The Wellness Scoop - Better Digestion, Diet Trends & Inflammation

Episode Date: July 23, 2026

Can a trending diet really improve your hormones? Do you need to eat fruit before a meal to reduce inflammation? And are gut tests for children worth the money? This week, we unpack the science behind one of social media's biggest diet trends, answer your questions on kiwis, Brazil nuts and hemp seeds, explore gut testing for eczema, discuss fibre timing and beetroot juice for blood pressure, and separate nutrition myths from genuinely useful advice. For more on today's contributors: Get you copy of Catherine Rabess's book, The 30 Plan Order Dr. Zoe Williams' book, You Grow Girl! For your 30-day free trial of The Way: https://www.thewayapp.com/wellnessscoop Send your questions for our weekly Q&A to ⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠ 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

I am genuinely so excited about today's sponsor because it's the way. Honestly, if you have listened to me any time over the last few months, you know I have become a little bit evangelical about this app. And I honestly recommend it to everyone. My friends, my family, people on Instagram, everyone. And she recommended it to me, so it's true. I've heard so much about it. It's just because it has had such a big impact on me.

I've meditated on and off for 15 years or so now. but using the way it's honestly the first time we've become so consistent with this daily practice and I've just seen the most unbelievable results as a result of that the app is just incredible and what I love is every day you open it and there's a meditation waiting for you so you don't scroll that you don't have to choose between hundreds of options there's no wondering what to do it just takes you on a path well I think that's why it works so well because you know most of us just don't need more big decisions every day to make Ella know exactly that we've got decision fatigue, haven't we? So this is so nice because you just follow this path of meditation, which is

led by Henry, the founder, who's just the most amazing teacher. And he makes it seem somehow just incredibly simple, but exceptionally profound at the same time, which is a very rare skill. And I've been using it too. Yes, I've now finally begun a meditation journey and I've been doing some of the shorter practices on busy days because I completely understand why you talk about it so much, Ella, it really is a nice intro in for me. Yeah, it is and I'm so glad. Anyway, it's helped me feel so much calmer, less reactive, more present. It all sounds like huge claims, but I just say, please, please, please try it if you're struggling

with stress or overwhelm. You've just got to give it a go. And the lovely thing is that everyone listening can definitely try it themselves. Exactly. So you can get a 30-day free trial, so just try it every day for a month. It'll change your life. All you do is head to theway app.com forward slash wellness scoop. Yeah, that's theway app.com forward slash wellness scoop.

Welcome to the Wellness Scoop, your twice weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration. And as always, we're both here as your host. I'm Ella Mill. And I'm Rihanna Lambert, and we break down the juiciest questions in wellness today coming from you and reveal our lovely recommendations from our listeners. So let's dive in. Oh, you guys also sent us so much of this that we loved. We were talking a few weeks ago, obviously, with World Cup mania. Oh, by the time this comes out, we will have known who'd want.

Maybe England will make it through. Maybe we won't. I don't know. So you know what is awful. I probably shouldn't admit this. I'll think of a terrible person. I've actually fallen asleep during every match. Darling, I haven't stayed up to watch it.

You think I'm staying up at 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock? But we were slightly frustrated that, as always, with these huge sporting events, they were sponsored by, you know, the big food companies that aren't so great for our health. Anyway, loads of you sent us, these great YouTube clips from the Euros in 2020, where Ronaldo, who I think is very health conscious, went to do his kind of, I'm not sure if it's pre-match or post-match, but they're kind of core conferences that they do around these big matches at the Euros. And they were sponsored, obviously, by Coca-Cola, and there were two bottles of Coca-Cola in front of him. He picked them up, took them away and just said, drink water. So many of you sent us that specific clip. We could not not include it. Just Google Ronaldo removes Coca-Cola, and you'll probably just see it all the way across your Google search engine, which is a fabulous example of a sportsman that is doing the right thing. I've also been seeing a lot because I play the highlights of the football matches to my sons. And a lot of this one player that keeps scoring a lot of goals for us at the moment, but Bellingham, lovely acts of kindness, Ella.

I mean, lovely acts of kindness. And my algorithm has now changed this particular football. giving his jacket to one of the mascots or being nice and polite. And how nice to have nice things being shown around a sport rather than negative. I love it. Also, I know this is not a particularly original recommendation from me today. But obviously, you guys have also told us so many times as a recommendation to watch off campus. We both started at the same time.

I finished it, Ella. And both of us were by ourselves, like our husband's way for a while. work at the same time. We're like, what's happening with each other. It stayed up so late, binge to watch four episodes, both of us. Oh my gosh. If you haven't watched it, it is absolutely brilliant. Like, it's just, it's a faultless rom-com. You know, obviously it's not highbrow. You know, it's, it's not the Odyssey, but it's not trying to be. But as like an easy, just like feel great. And also, there was something I wanted to ask you about Ray that I loved on it. I don't know how to say this, but like,

The girls had really normal bodies. Thank you. And no, beautiful. Dalypt gorgeous. But they were like normal people. For the first time, we weren't being exposed to extreme thinness in a TV show.

I think that's the way of phrasing it correctly. It was normal. Beautiful. And beautiful and healthy. Like boobs. Not the boobs make you normal, but in terms of they're like, they had like womenly figures.

I don't know. They just looked normal and they looked healthy. and they looked fantastic. And I thought it was so interesting because there's a lot of sex in these things. And you do see a lot of people in their underwear. And it was one of my first thoughts was like, oh my God, these women look like how I, you know,

lots of my friends look and people I know look. And whereas we're so accustomed now on our screens to see this like size double zero, you know, so thin. And it was so refreshing and great. It was really great. And I saw Dr. Martha, our psychologist, pick up on her social media page, that the men were having the sorts of conversations that you've never really seen in TV shows before around how to be respectful to a woman that's experienced violence in her life and a case of rape. And they were discussing it in such a mature way. And she said she was very impressed for a TV show to actually have two male figures, not just women,

discussing it, but men taking on board the subject and how they can best be a support to their partners. So actually, thank you, everybody. Off campus was pretty delightful. It was so delightful. I was obviously like the second I finished it, straight on being like, I'm obsessed to campus. I loved coming apparently. I loved the summer I turned pretty. What an earth do I watch now? And something like, is it Moxton Hall? We kept coming up anyway. If anyone's seen anything, what do we watch next? We need some recommendations. I've just ordered because. because I finished all the Akitar books, finally Throne of Glass, which is the next big series to delve into, apparently.

I've got all summer, all summer to read that one for me. But we have a lovely wreck from our listener today. So I've just listened to this Thursday's episode, which had a listener question about the probiotic sodas. Oh, so this is over in America and thought I'd write in with a recommendation for her and others with similar concerns. She said, I make my own probiotic soda at home using a ginger bug. You literally only need water, ginger and sugar to make the bug, Ella.

Yeah, exactly that. I realised when I put that in from the email, I put your name in the middle of it. I'm sorry, Marianne. This is from Marion. I made no sense. Sorry, read you as well. So Marian said, basically, apparently we can find a tutorial on Instagram, on TikTok, so we can visualize the process.

But the gist is, it's like a sourdough starter. You start with a jar of water, add a spoon of sugar, and one gram of ground ginger skin on each day until you notice that it's alive by the bubbles. And that, just like your sourdough starter, you keep in the fridge so you can feed it less often, about once a week. You can just pull it out when you're going to use it. And after you use it, top it off with more water and feed it before you go back in. So I think just more ginger and sugar. And once your butt is alive, you just mix a little of it in a bottle with whichever tea or fruit juice you want as the flavour base and let it ferment for a few days

before refrigerating and enjoy your soda. Anyway, I thought it sounded so cool. She also noted that I had said very rightly that I had no luck with watercophir, but this process apparently is so much easier. It actually does sound easier. And I can imagine from what you're saying that if we see a visual of it, actually, but this sounds really easy once you get the hang of it. So I'm going to try this. Okay, because she said it's foolproof. The exact word is it's full proof. So I reckon we can give this a go, Ella. This is really my cup of tea, that kind of things. I will try it. I will let you know. And then we have another recommendation from Amanda, who said, obviously, we speak about the book, belly bugs and I've actually got lots to share with you this summer on this type of particular

space but she has a recommendation for older children which is called What Happens When You Eat by Dr Emily Bone. It's a fun lift the flat book and explains how the digestive system works and what all of the different nutrients, vitamins and minerals do in our body. So I think it's fantastic that we've got different things to look forward to and we've started our food freedom journey Ella on Retrition Plus, which is very exciting about relationships with food. So if you are someone that is struggling, just head to RetritionPlus.com and my psychologists and team are there to help. But we're now officially summer holidays, Alice, so we're both juggling, aren't we? We are, which is fun. And I am always looking for ideas and activities to entertain the children

as you guys know if you're listening to on Monday. We're really trying not to use screens or TV. and so I'm really pushing him to get creative and so far so good. But I'll walk back in six weeks time. And we're also moving in a month. Oh my gosh. So that's also keeping us busy. Yeah. The overwhelm of moving is not easy.

And now I will also say I have been experiencing massive climate anxiety and I'm sure I'm not the only one. And I did want to just bring this into conversation because all of Europe, if you're looking over in the States or something else, if you look at the map, it's like we're a red hot. if you look at the weather map, it's quite terrifying. And the knock-on effect on marine wildlife with a four-degree rise in sea temperatures at the moment, with wildlife in the UK that's used to,

that suddenly has no access to water. There are hose pipe bands everywhere. I've personally being pregnant found it absolutely unbearable and I've been experiencing massive ways of nausea and sickness, more than usual. but I feel for everybody right now. And I just wanted to say you're not alone because it's something we'll probably delve into at other points

and it's an unavoidable conversation, but our planet is changing. And if you could all just, I know we mentioned it the week before, but just have a little think about if you can leave a little bowl of water outside your door or your garden. We told us about that the other day, didn't you? She sent me a picture, you did.

I wanted to prove. I have been doing it. I mean to turn it. She did. It was actually adorable. Proper picture. And really beautiful, beautifully done. It is scary.

It really is. And that's unavoidable. And it's interesting because I think I got to watch their movie today and I turned on the TV. And it went initially onto Sky News. There's pictures of these devastating fires in Spain. And my older daughter, who's just about to turn seven, she's like, what is this? And I was honest with her. And I said, you know, it's not meant to be this hot at the moment.

end in Spain and we go to Spain quite a lot so it feels super familiar to her. She's really freaked her out anyways. It's like it's because it's too hot and it is. It's really, it's unbearable heat. Our country's not built for it either. We trap heat and actually what it's really raised concerns of is that we need to change the infrastructure of our cities to include more greenery because even under a canopy of trees, it can be 10 degrees cooler than the 10 degree increase you can experience on a concrete pavement or in playgrounds are too hot for children to play. in. I took the children away when I was so parenting for a mini break. It was too hot to go outside and do anything anywhere. I literally couldn't take them outside to just walk down the road.

It is, there's something about it at the moment. So just to let you know, you're not alone. And we will be here with levels of distraction, but also honesty, when needed at times. And we've got lots of questions. So Ella, what's coming up in today's show? Okay, we're going to be talking about the thing called the Ray Pete Diet. Actually, first time I've heard of it when we say to talk about it. Some nutrition nuggets, which I love from re, Kiwis, Brazil nuts and hemp seeds. Here we come.

A gut health test for children worth it. Does food order really reduce inflammation? Very size to chat about that. There's a lot about that online. The timing of your fibre. And is it true that beet root juice can lower blood pressure plus lots more because there's always lots more. So let's dive in to question one that comes to us from Mia.

Exactly. And she has said, I love your podcast and how you discuss one. I say positively, thank you. We try and keep it positive. She said there's so much misinformation. It's amazing to have many fats debunked. My question today is regarding the Ray Pete diet. I've seen many people online preach it for improving hormonal balance through focusing on metabolic health.

However, I feel it goes against lots of health advice since it seems high and saturated fats. Please may you explain whether this is evidence-based and beneficial for hormone balance. Right, Ella, do you want to read out what these diets? diets contain? Look, I think we see this all the time, not necessarily the Ray P diet, but just like similar things. And it's really normal, anyone who's obviously struggled with lots of different health conditions, we want answers. And I think it really helps make these things kind of take off. It was developed by the late biologist Ray Pete, and it's essentially dietary framework that operates on the idea that carefully chosen foods can optimize our hormones, prevent stress, that's in our

energy levels and the core principles are that you avoid seed oils and also nuts, no nuts, because the suggestion is that polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are in nuts as well as seed oils, suppress your thyroid function and cause inflammation. You want to protease simple sugars. So the diet, actually unlike a kind of keto diet or something, does rely on ripe fruit, fresh fruit, juice, honey. His argument is that these provide immediate. fuel to lower stress hormones like cortisol. It also highly recommends raw or low temperature pasteurized milk cheese and ice cream along with gelatinous meats like things like bone broth for specific amino acids and it discourages intermittent fasting. It's very pro eating regular

balanced meals. I've heard more things, let's be honest. Yes, but I think it's important to point out that he just had a PhD in biology. He actually specialised in physiology and he was not a licensed medical doctor. So I think as with everything that comes online, when we read these things, you know, people can have an area of research they're very interested in, you know, that they take and sadly it gets blown up into a mainstream view. You know, his views are significantly divergent from established medical and nutritional advice.

And it's the sort of thing I think you do have to be very wary of. It's unconventional and there is actually no evidence or any studies to back it up. He was a physiologist and not someone that spent a lot of time ever really looking into the science of nutrition in that way. But he theorized things and it does make sense that fat is involved in the building blocks of our hormones. And that does make sense alongside protein. But what I would argue is that alongside a balanced diet, these individual components can have a place within their right. But for somebody to just go and eat red meat, butter, coconut, oil, we're talking very much again Carnivore Ask here. That's what it rings and screams to me, Ella, bulletproof coffees those days.

I wonder if he had an affiliation with that type of biohacking area. But what I would say is that the advice to avoid nuts and seeds for hormones is something. that goes against mainstream scientific evidence and nutrition. And in fact, what we advise people is to have the healthy unsaturated fatty acids for our heart health, for our hormones, for our gut. Our gut bugs love to break down these nuts and seeds. And overall, I would say this is not a diet that has any grounding of evidence within it to support hormonal balance.

So it might go viral. If I'm right as well, he also suggested limiting some veggies, things like cruciferous veg, again, because of maybe this thyroid function question, unless they're very well cooked. So that would be iodine, yeah. Yeah, beans and lentils. Phytate, fear mongering. Yeah, this is where all of these, you know, these things we dissect all the time. So the fear around phytates, the fear around too much iodine or. having a anti-nutrient within our diets from vegetables.

And I understand the theories behind it. They have their own protective, powerful compounds to help these vegetables survive in nature. But actually, for most of us, they're incredibly beneficial. There's so much robust data that these things support our health. So I'm really glad you've raised it because now it'll be on our radar. Oh gosh, how cringy. Our radar for repeat.

Okay. Come on. Our radar, Ray Pete. diet. He did pass away in 2022, just to be fully respectful to that, but it seems to be having a resurgence on social media. So just be wary. Don't you think there is something in, look, I experience this personally. I'd be super honest about that. But like, if you have eaten a kind of classic standard Western diet, and I'm not saying you live on McDonald's and Harryboat, but like, it's much more kind of grabbing a sandwich here, you know, you're part of the 96% of people who

don't eat enough fiber. You know, you're not having loads of fresh food. You don't have primarily whole food diet, you know, maybe do some of the other lifestyle elements associated with a kind of more nutritious way of living your life. And then suddenly you change it, you're going to feel dramatically different and you are going to feel so much better. And I'm not advocating for this diet, but like if you have moved, you know, from a standard Western diet to this, and you are mostly eating full whole food ingredient, you might be missing some things and eat a little too much of others, but you know, you're suddenly eating, you know, not ultra-processed, home-cooked, you're going to feel so much better. And I think that's the thing. But for me,

the more I go into this more, I'm like, that feels like the common thread here, to be honest, is moving from a mostly ultra-processed, convenient diet to a fresh, also grounded in-home cooking diet. And there's so many ways to go about this. And obviously there's some clear flaws here. But that in itself is going to make you feel better. And that's going to make great social media content that's really compelling because people do those before and afters. And it's not necessarily just on kind of weight. It's on just like, you know, the glow or it's on energy levels or it's on, all sorts of things. And, you know, it would likely take effect for the most of us if that was a switch you've made. So I think it's like it doesn't make this diet magic versus.

is the Mediterranean diet, but you can't really do this kind of social media content with the Mediterranean diet being done. So you kind of need something new, right? Yeah, I think you've hit the nail on the head there. This is what happens a lot. There is a theory we discuss in nutrition lectures. I'm trying to think of what the psychologist's name is,

but it's whenever you make a drastic change to your diet, like you've just said, any diet, it could be keto, it could be paleo, it could be this repeat diet. It could be anything. If it means you're cooking at home, you will see a drastic difference. And then you might think, wow, this is an incredible thing. I've got to share this. I've got to talk about it.

But actually, the reality is you've just cut down on all the things before that perhaps weren't feeding you the best way. But the diet you've now chosen still is lacking those essential nutrients and fiber and things that your body would really thrive off. So thank you for raising that because a lot of the time that's what happens when we take a new supplement alongside that our health behavior can change. it can inspire us to eat better alongside that supplement. It can really kickstart a new behaviour change.

And then we say, wow, that supplement's amazing. But was it the supplement? Is it the diet? Is it placebo? So thank you so much for raising that question. And the next one is also from the States from Emily, Ella. Yeah, I love this question, Marie. This is really for you.

Emily said she loves listening to the podcast on her morning walks. I love that. She said on the podcast several weeks ago when it was discussed how flaxied she'd be kept in the fridge, I felt so crazy as I'd been leaving it in the pantry for years. I've never heard that before. So I was hoping you could discuss some other niche food characteristics and things the general public may not know. For example, do Kiwis need to be consumed with the skin on to provide the digestive health benefits? How many Brazil nuts should we be consuming every day? I heard over two can be toxic. Did hemp seeds also need to be refrigerated? I feel like this general discussion

of some random facts could be incredibly helpful. I love this. I'd love some random facts. I'm first of all so sorry because I've noticed a few of the comments as well. One of them was like, it's the most ridiculous thing to say we will have to refrigerate our seeds. And, you know, guys, I get it. I do get it. I'm just saying for optimum absorption of omega-3 and preservation of it, it is best to keep it cold. I mean, that is also something that the food industry has to do when they put any product in the fridge that's grab and go or something that's been opened or broken down, otherwise it would go off and spoil.

So I just want to say I love a food fact as well. Let's start with Kiwis because I love, I just love, I love Kiwis. But I personally, like my son will eat the skin of the golden Kiwis, but not the furry green ones. And I do think that that's tough. Would you eat the skin out of both? No. They freak me out. It's good.

We didn't grow up doing it. This is just it. Whereas my 6-year-old, that's normal to him. How weird. Yeah, interesting. But she'd be big. If you can, yes, we should, is the answer. On both, on all types.

Yeah, but I actually think studies predominantly lean towards the less furry variety for consumption of skin for, I think, quite obvious reasons. But you don't need to eat the skin to still get the digestive benefits that claims that it may help of constipation. It's now recommended on the NHS, you know, studies for people with digestive concerns and difficulties, say two Kiwis a day can really help ease constipation. And read, that's because it has this special enzyme in, right? Is that in the skin or the flesh? So no, actinidin is actually a natural enzyme that you find within the flesh, but towards, often in fruits, it's like with an apple, things are towards the skin layer. You're just getting more fibre for your gut by eating the skin. I think that's really important to mention because, you know, you don't have to force yourself. I'd still rather you eat the kiwi than be put off by the fact you have to eat something furry, which, let's be honest, I'm not up for an I'm a celebrity. Look like that a pea next. No. The idea of having to go to any lengths like that is not for everyone.

And then to come back to hemp seeds, you know, they are particularly rich in these polyunsaturated fats. If you're buying a large bag, the problem is when you open these large bags, you can notice, you know when things go soft. You know, you know when texture is lost and oxidation occurs. It's a natural thing that happens with foods. And just to keep them airtight is a really good idea in the fridge. but it's not toxic to have more than two Brazil Nance. It's not toxic. I think the word toxic needs to be explained.

Although I have noticed, I don't know if you have Ella, a dip in the popularity of those accounts that walk through the supermarket and tell everyone everything's toxic now. I feel like maybe that's had its day. I think we just don't need to be told everything's toxic. So many things are toxic much, isn't it? Just never leave the house ever again, live in some kind of like intulated wellness bunker.

They're incredibly rich in selenium. So, you know, I think what people mean is you get enough selenium from two or three a day. You don't need to have more to get the selenium that you need within your daily diet. And it doesn't mean that it's toxic to have any more of them. But a little food fact or nugget for you, I suppose, you know, like one red pepper is the whole, is a whole daily intake of vitamin C for a child, for instance. You know, we get more than you think. We really do.

There's more vitamin C in Q. these than oranges and they're smaller. All these amazing foods and vegetables, I just think we need to really remember that we're so lucky to have access to them to begin with that often most of us get more than we think, even in one traditional dish of baked beans on toast. And this made Ella and I probably feel better

when we were having beige diets in the first pregnancies. You know, it's just having toast will still give you because the flower is often fortified as well, folic acid or some extra calcium, vitamins, minerals, B vitamins. We get more than we realise. We may need a new section, Rihannan's nutrition myths or Rianan's nutrition nuggets. Let us know. And don't take it the wrong way, everyone. I'm not saying, yeah, we have to live in this crazy-ass bubble where everyone has to eat every skin on every vegetable. Ella, question from Beth. Yes, Beth has said she listens every week without farewell,

her 18th month, my daughter has a bath. Love it. So she has a lot. So she has a little. a question about gut test. A toddler was given a low dose antibiotic for around a year because of a bladder issue. Thankfully, it seems to resolve, but she also has moderate exma. I know these things could be linked and recently my Instagram algorithm has promoted gut health tests for children, noting that there's a key gut strain that's missing with lots of children with eczema or asthma. It looks like it has been well researched, but I'd be super interested if I could help her exma, is this all too good to be true? Well, I thought what better person to answer this question than a gut health specialist, Ella.

I know many registered dietitians who specialize in this area, and I've got a voice note for us here. Love it. Thank you. Hi, my name's Catherine. I'm a registered at gut health dietitian and have been qualified for nearly 15 years. Thanks so much for the question. So in relation to gut tests,

it's important to note that with many of these types of tests and intolerance tests, particularly, they can be invalidated and without the right type of team and experts to analyze those results, you can be left not knowing and understanding your or having any form of interpretation of them. I would recommend speaking with your doctor in relation to the possibility of the Exma linking to an imbalance of the gut microbiome because you are correct. That is commonly seen. and can be due to an imbalance of unhealthy bacteria versus good bacteria.

And that key gut strain can be missing with those that have autoimmune conditions, particularly those such as ex-mant and psoriasis. My first suggestion would be to really focus on giving your daughter a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as lots of grounded up nuts and seeds and ensuring that there is lots of plant diversity to support optimising and improving her gut health. There also could be a link to considering starting some probiotics, but again, this would really need to be a tailored strain

focused on the specific condition and would need to support from a registered diet tissue. Thank you so, so much. I think it's just so incredibly important to realize that gut health isn't just a trend. You know, gut health is a serious science and it's so important, especially when children involved and we're discussing things like this, that we get answers that are based and grounded in evidence because you just don't want to follow anything that could have a more harmful result than what we started off with, do we, Ella? No, one of my daughters has had a huge number of antibiotics for a recurrent tonsilitis issue. So I really relate to that kind of, oh gosh, what could help? You're not alone. I think we all just want to do our best. The next question is from Michelle, who said your words and advice are a huge comfort and source of inspiration. So thank you for all you do.

Ella, honestly, some of these messages, it's just overwhelmingly lovely, isn't it? I love our community. She said I wanted to ask about eating a fibre snack 10 to 15 minutes before a meal. So such as eating a carrot before breakfast, an apple before lunch. I've noticed it mentioned on social media recently that doing this reduces. Here we go. Blood, glucose sugar spikes and inflammation. I wanted to ask your thoughts on this.

Thanks from Michelle. I'm so curious to get you to answer the inflammation part of this. Because that's the bit they can't understand where it's. really come from. I know you'll explain the blood glucose bit in a minute, but I totally get where that derives from. The inflammation bits are a bit confusing other than these things are all inherently very good for us. I mean, look, my very succinct answer before Reid gives you loads of ins and outs is like, if you enjoy it, crack on. Like, great to get an extra apple in your day. Excellent to get a carrot in. Like that's all great. If you enjoy that, then perfect. You should never

be told obviously not to do it because it's great. But for me, like, I really am excited to like, you know, after this, or making smashed crispy potatoes with a oh, like fried garlicy coquettes and stuff from the garden. Anyway, I can't wait. I'm not going to do something beforehand because it's not, it's going to ruin my meal, but I'm like it's over planning my family dinner this evening. Do you know what I mean? Also, I don't want to fill up on the carrot before I then enjoy. Not that one carrot would fill me up. But I mean, they're quite, you know, my kids all just grab a whole carrot from the fridge,

like Bugs Bunny and just, you know, chomp on it. And then they're a bit full. And then they might not eat those lovely, delicious smashed potatoes. I spent so long cooking. I go guys, smashed potatoes are just like the best food in the world. You know, when you boil them, you do it for like 10 or 15 minutes, let them cool. Put them on a hot trode, loads of olive oil, and then you get a glass and you push them down, loads of salt in the top, let them go super crispy.

Oh, my gosh, with garlic aoli. I'm sorry, there's nothing better. I'm so hungry right now. That is what I'm craving in life. I agree. Look, it's an interesting area. I think I know where it stemmed from. And of course, eating more fibre at mills helps regulate our blood sugar response.

That makes perfect sense to me. And, you know, it can reduce the size of a glucose spike. But how many people need to be actually aware of their gastrokempting and how quickly things happen within their stomach? Like if you are type 2 diabetic, that could be very useful information. The same with type 1 actually understanding your blood sugars, how your body works, when you need a bit more, when you need a faster release or a slower release. For most of us, however, even with this research that the order of food can impact a response,

it doesn't mean that's how we live and how we need to live and how we should live. Let's touch on the type 2 diabetic regulation, which is where I feel we have the most research with blood sugar. sponsors and insulin when insulin's impaired and it's not doing this job effectively it's overwhelmed it's overloaded from chronic exposure for various various reasons conditions medication interactions yes having a bit more fiber with your meal you don't need to have it 15 minutes before but if it's an intervention you want to try no harm let's touch on the inflammation that ella has mentioned because i feel like i'm seeing anti-inflammatory cookboards i'm seeing this is how I ate in a day, my anti-inflammatory diet.

This is my week, my anti-inflammatory week. It's almost become, it's a trend. Have we coined it? Is it now a trend? I think it's trending. Do you guys think it's trending? I think it's trending. Let us know everyone, because I think social media overreaches here massively.

We know that having continued spikes in blood glucose can contribute to chronic inflammation. and metabolic disease, but having a bit of fibre before you eat a main meal is not going to combat that chronic over exposure and exhaustion of your immune system and the responses that it's embarking upon. But also really, I'm curious if you agree, that this is again where we're like, we're talking to, in the nicest possible way, the wrong people about this. Because if you're someone whose algorithm is showing you this and you're conscious enough to have this on your radar, we even consider doing this pre-a-meal. Your meal is probably, and I do mean every single meal, every single day, but generally speaking, your meal is probably quite balanced.

And a gentle rise and falling blood sugar is not the problem. We're not trying to eliminate that, as you always say really. What we're trying to do, which is not great for our health over time, not on occasion, is have constant humongous spikes, humongous drops, where, you know, you've not eaten ending for ages. You've had two coffee. Then you have a mars bar. You know, then you have a croissant. Then you have, you know, a sandwich doesn't really have any protein or fiber in it, etc. And you have a bowl of cereal. That is something where, you know, you might be kind of riding a little bit more of a roller coaster. If what we're talking about here is just like a normal diet that I bet most people listening follow, then it just feels over...

It's disordered. It crosses. Yeah, I agree. It's like generally speaking, majority of people do need more fiber in their diet. But I think the people worrying about this probably are doing a great, great job. And that's where it then tips into not really being fun anymore. Yeah. I think it goes back to those pills that this particular Instagram account developed to eat before having a bowl of pasta. And I think there's a very fine line of, well, I'm going to enjoy a chocolate cake at a birthday party.

But wait, 15 minutes before, if I eat this apple or this carrot, then I'm not. That's not what you're trying to say, Michelle, at all, by the way. I'm not pointing this back to you directly. We're just expanding on this conversation on social media of where do we draw the line? You know, where does it end? What's helpful to us every single day? Is that knowledge that might just slow your blood sugar levels by 15 minutes? Is that knowledge helpful to you?

Or is it more of a hindrance when it comes to your flexibility when it comes to how you choose to eat and live your life? You know, the last thing to think about is having like a gently, and it will be better some days than others, a gently balanced plate. Like, have you got veg? Have you got fibre? Have you got protein? Have you got healthy carbs and healthy fats?

I like to use porridge bowls as a good example because it's so easy to build on. You know, and it's so accessible because, you know, oats and water alone is not a great combination for many people to start their day. It's still good for fiber, but it will cause more of a glucose. spiked than if you had oats with a milk on its own, then straight away you've got something else there to pair it with, then a healthy fat, and then you can build some more fibre and fruit on it, or add a bit of nut butter or something else to your porridge, bowl, sprinkle of seeds, and it's a meal where you really want to get it right, because that will dictate how hungry

you get very quickly as you go to work in the morning or school for children. If you've then got oats and you've done it with, you know, whole milk or almond milk, and then you've got some nut butter, and then you've got a sprinkle of seeds, and then you've got some maybe frozen berries or grated apple in there. You're suddenly talking about something so completely different. I wildly agree there. So it's a big conversation, but inflammation in general is your body's natural response to invaders, pathogens.

It's an immune response, and we don't want that to happen all the time. We never want a booster immune system. We don't want an overactive immune system. We don't want continuous inflammation. But guys, inflammation can also come from when we're very stressed. Inflammation can come from. We've had a lack of sleep. Our inflammation can be slightly raised because we haven't been able to clear all the gray matter that we needed in our brain.

All sorts of various reasons can stem from this. So really, really good question to raise. I opened up a can of worms. I felt we could delve into a lot over the next few weeks with inflammation. And then we have our final question today, which was actually an anonymous question. Our lovely listeners said I'm in 32-year-old female, I've been dealing with elevated blood pressure for a number of years. My GP hasn't felt the medications necessary at this stage. I've been focused on lifestyle changes, particularly improving my diet and working on managing my stress and cortisol levels.

I've heard loads about beetroot use and its potential benefits for lowering blood pressure. I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts on whether it's something worse incorporating and there are other food supplements or habits that you'd recommend for someone in this situation with high blood pressure. Also, if you have a favourite homemade beet juice recipe, I'd love to hear it. I'm conscious of the sugar content in the supermarket versions. So we have the best GP to answer this question, considering this is something I feel that they would get asked a lot. But not only any GP, we had an ex, if anyone knows, a gladiator.

So if anyone did watch that TV show, Gladiators, it's still going on the BBC in the UK. There's this sort of program where you've got these like, How do you describe, I mean, they are, it's like based on ancient Rome, they're like gladiators, right? Yeah, so fun. So fit, healthy, fun and, you know, regular Joe's like Ella or I would take on. I don't think I'd ever put myself off the show. I don't think I would either. I'm not sure how far I'd get.

The Eliminator. I think I'd fall at the first hurdle. But it's a really fantastic show. But Dr. Zoe Williams is a media doctor and used to be a gladiator. So she's got a voice note for us answering this question from a. today. I couldn't think of anyone better. Amazing. And do you quickly, really, ever make your own Beatru juice. Have a recipe you like? Okay. The thing that's interesting about Beatrue is I jumped on the Barbie pastor trend when the

film Barbie came out. I made pink pasta. I loved that, that pasta. It was good, right? And I actually don't, and I know you love Beatrue, Alex. We've had this conversation where I don't love Beatrue on its own, but I will have Beatrue in a juice with classic carrot or ginger or something. But I do genuinely raise. it for sports performance and vasodilation of blood vessels because I have also looked into that extensively. Yeah, ginger, lots of ginger beet and carrot is actually so delicious so you can add a bit of apple. And I agree.

I don't love raw beetree, but you can either slice it really thinly. And almost do it as a kind of marinade, like a little bit of vinegar, olive oil, tiny bit of maple salt with rocket. No, reed's pulling a facie. I'm going to make it delicious. A bit of vinegar, balsamic vinegar at the end. Like a golden beetroot or a purple one. Either, honestly, but it's really marinated.

That's key because it can be pretty earthy or you've roasted it for ages until it kind of goes very tender and then you can blitz it into a delicious like dip, a kind of white bean tahini, garlicky dip or into that pasta recipe. I loved that as well. Do you know where I think my dislike of it stems from is that classic plastic packet beetroot you get in the supermarket, they put in salads, you know, that they chop up. that I just And also I just can't do it with a mess I remember my mum used to eat this and she'd be like I don't know why you don't like Beat True

I'm like I do sorry those those packs sorry to any listeners let us know if you like Beatrice Okay over to Zoe Thank you for such a thoughtful question At 32 it's definitely worth

taking raised blood pressure seriously because the longer blood pressure is elevated the more likely it is to affect future health, and that's health of the heart, brain and kidneys especially. That doesn't mean everyone needs medication straight away, but monitoring it closely and making lifestyle changes does really matter. Now, beetroot juice is one of the better studied food-based options for blood pressure. Beat roots naturally rich in nitrates, which the body can convert into nitric oxide.

And this helps blood vessels relax and it may lead to a modest reduction in blood pressure in some people according to the studies. However, it's definitely not a substitute for checking your readings properly or starting medication if treatment is recommended. Home monitoring is really helpful, especially if your readings vary with stress. So getting a validated upper arm cuff is still the standard option. There are new wearable devices out there as well, such as high, low, and these can be really helpful because they monitor your blood pressure across the the day and night. So the important thing is to share reliable average readings with your GP rather than reacting to just single numbers. And your wider diet actually is probably more

important than just the Be True alone. The strongest evidence is for a Mediterranean-style diet full of vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, whole grain nuts, seeds, olive oil, fish, less salt, less processed foods and less alcohol. And exercise is also powerful. So A. for regular aerobic activities, so things like brisk walking, cycling, swimming, but also incorporating strength training too. So that helps regulate your metabolic health. And then other things that make a difference are sleep, stress is really important over the course of your life, doing what you can to manage stress because that does play a factor. Also caffeine, alcohol, smoking and weight can also affect your blood pressure. If you are going to go ahead and make a homemade beatroot juice,

and I'm sure Rihanna can probably give better advice than me on a recipe, but I'd just keep it simple. So things like beetroot, cucumber, lemon, ginger and water, like you say, shop-bought juices might contain a lot of sugar. So, you know, that might not be necessarily the best thing. And if you can blend it rather than juice it, you'll retain more fibre as well. And if your blood pressure is elevated at your age, I think the key thing is you are young. So to have raised blood pressure for many decades is more concerning perhaps in somebody receiving a diagnosis of high blood pressure in their 60s or 70s.

So it's also reasonable for your GP to consider secondary causes if they haven't already. So things like any problems with your kidneys, if you had a kidney scan or hormone-related things or any medications that you're on that could be affecting it. I hope you found that helpful. Fantastic. Okay, guys, we did have a final question from Steph in the Netherlands, which we said we were going to talk about because we were going to talk about timing of fibre and the best way to spread it out. But we've got so much to talk about that. We're actually going to save it for next week.

So promise you timing of fibre is coming. So otherwise, guys, that's it for us today. We'll see you on Monday. We can't wait. Have a fantastic day. Thank you for being here. Thank you so much. We genuinely value your feedback so much.

And we're loving all of the community inspiration ideas that are coming in from you as a well so thank you so much for sharing all of those and have a lovely weekend yes and if anyone has tried the way app that we've been talking about we really want to hear from you please let us know how you're getting on with your meditation journey otherwise yeah as we said have fantastic day guys thanks for being here bye