The Wellness Scoop - Should You Really Eat the Rainbow, Blood Type Diets & What Do Smelly Farts Mean?

Episode Date: August 6, 2026

Can your blood type tell you what to eat? Are plant proteins really "incomplete"? And does eating more colourful fruit and veg actually make a difference? This week we're tackling some of the biggest nutrition myths doing the rounds online. From the return of the blood type diet to the truth about complete proteins, fibre sodas and ground flaxseed, we separate the evidence from the hype. We also explain why herbs deserve far more credit, whether smelly digestion is normal, and why simply adding more colour to your plate could benefit your health.  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.

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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 karma, 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 the way app.com forward slash wellness scoop. Yeah, that's theway app.com forward slash wellness scoop. Welcome to the Wellness Scoop, your weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration.

And as always, we're both here as your host today. I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Rihanna Lambert. And yes, we absolutely love this time of week. It's when we take your questions, recommendations, we give out ours, and we go well into all of the latest trends and myths. And let's do it, Ella. I have to take fast full.

Okay, we're remote today. Rhee has a really bad cold and I have a really old dog who is just like so confused. He's sort of like bit deaf, a bit blind, can't figure out what's going on in the world. So he keeps coming in and out. So if you can hear scruffling, I'm so sorry, he is really sweet. It's just a little bit old and confused. But Rie, I had to tell you very quickly, you're going to be so proud of me. Look what I have.

I have two giant cups that none of them are coffee. Oh my goodness, Ella. Is it your coconut matcher? I'm so cliche that I have a huge. like pastel pink Stanley cup. Homemade lemonade, fresh mint, lemon, a bit of honey and sparkling water. I know, I'm sorry, I wish I could send it through. And then this is ginger tea.

Anyway, basically, guys, normally we and I sit down and I'm like, have had three coffees and no water. And today I've had one coffee and I'm like, I must have over a liter of liquid here. None of which is coffee. I'm really proud. Oh, that's great. It's really good.

She's working hard. And also for anyone that's followed Ella, which I'm sure there's tons of you listening from the very beginning, you will know of Austin her doggies. So I'm sure you're all sending your love there as well. Oh, I know. It's actually so sad. We've had him.

We got, I mean, like all normal people, we met. A week later, we moved in together. Like three weeks later, we got a dog. He met great his job. We started working together. A month later, we were engaged. Super sensible timeline anyways. But Austin, our dog, he's a Cocker Spaniel.

He is now 11 and a half. And he's just like, it's really sad. He's morbidly obese. I was just saying before we started recording. he's like he is the greed he's a spaniel and spaniol's are kind of a famously greedy but he takes it to like another level i mean there was a moment in which he ate it was awful he was absolutely fine but he ate those of rat poison and it was like one o'clock in the morning it was a really really bad time matt's mom had just been diagnosed with brain cancer we had just tried to move into a house we'd

done renovation on it and found a colony of rats a whole colony like over 25 rats having the property it was really bad Boston then went out onto this little terrace and ate rat poison and i remember calling the vet and they're like, oh, dogs don't eat that. And I'm like, my dog would. Like, trust me, he would. Anyway, he had. Luckily, we got it down time. It was all good. But anyway, basically, I've just like stopped really trying to control him not eating everything in psych. So just feel a bit, like, it's the end of his life. He should live well. But he has a heart condition. And he's, yeah, as he said, he's kind of blind. He's kind of deaf. I think he has, like, three teeth left at this point. It's just, he's really sad. Anyway, so just treating him gently. Oh, just a bit.

Sorry, I'm not laughing because I am a really bad person. It's just when you describe him as like having three teeth and like teeth. Do you know what I do? I think when I get really sad or nervous, my defence mechanism sometimes is to laugh about things. I think that's normal. It's normal, right? It's how we go. Ella, do you want to tell everyone?

Because I've got this stonking cold. I've been very run down everyone and basically doing too much, which I'm sure you all knew anyway. So I'm going to let Ella read us what's coming up. in today's show. She has been doing so much. Guys, she is an absolutely Wonder Woman. Okay, we're going to be talking about the blood type diet. I'm so excited to talk about this. This has been a longstanding, way be one of wellness's most longstanding biggest myths. The surprising truth about plant protein, complete proteins. We had lots of questions on that, so we're going to break that down. Why herbs need much more attention? I'm excited about that one.

101 and what our farts tell us. I love that, little toilet humor for today, guys. And then lots of other nutrition questions that you have for us. We are also going to, oh we have so many recommendations. I've got a ridiculous recommendation and eating my own words and we're going to talk about our challenges. Exactly. It is an absolute stonker of a show. It's going to be fantastic.

Now, first of all, Ella, you mentioned at the start you have tons of recommendations for us today. We've got lots from you as well listening. Thank you. Let's reel them off, Ella. Okay, so basically, do you remember we obviously whacked lyrical about how obsessed we were with off-campus. and then this is so funny because Matt was like,

wait, is it really that good? Do I need to watch it? And I was like, it's actually that good. I think you would actually love it. Like, you know, really good kind of romance series show, like everyone loves them anyway. And he was like, yeah, but do you want to watch it again? I was like, yeah. So some quite as I've all campus around two.

But basically, I told you, when I finished it, I was kind of gutted and I googled like, what should I watch next? And the show that kept coming up was Maxton Hall. And I told you I watched two episodes. And I was like, this is the worst show I've ever seen. Then Matt was away and I was like, didn't have anything to do. And I was about to, we were talking about it on Monday.

It was that pre-period moment of just like wanting terrible TV and chocolate. Started watching it again. And I am now almost finished season two. So I have to just like admit and eat my words. It's still, I'm going to say one of the worst things I've ever seen. But it's become good, bad. And it's like, I'm embarrassed about how invested I am. It really is.

I'm sorry if you like it. I honestly think it's one of the worst things I've ever seen. the sense of it's like the work is the most cliched TV show it's like um billionaires son he's really arrogant falls for the scholarship girl and she it's the only person who can see the true self i mean every cliche you can imagine it's there and the dubbing is awful but i'm basically i just can't start watching it i like you've got two episodes left and all i need is everyone to go to bed tonight so i can stay up till midnight and finish oh my goodness so i nearly WhatsApp you last night to be like if you mean sharing her, start watching it. Just

pose of it. It's so bad, but it gets so bad that it's good. Okay. I also don't think the characters have any chemistry. You're selling it to us. I've got to be honest. I'm not nice to go and spend my time. I also think that just save yourself, but also watch it. Anyway, I really want to know if anyone else is in the same boat. But Alicia, our listener, I think, is going to save me from myself here because she emailed in. with recommendations. Having said, I need a new show because I can't watch Max and Hall

because it's so bad. She said, heated rivalry. Everyone's obsessed with heated rivalry. So she actually had in brackets, OMG, so get it on the list. Every year after, I haven't heard of that once. I'm really excited. She also recommended Little House on the Prairie.

I'm watching that. I'm loving that. Definitely second that recommendation. Then she said of older series, 1923, I've never seen that, getting on my list. This is Us. Oh my gosh. I just think that's one of the best things ever. Firefly Lane, haven't seen them. Anne with an E. I love Anne with an E because it's based on Anne of Green Gables, I believe, from memory. I loved it.

I need all of these shows. I'm so excited. Okay, Daisy Jones and the Six. I loved that one. I really agree that. And then Fleaback. I heard she was like mixed on Fleabag. Fleabag had really rave reviews, I remember, and nominations and all sorts of things. So thank you, everybody, for your recommendations. We have a lot of to get cracking with. Okay, Ray, I think you have a recommendation for us though, right? I do. I have started, thanks to my friend Melissa, I have started the Throne of Glass series now. Oh, you're really doing all the fantasy series,

and you are going to be like the expert? Do you know what's funny is when we were in Greece, I was sat by the pool and I had this book, and the waitress came up to me and she said, this is the best series ever. It's the best one I connected with it. She sent me all the free audiobooks that she had downloaded as well. So when I don't have time to read, she said, I'll give me your email.

I'm going to send you all of them. She said, you have to combi read this one and this one and number four and number seven and you've got to start number three with number one. Apparently there is an entire way of reading these books. I am starting just from number one. It's a series by Sarah J. Mass. And it's very different to the A Quarter Fona Roses, Akatar type series. But I was hooked from page two.

I mean, Akatar took me ages to get into this one, Ella. straight into it. It's not a romanticcy in that way so far. It's more just a bit more action-packed but it's very girl power from day one which I love. Oh, I love it. Okay, at the end you have to tell us which one to do because I've never read

any of these. Okay. No, I don't know if you will. I mean, I feel like you should but I don't know. I feel like you're good. We've got two sides of the book Rex coming here and I feel we've got a good balance. Well, I'm really leading on the terrible TV show Rex then. Oh no. I have one other terrible TV show rec for you all. Oh, good. Pover, I need it. Right. Well, you say it's terrible.

Anyone in the UK, and maybe in the States, would know of Katie Price. Yeah. She's just released her new documentary series on Sky, which you can watch if you have a now TV subscription as well. And she is very open, honest. What's it on? It's on her entire life. And she, including the people she's dated, so she, headlines that used to crop up in the press about her and Garrier. Gates and different individuals. They interview Gareth Gates and they interview Katie. They interview her children about their opinion on their mum and the life. And Peter Andre is the only one that declined comment. All of her exes are on it. It is just, she is a character and I have huge respect for, she's just said, do you know what, I've monetized my whole life. This was her exact phrase. I've

monetized my whole life. It's all I've known. Why would I not keep doing it? That's what she said. Do you know what? She is, if you don't know, this kind of very famous glamour model from the UK who's had a very headline heavy life, a lot of very high profile relationships, and then it all sort of... And trauma, a lot of trauma.

Yeah, fell apart and it's been quite tragic. There's a very interesting episode with her on how to fail, Elizabeth Day's podcast, where she talks about, because she's also famously had an extraordinary number, particularly of boob jobs, and ended up at, you know, some of the biggest boobs in the whole wide world sort of thing.

And she's so interesting talking about body dysmorphia, her relationship with herself and her body, her confidence. I have to say, like, don't follow her, don't know a huge amount about her, but I... It's a good watch, Ella. Yeah, I'm looking forward to that. She's an absolutely fascinating individual. But we also have, on a different note,

your feedback on our challenges. Yes, so if you missed the episode, basically, a month or so ago now, we were just talking about how neither of us probably want to run a marathon like the idea of it, but probably just not for us or at this stage in our lives, but that we like the idea of doing a collective challenge with you guys and collectively raising money for causes that's important to everybody who listens. We had so many great recommendations from you all. So thank you.

If you still have anything that you want to add on, please get in touch. Hello at Wellness-Scoop.com. Obviously, email us with your questions and general thoughts, recommendations, etc., as well there. But a couple that we wanted to pick up on that we thought were interesting. The one that I don't want to say favorite, the one that I felt really excited about came from Jenny, which is the McMillan Cancer Charity Mighty Hikes series,

where they organize series of hikes, whether it's the Peak District or the Jurassic Coast, to raise money for McMillan, which I think could be amazing for us to do. do together. I was really excited about that one. Thank you, Jenny. Amy had a great suggestion as well, which is that the Royal Marsden hosts a fundraising event called the Barnum Marsden March, sorry, and then participants walk 15 miles from the Royal Marsden in Chelsea to their hospital in Sutton. And you can do that as a team. So I think that's also really, really interesting.

Lottie, let us know that you can do this thing called an ultra challenge, and she had the best experience doing it. They hold events around the country. Different distances, like, 10, 25, 50 kilometres, 100 kilometres, probably a little bit too much for us on that end. But that's really interesting. She did an ultra-march where you had to walk, run or jog 50 kilometres and under 12 hours. So sounds a bit, maybe a bit too much of a challenge, but really interesting one for us to look into.

Also, a few of you recommended the moonwalk, which is an amazing event in May to raise money for breast cancer, another cancer research, where you do either a 10k, a half marathon or a full marathon during the night in London and then lots of other great recommendations at Danceathon, walking the Thames path, getting athletic track for 24 hours

and having teams. So loads and loads of ideas. But let us know which of those maybe you would like to take part in if we were going to do this as a collective. Yeah, because we're aware that obviously different locations are more feasible for some than others

and we try and obviously do this perhaps multiple times in that instance as well. If it goes well, of course. We've also had the Norfolk Coast walk suggested. There are lots of them here. So let us know, Ella, our first question today is from Kaylee. It is. Hi, Kaylee. She has said, thank you so much for creating this space with real health and wellness advice. It's so refreshing. Thank you. I was wondering if you could talk about the blood type diet and if there's any truth to it at all. I heard it's a fad and there's not much

evidence to back it up. But more recently, I've seen a few influencers jump on it and talk about it. Thanks, guys. This is so interesting because I remember hearing about this, like, 15 years ago even. I think this is a very longstanding tire. So I've got the stats here for you. The concept was popularized back in 1996 by a book called Eat Right for Your Type by Peter. Adamo, sorry. For me, it brings back really haunting memories, Alice. So I was in quite a toxic, I don't discuss it publicly ever, but really poor relationship when I was a singer when I was like 18, 17. And the boyfriend I had, who's at the Royal Academy of Music at the time. He was a violinist and he used to say I had to eat for my blood.

And I remember thinking this is the most bizarre thing ever. I wasn't in the nutrition world. This was a long time ago. A long, long time ago we're talking now. And it's almost come back to haunt me. I cannot believe this is popping up again. The theory suggests that your A-B-O blood type determines which foods you're genetically designed to eat.

For example, people with type O were encouraged to eat a high protein meat heavy diet. Yeah, they were known as hunters. Yes, and Taipei was better suited to a vegetarian diet. Now, the problem is that, you know, we're talking like 30 years later now. We still don't have good scientific evidence that blood type dictates what you eat. And it actually doesn't largely make any sense when you think of the biology of the human body, which I can delve into.

But one of the biggest reviews we have published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2013 looked at all the evidence available and concluded that there just wasn't anything to match with blood type. And it was looked at again, Ella, probably when it resurfaced, when you remember it resurfacing in 2014, researchers at the uni of Toronto analyzed over 1,400 adults. They did find some improvements in markers like cholesterol or blood pressure, but those came from the overall quality of the diet itself, not anything to do with whether you're a type A, B, A, B or, you know, O. blood type. So I find it really worrying when I see these types of things resurface. And also,

it just cannot possibly be true. A lot of people don't even know their blood type. Let's just start with that. I think there's one thing as well, which we often say, but always worth saying again, which is that, you know, the very small amount of research that is out there to show, I mean, and I'm saying it's very, very small, that, you know, for example, in 2014, there was a sunny of just shy of 1,500 people. They were eating a type A diet fruits and vegetables and had some better health markers. But first of all, that was seen in everybody following the type A diet, not just people with type A. But that's because they were eating fruits and vegetables, not UPSs.

So I think the same thing comes back again. It's like if you move people onto a green Mediterranean diet or a type A blood diet or you put them on to even like a, you know, a kind of balanced paleo diet, you're probably going to see really good improvements because you're going away from the standard Western diet, which is really bad for us. And you're following a set of rules. Like Ella said on Monday, she said, you know, sometimes, because we don't know how to eat intuitively, when you do something for a short period of time that's very rigid, you'll see results quickly. Yeah.

And instead of eating kind of a sandwich on the go and a meal deal, you're having a salad. And whether it has chickpeas or chicken in it, you're going to see improvement if that's your lunch versus something kind of grab and go very, very likely. Interestingly, type A, which was known as the agrarian, is thriving apparently, not evidence-based, on a mostly veggie diet. Type B, nomadic, thrives on a high dairy diet. Type A, B, the enigma, thrives on a mixture of the two. So high dairy, mostly vegetarian and type O, the hunter, supposedly the oldest blood type high animal diet. But as you said, really, like, there's just no, there's no day to hear.

But, you know, sometimes I also think, look, if it helps you move away from a standard Western tire, this isn't one way to look at it. And I'm like, oh, my God, this is so dangerous and crazy. I find it interesting because it varies to telling you whether you should be an omnivore or a vegetarian, which is ultimately a choice for an individual. It's ethical, sustainable choice. It shouldn't be dictated on what type of blood you have because there is no evidence. It's like we have a right to choose. I also have no idea what my blood type is either. see what I mean. And I only know recently, because of pregnancy, you get tested in hospital,

but some blood types are more common than others. So some are universally, more widely available for blood donors. For instance, the reason we need more blood donors in the UK in particular is to fill up blood banks because of these other types of rarer of bloods when transfusions are needed in hospital, all sorts of things. So this is, I actually, when I saw it, I just could not believe the fact this is resurfacing. Like I said, haunting memories for me. It's very odd. Yeah, but as we said, I think it's this coming back to, it works really well on social media because, as I said, if you're moving from a San Western diet to that, you're going to see results for sure. And it has rules and guidelines and that's quite a good story to tell. So I'm not surprised. Okay, we had a very quick question to follow that out from Senila, who said, I'm in post-wedding blues territory. Well, congratulations on your wedding. I just wondered whether the wedding people book that Ella recommended would boost me following the special date or made me for even more sad. that the best day of my life is over. Oh, Ella, what do you think? Oh, I'm so glad your wedding was so good. So yeah, congratulations. First and foremost, no, honestly, if anyone needs a good book this summer and hasn't read

the wedding people, I think it makes everyone feel good. It's not really, the wedding is just the setting of the plot. It's not, like, it definitely won't make you feel sad that your wedding's over. It's just a really fun and good read. Our next question is an anonymous one, but it's related to flaxseed. We're getting a lot of these recently. I really felt like it's caused quite a stir. Yeah, do you know what? I think it's one of those things. And it's when you start talking about, if people are like, wait, but what about this?

But what about that? What about the next thing? And that seems to what happened with flaxsees. I can't quite get over it. Remember, like I always say, everybody, as long as you're getting it in, that's what counts. You know, we're just discussing nitty-gritty because we can on the podcast. So this question says,

I know it's a great source of fibre and plant-based amegas. I also understand that ground flaxseed may be better for nutrient absorption. However, I've read that flaxseed can have a short short, shelf life after being ground and essentially go stale. Is this true? Is shop brought ground flaxseed a waste of money? Even if it's convenient to add to porridge and other meals, Ella. Is it? No. But I was hoping on your feedback, because you know what it's like in the manufacturing world with looking at shelf life when you pick a product because some foods will naturally have a short shelf life than others. Yes, they will exactly. And that all gets a little bit confusing. It's also about

the packaging type you use and like how well sealed it is. I mean, a good example of this is like making an, when we're making energy balls, for example, same ingredients you'd make at home, say it's like almonds, almond butter, salt, cacao powder dates. But obviously when you then package them and you seal them, it's completely airtight. So they're going to last longer than they're going to do in a little Tupperware at home. They'll still last a long time, but they won't last quite as long because they're not, Tupperware is not as airtight as kind of industrial packaging is, which is interesting. But I don't really know when it comes to flaxse because obviously whilst they'll be in an airtight container, they're not in the fridge and it is a long time to shelf life. So I think it is an interesting question.

It is an interesting question, but the airtight aspect is what prevents oxidation. So as long as they're in the packet, they're fine. It's only once you open the packet that it's relevant. Once you open the packet. It's almost like looking at when we discuss frozen, fruits. You know how when you pick them, they're going to be in the punnet for a little bit before they reach the freezer and then they retain the nutrients. So I think this is a class example of we can panic too much. Things don't go stale within an hour. You know, it does take time and we can't nitpick at life to this degree of perfection sometimes. But, you know, it's true that grinding flaxseed does significantly improve the bioavailability of the omega-3s. You know,

plant-based omega-3s are really delicate. And the concern around storage, that's why, the research suggests that refrigeration, once you open the pack, slows the process considerably of oxidation and keeps these healthy fats stable rather than at room temperature. You almost need that refrigerated airtight element as well just to keep the amoeca 3 stable. And honestly, this doesn't mean you're not getting any benefits if you're not keeping it in the fridge. You just need to consume the pack at a faster rate than you probably would otherwise. But again, like I said on Monday, I'm doing a sea cycling post soon. and maybe I'm going to add this onto it as well now. Now I'm thinking there's just so many questions on seeds,

but I would rather you add them even just for the fibre as well. But use your common sense here. If you notice a bitter kind of like rancid smell, it's definitely time to replace your flaxseed. So try and buy smaller packs if you don't keep it in the fridge rather than the bulk by the massive ones. I know that might cost a bit more, but it means you'll get through it before it starts to decline.

I know those bags are always too big. Yeah, this is just a minor in the fridge and I use it every day. So my little recipe for flaxse is not really a recipe. I post it once before. It's got like 30 grams of protein fiber. You just, you'd mix the flaxseed with your Greek yogurt. So 20 grams is a portion. You mix it in with your Greek yogurt.

Add a bit of alma milk or coconut milk, whatever you want together. Then you add your berries and your oats and cheer seeds. And it's kind of like a delicious, oh, It was like a cheer pudding, but flaxseed type of thing. You can sweeten it, of course. Add a bit of jam or honey or whatever you fancy. But yeah, we move on from flaxseeds to our question from Sophie about fibre sodas. So I really feel like we've created a bit of a, we've opened a can of worms, Ella.

You didn't make me laugh. Sophie just made me laugh like this, as we said, we've been saying for a while, we're going to see this fiber explosion. Suddenly it's going to be everywhere. And I think suddenly it is everywhere. and actually when I googled to get the M&S drink that you were talking about, Sophie, and look at the ingredients and the product, oh my gosh, there's so many fiber drinks now available in the UK, which, yeah, it's super interesting. But Sophie has said, love the pod.

I'm intrigued by fiber sodas. They just don't make sense to me. They seem like brands are just jumping on the fiber trend. Exactly that. My colleague has been told by a doctor to eat more fiber. She's now drinking one of these drinks daily at lunchtime. I was in M&S recently during the heat wave and needed a cold drink, so I thought I'd try it. There I want tasted just like pink lemonade as described, but claim to have 7.9 grams of fiber in it.

She's trying to increase her fiber intake. And she says to me, fiber comes from roughage. How could a sparkling liquid contain it? And are these actually healthy? I think we're going to have a lot of questions about this. So I got up the drink. It's called pop marks. Really nice branding, I've got to say. And you're absolutely right. It does contain seven grams of fiber, which is a lot of. lot and basically this one, for example, is water, it's great juice from concentrate. It's their fiber blend of cassava root fiber, Jerusalem, artichoke fiber and acacia fiber, pineapple juice, lemon juice from concentrate, pink grapefruit juice from concentrate, carbon dioxide and natural flavorings and concentrated safflower and concentrated lemon. I mean, look, compared to Coca-Cola,

like, that is a lot better, I think, fair to say. And so I think if you really like, that's one the best ones I've seen. I think we all kind of collectively agree. I'm now. doing a really good job at the moment, and that is definitely one of the better things in this space I have seen, and it doesn't have all the sweetness, so it kind of can make anyone with a slightly sensitive stomach, not feel great. Like, I think that's as good as ingredient deck

as you're ever going to get in these things. I have to say, do you know what drink I got the other day, not a fibre one? I never know if I can celebrate, but is it Belvoir? Oh, do you know what I learned? Because I did a job with them for their... I'm saying the name wrong, aren't I? It's beaver.

Oh. You'd never know. I know. It's a big shock. Belvoir, but it's beaver. They have a sparkling lemonade in cans that has a really good ingredient deck. It was the best

ingredient deck I've ever seen. Anyway, we were out at this place called Bowwood, which Reid told me about, anyway, best adventure playground of all times. But I got it there and that was the best drink like this I have seen in a really, really long time. Anyway, that I'm an S one. The ingredients are pretty good. If you

normally drink Coca-Cola, like that is a better option for sure. I would say, what do you think, Ray? Well, the question is on the research on what specific strains of fibre are used that actually interact with our gut bugs. So the question is, yes, it might be increasing your overall fibre intake for the day. However, what are the actual benefits of consuming the specific strain, for instance? So we know that inulin from chickory root actually in itself, some of it potentially can be fermentable by gut microbes. There's some studies that have shown that inulin can increase

beneficial bacteria that is known as Bifida bacteria, which is one of the most research bacterial strains that you often find in yoghurt, alongside lactobacillus. But the important bit is not all fibres created equal. And I just want to reiterate, you know, that fiber in whole foods also comes with, you know, the vitamins, polyphenols, the other areas. And I'm a big believer in the food matrix and that food works optimum in our body often in the way it's designed to be eaten within, rather than plucking out individual strains of items for the food industry to put into a drink. But also as Sophie points out, it doesn't have the roughage. So also from a digestive perspective and, you know, helping you have good daily bowel movements,

which are really important for your health. It's not pushing anything through. It's not helping anything come through. And so if you think you've had basically a third of your fibre tick from the drink, that means you're probably not going to be getting enough fibre for healthy daily bowel movements. Exactly. So I think to summarize, you know, can fibre sodas contribute to your daily fibre intake? Well, yes, they can, but like Ella just said, they don't actively then benefit your digestive system in a way you'd expect. Are they equivalent to eating more plants? No. Should they replace whole food sources? No. So yes, it's a better swap than a Coke, like Ella said.

Exactly. So if you, I don't know, we were out and it was really hot and it wanted something to pick me up, saw this lemonade, this barking lemonade. it was delicious, loved it. If it's your version of that, and you would normally get a Coca-Cola, I would say that's, that is better. That is moving you along a continuum and, you know, you probably maybe don't want a water in that moment. And in that, if that's the case, I'd say, Gray, the thing that I really bugs me, and it's what really bugs me about like athletic greens or no, it's now not called

that, it's called AG1, isn't it? And those sorts of things. It's like, they're marketed as replacing the effort of eating proper food. And that's rubbish. Like, that's complete rubbish because it can't do what real food can do. And the same thing's happening here. So if you want, like you did, you went in and you wanted something cold and refreshing and with a flavor in the heat wave, that's a better option than, you know, the classic old-school

fizzy drinks, I would say. But don't see it as replacing, like, adding veg to your stir fry. And that's what annoys me about some of these claims of these sorts of products because it kind of gives you permission to do that. Yeah, well, obviously, you can always order the Fiber Formula book if you want to learn more about Fiber, because we've predicted this as well on the Waderskut for a long time. Catherine, who is a Colombian living in the UK,

has sent us a message, Ella. Catherine has said, love the podcast. Help me eat better and increase my fibre intake. Love that. Two quick questions. First, I know it would sound like I'm joking, but honestly, I actually want to know. I was listening to this podcast about the underwear that tracks

your farts and it got me thinking does having stinky farts most of the time indicate something going wrong with your digestion? I actually think that's a really good question and sometimes the questions that we get from you guys, I think are the questions that loads of people want to ask and are scared to ask. So thank you for asking that. Secondly, I've heard a lot about complete proteins on social media and how animal proteins complete protein, plant proteins are not. I go to the gym and do a lot of resistance exercise so I like to keep my protein intake at a good level, but I tend to consume it more from plants than animals. Can you explain? what a complete protein is, can I get enough from plants?

She said that as a Colombian living in the UK, the first thing that she noticed in the supermarkets is that the fruits and veg are not displayed in an appealing way, like back home, Ella. I mean, she said that most supermarkets, even the small ones, have a large display of different fruits and veg with less plastic packaging. I am wondering when we're going to catch up over here with that

because we definitely have a different way of displaying produce. Yeah, she said it makes you. you want to grab fruit or vegetables when you go into the store and it looks really, really colorful and delicious. Whereas in the UK, what hits you first are sweets and takeaway meals. I think that sometimes these little nuggets are the most indicative things of the issues. And I see that like completely. I totally agree. It's like if you go into a green grocer and they have a really amazing display and it's a bit more seasonal and a bit more local and like the tomatoes, for example, right now looks super juicy or you've got like really beautifully

like green quix or something. You're like yum. I'm excited and you kind of think what you could cook with them, whereas sometimes, yeah, I stand in the middle of the supermarket aisle and everything's in a packet and it's all quite in like green tubs. And you're like, where is that packaging going? Yeah, I think come on supermarkets. Come on, we've had, we know we've had this debate for a very, very, very long time. I know. And I think they would argue they're trying to stop food waste, which is interesting, but it's, yeah, anyways. Right, right, let's go into the question, stinky farce. Okay. First, about spelling farce. So believe it or not, it is normal. Most people fart on average 15 times a day. So 10 to 20 times a day, it's very normal. We don't notice because often they don't smell. And the smell that you're discussing isn't actually from the gas itself. It's due to the tiny amounts of sulfur containing compounds, you know, hydrogen sulfide that's produced when our gut bacteria for mends certain foods. So let me use an example of when you suddenly overload on fibre for a day.

For instance, we've been talking about fiber. The reason you want to do it slowly is because your gut bacteria become overwhelmed. They've never been exposed to so much before and they're doing a job and that might produce some smelly farts, for instance. But it doesn't mean there's something wrong. In fact, you know, it could be that these foods like beans and lentils or crucissor, why can I never say cruciferous vegetables can interact with your gut microbes. They're more active and it just takes some time while your microbes adapt. However, if this has been going on for a long period of time, that's a red flag. If it's very foul smelling and it's alongside other.

concerns like diarrhea, weight loss, blood in the stool, all sorts of things there, bloating. Please go and speak to your GP. We do have, not to cause anyone alarm, but we do have a lot of risk at the moment in the UK, particularly in the Western world for bowel cancers. And I just think it's really important to always check your stalls regardless of this particular conversation. So a bit of wind, completely normal, but constant distressing digestive systems. is not normal at all.

That's so helpful, really, thank you. It's always so nice to know what's normal. And as I said, often those sorts of questions, I think lots of us want to ask, but don't ask. Okay, tell us about complete proteins because I think that is also we talked to her about blood-type diets being a long-standing myth. I think this is another long-standing myth. Yeah, well, do you know what? It's because researchers weren't aware of how vegetarians and vegan should eat across the

course of a day versus individual at a meal of quite a long time. Just so you're aware, a protein is made up a building blocks called amino acid. Look at it like Lego shapes, you know, putting different blocks of Lego together, making all these different 20 amino acids in different shapes and forms. Nine of them are essential because our bodies can't make them. And that's what researchers and all these small camps online seem to get really hepped up about. And a complete protein contains all nine essential. And you do find those in many animal foods, but you can get them in plant foods like

quinoa, buckwheat, soy foods like tofu, tempe, edamame beans, which are one that Ella and I always wax lyrical about. We love cooking with those. They're so convenient, accessible. Pistachos are actually one of the few nuts considered complete, although they shouldn't be seen as a major protein source, you know, predominantly because of the actual quantity within them. But there's too much of an emphasis on this. What's more important that we've learned in science over the last five to ten years is that protein synthesis happens across the course of the day, not just at each meal or an hour after when we eat. So we need to just get a variety across the course of the day.

But you can optimise it. Like beans don't have one of the nine essential amino acids that rice has and rice doesn't have what beans have. So if you put rice and beans together, you get a complete protein. And same with like peanut butter and toast, right? And so, but that's what I always think as well is that, again, we're talking a sec about how like with flax we can often overcomplicate. I think this is one actually when you look at it, unless you have an extremely restrictive diet,

it's highly unlikely that you're not doing this without even thinking about it ever. But also, I think, as you said, often if you're having, you know, beans, you might have them with the right of having peanut butter, you might put it on toast. And across the day, you're going to naturally, as long as you've got a vaguely balanced diet and you're not excluding kind of huge food groups, cutting out all carbohydrates and things like that, If you're doing that, that could become problematic. But I think if you're not, it's nothing to be concerned about. Exactly.

I completely agree. That was a very good question. I hope it's helped. And please remember, go to your GP if you have any concerns. Honestly, you're not overthinking it. Please check your stalls if there's any alarming changes or things you're not sure about there. Question five is from Francesca. She said, I love your podcast.

Thank you. Your sensible and calm approach to the madness is very soothing. Thank you very much. Treska, she said this is an entirely curiosity-based questionnaire, but I'm wondering what the nutritional value of herbs is. I eat a lot of bulgar wheat salads with poached eggs, feta or goats, cheese, kimchi, chard, basically anything yummy from my fridge, but loads of veggies. I love adding torn mint or chopped parsley or chives. You get the picture, she said. I love the taste and freshness, fresh herbs from the garden bring. Oh my goodness, it sounds like you have a garden like all that. This is like

incredible. So we'll keep adding them regardless of the answer, but I was wondering if they gave me any vitamins or not. First of all, Francesco, I feel like you're making an amazing, amazing, amazing amount of delicious food going on there. So we're inspired by that. Yeah, herbs are amazing. I feel like they're really underrated, actually. Obviously, they count towards your 30 plants a week, quota, which is amazing, because as you said, if you got a salad there and you're getting in some parsley, some mint, some chives, some coriander, you know, you might be getting an extra two or three, depending which ones you're adding, easy little plant points in there, which is so great, adds up very quickly. But I think the main thing, really, am I right in saying, like, some kind of vitamins in there, which is great, but really

what they are is rich in polyphenols, right? Yeah, and it's like I discuss in the fiber formula, they contribute to your 30 plants a week and Ella's favorite game. And actually, it's a game I did with my kids on holiday and my eldest is really into counting things. So, That was useful. But yeah, many herbs contain typically polyphenols, so the natural plant components. And there is a difference between the dried and fresh ones on the shop shells, but they still have small interactions with our gut bugs. Vitamin C potentially and the fresh ones more, I'd say, in varying amounts and vitamin K, which is important for bone health and blood clotting. But it's all about diversity, Ella.

I mean, the herb question, it's not about quantity and nutrient gain. It's about diversity and the love of food. and let's just bring the joy back to food and get those plant points in and let's experiment when we cook. I'm not good at this. You know, I wrote a book on it and I work on it every day trying to add different herbs and spices. Yeah, look, I think it's hard, isn't it? Like, it's so easy to revert back to eating the same meals on repeat and just quick, easy. They might be nutritious, but you're not necessarily getting their diversity. And so adding, and I'm really trying hard to do that at the moment, like, I don't know, bought some pomegranates and added them into a salad and, you know, You know, it's those little things that we don't necessarily normally eat. And actually, I know, I bought some peaches this week.

And it's like, great. That's just like a different plant point for us, which is amazing. Anyway, and as we said, the origin polyphenols, which are the plant compounds, acts of antioxidants, really good for us. So get them in. And also, they do add amazing flavor. Okay. Our last question today comes from Libby, who said, I was just eating some stewed apples in my porridge.

Also, yum. You always eating such delicious things, which I added some khariair into as well. well as my usual armor milk, thanks for the inspo. I was wondering about colourful fruit and veg. Obviously, I know there's benefit to eating the rainbow, but what are the different benefits and multicolored veg in comparison to each other, i.e. red versus green apples or purple and versus normal carrots and sweet potatoes, is there something to look out for in order to get the vitamin C, for example? It is a really question. A simple answer is yes. You know, different coloured vegetables contain different combinations. Let's look at tomatoes. In fact, I also saw an

article, Ella, that I don't remember if I pinged it over to you or not, that said that multi-coloured tomatoes are overtaking traditional red tomatoes in the supermarkets. Oh, I didn't see that, but I love that. But, you know, I think now people are finding it more popular to go towards, you know, yellow tomatoes, green tomatoes, and red and orange on the plate because it looks more visually aesthetic. But this will also count as different plant points and different guarantees of phytochemicals or polyphenols. For instance, the red tomatoes, are the ones that contain the lycopene.

The more research varieties, when they cook, they release more and they have more of the benefits, whereas the orange and yellows tend to contain more beta-carotene, which is your vitamin A, which is supporting your immune system, your vision, you know, green foods. I actually, I can't remember which book it was in, but I often try and do rainbow diagrams to try and explain that the reason we need variety is because each different colour and different foods give us different wonderful things, but you know, I wouldn't get caught up in it too much. That's just an interesting fun fact. Like a red pepper, like I said, I think I said it on the other week is an adult's entire daily intake of vitamin C, just having one red pepper. I think we can forget

that sometimes that we just need to enjoy our food. And if you love counting plant points, that's so cool. Yeah, exactly that. And I think some people don't realize exactly that like even, you know, a yellow corgette and a green corgette, that's two different points. So easy wins and fun and colourable to cook with. But thank you guys for your questions. If you have questions for us, it's just hello at wellness-scove.com or we love getting your recommendations as well to share with the community. Maybe if someone has more shows to add on to that, amazing list that we had at the beginning

from Alicia. I am going to quickly finish Maxton Hall and move on to some of those much better ones. And otherwise. She makes me laugh. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I can't stop talking about it. And I'm kind of hoping someone else is in the same boat. We will see you back here on Monday, guys. Again, we have all those headlines we're talking about this Monday that we couldn't fit in.

There is so much to talk about. It's unbelievable. So we will see you back then. We can't wait. We will. And a big thank you once again. We were number one again this week. And it feels very surreal.

And Ella and I love your feedback. We want to hear more on the challenge. There's so many aspects to the wellness group that we just feel so blessed and grateful. for so we will see you all on Monday. Have a great week, guys. Bye.