The Wellness Scoop - Screens at Meals, The Ultimate Healthy Shopping List & Too Much Fibre?

Episode Date: April 2, 2026

Does eating in front of screens really affect digestion? What would the ultimate healthy shopping list actually look like? And can you eat too much fibre, even when you’re trying to eat well? This week we answer your questions on building a balanced, nutrient-rich food shop, whether very high fibre diets have any downsides, and the science behind eating while distracted and how it may influence digestion. We also explore some of the small wellness myths circulating online and break down the practical habits that actually support long-term health. 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 here as your host. I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Rianna Lambert. And today we get to cover all of your recommendations and questions on today's episode. First of all, how are you? Have you got any excellent recommendations for us? Do you know what? In terms of recommendations, I'm not sure I've got tons. However, I'm definitely here for seeing all these girl group reunions this week. I mean, did you see the Pussycat Dolls have reformed? Had they?

Oh my gosh, it's definitely going on my feed. I mean, my algorithm at the moment is basically full of pussycat dolls, getting together, the songs, they're releasing new music. I'm hoping Spice Girls will follow suit. We've seen Sugar Babes do it and they're still going. And then the book got number two health book in the UK when it came out. And I don't really have anything else. Congratulations.

Thank you. I just don't really have anything else to report, Ella. How about you? How about me? I don't have any life-changing recommendations today, as I said. I am loving my new hobby playing tennis, which is really fun. I am just absolutely loving spending loads of time outside. That is completely changing my life and I just love spring.

It's the first time of the year. Do you know, I'm reading, as you know, the Akatar series. And within it, they've got different courts. You've got the spring court, the summer court. the winter court, the autumn court. Yeah, it just reminded me that, you know, seasons, we're so lucky to have seasons in this country and to embrace it. I am still loving my bird feeder,

and I love watching how the birds congregate. Even the robins don't mind sharing with like the yellow tits. I mean, I sound like I'm ancient right now, but that to me is such a wreck, just peacefully watching the birds. I love that, a bit of peace and calm. The other thing we are watching, but I haven't finished it yet, but two episodes in, and it's really good, is a, I think it's quite new documentary about the Murdox and their family on Netflix.

And it's really good. It's one of those things, you know, sometimes with these documentaries about a person or a family that you don't learn a huge amount that you don't already know, whereas they're obviously so wildly influential and have completely sort of changed the face of news and media. I've definitely learning a lot. So it's really good. I have finished a book, though. Actually, sorry, this is a really good recommendation.

So there we go. It's not a pathetic week, guys. It's called the most fun we ever had. Oh my gosh. It's so good. Is it fun? It is. It is the most fun I've ever had all right. But it is a lot of fun. It's funny. I, if anyone's got it, you might feel the same way. I hate the cover. And there's something about it. I don't know what it is. I bought it so long ago. That's strong, Ella. That is strong. You hate the cover. Yeah. I bought someone's recommendation. And it's just sat there for so long. The cover just is really, someone said it looks really IKEA. I mean, I like IKEA, but it doesn't look inspiring or like really engaging. I don't know.

It's very lackluster. And I just kept putting off and kept putting off. And then I got on the train a couple of weeks ago and I didn't have my book with me. And I left that. I literally abandoned it in the car in favor of a quick W.H. Smith's by the station. Like that's how much I didn't want to read it.

So I took it. Got it all wrong. Don't judge a book by its cover. It's so good. and it's one of those, like, quote unquote, fun reads, but there has a lot of depth and kind of complexity, and it's basically a family with four daughters and the, you know, all looked great on the surface

and then actually there's so many different dynamics and secrets and complications and the way everyone's relationships actually pan out. It's really fun. So we have the most fun we ever had, that is a good recommendation. I just suddenly thought, I have been painting a little bit. I love that, really.

But more so, like, children's painting. But it did make me think I might try next time and get a piece of paper and do something while they're doing it. Because I keep seeing Fern do her amazing painting, Fern Cotton, online. I mean, she's just talented. She is an artist. It does make me think some of these analogue acts are definitely worth doing. But let's go to our first question from Melissa.

Yes, Melissa says, I have a huge interest in health, vitamins, minerals, whole food, superfoods, etc. If you were to create shopping this that you would advise everyone to aim to purchase or to eat each week, what would it be? I'm thinking nutritional,

balance, the most important foods for immune health, gut health, brain function, etc. I'm sure we do gut health first because I think it's important to look at the fact that, you know, your gut health directly influences your immune system.

So the better your, the garden of gut bugs, the different diversity. So we're talking about diversity of fiber, diversity of plants, then you are going to be supporting your immune system. And then if you look at the quality of the diets, so the different types of plants, we discussed flavonols on Monday's episode, didn't we, from berries and dark chocolate

and antioxidant rich foods, omega-3s, all of those sorts of things are so good for our brain health as well. So dark berries, Ella, contain anthocyanines, which is another really research type of antioxidant or property. So you find it in things like cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and those are known to be protective for our brain health as well. So, um, Yeah, you want to keep all those junctions in your gut tight by eating enough fiber to support your gut bugs that protect your gut lining because you don't want things leaking into your bloodstream that spike a bit of an immune response. Exactly. So there is no kind of one perfect list because everyone has different preferences, needs, flavor preferences, obviously. But I think if you were going to have like a very gentle for want of a better word checklist, this is what we can. came up with. I think you want to get some leafy greens in there. Again, that's going to be different

for everyone. What's in season, what you like, but you're thinking like spinach, Cavaloneiro, kale, rocket, chard, great base to make all sorts of things. You know, you can put them into stir-fry, tray bake, salads, super, super versatile. You've obviously got your fiber, your antioxidants, your folate, all the good stuff in there. Colorful veggies, as we said, just so important. You know, there's that old saying you've got to eat the rainbow but it's actually true like you really really do that diversity is huge so it could be anything peppers carrots broccoli sweet potatoes carrots like you name it but mixing those up is a nice idea so if you had colorful veggies some varieties one week you maybe add in just one new thing the following week keep the variety

going everybody fruits and veggies don't forget whole grains count i think people often forget about poor old carbohydrates. They're always left out, aren't they? Oats, brown rice, quinoa, you know, think of making your whole-grown sourdows or those proteins that come from plants, the beans, the pulses, the legumes, let's embrace that. And also things from soy products are really beneficial for our health like tofu, adamame beans, tempe, which is actually fermented. Animal protein have in moderation, but tend to opt for less red and processed meat, of course, more oily fish, eggs, that type of thing, which are good for brain health, because we know that eggs contain coline and you've got oily fish with sardines, mackerel, salmon.

I will say the quality of the oceans is not what it once was, and perhaps opt for, instead of a stereotypical salmon fillet every week, try and mix that up for sustainability reasons. Go for mackerel one week or tinned sardines another and just keep mixing your variety up there. Sardines are having such a moment online. I know, but for the wrong reasons, like the trend of. diets with sardines. But you know what? My first ever book, Renourished, I just did sardines on toast because I've always just really loved the ones that came in the olive oil tin. And that was 2017. You're a translator. But people are never ready for it. It's like with fiber. Like I feel we did

well with the book, but it's not had the same impact as the ultra-process food book. Because honestly, when you look at the conversations around it, we're still ahead of a curve. Unless you're a wellness scooper, you are inside the curve. you're like living it. Some fermented foods, ideal. I mean, Tim Spector, when he was talking to us, was saying, you know, we want three portions a day. I think if we're reasonable with ourselves,

that's probably more than most of us are going to get in. But across the week, if you could get in some kimchi or some sourcrowts and kofia, some life yoga, definitely really beneficial for your microbes, your nuts and seeds, we always talk about them, but, you know, so great for healthy fats, minerals, you've got, you know, your classics, your almond, walnuts, pumpkin seeds. but then things like hemp seeds, cheer seeds, flax seeds. And again, with that, for me, if it's a shopping list, you were going to try and tick off, you know, component parts of every week, I would say just mix it up.

So do almonds one week, pistaches another week, cashew is another week. That's the best way to do that, to get that diversity for your gut health. Extra virgin olive oil, we know, is so great for our heart health, anti-inflammatory compounds, trying to get that into your diet. Herbs and spices. Don't forget herbs and spices count towards your 30 plants a week. you know, lots of basil just as much as coriander or turmeric, garlic, ginger, cinnamon,

all of that. Really great protective plant compounds in there and they do count for that diversity. Your bugs are going to love them. Dark chocolate. We and I know we love that. And then things like herbal teas to support hydration.

You know, if you don't love drinking loads of water, then just those little bits that make it more interesting. I've got licorice and peppermint here now. Best tea. We've got it. Our favourite tea. And they don't forget to supplement.

if needed vitamin D in the Northern Hemisphere, B12 if you're vegan or not really eating any animal produce. And to be honest, that's a very extensive list. But what is it? A healthy, balanced diet you probably are already most likely leading towards if you're a wellness scooper, I'd say. Yeah, I totally agree. But lovely question. Very lovely question. Ria, they're like a few things you buy every single week without fail.

Yeah, cafe is always in the fridge because it's the one. In fact, it's kind of replaced Greek yogurt in my house with the kids. Always have dark chocolate. And every week, I know that we have the same veg on repeat, but I always have peppers in because the kids love them raw. And then I put them in sauces. So it's one of the things like crudet snacks. If I didn't have cucumber, pepper sticks and carrot sticks in the house every single week,

that's just such a go-to in my household, also and beans, butter beans, butter beans out of all the beans. I just think they're so creamy and just versatile. Yeah, every week, that's kind of like me. How about you? Yeah, similar. I actually packs of lentils are one of my big things. You're good at lentils.

Do you know what? It's because the kids always eat them. And it's when I'm, you know, as I said, we've got our big kitchen renovation happening at the moment. And I'll just do something like literally boil some pasta, pop edamame beans and halfway through and a couple of tablespoons of lentil with a jar of pasta. And it obviously is like absolutely no effort whatsoever,

no washing up to actually just one pan. Yeah. In that dish, we've had, yeah. good plant proteins, fibre. It's a solid effort for almost no time. I was just thinking where you were saying that, I'm going to do fried rice this afternoon. I love fried rice.

I don't know why, but you were just saying, oh, I'm just going to chuck everything because I always do pasta. I'll just put some rice in the pan. You know, like I had fried rice, but do it with veg. Yeah, it's just a reminder that, like, actually it can be easier than you think,

do you know what? We had a real, when it's completely off topic. I don't know if anyone needs to know this. There's a really nice local. Indian to us and we my husband I love Indian food but the girls have been we keep going and they keep just eating like non and rice

what a balanced meal and that they last night they got into it they had some sag and a little bit of alibi and so anyways this is a big one in our house trying to make vegetables delicious anyways so Kim has a question for us and

she said firstly may I say thank you for the incredible content I've been a listener from the very start and you have been my companion through a pretty traumatic time. Oh, bless you. She said, I'm so grateful for the down-to-earth advice, an evidence-based approach. My question is around our favorite topic, fiber, can you get too much? I'm fortunate in that I have worked hard on my nutrition over the last few years, and I get around 40 grams a day. Well, that does sound very good. And it made me think, she said, is there anything negative in having a lot of fiber in our diets, or is it not an issue?

I feel like this is really one speaking directly to you and all your amazing information after writing the fibre formula. I think when I've looked it up though, like generally if I'm eating like kind of my normal type of food, I'm pretty much always not to glove. But like I think if you're having a plant first diet and you're having lots of different variety of plants in there, you naturally are always going to have over 30 grams actually because as we know like one. cheer pudding is half your daily intake. Ella, 100%. If you are able to embrace living with diverse plants in your diet or it's something you're starting, then you will build up to that very quickly. But there is a thing as too much, but I just want to remind you that in some countries that are researched like Hadza Tribes, they have 150 grams a day and their body is adapted to that amount as well. You know, their gut bugs are used to it and that's how it thrives. So it's

essentially what works for you. And it does sound like it sits with you really well. It's a nice positive range. And in the fiber formula, I do just talk about how you can have too much very quickly, or you can definitely have too much if you're not drinking enough water and if your body's not adapted, and you haven't taken time doing it. But for most people, it really is individual. And I'd say your body is your best feedback system there. You know, digestive discomfort, bloating, all sorts of things like that.

More isn't always better, though. It's about the quality of the diet. So this is where I have an issue of some fiber supplements. or just trying to bulk up the overall number of fiber a day, rather than thinking about why you're doing it. What is the underlying purpose of getting that total amount a day? It's not just about bowel movements, although that's really important. It's about your heart health.

It's about your immune system. It's about your skin longevity, your brain, all these different areas we know are directly linked cancer risk reducing. So have a think about that. But also, the only downside for more fiber without quality is also reduced absorption of other nutrients in different meals because of phytates. So instead of thinking volume, just keep the 30-30 formula in your head. Think about the diversity.

Think about how you chew your food. Think about how much water you're having. Think about those plants a week. And I think you're okay unless you've, you know, got an IBD or you've got ulcerative chlydeoclyth or a condition where fibre will be very, very tricky for you. Some IBS symptoms when they're fled. I think, Ella, that it sounds like, you know, you're not. you have got it right Kim that you're doing well for your body.

Yeah, I really like what you said as well. It's like your body, how you feel. Like that is the best feedback loop. And trying to tune into that is incredibly important, although hard to do with so much noise around us. Very hard to do. But if you have the fibre formula, you could do it very easily. Yeah.

And it's like anything, isn't it? It's like there's so many trends and ideas. And we share trends and ideas on here. And you've got to just take what works for you. in your life and if it's working, stick with them. Don't feel like you've got to change it because you saw someone on the internet doing it. Oh my goodness, Ella, there'll be some people that don't like lentils and we, we lack lyrical about them, you know, and that's okay.

You don't have to like them. More than okay, exactly. Other options are available. Yes. It used to be when it was like, you know, kale was so symbolic of health and it was like, it's okay if you don't like kale, you can still be healthy. Yeah, yeah. I know.

Do you remember? Because didn't you say Beyonce had that hoodie with kale on it? She wore this sweatshirt, this grey sweatshirt that said kale across the front in some music video and I was like okay we're really hitting peak wellness here and it was sort of I don't know 2016 or something like that yeah very symbolic where wellness really became cool and if Beyonce is doing it it's obviously cool oh 100% okay question three yes wizard's really nice I love your racks and while shows and books are interesting to hear I get that from other pods okay we hear it what I'd actually love to know is what your wellness routines are at the moment what do you

love me please over to Ella because I am apart from from my nighttime routine and introducing a book alongside my red light mask and everything else, I don't think my wellness routine is as good as, it's not as practiced and worked on as Ella's is. No, but you have habits and things that you do week to week that really support you. Thank you. I mean, I try. I try, but I think we should lead with Ella's example before mine. Yeah, I mean, I think I actually mulled this over for a little while. I have to say, do you like sharing bookwrecks though, so they will keep coming. Yeah, I mean, I think certainly when I got interested in health and wellness,

I was much more interested in or aware of or kind of focused on the really obvious sides of wellness. You know, essentially like eating loads of vegetables, starting to cook from scratch, realizing that actually, you know, I sat in the camp with the majority of my calories coming from EPFs and having no idea about it. Like I would just buy a sandwich. I didn't realize the sandwich had 35 ingredients in. And or, you know, I'd always eat certain cereals. I didn't actually realize it didn't really have any nutritional quality to them.

And then when I started to look at the overall pattern, as we always talked about, it's actually realizing that my diet was lacking hugely. And so that was really my entry point. And my interest was, as I said, eating loads of veg, cooking from scratch, exercising. Your entry point, I think, is so, I think that's part of your story, of course, but it's so inspiring because it was a complete overhaul for you, I think. And it's so important that people remember that because I think it's very easy to look at Ella today. And people are like, oh, it's deliciously.

Ella, she's a plant base. She gets all her 30 plants. But actually, it wasn't always that way for Ella. And it's so important to just remember those roots, I think. I hate it in vegetables. So it's very ironic. And obviously, you know, those things, you know, eating well and all the rest of it, it's still important to me.

But I think it's probably part of the reason I'm so keen to get this across on this show is I think what's been so clear to me. is that that's so really one-dimensional, and our well-being is just so much more than that. It really, really is. And I think, you know, I've gone through some, you know, pretty significant burnout, which I've talked about. But there's been other points in my life where it was so clear, you know, that health and wellness was just so much more.

It's so much more about your emotional health, your mental health, your psychological well-being, and not just what's on your plate. And so I think if I think about my kind of wellness routine, I don't think I have any particular routine, but I think it's realizing that actually those other pillars, community, meaningful time with friends and family, you know, five minutes of calm is actually just as important as what I put on my play. And so if I think about a routine or focuses or practices or habits that I try and fit into my life, actually I currently have a bigger focus on making sure that I'm spending time with. people that I love and that mattered to me than I'm much more present and not distracted all the time by work, that I'm managing stress. That's all actually much bigger priority to me right now than my diet. Do you know what? That is a very underrated thing actually. And I think most people, that's so important. We forget about that social pillar straight to why people say, right, what are you eating and what gadget do you have? But actually, it's so much more. A hundred percent. And I think that's why some of the like,

what I eat in a day and I know they drive you nuts or other reasons but part of the reason they drive me nuts is it's like oh it's but it's just one part of how how you live and your health and I think you can eat as well as you possibly want but it just that can't make up for chronic stress or it can't make up from lack of sleep consistently it can't make up from feeling like you're not connected to something else and we know that these pillars really are from a kind of day to day how you feel in yourself but also from like genuinely from a longevity perspective, at risk of chronic disease perspective,

etc., these things are so, so important. So, yeah, my big focus from a kind of wellness routine, as I said, is building in these factors into my life and making sure that I have space and time and priority for that, which I haven't in the past. I think that's really admirable, actually, and it's good to acknowledge, because we can't work on everything all at once.

You have to get to different stages of your life to take things on. And, Jay, maybe I have, so I have been working on my stress, actually without realizing it because I wasn't measuring anything. I haven't been tackling anything particular. It's just I've chosen in situations. I've just chosen, oh, you know, I could get really angry right now that bedtime isn't happening on time and everything, but I kind of just keep my calm a lot more than I used to. And I've noticed that switching myself. And it's because we've been discussing stress so much on the podcast as well. But I really notice it now with my breathing, because I've got since the pandemic and my first birth, I have breathing pattern disorder.

And I'm very aware of when I'm anxious or stressed. And I've actually noticed huge improvements in the last few weeks because I've just kind of shrugged so many things off. So that would be my wellness thing without realizing I even knew I was doing it. I am shredding and what do you call it shredding off the stress a bit more. It's so important. I think I also came at wellness originally from a more kind of professional. affectionist attitude, if I'm completely honest, and I look back on it retrospectively, or feeling like I've got to do this and I've got to do that.

That's what wellness is. And I think, as I said, the more I look at it, the more I'm like, it's actually impossible to do that. You don't need to check every box every day. And I think that's part of what frustrates me online. It's like you just aren't going to walk 10,000 steps a day and speak to your friend and build in time for calm and do your job and your other responsibilities and do weight training and eat 30 grams of fibre and get 30 plants a week and get you five billion grams of protein

and be saying and get enough sleep and it's just not possible on a day and I think there's too much perfectionist mentality out there as opposed to like okay we know it's important to move so across the week I'll move I know it's important to eat well across the week I'll eat well and it's not all or nothing and I think the content is driven around all or nothing because that's much more compelling and it's also much clearer in like a 10 second video. So yeah, I think it's a very roundhouse's answer

but I think in terms of wellness routine it's actually probably the opposite of what you'd expect which is actually almost deprioritizing, you know, the obvious and prioritising the other aspects of... Strip it back. I love that. I think wellness should be more stripped back. But if you have time for a morning shed, then good for you have time for a morning shed.

But, you know, I think it's really what you can do. This episode is brought to you by FedEx. These days, the Power Move isn't having a big metallic credit card to drop on the check at a corporate lunch. The real Power Move is leveling up your business with FedEx intelligence and accessing one of the biggest data networks powered by one of the biggest delivery networks. Level up your business with FedEx, the new Power Move. After 19 years, they're back. Frankie Munes, Brian Cranston, and the rest of the family reunite in Malcolm in the middle, life's still unfair. After 10 years avoiding them, how and lowest demand Malcolm be at their anniversary party,

pulling him straight back into their chaos. Malcolm in the middle, life's still unfair. A special four-part event, streaming April 10th on Hulu on Disney Plus. You all know me. I'm about adding more in, not cutting things out, no fads, no diet, It's just evidence and transparency. And right now in the UK, everyone, 96% of us, that's 96% are not getting enough fiber. It's one of the lowest figures in the world.

And I couldn't ignore it. So we've spent years obsessing over protein and other trends. And I'm delighted to share that after a year in the making, my new book, the fiber formula is available to purchase. I have answered every question from gut health and energy, cancers and heart disease. to aging skin longevity and even microplastics. Built on over a decade of clinical research, it gives you my fiber formula, 30 grams of fiber a day, 30 different plants a week, 30 twos and 30 minute meals plus 60 delicious minimally processed recipes to make it doable.

I've done the hard work so the protein fiber and plant points are all laid out for you. So the fiber formula is out now, everyone. head to the link in the show notes. You can purchase it from any bookstore or on Amazon. And I'd love to hear your feedback. Let me know how you get on. Our next question from Louise is what do you think of France's new food strategy? I think they've done a really good job of bringing together health sustainability and getting people involved on a local level. Now, I can't wait to discuss this. Yeah. I mean, first for Louise, I completely agree. I think it's a really, I mean, how things actually pan out and the intention is obviously, you know, a wait to be seen. But as an intention, it is

really, in my opinion, to be applauded. So basically, if you missed it, last month, France published its National Strategy for Food Nutrition and Climate. And they set targets for the food system through to 2030. And they're bringing together food policy, public health and climate goals in one framework, which is what I think Louise and us felt was really exciting. The aim is to ensure healthier, more sustainable and locally sourced food becomes accessible to everybody, while also strengthening France's agricultural and food sovereignty, which all just feels highly logical. Why can't we do that here? It just sounds so logical. There's no speech about food sustainability in the UK in that way. So a central part of the strategy is shifting diets slightly to more plant forward. I mean, we love that here on the Wilderness Group,

encouraging higher consumption of pulses, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, while limiting red meat and processed meat, particularly imports. And that's a really stark thing as well, which I think is very important to add, because I don't think people realise how much of their food is imported and transported. And I remember doing this map for the unprocessed plate book, the map of the world, and looking how much produce is imported and I pulled it from the science of plant-based nutrition, looking at our sustainability shifts and how much work. We are so reliant on this. And, you know, we're going to see a knock on effect, of course, of other global things going on right now when it comes to food as well, interestingly, not just fuel.

But France has a wonderful targeting place because they're responding to some clear dietary gaps. 87% of adults in France do not eat enough pulses. Now, they've identified that specifically as pulses. 72% do not eat enough fruit and vegetables. 32% eat too much red meat and 63% too many processes. sysmets. Exactly. So it's a strategy to tackle all of that. The low fiber intake, promote more legumes, fruit, veg, as we said, but also encourage seasonality and locally grown foods. So the actions aimed at the food industry, interestingly, particularly ready-made meals,

encouraging reformulations so that they contain. This is what I loved, actually, is that I feel like for us, it's always like, take out the salt, take out the sugar, okay, that only can go so far. What are you putting in? Yeah. Exactly. And it's like with the high fat sugar, salt thing where it's like okay so take more sugar out and put in more UPFs is what's happened basically so sure there's less sugar but there's more artificial sugar so I don't think it's a win whereas what they're saying is that's reformulate so these ready meals contain more pulses they contain more vegetables they contain more whole grains they are then also sugar salt fat etc but to me it's the sense of again it's positive nutrition which is so so so so good

And also their strategy contains the goal of 50% sustainable procurement in public catering, including 20% organic produce. It's really different. And they focus on early childhood settings and elderly care facilities, which again in the UK is lacking. And I'm sorry to keep comparing the UK to this policy, but we love this policy in France. I think we should take a really long look at it and think what can we implement here? because why do food environment measures they have got include limiting children's exposure to advertising for foods high in fat, sugar and salt, improving nutritional and environmental quality of food aid, strengthening enforcement against food waste, another huge issue that isn't tackled enough

and expanding environmental food labelling schemes. So people will know on the packet what perhaps the green carbon footprint is of their food and how local it is or where it's sourced from. So this policy essentially is going to be major for environmental precedencies. I mean, food accounts for a quarter of France's consumption-based carbon footprint, while poor diets contribute to a significant share of cardiovascular disease mortality. We know again, we've got to talk about heart disease here. We spoke about it on Monday's episode, and around 16% of the population still experiences food insecurity.

So France are really trying. You know, and France have essentially said, you know, their minister, of health has said that prevention is at the heart of action to sustainability to improve the health of the French people. Addressing the determinants of health means taking action to prevent the unserved disease. And this compares to the UK, Ella, in such a stark way. Because, you know, the UK does have individual policies, like we said, high fat sugar salt, but it doesn't have one that's joined up with national strategy that links nutrition and climate and agriculture in the same way. In fact, you rarely hear about the environmental pressures at all when it comes to food.

I think one of the really big differences is they've got this big emphasis on public food procurement, schools, hospitals, public catering as a lever for change, which obviously it is. That's a huge amount of the food consumed every day. And they've got really clear targets there for sustainable food, for organic food. It's so different to what we're looking at, which I think is putting all owners and responsibility on individuals, on individual, on individual, operations. And I think it's so much less from a kind of public health and all sorts of public bodies perspective, which I think we could take a lot of inspiration from. They're also directly addressing agricultural policy, local food systems. Again, we're just consistently looking at consumer

behavior reformulation, but it feels like sort of negative reformulation, but it's not looking at what we're adding in and having any targets around there. But we have very similar dietary challenges. you know, again, nine and ten adults don't meet the fibre recommendations. So similar gaps, but I think a very different approach and much less responsibility of the government and much more on individual corporations and people. But I do wonder if food has a very strong culture in France, you know, they're very proud of their food. They're very proud of their heritage and they do want to protect it and fight for it. And I really wish we had that same drive here. I don't feel in the UK, not to be negative, none of you or whatever, but I don't feel we have that same drive to protect

what is British with food, like French people have with French food or Italians have with Italian food and Greeks and Chinese food or Indian food or whatever it may be. I just don't feel we have the same thing. And I really hope that our government is taking the time to watch what's happening. Exactly that. And our final question today comes from Emily and Scotland, who is also based in sunny Greece. I'd like to start by saying how much I love the podcast. I've been listening every Monday morning on my pre-work run without fail

and I was so excited when the extra scoop came out. Even with the background in biomedical science, wellness headlines can become so overwhelming and hard to decode, especially with all the conflicting information. So thanks for making a safe space for us to make sense of it. I wanted to ask about screen-free eating and why it's important. Rees highlighted recently how bad eating in front of screens is for your digestion. And I'm interested to learn the reasons why I live alone,

so I tend to do it sometimes while I eat and I'll read or work or study and I find it helps me slow down with my food whereas in the absence of talking to others while having a meal if I don't have anything to do I usually find that I eat too fast and don't take time to appreciate the meal and listen to how my body feels

is it the distraction that screens may cause when eating the disrupt suggestion or is there something else at play I'd love to know It's such a good question essentially because there is a difference between having music on in the background versus a television program. And there is a difference between reading a book or having a notepad next to you,

even that compared to a screen. And the reason is the impact on your brain. So, you know, it's important to differentiate. Is it the distraction element? It definitely is for children when you put them in front of the screen. I mean, they literally can stop eating. It's very difficult. And then there's also a physiological response.

So let's delve into it. So I completely understand your point when you're alone. Of course, it isn't about creating really. rules. It's just about enhancing your digestive state and enhancing your body's capacity to break down food and absorb nutrients in the best way possible. So digestion works best when we're calm and focused on eating because when we're distracted or scrolling or applying to emails, our brain is in vital flight system essentially and we're responding to work and we are not as rested as you may think you are. And there's a phase called the cephalic phase of digestion which begins even before

we swallow food. And this is what I talk about a lot with mindful eating. It's the five senses of food. And I remember writing this in Renourish back in 2017 that when you look at a piece of food, your body's essentially already understanding what enzymes it needs to break down the food efficiently. And that comes from just that is a red apple or a green apple or it's shiny or I'm looking at how a food looks because your brain does all of this without you being aware it's doing it. Whereas when you're looking at a screen, you're not prepping your body because your body is not looking at the food it's about to eat. The smell of the food, you're more likely to acknowledge that without a screen.

The sight, the hearing, the texture of the food, you're also more likely to acknowledge that without a screen. So this primed effect helps our body produce the right enzymes. And when we eat food mindlessly, we're not doing that. So another factor is the pace and the satiety awareness, of course. So when we're watching something scrolling, we can eat faster. We swallow more air. You get more digested discomfort. people often feel less satisfied.

Their brain just hasn't fully registered the whole experience. So screens can detract from that. But, you know, as you describe reading or having a gentle activity that slows you down might be helpful. So there's a big difference, I think, between eating with a screen and eating with music on or a notepad next to you or something else. They're very, very different responses in our brain. and our body is needing, is deserving of that time to process our food. Does that make sense, Ella? That's how I'd describe it, like a ritual of eating that we don't embrace.

It makes so much sense. Can I admit to a naughty thing, though? So I make everyone else feel better. I do use that to my advantage with my kids sometimes. Yeah. Where, like, you know, maybe they are in a really bad mood and they're tired and they, like, haven't eaten that well. And I'll make some, like, mega loaded, you know,

beanie vegetable situation. distract them. I'll be like, sure, you can, you know, every now and again, like you can watch something and then I'll get to that. Or like the first time I was like, yeah, have a confere smoothie. I was like, yeah, you can watch a movie this morning. And it is interesting. And I know that it's not ideal necessarily always, but actually sometimes.

Sometimes those tips and tricks can be, maybe I'm just a terrible parent. But I do use it to my advantage sometimes. Look, most kids do eat with a screen every day and that's not good. But every now and again, that's okay. I think it's about using it to your advantage sometimes, and most of the time declining from that. Otherwise, it does become an issue. We cannot deny the fact that screen use is an issue for children anyway.

But when you eat, you know, let's reserve it for those times of desperation. Oh, for sure. And I love eating with them. And that's what we do, obviously, most days. But there are just days where I'm like, you know what? You're in a really grumpy mood. Or you're poorly. If you are sick and you're having to parent.

But if we refer this to adults, like you were saying, we do know better. And I think we are able to put on the radio even and listen to a podcast. You could put the wellness coupon where you have your dinner. And that is not interfering with the whole process in the same way a movie will be. That's great advice. Well, guys, thank you for listening. And we can't wait to see you on Monday. We've got loads of good stuff.

And it's going to be Easter Monday. Obviously, happy Easter, everybody. I hope you have a lovely long weekend. If you're able to take advantage of that, Monday is going to be a very, very, very feel good episode and we're going to do actually a bit of a deep dive in the relationship between food and the kind of psychological aspect. I think it's always interesting when that connection to kind of indulging but then the kind of premise of guilt quote unquote that often comes up around this. We're going to do a bit of a deep dive in psychology of our relationship with food

on Monday which hopefully will be very helpful. Exactly. See you then. Bye.