment, sustainability. It's just a really easy win. So despite all the expensive powders you see, you know,

supplements, marketed for your brain health, longevity, we know fiber-rich, whole food, are so good for our gut microbiome and potentially that interaction can increase our mental health and beans are particularly interesting because they support our heart not just on one level there but multiple levels.

So soluble fibre, we're talking about pushing things through our gut, cardiovascular health, keeping our blood sugar regulation on track, digestive health, brain health, all sorts of things but only two thirds of the population, Ella, eat fewer than one portion of beans a week. So despite them being the cheapest form of protein and fibre and then most nutrient-dense foods out there,

we're just not eating them. Yeah, I think they always had this quite unappealing connotation. And there's amazing brands like Amelia Boulbeen, who are doing huge work to try and change the reputation of beans. But certainly for me growing up, like I remember when I changed my diet, and I went, yeah, this big focus on whole foods and plant-based foods and people being like, what are you going to eat? Did you wish just beans straight away?

I did. I did straight away, interesting. But people were like a lentil. Like as though a lentil was like the grossest weirdest thing you could ever eat. I mean, I didn't eat, sorry, Camilla. You know, we all know my mom's like our number one fan of wellness scoop. I don't think we ever ate. I don't know if she, I'm sure she'd eaten like hummus in a restaurant type thing.

But I don't think we ever want a bean or lentil growing up. And I don't think it would have even crossed her mind because I'm not sure. Just baked beans. Yeah. I never like. My sisters loved baked beans. I never loved, I never liked baked beans. See, I used to have the five beans salad thing my mom used to put.

But that's the only thing I ever saw growing up was baked beans. Yeah, you're so right. Yeah, my mom never cooked with, because it's just not part of our culture to cook. No, it definitely wasn't on a school menu. Whereas in other cultures, like I've got friends that make the most incredible, constantly Indian food or dals. And I tried my first docla. Oh my gosh.

Yeah, or like beans, you know, soups, like a ribolita type soup with beans and exactly. Yes, in Italy. They're famous for me. minestrone. And as you said, they're so, they're so cheap and they're so good. They've got magnesium, potassium, zinc, some iron and things like lentils, and they're often paired with our tomatoes, etc. So it's amazing for the iron absorption. But it's really interesting. Anyway, this was research, again, looking at things like the Mediterranean diet, the mine diet that we've talked about before, which are all so well researched, showing, again, this association with including things like beans

through these diets and better long-term brain health, lower dementia risk. There was, It was a study that's published in neurology that involved more than 130,000 people. And it found that replacing just one daily serving of processed red meat with nuts or legumes was associated with nearly a 20% lower dementia risk. So one daily serving of process redmi swapped for nuts or legumes. I mean, that's enormous. And it's also because of the resistant starch, which reaches the colon or further down your intestine and feeds these beneficial bacteria

and we get these incredible short-chain fatty acids that also help with our serotonin, our happy hormone production. Beans are really quite remarkable. And I think it doesn't prove that on their own they're going to be the cure for dementia. We can't say that. Nothing is. If you ate a kind of very UPF heavy diet

and like mostly McDonald's and then had a portion of beans, you're probably not going to get your 20% lower dementia risk. It's got to be, part of something vaguely balanced. But if you can start making those little swaps and even, you know, I've always said things. Like if you make a traditional shepherd's pie or lasagna

or bolognais that your family absolutely love, even just adding, you know, making 20% of that lentils instead. You can mash the butter beans with the mashed potato. Or you just, you know, reduce the meat in the bolognais by 20% and swap that with, you know, just even a few tablespoons of lentils. Imagine no one. will even notice in something like a shepherd's pie. Because traditionally we used to really pack in, I think because back in the olden days,

I will say, there is an association of peasant foods versus protein rich items. Yeah, because beans are so much cheaper than a day. Exactly. So we probably ate a lot of beans and pulses in society and then those that were living in the palaces, just probably had a lot of meat and animal produce. So there's those connotations obviously stem-free society for different types of foods. We really need to bust this image, don't we, that beans aren't cool, because the two bees, beans are brain-friendly. Brain-boosting.

Brain-boasting. Brain-boasting. I love it. Yeah, and I think that's a really nice way of thinking about it. Like, if you include lots of processed meats in your diet or lots of animal protein, you don't need to reduce everything. You don't need to get rid of everything. But if you just swapped a couple of servings a week for beans, that would be so, so beneficial for you. your health. And save you a fortune. Yeah, it really would. Okay, moving on to our trends,

talking about beans, guys, Haley Bieber, who is, I think, one of the most, whether you're a fan or not a fan. I'm not sure if you can even be a fan, because I'm not sure she kind of does something specific to be a fan of. Who's daughter is she again? She's a famous person's daughter, isn't she? Yeah, one of the bald ones. Yes, that's, yeah. And then she's already married to Justin Bieber. She's just like a culturally relevant person, let's call it. But she's also founder of road which sold for over a billion, which is what's road? Road beauty. Oh, on the back of the phones?

Yeah, the back of the lip glosses. That was her. The lip gloss on the phone case. Right. And it sold for over a billion dollars. Yeah, very recently. So extraordinary cultural relevancy. I think you can measure that in. And the company that she created anyway, as a result of her billion dollar sale, she

was listed in Time magazine for most influential people. They interviewed her and she said that fiber was cool. She did have a listen to this. Machilates, overrated, underrated. I think it's a little over. I'm a coffee girl. Pilates. I think it's a little over. Fiber. Underrated. We all need more fiber. Therapy. Totally under. Okay, I'm not trying to say we should all kind of mirror ourselves on, um, it's like LA celebs, but it is. Or eat the way they do, because it's just not realistic. No, but it's so great

to see someone of such huge influence who has hundreds of millions of followers of. who has picked up in every magazine in the world, say the fibre is cool. That is only an amazing, amazing thing. We want people to eat more beans. We want people to eat more veg. When you have these people who hold such cultural capital, whether you're a fan or not, it doesn't matter. People who are culturally relevant supporting healthy habits is so important, I think.

I completely not to agree. And now, talking of culturally relevant, now Ella, I'm afraid this is making me nauseous, this headline. I might even have to lead you with it because the thought of it, I do not like pickles. I take them out. I take them out of everything. Oh my God. I love pickles. And Ella's like obsessed. Okay. Come on then Ella. Okay. This is, I'm just feeling like this is so weird. Sash, I won a ticket. How do I go? I'm running a mile. Okay. Pickle parties. That's where you'll find. Jen said this summer. So apparently the biggest food trend at the moment is pickles. And I was like, oh great. I love pickles.

and, you know, like a nice, crunchy little pickled cucumber. No, there's like pickled themed because it's so popular, fashion beauty products. There's like pickle candles, pickle puzzles, pickle socks. It was not. Kurt Gheiger have made a pickle-shaped handbag. I'm sorry. I saw pickle lip bumps. I mean, it's like absolutely nuts.

Duolipa, Duolipa, who I was really on the train this morning, was getting married in some amazing bash in Palermo and Cicester this week, maybe with pickles involved. But she shared that she's obsessed with Diet Coke with pickle brine. Yeah, so that went really viral. Pamela Anderson, who is obviously such an icon at the moment, has just launched a pickle brand, very aesthetic images from that launch, I must say.

So obviously that's accelerated the whole thing. And now this summer there are pickle festivals, as I said, I won a ticket. But there's the Big Brine, Pickle Fest and Pickle Festival. I want to go to Big Brine. Big Brines in Hackney. I'm not cool enough, but they're expecting almost 5,000 people. They're going to have DJs, they're going to have performers, they're going to have pickle bags.

I don't know. Basically, picklebacks are going to be there. That's whiskey shots followed by pickle brine chasers. I just lost for words. I just, maybe because I detest them and I have done since childhood so much. But, you know, good for you. I remember people used to have those monster munch crisps, those pickled onion crisps. And I never got that either.

I like it. It's another way to make veggies cool. I mean, if people think carrying pickle handbags, cool. Surely that's good for us eating more veg. I can deal with a few pink onions. I did put some of those in the five form of a book. I can hope that. But what's so interesting, Ella's right. Retailers are seeing a huge spike in demand. So Akado said searches for mini pickles are up 380% year on year while sandwich packed pickle searches have jumped up to 627%. Then Tesco has increased its range, Ella, of pickles and fermented foods, which is great, by two thirds. I mean, that's pretty

cool, I do agree. I know. So basically, I'm a big fan because I feel like it's a nice way of getting us to eat more veg. Obviously, we know that's just so, so important. They're also so easy to make yourself, but I've seen so many articles being like, it's so good for your gut. No, it's not. Can you explain it? Okay, Ella, give us the logo. I'm sorry, that's actually partly why I wanted to include it. So obviously, look, pickles are good for your gut because they have vegetables. And eating vegetables is incredibly good for your gut health. We don't eat enough vegetables. So if that's a way to get another serving in and more fiber in your life, that's absolutely. And it saves money.

You can preserve things for a long time. For sure. That's absolutely amazing. But it doesn't have the benefit that fermented food has, unfortunately. So if you're pickling something, you're normally doing that in a vinegar or even lime juice, but you're not fermenting it. Whereas things like kimchi or sauerkraut, these are what contain the live bacteria. that not that all vegetables don't support your gut health, they do,

but the particular benefits of these live bacteria, they come from fermented foods, not from pickles. And especially if you're buying supermarket pickles, which are preserved in vinegar, quite often, pasteurized, etc., they just don't have your live cultures. So please, they think they're bad. It's eating more veg, that's eating more fibre. That's all excellent.

But it's a bit of a misnomer. They're not the same as fermented foods. I mean, it's just a win-win pickles. for everybody then let us know. Please do let us know in Spotify. Apple, are you a pickle lover? Oh my God, I'm such a pickle fun. But I tell you what, we, you know, that really boogey

crisp brand Torres? Yeah. You know, they made like the, um, travel crisp that everyone's obsessed with it. I love truffle. I put truffle on everything. So they do a vinegar one, which I'm telling you is the best crisp in the world. I've never let's salt and vinegar. See, maybe there's something wrong with me.

I feel like we're up on pilot. Yeah, because I would cheese and onion, you'd salt in the vinegar. We also sent me something about, I'm Grinith Poucher yesterday. She was like, let's discuss. and I was like, I'm going to save it to a person to feel like I'm actually secretly kind of a fan of Gwyneth. It's quite iconic. We'll discuss. We'll do it on an extra scope.

We will. We will. Oh my gosh, but Torres do these pickled crisps. So then when I was writing about this, I was like, well, I have to try them. Rank. Yeah. Yeah. Don't put pickles in crisps.

Do not recommend. But what I do recommend, there's a brand called Eat and Alive. They make, I think, some of the nicest kimchi sauce or sour crows. Yeah, they're so good. They have these pickled cucoccurts. numbers. Oh my God, if you like pickles, guys, show up from eating alive because they have fermented hot sauces and things like that. So again, for getting foments in your life. Oh, I could start with a hot sauce. Oh my gosh. They've got amazing like fermented saracha and like a lemon

limey kind of one. These are really nice ways to get little bits of fermented food in the life. I had a really weird cravings, Ella. And one of them one night was I need spicy hot sauce. Oh my God. I've never loved spice in my life. You can buy it from their website. I'm sure if you're like in London, there's places you can like whole food. It doesn't come fast. enough. I'm talking like, when I want it, I'm right now. But guys, their pickled cucumbers are beyond. And they make an extra large jar of them. Anyway, that's my recommendation. Well, I love that we've ended on a high today. What a fantastic roundup. And Ella, we have also got, of course, an incredible extra scoop coming up for you on Thursday too. Of course we do.

Oh, we've had so many questions about food scanner apps. So we're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about health anxiety. We're going to go a little bit into some favorite summer recipes, all sorts of different things. So we cannot wait to see you then. And otherwise, guys, have a great day. Thanks for being here. Let us know if you're going to a pickle party. I think we can drop in a poll actually on Spotify, guys. Tell us pickle parties, yes, no, fans. Team Ella, Team race. Head to the Spotify poll. I'd rather do it for my mind. But let's pickle it up. Let's see what you say. We hope you have a great week. We'll see you on Thursday. Can't wait.