The Wellness Scoop - The Carnivore Diet, Finding Motivation for Healthy Habits & Hydration

Episode Date: August 20, 2026

Why do so many people say they feel better on the carnivore diet? Is coconut water really the hydration hero social media claims it is? And how do we build healthy habits when motivation disappears? This week, we unpack the science behind the carnivore diet, explore whether coconut water deserves its wellness reputation, and discuss why relying on motivation alone rarely works when it comes to lasting behaviour change. Plus, we separate fact from fiction on sea moss, answer your questions about fertility and preparing for pregnancy, and share our latest book recommendations.  The Way app link: https://www.thewayapp.com/wellnessscoop 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+ and join Beat The Bloat HERE 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 thewayapp.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. I'm Ella Males. And I'm Rihanna Lambert. And today we have the most incredible questions from you all and our top recommendations. So let's dive into it. I think the big question today is, why does so many people say they feel better on the carnivore diet? That's very interesting. Coconut water and hydration, sea masks.

Is it worth the money? How can we create healthy habits that actually last and stay with us? Anything that people should be doing pre-pregnancy, we've had loads of questions on there. And we have so many recommendations for you from us and then also from our listener community. So yay, it's going to be a good day. It is. Ella, what have you been up to? What are your recommendations for us this week?

Okay. I feel like I'm really late to the party on this one. But when I was sick last week, I watched all of Tell Me Lies. Reeves like, I watched that and I was like, oh right, I'm so late to party. No, but it's really gripping and very bingeworthy and also how twisted. Super bingeworthy. I would say it's not as good as off campus, but nothing is. I'm going to go read all her books next and the Emily Henry ones.

Yes. Has anyone watched on Netflix? People we meet on vacation, is it? That's on my list. It's really good rom-com. I think it's called that. Anyways, I've got loads of those books on my list. I'm very excited.

But I really recommend it. Like, I wouldn't say it's the best thing I've ever. ever seen in my life. But it's one of those shows. If you are poorly or you are just having a quiet week where you're wanting to watch every evening and just like not leave the house with, or your long journey or something like on the train, plane, it's a very, very addictive watch where time disappears. But it does cover again almost domestic violence manipulation. There's a little bit of that in there just for anyone that. Yes. Absolutely true. Just to cover that. That is definitely the overarching theme.

and then you were also making a lot of broths because obviously you were very poorly. So it was really poorly and then as I was coming out of it and I haven't made broths in I don't even know when. I mean, I just haven't either. Yeah, it's not really been the season. But it just reminded me how good veggie broths up, but there's a product that I bought from Clear Spring. I really like Clear Spring.

You like their miso soup. Yeah, I like the miso soup, sachets. I like the little toasted cracker things they do. I just think they're a really nice company. Anyways, they have this noodle. This isn't sponsored. have this noodle broth, this like noodle mix, basically. It's a liquid, but it's got kind of like Mirren and those sorts of ingredients and the kind of things that are really busy up your cupboards.

Anyway, you just had a couple of tablespoons of that. Delicious. So good. Oh my gosh. I was doing like dried mushrooms, chili, ginger, garlic and then sweet potatoes, some cherry tomatoes, some broccoli, all kind of simmered away for a couple of hours. Mizo and that noodle mix. They should be on the airplane because it's you have those noodle pot on the aeroplanes. Let's get a brand like Clear Spring on all the planes. Yeah. Anyway, it doesn't come with the noodles or anything. No, it's literally just a liquid. And you have to add it. And that you add it into your broth. But it just has all those flavors. Anyway, it's really good. Yeah, really good recommendation. Well, they're different today. I've been fascinated because we have a

solar eclipse coming up. I'm so excited. It will have happened by the time this comes out. I know. I'm so pumped. I bought our glasses. Well, I've been watching lots of videos because I remember remember being a child watching the solar eclipse in my garden with a my mom did that hole in the cardboard and you'd look up yeah i remember exactly where we was stood and i really want the children to experience that too so alongside that i don't know if davina's just got an amazing team that timed this episode perfectly but she had professor brian cox on the podcast oh cool davina mccall yeah and it was on her begin again podcast and it's on my list i've got halfway through overwhelmingly wow if you want to take your mind off life at the moment and you want to learn a little bit about the theory of

the planets and the solar system and space and all that sort of thing in an accessible way. It's remarkable. Oh my gosh. He does live shows Brian Cox. I've never been. My uni friend used to be obsessed with him. Julie, if you ever listen. I remember your obsession with Brian Cox.

But yeah, really top recommendation there. I thought, what an interesting podcast for Davina to release. It wasn't her usual type of guest. I can't wait to listen. Yeah, I really like that. I am on Throne of Glass, the second book now, so I've moved through it quick. She is like a romanticie queen, really, I feel. Although I discovered that Sarah J. Mass, she was only 16 when she wrote this initial series,

which is why it doesn't actually have many romantic aspects within the book. Like there's a thread of it, but it's not the same as the Akatar series she did later on. Okay. But it's very girl power adventure led. and yeah I'm really enjoying it so thank you everybody that's been writing about that we've had so many spotify comments things about this throne of glass series so thank you yeah it's an obsession isn't it it is it really is okay for other things to get obsessed with Kelly and Natalie um our listeners have racks for you guys Kelly said you are talking about off campus if you like this you will love my fault

London and your fault London amazing actually in my opinion better than off campus I think you'll love them both. They're on Disney. Ooh. Yeah, so I'm excited about that. Disney by good shows. I feel like there's so much good stuff on there at the moment. I mean, Disney have a reputation to uphold only the best. They do. Do you know what I watched actually? This is a kid's movie, but hoppers. Do you watch hoppers?

No. Yeah, you'll love it because it's about a girl who's trying to save animals. I will love it. You will love it so much. And then she becomes an animal. It is one of the best animated. She becomes an animal. No, no, she like takes on this robot animal suit.

It's so good. I'll make sure the boys can watch it with me. Yeah, it's a family movie. I don't watch, well, you can watch it on your own. Yeah, it's one of the best animated films I've seen in ages. Bring it on. Okay, and then Natalie says she has a book recommendation. She's moved on from Romantasy.

Sorry, Ruth, but this is maybe because she's finished her. She still wants something really hooked her. She recommends, We Solve Murders. From Romanty to Murders. I love it. I know. I like that too. We're really covering all bases.

All of it. Sex, Dragon. Yeah, yeah. Murder. What's next? But no, in all seriousness, she recommends we solve murders and the Thursday Murder Club. They're both by Richard Osmond, who's a wonderful TV producer from the UK, and she says that he writes the most beautiful characters. Even when a character is objectively awful, he describes them with so much wit and love for detail. Plus, the chapters are really

short, and there's almost always a cliffhanger that keeps you reading. I actually am really excited about that. Do you know what? I love The Restes Entertainment, which is the podcast that he co-hosts. Yes, I was going to say his podcast is always like number one in the UK. It's incredible. Part of the rest is, like the rest is history, the rest of politics. But he co-hosts it and is one of my most listened to shows. I absolutely love it. And I've always thought I should read his books because I've become a big fan for it.

So I think I'm going to get them on my list. Good. Now our first question today is from Lisa. Hello, Ella and Rie. I tried coconut water today and it was really refreshing in this hot weather. I chose what was available in the shop. and I went and looked into it. But since there are lots of things to choose from now,

what's actually good for me? What do I need to look for when I'm choosing a coconut water? That is such a great question. Reid, tell us a little bit about it. I am obsessed with coconut water. I have been for so long. I just absolutely love it. To me, it's a 2015 thing.

Oh, interesting. Like from kind of peak wellness vibes. Yeah, and starting. So when I worked in Harley Street, frequently, like multiple times a week with the nutrition clinic, I'd always walk around the corner and there was a kind of healthy revital shop. Oh yes. I know the exact shop you mean.

That's where I first bought coconut collab and that's where I first bought, yeah, coconut waters and all that sort of thing. They're not all equal, which is actually important to raise. Kind of like everything. Kind of like everything. But let's just talk about what coconut water is. It does naturally contain electrolytes, particularly potassium, which is why some people enjoy it after, you know, exercise.

And on hot days, it's really beneficial. It's actually going to be packed in my hospital bag for labour. Okay, this is so funny you said that because in my first labour, I literally forgot to eat or drink anything. And then I was in this really warm pool for a few hours. And when I got to the end, I felt so ill. I think much less from the labour, much more that I had just been through this incredibly strenuous physical exercise for 14 hours, whatever it was.

And I hadn't eaten or drunk anything. And I felt so dizzy and shaky and just like depleted. Oh my gosh. So my second labor, I was like, right, I have to eat and drink. Like, I have to remember that. And I was saying to Matt, I was like, we have to remember. Like, I have to eat and drink. You have to make me do it.

Because like I felt. It is up to someone else to make you sip things. Oh, my gosh. I would try and drink myself from vomit. And it was disastrous. Anyway, I remember like sipping coconut water and Matt being like, this is so on brand. You're like in a paddling pool at home. It's very deliciously.

Yoga music, a little coconut water. It should have been a coconut, actual coconut. Stay on brand at all times. I love that. But Ella, it was a good choice for you because, you know, it is really good for hydration. So everyone, I'd keep it simple. Just look for 100% coconut water. You know, you don't want flavourings and colours and sugars and all sorts of things added.

If it is just literally coconut water, that's probably a really good choice. And with the hydration, let's just discuss. these electrolytes because there's obviously a trend. I want to talk about electrolytes in a second when we go to the end of this because I've just reminded myself of something. Okay, all right. Hold that thought. Write it down.

Coconut water is hydrating because it's 95% water and then it contains those additional minerals like your potassium, smaller amounts of salts, sodium and magnesium. And it just helps the homeostasis in your body stay really regular. So, you know, it's not the same as buying an isotonic sports drink, but it is. is a really nice natural way if you're not on a kind of marathon plan of just staying hydrated. I love that. Okay. I want to talk about staying hydrated. So had such an interesting experience over the weekend. I obviously was very well. It was very sick. And I got matted by me some diorolite. Oh yeah. Now, sorry guys, TMI. I did tell you. I said I hope you're on rehydration.

I just vomited up the diarrhea. The second I had the diorite, I had tiny sips. It just came straight back up again. So then once I'd stop being sick, I was like, I can't have Dyrolite. You know, when you have the flavor, oh, it's so, you just can't eat. That black currant. Yeah. Oh, I know. I still, I still have the. So I was like, I'm so sorry. I actually can't drink any more of this. I just triggering. Anyways, so I said, okay, I really need, I couldn't eat or drink anything. So I was like, I think I need, actually do really need some electrolytes. It probably really helped me had such bad headache and things. Anyways, so I bought some one of the brands that at the time. a lot. I bought it online. It came the next day. So I obviously used it to see if it would help. Who

knows, it might have helped me and might not have helped me. Anything you can go in at that point is going to help you. Exactly. So, but I then had it in my kitchen counter and we had some family over this weekend. And my sister-in-law said to me, they are advertising to me all the time at the moment on Instagram. Do I need it? Like, do you think I should buy it? Like, I'm just worried I'm not going to be hydrated. And her and I had such an interesting conversation about it. And I was like, how interesting that there's this whole industry that's persuading people, clever, super clever, well-informed people that they're not hydrated unless they're adding things to

water. And I was like, obviously, as we would say, if you are like an intense athlete, you know, amateur or not, like, but you know, you're really training for Iron Man's and things. We're talking about something completely different. We're talking about people like day to day, go to gym twice a week, have a desk job. That hydration aspect is to aid recovery and performance, by the way. That's why athletes take it. It's not for everyday hydration.

You start losing so much because you sweat so much because you're exercising so hard. And again, that's different. It impacts your blood pressure, your kidney function, you know, all that sort of, like I said, the balance in your body. Yeah. Anyway, I just thought it was so telling of how effective this industry is that there's now concern that like you need help being hydrated. Obviously, we all need to be hydrated, but like water. It's bad. like put some watermelon in your blender.

Anyway, I thought that was so telling. But I then kept taking it. I've had it for like a week now. That's probably enough. Yeah. But then I kind of kept going the last two days out of curiosity, right? Like I needed some help the first few days to recover. But the last few days I was like, well, I have this.

I am really curious now that I feel normal again if I just drink it. Am I going to actually feel any different? I can tell you, I feel. No different. Not even half a percent. I'm sorry. Nothing. I know. Disappointing. But it just so shows, right? Like, these ads are so compelling. And it's like, this will change your life. You're going to have glowing skin. You're going to be so hydrated or say goodbye to this. Say goodbye to that. I'm like, yeah, I'm the same. Yeah, just the same person I've just recovered from my illness. I'm just not sick anymore. Oh, too. You're right. They make you believe, but that is clever marketing. Make you believe there's a need. Do I need this to be hydrated? Yes. It's such an interesting question. Yes, it is.

Thank you for bringing that up. That's the exact problem with the wellness industry. That's why we're here on the Wellness Group. Kimberly has said, I just wanted to say my wife and I are both big fans of the podcast. We listen every week. I was wondering if you could share your thoughts on Seamus. We're back to Seamus. My wife recently got sucked into Instagram and spent £45 on two jars.

Even she's wondering if it was an impulse by. My gut feeling is that it's probably just another way. wellness trend and that you're better off getting your nutrients from a varied plant-rich diet, but I'd love to hear what the evidence says. Is there any benefit to it? So, Seymos, Ella, we've covered, haven't we before? Is there any evidence on Seamus? What does it taste like?

Have you ever tried it? Well, yes, because I think I gave this story of how I was asked to help with this new Seamoss brand when I was working at the Food Doctor Clinic many years ago. I may have told the story before last year. What do you taste like? If you like Matcha, you can stomach Seamore. It's not the same as Spirulina. Yeah, it's not. Spirulina has a distinct taste.

Like very grassy. But most of these products are seymos added to a juice or added to sugar or added to an extract. You know, seymos does contain minerals like iodine, of course. But also you have to check the packets that it actually is seamoss and is what it says it is. But any claims have no human evidence behind them. And that's obviously why I didn't get on board. Most of the results or studies are on animal studies. that's sad in itself.

There's nothing to relate about humans. No high quality clinical trials. But I do think the iodine element is something people need to be aware of because that impacts our cognition, our thyroid health massively. But also you don't want to take too much of it because excessive iodine could also impact the thyroid negatively. I don't think it's something we need to be supplementing routinely at all. So if I understand the claims made around CMOS as a superfood

is that it, as you said, supports thyroid function, which is involved in regulating our metabolism. Boots, everyone's favorite word for this, boosts our immunity, improves digestion, enhances skin moisture and increases energy. Anything you can say about skin will sell a product these days. My electrolytes would, when I was like always have,

you know, like when you get crocodile legs, oh yes, it will make it go. It has not made it go. It's just a good explanation. in everybody. I mean, it's something we just don't have enough time to deal with. I'll tell you what you do need to buy for that going off topic on Amazon. You can buy these Korean exfoliating mitts. Oh, the ones. I've got them. I bought them.

They're like 17 pounds or something. Yes. It feels a bit more responsive for an exfoliating mitt like versus what's going. I also use the body brush a lot and that helps. Oh my gosh. You scrub with those. Yeah. Oh, it's like the nice thing in the world. You do feel like it's a bit red raw scratching. But actually, once you've, you realize it's probably good for your circulation.

But basically, loads of very general, we could say, claims being made about it. And as you said, very few high quality clinical trials to show. So that 45 pound, probably, I think you're probably right. You don't need to do it again. But iodine, remind us, we have mentioned this before, but actually probably quite an under, talked about, underloved thing. Where do we get it from? If you're vegan, you'll probably know because it's one of the things you're recommended to supplement, because you only really get it in dairy and fish.

And I have to say those are the two food groups that most people either avoid or, you know, don't consume probably the quantity of. There's lots of aversions to those particular food groups. So seaweed, of course, is beneficial. And over in Asia, that's where they get the majority from fish and seaweed type of produce. But over here in the UK, we're not good of iodine. So look for it to be fortified when you go for a plant-based alternative. Love it. Okay, our third question today comes from Elizabetha, who has said hi from Italy. Oh, love that.

Oh, her and her husband are getting married in a few weeks. So huge congratulations to you guys. She said, we're hoping to start trying for a family shortly afterwards. And I would really love to hear your thoughts on trimester zero, the period before pregnancy. I've never heard it called that. Nor have I. That's really interesting. Yeah, I've just always called it officially, like when I wrote the pregnancy book, Preconception. Yeah, but I like that. trimester zero. Okay, she said there seems to be so much information out there about what to do once you're pregnant, but less about what to focus on beforehand. From a nutrition perspective, are there any supplements, nutrients, blood tests, lifestyle habits, health checks you'd recommend addressing before trying to conceive or any common misconceptions that you see around preparing

for pregnancy. We have had quite a lot of questions on... Fertility. Yeah, and if it's, you know, in people's mind, like how they can best look after their body. So it's a really interesting topic. I will delve into the basic ins and outs, but I've actually got a voice note from one of my colleagues who I completely adore Roe Huntry. She specializes in fertility nutrition and she's actually got a lot to contribute on the latest research out of like as in literally this year, last year. Oh, fantastic. So I'll play that for everybody in a moment. But we are looking at a new epidemic of infertility and it's a really emotional. areas. I firstly want to say to anybody that I understand this might be triggering. It's a difficult

conversation to have. But I think it's important we do speak about it because we can't just put off questions like this for that reason. And when I was writing the pregnancy book, there's some things that are so interesting. I don't think people realize that the first few weeks of pregnancy, even the early on stage is like nought to six weeks where it's just negligible, you think, but that's actually when the organs start to develop and all the foundations are laid down. And you need to have things like your vitamin D, your folic acid stores, actually created before you conceive. And that's where lots of people don't realize. So three months prior to having a baby.

Trimester zero. Trimester zero. This is what we're discussing. You actually want to be optimally healthy also because when you go through your trimester one and if you have extreme sickness and nausea, I mean, Thank goodness you've built the stores previously, so don't feel too bad. I actually think this is such an interesting point, really, which is that we don't maybe talk about enough, is that, you know, with all the best will in the world, and, you know, we both know how frustrating it's like pregnant women should do X. I was like, yeah, okay, in their dreams. You can't control it, like the level of nausea or food aversions, et cetera.

Like, you can't just override those. It's debilitating. Completely. Your bed bound. Toast it. And you can be like, I might need to eat broccoli, but I will just vomit it up. So, but actually you have got control of that period oftentimes beforehand. And I think we probably don't make enough of a thing about that because actually it's very hard to control when you are pregnant, but actually trimester zero.

I love that terminology. I think maybe we do need to talk more about this and about how we can support our body and our folic acid stores, for example, as you said. Take the guilt also, because this is what I have a real issue with on social media with these certain accounts recently that discuss pregnancy, saying, oh, women aren't eating enough. women aren't eating enough of this. I'm like, yeah, but they've built the stores before they had the baby. And that is also part of the issue. Yes, of course, diet matters in pregnancy, but I want to reassure people that having a healthy body before you conceive is perhaps the larger goal you should be thinking of before you have the baby. And that includes, of course, maintaining a body shape or size that's working for you, because that does impact fertility outcomes. We can't disclose that

fact without being honest. I know it's triggering and I know it's difficult, but being Underweight can equally affect this just as much as being overweight, and that's something that we have to mention. There's also links with certain genes being carried through to the baby with their predispositions to their weight shape or size as well. And that's research that's emerging as well. So just follow a Mediterranean-star eating pattern and also take your multivets or your prenatal supplementation three months, at least prior, men and women. if you are in that state where you're currently really thinking about it because you want those 400 milligrams of folic acid, you want the 10 micrograms of vitamin D is just so key.

But I think Roe will explain all the latest research far more effectively than I. Really quickly before we hear from Roe though, where you have in the notes and I think it's super important to jump out, which is that male nutrition is often overlooked. This does not all fall on you as the woman. 50, for sure. So diet, smoking, alcohol, sleep, maintaining health. healthy weight, for example, all influenced sperm quality. So preconception health is a shared

responsibility and I think that's really important. I'm really fed up of everybody saying it's on the woman, it's on the women. And we know now that some outcomes from infant health and conditions, of course, are linked back to the sperm just as much as the egg. So let's just get a joint effort there into doing our best to be healthy for the baby, especially if you're undergoing any IVF treatment and things as well. Actually, there's a different set of nutrition guidance for for that as well, things like CO-10, Omega-3, and I'll hand over to Roe. Hi, guys, my name is Roe Huntress. I'm a specialist fertility dietitian and author of deliciously healthy fertility. So talking about co-enzyme Q-10 or CO-Q-10, as it's otherwise known,

it's basically an antioxidant that our bodies naturally produce, but also we can find it in small amounts in food, and we can also get it from supplements as well. And it plays an important role in the mitochondria, which is essentially the energy producing parts of our cells. So interestingly, with COQ10, as we age, the levels of CO2 in our body tend to decrease. And there is a lot of interest about the role of CO10 in fertility and for good reason. And basically to date, research has the potential to improve the quality of both our eggs and our sperm cells. And one of the main reasons for this is that being an antioxidant, it can help to reduce oxidative stress. So the oxidative stress can be damaging to the egg and the sperm. So therefore,

this antioxidant in COQ10 can help to improve the quality. And research is actually also shown that COQ10 supplementation may actually improve pregnancy rates for women who are undergoing IVF. So in terms of can you get enough of it from your diet? So it is naturally found in some foods, but actually the amounts are quite small compared to the doses that we see in fertility research. So if you're wanting to get this benefit from CO-Q10 for fertility, generally we need a therapeutic dose that you would get from a supplement. So it can be a worthwhile choice. There is some evidence to back it, particularly in women who may be age 35 plus. But like with any other supplement, it isn't a magic bullet and it won't guarantee success, but it can be part of the management plan when we're looking to optimize fertility. If you prefer not to go down the supplement route and you just want to focus on food, you can do this as well.

but think about all the antioxidants that you're able to get from your diet. So plenty of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, those kind of things. Your overall diet can also play a role in supporting healthy eggs and fertility. That was so helpful. Thank you, Roe. Okay, we next have Chloe, who said, it's possible that I'm quite literally a number one fan. Yay! Thank you, Chloe. My question is about the carnival diet from listening to you both and from lots of other information. I've come across on the internet.

I know that it's not good for our bodies and not the right life. start to follow. However, like many, many women, I have spent nearly my whole 30 years on this planet trying to lose weight with very little success. I went on the carnivore diet when it was all the rage and it was the only time in my life I managed to successfully lose weight and feel great in myself. I had incredible mental clarity and the pounds were falling off me. I know in terms of nutrients the body needs, it is not the diet to follow? But I can't help but miss how it made me feel. Is there a reason it makes you feel like this? And is there a reason why I struggled to lose weight even if I'm eating a fantastic diet with lots of fibre, veggies, healthy fats, etc. Thank you, Chloe. We're going to

hand over to you, but I really just want to say, Chloe, thank you so much for being so honest, because I just think these are the types of thoughts and questions that so many people have. It is really a very common thing to have this mindset, and so you're not alone in it. And I just think that addressing this in a really transparent way is so, so helpful. It's unbelievably helpful because the first thing I'd say is that I believe you, you know, you would have felt better from following something that's that strict and the regime is pretty much you can't divulge off it. It's very similar to the ketogenic diet and I've supervised these things in my clinic before in the past and have always said to my clients, this will be a short-term outcome if this is what you're doing. I'm

concerned about your overall health status, your fibre that you're not now getting when you exclude carbohydrates and vegetables from your diet, but you will. lose pounds and it's a really difficult thing to question first of all and the next step is understand of course why it happened rather than you're telling everyone to go and eat carnivore and the first thing is that it's so heavily restrictive and actually when people are embarking upon these diets especially a keto I'm referring to them under the same umbrella because they both involve low intake of vegetables fruit and carbohydrates and high intake of protein and the protein factor's key because a lot of people want to get into a state of ketosis,

which is when their body starts using fat as an energy source rather than available glucose, which comes from carbohydrates. And then they have these pea sticks every week where they have to check. Because if you just have one mouthful of carbohydrates, you can get out of that ketosis and you've blown the whole thing. It's a really bad diet for that whole failure thing. You start, you have one bad, you know, day or one, it's not even bad, but you know, you eat a normal piece of food.

you've got to start again from the beginning. Yeah, you have like a piece of toast and it's... You've undone. Yeah, yes, yeah, you're toast. Literally, you've undone your whole thing because your blood, your urine test will then say that you're not in ketosis and you're not burning fat and it's a vicious cycle. It's so effective short term because protein obviously increases fullness, preserves your muscle mass while you're doing the body fat loss, which is why short term

that's successful. But the initial weight on the scales is often water, weight because glucose and sugars and carbs have molecules of water that bind them around every muscle in your body, your glycogen stores. So your energy stores are depleted and that's what also holds initial weight on the scales. It's not that you've lost body fat in the first week or two. But you will feel better because you'll see these instant results. You will be on a high from it.

Your body will be like, wow. And you can't divulge from the diet because everything's off limits, but animal produce. It's a really intense diet. You know, some people will notice symptoms, particularly if they've always struggled of different food intolerances or gastric symptoms like your bloating or IBS, all sorts of things, because they've not had any fibre in their diet. They're not having strains that actively interact and perform alongside your body. So it does lead to rapid weight loss, but it's so unsustainable.

So unsustainable. imagine two weeks of just eating eggs, meat, but you start to feel nauseous. There's so many symptoms. Skin health starts to deteriorate. You're not getting those vitamins and minerals. Hair may start to fall out. You will notice you may become very deficient in certain vitamins and minerals and antioxidants. Fiber, I cannot emphasize the risk of bowel cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

The risk on a carnival diet is immense. It increases it tenfold. if you follow this for a prolonged period of time, the more saturated fat you consume, you're harming your arteries and you're not getting any fibre. I think it's actually really serious that we have this discussion because you will get short-term benefits. You'll see rapid weight loss.

It's what all the models in the 90s and early noughties were following pre-photo shoot. Yeah, and obviously it's slightly different, but that's where the Atkins diet or the Dukin diet, which obviously, you know, it's not exactly the same, but it's essentially, you know, obviously you're moving away from carbohydrates, which has this huge impact. And as I said, I love that you're so honest about it because I think one of the big challenges

and really talk about this so well is this idea of kind of the set point of our weight and that we are all different shapes and sizes within a continuum naturally. And so, you know, a certain aesthetic and a certain size just may not be viable for us within a healthy range of the way that we eat. But we are so often shown images of people who are so, so slim, so thin, and it's so easy for that to kind of percolate into our subconscious and to think that that's what we want to emulate. But our body simply can't be there while being healthy.

I think you've hit the nail on the head that you can look a certain way and not be healthy. And that's what lots of these people say. They go on this diet for a specific occasion a day. an event, a shoot. And there are medical factors, of course, there will be exceptions to this rule where this diet perhaps may help a specific medical condition. But for most people, it's so restrictive. There are still, sadly, clinics on Harley Street and places that run these services.

And they just prescribe laxatives alongside a carnival diet and will give you a shot of B12 or anything just to keep your energy high. I've literally seen it all. Thank you for being so honest. Yeah, you'll have lost weight and you'll have felt great short term, but it's just not something you can maintain to be healthy long term. We're going to actually talk on Monday's episode a little bit about this pressure of weight, which it will be really interesting. Okay, our final question today comes from Gabby. Rie, will you read us what Gabby's got?

Yes, of course. So whether you know it or not, you have been a huge part of my wedding journey. Oh, she said, I sent a question about how to fill my best for my wedding day and you ended last year's podcast on my question. I'm so happy to hear that. she said it meant so much to me and gave me such validation that I was doing all the right things. We got married on the 17th of July. Oh, congratulations. And our wedding day was incredible, truly the best day of our lives and so much fun. I've been with my partner for 13 years and I told him I wanted to marry him when we were eight years old. So you can imagine for how long

eight years old is just, I can't imagine our kids now. It's so adorable. Oh, well my nearly six-year-old proposes on the regular. She has been engaged since she. She has been engaged since she's. She was too. So let's see. Maybe she's going to be like you, Gabby. She does, doesn't she? It's so funny. The wedding high is definitely dwindling, though, she said. I'm feeling so many post-wedding blues. I'm finding it hard to stand up on my routine, especially exercising and grieving deeply the loss of my grandfather who died two weeks before our wedding. All that's tough. I'm so sorry. Should I realize that the wedding was a huge motivation for me and a distraction after his death, but now it's obviously sinking in.

I'm feeling low on energy and unmotivated. And I recognize that sometimes our bodies need a slower pace, but I'm not comfortable of where I'm at. Any advice for a wife and a rut she's written? I think that feeling, well, first of all, obviously, huge congratulations, Gabby, and I'm so incredibly sorry for the loss of your grandfather. Obviously, those are specific things, but I think this being in a rut is very familiar for so many people.

and so everyone is different completely. I think for me, and I'm so curious what we think. There's two things I would say. First of all, I totally agree with you that sometimes our body needs a slower pace and sometimes we just need to lean into a little bit more kind of restful habits versus like go, go, go wellness habits. And that's okay. And I think you can find things within that that probably,

it's not like they give you huge motivation in terms of like, yes, I'm going to go to the gym. but just give you that sense of peace and calm and comfortableness within yourself. You all know I love meditating, but you know and I love mindfulness. But that, you know, calm yoga classes like maybe there's a yin yoga class or restorative yoga class at a studio near you or there's so much online. And those can be so beautiful. It's like an hour of lying quietly but kind of guided and held.

So I think leaning into that but in a way that's deliberate can be a really nice way of doing it or having like a really cozy night in, cooking a delicious meal maybe with a friend or with your partner, you know, you snuggle up with some lovely tea, watch a movie. So it's kind of, it's really leaning in in a deliberate way to a little bit calmer, cozier, more nourishing. I think that's a great, great thing. So I think that you can go to be motivated to really nourish yourself in a slow way. It can be really lovely. And then the second thing I think is always when it comes to finding motivation, I think you've got to go back to whatever it is you love. Because your motivations do change. And I totally get it. Like if it's your wedding, you're kind of wanting

to look grey and feel gray. You know, as not. completely normal and those aren't going to be there in the same way like in your work clothes you're probably not going to have that same drive that's so normal and I think it's okay to just say that out loud but when it comes to things like exercise like or cooking like find the things you love you know and that I think will motivate you to keep going because you'll really enjoy it I think that's really helpful and I think also just remembering as human beings we're not technically meant to have these massive highs followed by the normality afterwards and I think a lot of people, if you go through any life event, like a wedding,

you know, singers get it coming off stage. We've spoken out of it before you get these euphoric highs and then life returns to normal. And it is a difficult adjustment suddenly to make and you've had your mindset on planning one thing for such a prolonged period of time. Also, grief can come out of the blue and hit you in many different ways, shapes or forms. Some days you may not think about it as much as others. And one of the things I think we tend to do as human beings and you can go either way and just from speaking to psychologists a lot is that we either go towards social interaction or away from it. And actually what Ella said about trying maybe a community thing as well, sometimes the last thing we want to do is talk to people. But actually we often find when we are distracted in that way and we have a bit of social interaction, it can really help bolster our mood.

So it's hard. What you've described is a massive life event, a massive life event, a massive. life loss that both will stay with you forever. Yeah, it's normal not to feel 100%. To navigate that. I think it's one of the biggest myths of the health and wellness world that we're all meant to feel 100%, 100% at the time. We're not.

No, it's so normal to have peaks and troughs. So thank you for sharing that with Gabby because I think it will relate to so many listeners. And Ella and I obviously not therapists. We're just here to discuss the fact we can relate to the fact that life does, gosh, does it throw high? and lows everybody to everyone. So we never really truly know what people are going through behind the scenes, but a bit of kindness, a bit of social support and anything that you love,

like Ella said, go back to what you love, can help. Yeah, be gentle on yourself. And otherwise, thank you all for being here. On Monday, we're going to be talking about could eating less protein be the answer to slowing aging, the opposite of everything you've had for a long time. So loads to talk about there. We're going to talk a little bit about body image and pressures. We have got so much talk about the rise of tea, so much going on. So we will see you on Monday. We can't wait. As always, thank you guys for being here. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comments. Keep them coming in our inbox and we'll see you on Monday. Bye.