September 30, 2025 • 32 mins
This week on The Nutrition Couch, Leanne and Susie tackle the question that’s on everyone’s lips: Are Aussie berries safe to eat right now? We break down the new pesticide concerns, what it means for your weekly shop, and how to wash and store berries so they last longer.
We also dive into new omega-3 research on muscle health as we age, review a supermarket “light lunch” pack that looks better than it really is, and answer a listener’s question about sardines — are they the ultimate budget superfood?
In this episode:
- Aussie berries under review: What the latest pesticide concerns mean, and simple steps to keep your family safe.
- Omega-3 and muscle health: Why food sources work better than supplements for strength and healthy ageing.
- Lunchbox review: Our verdict on Primo’s ham-and-cheese “light lunch” pack — and smarter swaps you can make in minutes.
- Sardines spotlight: Cheap, nutritious, and packed with omega-3s — but are they for everyone?
You’ll also hear:
- The quick wash method that actually reduces pesticide residues on berries.
- How to spread omega-3 intake across the week without blowing the budget.
- Why processed meats are still an “occasional only” choice, even when marketed as high-protein.
If your diet could use a protein top-up, explore our scientifically formulated supplements at designedbydietitians.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Are you a regular consumer of berries when you can
afford them? At least do you wash your berries before
eating them? On today's episode of The Nutrition Couch, we
have some alarming new data on Ossi berries which may
change the way that you regularly consume them. Hi, I'm
Leanne Ward and I'm Sissy Burrow, and together we bring
you The Nutrition Couch, the weekly podcast that keeps you
(00:22):
up to date on everything that you need to know in.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
The world of nutrition.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
As well as washing your berries, we have some new
research that talks about the whole body benefits of Amiga three's,
We have a potentially handy new lunchbox option to review,
and we chat a food that we have never mentioned
before on the podcast. But to kick us up today, Susie,
there has been I want to say interesting slash alarming,
I guess, research and news articles in the last couple
(00:48):
of weeks talking about berries and a pesticide basically so,
the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicine Authority, the APVMA, is
reviewing a chemical that I must admit to you. I
had to google how to pronunciate because pronunciation isn't my
strong point. We'll both admit that, and I wanted to
google it to vexstel that I pronounced it correctly. And
(01:08):
the pest society is dermothaid and it's used on berries,
particularly things like blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Now this has
come to light or has had a lot of press
in the media lately, because it's been a long time
since there was a significant review. The last review with
this pesticide was back in twenty seventeen. So the residue
safety margins under the current rules may no longer be
(01:31):
sufficient because Australians are eating a lot more berries than
we used to. And that makes sense, I guess, because
we know that they're great from an antioxidant perspective, we
know that they've got good amounts of fiber in them.
Obviously there are type of fruits, so we're getting some vitamins.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
And minerals as well.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
And then of course they're very low sugar and they
are a very low calorie fruit option for those that
are actively pursuing weight loss or a calorie deficit. So
Austraians are just eating far more berries. So some of
this research is now saying that potentially this pesticide is
becoming more of an issue due to the consumption levels
have increased over the last couple of years. So what
(02:07):
the current I guess guidelines or safety mechanisms have said.
And I've done a little bit of research behind this, SUSI,
because I have small children. I have a three year
old and a two year old, and we go through
copious amounts of berries. Like my mia can smash two
pounds of raspberries in like five minutes flat if I letter.
So we spend a lot of money on berries.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
I mustn't matter.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I don't personally buy organic berries at the moment, but
I do wash my berries. So when I saw this
research come out, I was kind of like, oh, this
is very interesting slash scary as well. So we don't
want to alarm anybody, We don't want to fearmong or anything.
We just want to bring to light what are the
current guidelines around this and what can we do for
our children for ourselves to make this that little bit healthier.
(02:47):
So the current guidelines are for the growers who are
currently using this dermathae to spray the berries with, you
must wait one day for blueberries and seven days for
raspberries and blackberries before actually harvesting them. But the APVMA,
which is the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicine Authority, is
actually proposing that they extend this withholding period to be
(03:10):
about fourteen days for all berries. So something like a
blueberry would go from a one day weight to harvest
to fourteen days. That is a significant increase in the
wait time for harvesting. Now this is kind of really
under review. People are proposing this, it's not written into
the guidelines as yet. But why, I guess, are we
(03:30):
concerned about this chemical dermothaide Because it's actually a neurotoxic pesticide,
but it has been used for many decades in Australia.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It's not new.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
But the interesting thing was Susie, when I started doing
some research into it is actually banned in places like
the EU and US regulators have actually flagged it as
a potential human cucinogen. So what is something that we
want to be wary of. It is something that we
want to be cautious of, but obviously understanding what is
considered a safe limit and your overall consumption of berries
(04:02):
and products that use this pesticide is obviously going to
come into contact as well. So the biggest thing I
think we can do is consumers and as parents who
have children who love to eat punnets and punnets and
punnets and blueberries, particularly when they're a bit cheaper in summer.
The best thing we can do is to wash our
produce if possible, and if your budget allows for it,
try to buy organic. And there are certainly you would
(04:24):
have seen them so eso those like Dirty dozen lists
that lists the top you know, twelve quote unquote dirtiest,
and that means the fruits and vegetables that use the
most amount of pesticides when growing them, and berries have
always been on those lists, so we do know that
when growers grow and harvest berries, they do tend to
use a certain amount of pesticides which are higher than
some other types of fruits and veggies. So if possible,
(04:47):
if the budget allows, buy organic. Next best thing you
could do, and even if you were buying organic, I
would still recommend washing them, is to wash your berries.
So basically you want to try to avoid soap and
detergent because that can still leave their own residues on
the products anyway, and the best practice is actually to
soak in vinegar or buye carp So it's a one
is to three solutions, So one part vinegar to water
(05:09):
or one teaspoon of baking soda into basically just a
big bowl of water. Soak you berries thirty sixty seconds.
Give them a really gentle kind of you know, rub
with your fingers.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Don't press too hard you'll squashal with your beautiful berries.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
And don't soak for longer than about sixty seconds because
the longer you soak it for the berries can just
go a bit mushy, They're not very nice.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Make sure you dry them properly. And then if I.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Put them into glass containers with a little bit of
paper towel just on it, and that my berries will
last a good week or two. So I get a
lot longer last time out of my berries if I
wash them properly, I dry them properly, and then I
sort of line my glass containers with a bit of
paper towel or something. So that's sort of the best
practice to try and eliminate as much as possible this
pesticide on berries. Am I personally going to avoid buying berries? No,
(05:53):
If the budget allows, I will lot for organic but
I will absolutely always be washing my berries. And I
think it's a really important thing because I have seen
parents cruising around the shopping center giving their kids blueberries
and strawberries out of a punnet. And although that might
be a healthy option as a snack for the children
instead of a packet of tiny teddies when you're cruising
through the supermarket, we do need to be aware of
(06:13):
how these things are grown and the types of pesticides
that we are using. So the best practice is to
take it home, give them a good wash, dry them off,
and you're good to go after that.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
It is alarming.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
I think that eventually it will get banned in Australia
as well, and I think the fact it's not is
a concern. I think that it's really tricky because I
even think berries are expensive at the moment, Like I
think back to the good old days when they were
two dollars a punt it like I'm certainly buying far less.
So I did see an influencer or a nutritionists washing
(06:46):
them in an organic fruit and vegetable wash you can buy.
They're about fifteen twenty dollars two and I was thinking
at the time, this is a few weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Wow, that's commitment.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
And now she obviously was onto it before we were,
So I like that. You don't have to pay for
a solution. You can do it baking soda is buyicarbs,
so you can do it with bi carb and vinegar
and get the same result. It is time intensive, you know,
our women are already time poor. It's tricky with things
like raspberries. Of course, they just sort of disintegrate, so
it is extremely tricky. The question I have, Leanne, is
(07:18):
what do we do about frozen berries because a lot
of people will use those in smoothies and as a
convenient option and a cost effective option, So you can
hardly wash them, you know, they will literally disintegrate. So
I think that's an issue in itself, because what do
we do then, you know, do we have assurances that
they have been properly washed at time harvest?
Speaker 3 (07:37):
I doubt it.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
They will be snapped frozen like all frozen produce. So
I think that is a little bit of a concern.
And yeah, I think we're all sort of aware of
it now. And certainly if you have got capacity to
buy fresh would be washing and sticking in the fridge
and some paper towel, But yeah, my main question is frozen.
I think that leaves a real issue for frozen berries
in general because you can't really wash those.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
And a lot of for some fruit and particularly berries
come from overseas, like I know a lot of by
frozen berries are Vietnamese or they're from the US. So
I do remember when I was pregnant, I must supposed
to a video like a smoothie using blueberris, and someone
wrote back to me, oh, my gosh, you're not supposed
to have frozen berries when you're pregnant, And I think
it had something to do with where they're from, like
they're typically not from Australia, they're overseas, and the level
(08:21):
of pesticide and that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
So I did continue personally.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
To have frozen berries, but I did buy the organic
type after that, and I was really trying to if
I could find a source from Australia if I could,
because our I guess legislation and regulations are very different
to other parts of the world as well. But I
do think if the budget allows organic, particularly for frozen
is a better idea because you can't really wash them.
Like you said that, they're kind of snap frozen at
(08:44):
the point of harvest. There is an organic brand in supermarkets.
Isn't there that white?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Isn't that white in the white bag? Exactly?
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Yeah, So I think that we will see a lot
more produced frozen and fresh marketed according to that as
an additive, similar to the permeate discussion with milk a
few years back about milks, it didn't contain it. So
I think that it will become more of a talking
point because certainly, in the past couple of weeks on
our Nutrition Couch Instagram, I've had a lot of direct
messages about this, so it's certainly on people's minds. So
(09:14):
we'll continue to update you as we hear anything. But certainly,
if you can afford it, it's in the budget to
go organic, or maybe you might sort of when they're
on sale, stock up on the organic ones for the freezer,
and then when you've got time washed the fresh ones
in supermarkets. So yeah, it sounds like we're on the
right track and doing a bit more prep So very
interesting indeed, all rightly, and well, another research paper that
(09:34):
crossed my path which was very interesting was one on
Amiga three fats because I personally think that amiga three
fats are not discussed enough in nutrition because very few
people consume the recommended two fish meals a week from
the Heart Foundation for general health that comes from eating
all types of seafood, and specifically the amiga three benefits
(09:56):
that come from oily fish in particular, whether it's salmon
or clothes that I am an ambassador for Tasau, but
also fish in general, barramundi, sardines, tin tuna, tin salmon,
and even whitefish. You do get some amiga three from now.
You can get some amiga three from plant based foods,
but it's not the long chain very powerful thha and epa,
(10:17):
which is only found in fish. So things like lindseeed, walnut,
sinland sea bread you do get some of what we
call the plant based a mega threes, but to get
the sort of ones with the strongest anti inflammatory benefits,
naturally it does need to come from fish. And so
this was a study that looked at the benefits from
a whole body perspective, because of course the key benefits
from omega threes and what's changed primarily in our diets
(10:40):
is that going back thousands of years is that because
we had a diet that was richer in plant based
AMGA threes and ate more fish, and even our meat
was higher in that from the produce that animals were eating. Now,
our ratios in our diet are far far less than
they were, and that is a pro inflammatory ratio because
the types of fat now diet compete for us take
(11:00):
in the cell wall, and we naturally have a lot
of what we call the amiga six seed oils going
through our diet from processed foods, vegetable oils, and then
of course saturated fat's coming from processed foods, cakes, biscuits, pastries,
dairy and so basically a little old a mega threes
get drowned out very very easily. And really we need
to try and be having about a grammar day for
optimal health and the anti inflammatory benefits that comes from
(11:23):
a single serve of AMGA three rich seafood, whether it's
salmon or sardines. But most of us are getting nowhere
near that because we are not eating enough fish, and
so of course some people are like, oh, well, shall
I supplement Well, this study is really interesting because it
shows beyond the amiga three benefits for what we called
protein synthesis in the body, so it really tickled my interest.
So the paper was a meta analysis, which is a
(11:45):
strong review paper and it was published in the Journal
of Nutrition Reviews just this year in February, and that's
a very reputable journal, and it basically went through all
of the papers that had specifically look at age related
decline and skeletal muscle mass. So we know once we
get into our thirties and forties, well, I think it's
about one percent per year the average adult two percent,
(12:06):
we'd lose a year of muscle mass, which significantly adds
up through the lifespan. And of course that is very
closely linked to our strength as we age, and we
talk frequently on the podcast about as we get older
we want to be strong, yes, lean, but also strong
and fit so our bodies and muscles can preserve and
hold our body and keep our activities of daily life
and flexibility and strength as strong as possible so we're
(12:28):
not prone to fools and can do all the things
physically we want to as we get older. And so
this specifically was looking at the rates of muscle protein synthesis,
so muscle building and break down, and the link to
a MEAGA three fat intake in older adults. So it
was a very specific review paper looking I guess at
(12:50):
aging populations and it found three hundred studies and only
eight had that specificity that were able to be included
in the study. And they found that a Mega three supplementation,
so Amga three capsules had no significant effect on muscle
synthesis in the body compared to oral intake of amiga
(13:10):
three's from the diet, which showed a significant increase on
increasing whole body protein synthesis rates, which is very interesting
research and the finding is thought because it improves insulin
sensitivity and basically the growth hormones and the body so
more likely to put down muscle tissue when we consume
(13:32):
a higher amount of actual amiga threes throughout diet. So
I thought it was relevant just to have a little
bit of chat because I certainly know lots of listeners
and lots of my own clients will take an a
Mega three supplement, and I just wanted to highlight that
whilst that won't be negative, if anything, it will be
aiding inflammation in the body overall and improving your ratios.
(13:53):
Specifically when it comes to improving muscle in the body,
it appears that the actual intake of it in real
food fo has a significant effect and looking and saying well,
from a diet perspective, am I getting enough Amiga three fat?
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Well?
Speaker 4 (14:07):
Literally, if you're not having oily fish at least every
second day. And I'm not talking a massive two hundred
grand piece of salmon, I'm talking about one hundred grams.
A very small tin of tuna will give some sardines
which we're going to talk about in a minute even better.
And salmon if you do like it, rich sauces Barramundi's
actually pretty high, as are prawn's coming into summer season
in Australia, as are things like oysters and muscles, and
(14:29):
it really does add up. So if you are listening
and you are a seafood eater, basically the take home
message to preserve muscle mass as we age is you've
got to eat a little bit more of it. And
I think that from a weight control perspective, from a
nutrient intake perspective, If a client said to me, I'm
just going to have some tin tuna and veggies for dinner,
or sardines on toast or crackers with some tinned oysters
(14:53):
or muscles I'd be so happy. So I think that
they're just really superfoods in that section of the supermarket
that are affordable and cost effective and you don't need
a lot of it. You know, you might find if
you're having a big piece of salmon twice a week
or once a week, you actually probably better to harve
it and have two smaller portions across two days of
the week than you are to have that bigger piece.
So yeah, I just thought it was very very interesting
(15:15):
that it was a real distinct difference between oral Amiga
three supplementation and actually eating the fish itself and the
benefits that come from that.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yeah, and I found it really interesting too.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
And I guess my thoughts as you were talking through that, Like, firstly,
it was on older, older people, which I think is
really important because I were talking about sycopenia, that muscle wasting,
So it wasn't for like, you know, the fit and healthy,
your twenty thirty year old. It was on older people.
And then I guess the research show that the effect
was most pronounced when it was at least eight weeks
as well. And then I guess my question for you
(15:44):
would be, is it more pronounced in terms of muscle
protein synthesis, because when you eat real salmon, it's got
protein in there, versus when you take an Amiga three supplement,
you're just getting the EPA and the DHA, right, You're
not getting the protein out of.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
That as well. So obviously the protein itself.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Was the most important part when it comes to muscle
protein synthesis, and the research did highlight that the benefits
were the strongest when they combined the immigatory with adequate
protein and.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Resistance based exercise.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
So we know that to prevent that sycopenia, that muscle wasting,
you need resistance based exercise, you need enough protein. But
also these amigatrees are really important as well. So I
do like the research. I think it's great and it
just highlights that fact that dieticians always say food first, right,
food over supplements.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Always true.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
And it's interesting from a cost perspective because like ultimately
fresh fish is relatively expensive. You can get frozen varieties,
but it does tend to be important and then you're
not perhaps exposed to the strict controls. In Australia, we
do have around our fish supplies, our seafood supplies, which
of course you'd argue are the highest in the world.
But just as an example, I myself love red salmon,
(16:50):
and it dates back to going in the eighties with
my nana to David Jones when David Jones had cafes
and you used to get the red salmon sandwiches in
the little Fingers sandwiches, and I just thought that was
so elegant, you know, in the suburban shopping center. So
I always had this affinity to red salmon. But red
salmon in a tin is incredibly expensive. Like it's like
I think the small two hundred grand one is about
(17:12):
six or seven dollars, and then the Woolies and Coals
branded tin, which is the big four to twenty, is
about ten dollars. But I argue that if you like
it ten dollars, you'll get at least four serves. So
two fifty is serve, which is equivalent to tuna, which
is much lower in amega three generally. And if you
like the tin salmon with the bones, you get all
(17:32):
the calcium, which a lot of our ladies listening need
a lot more natural calcium in their diet. So it's
a very smart superfood. And even though it looks a
lot to buy one tin of something for ten bucks,
considering you'll get four serves of it for salmon patties
or on sandwiches, wraps, in a salad. It's actually a
really smart superfood and cost per serve is good, so
I think, don't discount it. And I know people listening
(17:54):
you'll be like, I can't do tin salmon each to
their own. But if you do not mind it, it's
certainly a superfood, and I would say quite affordable if
you struggle with fresh fish or even I have a
lot of people who they like salmon or fish, but
the kids don't, so cooking it for dinners a problem
because not everyone eats it, Whereas I think a little
bit of tin can go a long way, you know,
I argue, who doesn't like a bit of a salmon
or tuna ristle? Like it's you know, very eighties food
(18:16):
and seventies food. But it is cost effective and extremely
nutrient rich, So there's a lot to be said for that,
particularly when the cost of food is so much at
the moment.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
And I think the key is to get kids onto
it early, because I certainly have given my two girls
salmon from a really really young age and like you.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
I used to make these salmon patties.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
I'd mash I'd cook sweet potato, mash it down, add
in the red salmon, add a couple of eggs, in
some bread crumbs.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
And just give a really good shake of dial.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
I didn't used to add salt when they were really
little babies, but now that they're sort of two and three,
I'll put some salt in there as well, and just
the combination of dill and salt, the bread crumbs, the
sweet potato mass some of that salmon flavor as well.
And certainly David and I eat salmon two three times
a week. It's a non negotiable for us. We both
actually love it, so it's a lot easier to get in.
And I also think it's worth highlighting that the skin
of the salmon contains the bulk of the Amiga threes
(19:02):
as well. Have so many clients who really love salmon,
but they don't eat the skin at all, and I
think that that can hinder the amount of Amiga three
you're actually trying to get in. So where possible, we
pat the salmon dry, we salt the crap out of it,
like we use so much salt, and then we put
its skin down into a really hot cast iron pan
and that cooks beautifully. Because I don't like that, like
that salty skin. I can't handle it. It's like reheated
(19:24):
the next day.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I'm like a hard no. But if it's like fresh,
it's crispy, it's salty either.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Just think it's delicious and it's much easier to get
in when it's hot and salty and a little bit crispy.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
True, And I think, don't be scared, particularly in the
case of tin fish, if you need a bit of
mayo or something that is high and fat to flavor
it so you do enjoy it. Like I think sometimes
we're scared to add seasonings because we think, oh, we
shouldn't be adding mayo or fat to it. Where I
would be happy if a client needed to add a
little bit of pesto or mayo to sort of mask
the taste of the fish so they enjoyed it but
still got the benefits.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I wouldn't have a problem with that.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
And I think that's why in the supermarket section, whilst
Tuina it does have and Mega three it does have
some and you see a lot of those cracker packs
with a bit of Mayo and things. Actually don't have
a problem with them because I'd much rather my client
eat the fish, even if it does have a bit
of extra fat added, then not eat it at all.
So don't be scared to sort of flavor it up.
And yeah, I find across the board they can be
really tasty and very nutritious meals, So keep an eye out. Alright, Lynne,
(20:20):
I've got a new product now I'm interested again.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
I sort of saw it in the supermarket. Have you
seen it?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
No, I haven't seen it yet. Okay, it's a new one,
is it.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
The good thing actually now is we're recording videos and
what we're going to do for our listeners as we
refine our video process, we're going to be off to
start to actually have the physical product with us to
show you. So that's exciting. So we'll probably start that
from next in the next couple of weeks. But this
one is unfortunately we'll just describe it to you, but
it's in coals, not will worse and it's the Primo
light lunch smoke Ham, tasty cheese and Vita wheat nine
(20:52):
grains dejan A's It's a light lunch lean that's how
it's marketed. Every time I look in this section, there's
more and more of these product, so it's certainly obviously
a direction from the buyer that people are looking for
these kind of products. It retails at six dollars fifty,
which is cost effective for a lunch. And let's have
a look at the nutritional so per serve. It's just
(21:12):
shy of three hundred calories, so eleven hundred and thirty kilodelels.
It's marketed heavily on the protein content, which is eighteen
point eight grams. It's got eighteen point seven grams of carbs,
so shy of two slices of bread worth coming from
those fider weights. Bidiweight and nine grain are a very
nutrient dense grain, a whole grain, very good quality carbohydrate.
Only two point four grams of sugar, which is what
(21:34):
you would expect from ham and cheese and crackers. The
saturated fat at five point nine is quite high, and
that's because it is a cheese product. Sodium quite high
at eight hundred and eleven milligrams, given that we should
really try and have less than two thousand a day,
and not insignificant in fat twelve point four grams again,
there's cheese and ham in it. If I look at
the ingredient list, the first ingredient is reduced fat tasty cheese,
(21:57):
So they're cutting some fat out there by using a
light chet smoked ham. They're not giving me percentages of
their Now, I'm pretty sure they'll have the nitrates in there. Yes,
they do, as it is a processed meat, modified starches,
the vital weight nine grains, which have got a very
clean ingredient list overall, then the djna's which has a
bit of mustard. So the ingredient list is quite long,
(22:17):
and that's primarily because it comes from processed meat and crackers. Now,
the issue that I believe LIAM will also have is that,
whilst it's heavily marketed for protein content, eighteen grams for
lunch is still pretty low. Really for our women, we'd
be wanting at least we're closer to thirty. But the
(22:38):
issue is that process meat ham, turkey salami is not
equivalent in protein content to what I describe as real
protein chicken breast lean meat itself. Plus it is identified
as a known carcidogen from the World Health Organization. So
even if I loved this product, nutritionally, I can't recommend
(22:59):
it because it still has process meat in it, and
we spoke about process chicken a couple of weeks ago.
So I think it's just really good reminder that whilst
these products look good, and if I had to choose
between a client having this with some salad like a
salad bag and a fast food meal, yes, I would
absolutely choose this, but it's down the list. It's certainly
(23:23):
not on my shopping list, it's not on my client's
meal plans. I have to be very clear those additives,
those preservatives should not be consumed daily in our diet.
I usually say process meat bacon once maybe twice a
week at most. So yeah, it's a really interesting product
because obviously people are buying them. Obviously they're being heavily marketed.
(23:44):
They're expensive, like the little ones for kids are three
fifty to four to fifty per snack, and they're all
slap protein, protein protein. But let's be very clear, it
remains process meat and as such is in an occasional
food at best.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Honestly, couldn't summer it better. Like the addition of the vita,
it's great. You know, we like a cracker with a
bit of fiber in it. However, like you said, it
is still an ultra process food. The ingredients in there,
there's what like twelve lines in terms of the ingredient list.
The ham contains a preservative two fifty, so you are
getting it is deemed an ultra processed red meat. So
I think it, Like you said, it's an occasional thing.
(24:20):
If you forget your lunch, if you're heading off to
the kids soccer game, you're hungry, you want to grab
something from the supermarket. Yes, it's not on the go option,
and a little bit of process red meat is fun.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
You know.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
It's okay to have bacon, you know, once we get
the cafe. It's okay to have a sausage to dinner.
But if you're regularly using ham in your sandwiches and
buying these things, if you're having sausages two three times
with the family, if you eat bacon nearly every weekend,
if you have the cheeseboards with the kabana the salami,
you're putting the salami in your pizza, it's too much.
We have the research that shows us that too much
(24:50):
process red meat significantly increases your risk of cancers, particularly
about cancer, so we know that there's no argument against that. So,
like you said, it's an occasional thing. Is it a
better choice compared to a lot of the other cheese
and cracker options. Yes, but I would still argue that
there's one hundred other better choices in the soupermarket. It's
not something that you would ever really see me recommend ever,
(25:10):
unless a client is like, look, I absolutely love this.
It's one of my favorite foods in the world. How
can we include this as part of a balanced diet? Okay,
but it is not something I would personally recommend. I
have a very sort of hard stance against those ultra
process meats. I think there's far better options in the soupermarket.
We talked about that ready made chicken breast a couple
of weeks ago. That is a far better option. And
you can grab a packet of vitawheats yourself, grab some
(25:32):
sliced cheese off the shelf and make that up in
a matter of minutes, and it's a better option than
including the ham in my opinion.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
Yeah, And to be honest, like, you can buy their
Vite eight nine greens and Rye cruskets three dollars on
sale regularly and a Tina tuna or salmon. Salmon's a
bit more, but say tuna's two dollars, so you're getting,
you know, for five dollars, a much better lunch option
and also extra serves of it. So I think, yeah,
so it's a tricky one because we're seeing just so
(26:00):
many of them pop up. The other thing, Actually, I've
got some feedback. I did buy the Yumi's Avocado dip
with crackers the little snack pack. My boys weren't the
biggest fan of it, which was a shame because I
would have really liked to be able to send it
to school.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
So if any other listeners have tried it, let us know.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
But I will report back because sometimes I put something
on my Instagram stories and someone wrote taste crap, so
I could just report straight away no good. So I
think that kind of feedback works quite well because Leanna
and I can't try everything. But I have no doubt
that ham and cheese and crackers will taste good. But yeah,
they're sort of down the list of quick and easy options.
But I have a massive issue with my clients at
the moment in Bacon, like I just find it slips
(26:37):
in so many times, like they'll have their eggs and
fetter and hallomi and then a bit of bacon two
or three times a week. And I'm just like, you
can't have process meet that often, Like let's be clear,
it's once a week kind of thing, because I think
people are eating a lot more.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
Of it than they realize.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Yeah, it's a difficult one, particularly from a budget perspective,
but you know, we've discussed it at length on the
podcast before.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
So bacon's cheap. Is bacon chee?
Speaker 1 (27:00):
No?
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I mean ham? So ham hams hat cheap. Yeah, but
bacon's not cheap at all. But yeah, ham is very cheap.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
It's a good lunchbox filler, particularly for families with small children.
Sausages and ham make regular appearances in the Diet. We
get that, we're not saying that you're a bad person.
We get that we've had we know we've had discussions
at length about it on the podcast, But where you
can do try to minimize your intake of process red meats,
and particularly for your children, because it's not you know,
we're not seeing bow cancer percent and children. We're seeing
(27:24):
it present in a lot of younger people in their
thirties who consumed a lot of these products, the devons,
the hams, the salamis, the bacon regularly in their school
lunchboxes on weekends. This is where we're seeing these huge
increase in bow cancer patients in their thirties and in
their early forties, when it used to be something we
saw in people who were in their sixties and in
their seventies or potentially their eighties. So it is a
(27:48):
younger person's disease which is quite scary, and it's what
we're consuming within our childhood as well that is going
to increase or decrease overage potentially in our twenty thirties
and forties.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
And I will say because of course people will say, oh,
but you know, my Italian grandparents eat a lot of
salami and they're very healthy and live to one hundred
and five. Now, the difference is that traditional European diets
Mediterranean Italians, whilst they may include process meat, they don't
tend to have a lot of the other rubbish that
we have. You don't see them eating banana bread and
croissants and extra large lattes. So yes, they do have
(28:22):
a higher intake of those products, but they also have
far less processed food across the board, and they have
a massive amount of fresh fruit and vegetables which will
help to buffer those damaging cells in the body. So
basically when you have more fruit and vegetables, it helps
to protect against cancer cells. So just say they are
eating process meat, but they've got a buffer effect, so
that may explain that to a certain extent. So it's
(28:42):
just our dietary patterns are such that we're more prone
and that's one of the contributors, and we don't get that,
you know, seven to ten serves of fresh fruit and
veged daily to have that preventative or the buffer effect
perhaps that the traditional European cultures do have from process meat.
But certainly pole Is, like you know other Eastern European countries,
they do have very high rates of bout cancer. Don't
(29:03):
be mistaken, they do. So it's a little bit of
that what's the French paradox, you know what I mean,
because they also have the.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Good stuff too, So just keep that in mind. We
don't eat like that here, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
And the portion sizes I think as well, are huge
in Australia compared to other parts of the world, as well,
but that's as much as we're saying the topic. We'll
move on and then finally Susie onto our listener. Question
of the week is all about sardines and if they're
a good choice. So I'll go first because I have
a very polarizing opinion. From a health perspective, yes, absolutely,
there's no arguments here. From a personal preference perspective.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
I'm a hard no. I'm just I'm a hard no.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
It's I would say it's the one thing I never
gave away kids, despite knowing how incredible they are from
a nutrition perspective, particularly for the amiga trees. They've got protein,
they've got Vitamin D, they've got calcium, they've got B twelve,
Like they're an incredible powerhouse for food.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
I can't do it, Susie. I can't do it. Like
just the thought of it almost makes me vomit a
little bit in my mouth, Like, I just I can't.
I think it's.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Because when I was early pregnant, I tried to eat
them because I knew how healthy they were, and I
was like nauseous, and I was like and now I
just look at a sardine and I'm just like, oh no,
I can't do it, so I can't even serve it
to my kids.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
I can't even like take it out of the tins.
So they're not for me.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
My parents eat them, they love them, they're super healthy.
I just they're not in our household.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
I'm sorry. But if you do love them, if you
can tolerate them, they're great.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Yeah, we're not.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
Getting sponsored by John West when you talk players about sardine.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
So I'm so sorry.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
Sorry, Like Satin, yes, she used to think about who
she's talking to.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Now.
Speaker 4 (30:31):
First of all, this is a question from one of
our listeners who we have great respect for, who loves sardine.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
So let's be a bit more genter, like sit.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
They're incredibly healthy. I don't say that they're healthy, they're
just not for me.
Speaker 4 (30:41):
We don't need your description of your bad experience for startings.
So first of all, I feel like sadines. They're a
bit like cottage cheese. It's whether you grew up with
them or not, because certain cultural groups have had them
in their diet forever, you know, like Northern European people
like I had a Norwegian boyfriend back in the day,
and they just ate all that fish herrings, mackerel like
it was very familiar. I think it's what we're familiar with,
(31:03):
so certainly, I think that probably the main consumer of
satings in Australia are older Australians and ones perhaps from
European backgrounds, so are familiar. Basically, they're really good for you,
and they're really cheap, like a tin of them in
Coles and Will is like two bucks, so they're really
high quality protein. They're extremely good for you. If you
like them, go for it, like they're probably the cheapest
Amiga threes you'll consume, and so good for you. So yeah,
(31:25):
we just don't talk about it, I guess because we're
sort of always trying to talk mainstream and we certainly
don't want our listeners to all go and take their
saturdays to the office and you know, get a bad rap.
I'm thinking, you know, you can't be doing phish in
the office, microwave fisk that's an episode. So I think
that's why we don't mention it. But that's the only reason.
They're really good. If you love them, go for it.
(31:46):
Do I have them at home? Not overly, because again
I didn't get brought up with them, but my mum
likes them, and so I think, yeah, absolutely. The only
reason we don't mention it is they're probably not from
a lot of people on their mainstream grocery list. But
whether you like them on toast at home, whichever way,
you like them one hundred percent, they are a super food.
And yeah, the more of them you like and can eat,
the better really for your budget and your nutrition.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
So go for it one hundred percent. If you can
tolerate it, go for it.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Just so if you like them, not tolerate, that's a
negative for it. If you like them, go for it.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
If you like them, yes, all right, Well that brings
us to to the end of another fishy episode of
the Nutrition Couch and one that we have live recorded
for you guys as well, and we'll just quickly mention
that if you know that your diet need is a
little bit more protein, you can check out our range
of scientifically formulated supplements at design Bydietitians dot com sent
as an email adminute designed by Dietitians dot com.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
If you have any questions about the range, thank you
for listening, and we will talk more nutrition things next week.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
Have a great week.
Are you a regular consumer of berries when you can
afford them? At least do you wash your berries before
eating them? On today's episode of The Nutrition Couch, we
have some alarming new data on Ossi berries which may
change the way that you regularly consume them. Hi, I'm
Leanne Ward and I'm Sissy Burrow, and together we bring
you The Nutrition Couch, the weekly podcast that keeps you
(00:22):
up to date on everything that you need to know in.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
The world of nutrition.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
As well as washing your berries, we have some new
research that talks about the whole body benefits of Amiga three's,
We have a potentially handy new lunchbox option to review,
and we chat a food that we have never mentioned
before on the podcast. But to kick us up today, Susie,
there has been I want to say interesting slash alarming,
I guess, research and news articles in the last couple
(00:48):
of weeks talking about berries and a pesticide basically so,
the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicine Authority, the APVMA, is
reviewing a chemical that I must admit to you. I
had to google how to pronunciate because pronunciation isn't my
strong point. We'll both admit that, and I wanted to
google it to vexstel that I pronounced it correctly. And
(01:08):
the pest society is dermothaid and it's used on berries,
particularly things like blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Now this has
come to light or has had a lot of press
in the media lately, because it's been a long time
since there was a significant review. The last review with
this pesticide was back in twenty seventeen. So the residue
safety margins under the current rules may no longer be
(01:31):
sufficient because Australians are eating a lot more berries than
we used to. And that makes sense, I guess, because
we know that they're great from an antioxidant perspective, we
know that they've got good amounts of fiber in them.
Obviously there are type of fruits, so we're getting some vitamins.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
And minerals as well.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
And then of course they're very low sugar and they
are a very low calorie fruit option for those that
are actively pursuing weight loss or a calorie deficit. So
Austraians are just eating far more berries. So some of
this research is now saying that potentially this pesticide is
becoming more of an issue due to the consumption levels
have increased over the last couple of years. So what
(02:07):
the current I guess guidelines or safety mechanisms have said.
And I've done a little bit of research behind this, SUSI,
because I have small children. I have a three year
old and a two year old, and we go through
copious amounts of berries. Like my mia can smash two
pounds of raspberries in like five minutes flat if I letter.
So we spend a lot of money on berries.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
I mustn't matter.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I don't personally buy organic berries at the moment, but
I do wash my berries. So when I saw this
research come out, I was kind of like, oh, this
is very interesting slash scary as well. So we don't
want to alarm anybody, We don't want to fearmong or anything.
We just want to bring to light what are the
current guidelines around this and what can we do for
our children for ourselves to make this that little bit healthier.
(02:47):
So the current guidelines are for the growers who are
currently using this dermathae to spray the berries with, you
must wait one day for blueberries and seven days for
raspberries and blackberries before actually harvesting them. But the APVMA,
which is the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicine Authority, is
actually proposing that they extend this withholding period to be
(03:10):
about fourteen days for all berries. So something like a
blueberry would go from a one day weight to harvest
to fourteen days. That is a significant increase in the
wait time for harvesting. Now this is kind of really
under review. People are proposing this, it's not written into
the guidelines as yet. But why, I guess, are we
(03:30):
concerned about this chemical dermothaide Because it's actually a neurotoxic pesticide,
but it has been used for many decades in Australia.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It's not new.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
But the interesting thing was Susie, when I started doing
some research into it is actually banned in places like
the EU and US regulators have actually flagged it as
a potential human cucinogen. So what is something that we
want to be wary of. It is something that we
want to be cautious of, but obviously understanding what is
considered a safe limit and your overall consumption of berries
(04:02):
and products that use this pesticide is obviously going to
come into contact as well. So the biggest thing I
think we can do is consumers and as parents who
have children who love to eat punnets and punnets and
punnets and blueberries, particularly when they're a bit cheaper in summer.
The best thing we can do is to wash our
produce if possible, and if your budget allows for it,
try to buy organic. And there are certainly you would
(04:24):
have seen them so eso those like Dirty dozen lists
that lists the top you know, twelve quote unquote dirtiest,
and that means the fruits and vegetables that use the
most amount of pesticides when growing them, and berries have
always been on those lists, so we do know that
when growers grow and harvest berries, they do tend to
use a certain amount of pesticides which are higher than
some other types of fruits and veggies. So if possible,
(04:47):
if the budget allows, buy organic. Next best thing you
could do, and even if you were buying organic, I
would still recommend washing them, is to wash your berries.
So basically you want to try to avoid soap and
detergent because that can still leave their own residues on
the products anyway, and the best practice is actually to
soak in vinegar or buye carp So it's a one
is to three solutions, So one part vinegar to water
(05:09):
or one teaspoon of baking soda into basically just a
big bowl of water. Soak you berries thirty sixty seconds.
Give them a really gentle kind of you know, rub
with your fingers.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Don't press too hard you'll squashal with your beautiful berries.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
And don't soak for longer than about sixty seconds because
the longer you soak it for the berries can just
go a bit mushy, They're not very nice.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Make sure you dry them properly. And then if I.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Put them into glass containers with a little bit of
paper towel just on it, and that my berries will
last a good week or two. So I get a
lot longer last time out of my berries if I
wash them properly, I dry them properly, and then I
sort of line my glass containers with a bit of
paper towel or something. So that's sort of the best
practice to try and eliminate as much as possible this
pesticide on berries. Am I personally going to avoid buying berries? No,
(05:53):
If the budget allows, I will lot for organic but
I will absolutely always be washing my berries. And I
think it's a really important thing because I have seen
parents cruising around the shopping center giving their kids blueberries
and strawberries out of a punnet. And although that might
be a healthy option as a snack for the children
instead of a packet of tiny teddies when you're cruising
through the supermarket, we do need to be aware of
(06:13):
how these things are grown and the types of pesticides
that we are using. So the best practice is to
take it home, give them a good wash, dry them off,
and you're good to go after that.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
It is alarming.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
I think that eventually it will get banned in Australia
as well, and I think the fact it's not is
a concern. I think that it's really tricky because I
even think berries are expensive at the moment, Like I
think back to the good old days when they were
two dollars a punt it like I'm certainly buying far less.
So I did see an influencer or a nutritionists washing
(06:46):
them in an organic fruit and vegetable wash you can buy.
They're about fifteen twenty dollars two and I was thinking
at the time, this is a few weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Wow, that's commitment.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
And now she obviously was onto it before we were,
So I like that. You don't have to pay for
a solution. You can do it baking soda is buyicarbs,
so you can do it with bi carb and vinegar
and get the same result. It is time intensive, you know,
our women are already time poor. It's tricky with things
like raspberries. Of course, they just sort of disintegrate, so
it is extremely tricky. The question I have, Leanne, is
(07:18):
what do we do about frozen berries because a lot
of people will use those in smoothies and as a
convenient option and a cost effective option, So you can
hardly wash them, you know, they will literally disintegrate. So
I think that's an issue in itself, because what do
we do then, you know, do we have assurances that
they have been properly washed at time harvest?
Speaker 3 (07:37):
I doubt it.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
They will be snapped frozen like all frozen produce. So
I think that is a little bit of a concern.
And yeah, I think we're all sort of aware of
it now. And certainly if you have got capacity to
buy fresh would be washing and sticking in the fridge
and some paper towel, But yeah, my main question is frozen.
I think that leaves a real issue for frozen berries
in general because you can't really wash those.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
And a lot of for some fruit and particularly berries
come from overseas, like I know a lot of by
frozen berries are Vietnamese or they're from the US. So
I do remember when I was pregnant, I must supposed
to a video like a smoothie using blueberris, and someone
wrote back to me, oh, my gosh, you're not supposed
to have frozen berries when you're pregnant, And I think
it had something to do with where they're from, like
they're typically not from Australia, they're overseas, and the level
(08:21):
of pesticide and that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
So I did continue personally.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
To have frozen berries, but I did buy the organic
type after that, and I was really trying to if
I could find a source from Australia if I could,
because our I guess legislation and regulations are very different
to other parts of the world as well. But I
do think if the budget allows organic, particularly for frozen
is a better idea because you can't really wash them.
Like you said that, they're kind of snap frozen at
(08:44):
the point of harvest. There is an organic brand in supermarkets.
Isn't there that white?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Isn't that white in the white bag? Exactly?
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Yeah, So I think that we will see a lot
more produced frozen and fresh marketed according to that as
an additive, similar to the permeate discussion with milk a
few years back about milks, it didn't contain it. So
I think that it will become more of a talking
point because certainly, in the past couple of weeks on
our Nutrition Couch Instagram, I've had a lot of direct
messages about this, so it's certainly on people's minds. So
(09:14):
we'll continue to update you as we hear anything. But certainly,
if you can afford it, it's in the budget to
go organic, or maybe you might sort of when they're
on sale, stock up on the organic ones for the freezer,
and then when you've got time washed the fresh ones
in supermarkets. So yeah, it sounds like we're on the
right track and doing a bit more prep So very
interesting indeed, all rightly, and well, another research paper that
(09:34):
crossed my path which was very interesting was one on
Amiga three fats because I personally think that amiga three
fats are not discussed enough in nutrition because very few
people consume the recommended two fish meals a week from
the Heart Foundation for general health that comes from eating
all types of seafood, and specifically the amiga three benefits
(09:56):
that come from oily fish in particular, whether it's salmon
or clothes that I am an ambassador for Tasau, but
also fish in general, barramundi, sardines, tin tuna, tin salmon,
and even whitefish. You do get some amiga three from now.
You can get some amiga three from plant based foods,
but it's not the long chain very powerful thha and epa,
(10:17):
which is only found in fish. So things like lindseeed, walnut,
sinland sea bread you do get some of what we
call the plant based a mega threes, but to get
the sort of ones with the strongest anti inflammatory benefits,
naturally it does need to come from fish. And so
this was a study that looked at the benefits from
a whole body perspective, because of course the key benefits
from omega threes and what's changed primarily in our diets
(10:40):
is that going back thousands of years is that because
we had a diet that was richer in plant based
AMGA threes and ate more fish, and even our meat
was higher in that from the produce that animals were eating. Now,
our ratios in our diet are far far less than
they were, and that is a pro inflammatory ratio because
the types of fat now diet compete for us take
(11:00):
in the cell wall, and we naturally have a lot
of what we call the amiga six seed oils going
through our diet from processed foods, vegetable oils, and then
of course saturated fat's coming from processed foods, cakes, biscuits, pastries,
dairy and so basically a little old a mega threes
get drowned out very very easily. And really we need
to try and be having about a grammar day for
optimal health and the anti inflammatory benefits that comes from
(11:23):
a single serve of AMGA three rich seafood, whether it's
salmon or sardines. But most of us are getting nowhere
near that because we are not eating enough fish, and
so of course some people are like, oh, well, shall
I supplement Well, this study is really interesting because it
shows beyond the amiga three benefits for what we called
protein synthesis in the body, so it really tickled my interest.
So the paper was a meta analysis, which is a
(11:45):
strong review paper and it was published in the Journal
of Nutrition Reviews just this year in February, and that's
a very reputable journal, and it basically went through all
of the papers that had specifically look at age related
decline and skeletal muscle mass. So we know once we
get into our thirties and forties, well, I think it's
about one percent per year the average adult two percent,
(12:06):
we'd lose a year of muscle mass, which significantly adds
up through the lifespan. And of course that is very
closely linked to our strength as we age, and we
talk frequently on the podcast about as we get older
we want to be strong, yes, lean, but also strong
and fit so our bodies and muscles can preserve and
hold our body and keep our activities of daily life
and flexibility and strength as strong as possible so we're
(12:28):
not prone to fools and can do all the things
physically we want to as we get older. And so
this specifically was looking at the rates of muscle protein synthesis,
so muscle building and break down, and the link to
a MEAGA three fat intake in older adults. So it
was a very specific review paper looking I guess at
(12:50):
aging populations and it found three hundred studies and only
eight had that specificity that were able to be included
in the study. And they found that a Mega three supplementation,
so Amga three capsules had no significant effect on muscle
synthesis in the body compared to oral intake of amiga
(13:10):
three's from the diet, which showed a significant increase on
increasing whole body protein synthesis rates, which is very interesting
research and the finding is thought because it improves insulin
sensitivity and basically the growth hormones and the body so
more likely to put down muscle tissue when we consume
(13:32):
a higher amount of actual amiga threes throughout diet. So
I thought it was relevant just to have a little
bit of chat because I certainly know lots of listeners
and lots of my own clients will take an a
Mega three supplement, and I just wanted to highlight that
whilst that won't be negative, if anything, it will be
aiding inflammation in the body overall and improving your ratios.
(13:53):
Specifically when it comes to improving muscle in the body,
it appears that the actual intake of it in real
food fo has a significant effect and looking and saying well,
from a diet perspective, am I getting enough Amiga three fat?
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Well?
Speaker 4 (14:07):
Literally, if you're not having oily fish at least every
second day. And I'm not talking a massive two hundred
grand piece of salmon, I'm talking about one hundred grams.
A very small tin of tuna will give some sardines
which we're going to talk about in a minute even better.
And salmon if you do like it, rich sauces Barramundi's
actually pretty high, as are prawn's coming into summer season
in Australia, as are things like oysters and muscles, and
(14:29):
it really does add up. So if you are listening
and you are a seafood eater, basically the take home
message to preserve muscle mass as we age is you've
got to eat a little bit more of it. And
I think that from a weight control perspective, from a
nutrient intake perspective, If a client said to me, I'm
just going to have some tin tuna and veggies for dinner,
or sardines on toast or crackers with some tinned oysters
(14:53):
or muscles I'd be so happy. So I think that
they're just really superfoods in that section of the supermarket
that are affordable and cost effective and you don't need
a lot of it. You know, you might find if
you're having a big piece of salmon twice a week
or once a week, you actually probably better to harve
it and have two smaller portions across two days of
the week than you are to have that bigger piece.
So yeah, I just thought it was very very interesting
(15:15):
that it was a real distinct difference between oral Amiga
three supplementation and actually eating the fish itself and the
benefits that come from that.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yeah, and I found it really interesting too.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
And I guess my thoughts as you were talking through that, Like, firstly,
it was on older, older people, which I think is
really important because I were talking about sycopenia, that muscle wasting,
So it wasn't for like, you know, the fit and healthy,
your twenty thirty year old. It was on older people.
And then I guess the research show that the effect
was most pronounced when it was at least eight weeks
as well. And then I guess my question for you
(15:44):
would be, is it more pronounced in terms of muscle
protein synthesis, because when you eat real salmon, it's got
protein in there, versus when you take an Amiga three supplement,
you're just getting the EPA and the DHA, right, You're
not getting the protein out of.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
That as well. So obviously the protein itself.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Was the most important part when it comes to muscle
protein synthesis, and the research did highlight that the benefits
were the strongest when they combined the immigatory with adequate
protein and.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Resistance based exercise.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
So we know that to prevent that sycopenia, that muscle wasting,
you need resistance based exercise, you need enough protein. But
also these amigatrees are really important as well. So I
do like the research. I think it's great and it
just highlights that fact that dieticians always say food first, right,
food over supplements.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Always true.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
And it's interesting from a cost perspective because like ultimately
fresh fish is relatively expensive. You can get frozen varieties,
but it does tend to be important and then you're
not perhaps exposed to the strict controls. In Australia, we
do have around our fish supplies, our seafood supplies, which
of course you'd argue are the highest in the world.
But just as an example, I myself love red salmon,
(16:50):
and it dates back to going in the eighties with
my nana to David Jones when David Jones had cafes
and you used to get the red salmon sandwiches in
the little Fingers sandwiches, and I just thought that was
so elegant, you know, in the suburban shopping center. So
I always had this affinity to red salmon. But red
salmon in a tin is incredibly expensive. Like it's like
I think the small two hundred grand one is about
(17:12):
six or seven dollars, and then the Woolies and Coals
branded tin, which is the big four to twenty, is
about ten dollars. But I argue that if you like
it ten dollars, you'll get at least four serves. So
two fifty is serve, which is equivalent to tuna, which
is much lower in amega three generally. And if you
like the tin salmon with the bones, you get all
(17:32):
the calcium, which a lot of our ladies listening need
a lot more natural calcium in their diet. So it's
a very smart superfood. And even though it looks a
lot to buy one tin of something for ten bucks,
considering you'll get four serves of it for salmon patties
or on sandwiches, wraps, in a salad. It's actually a
really smart superfood and cost per serve is good, so
I think, don't discount it. And I know people listening
(17:54):
you'll be like, I can't do tin salmon each to
their own. But if you do not mind it, it's
certainly a superfood, and I would say quite affordable if
you struggle with fresh fish or even I have a
lot of people who they like salmon or fish, but
the kids don't, so cooking it for dinners a problem
because not everyone eats it, Whereas I think a little
bit of tin can go a long way, you know,
I argue, who doesn't like a bit of a salmon
or tuna ristle? Like it's you know, very eighties food
(18:16):
and seventies food. But it is cost effective and extremely
nutrient rich, So there's a lot to be said for that,
particularly when the cost of food is so much at
the moment.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
And I think the key is to get kids onto
it early, because I certainly have given my two girls
salmon from a really really young age and like you.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
I used to make these salmon patties.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
I'd mash I'd cook sweet potato, mash it down, add
in the red salmon, add a couple of eggs, in
some bread crumbs.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
And just give a really good shake of dial.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
I didn't used to add salt when they were really
little babies, but now that they're sort of two and three,
I'll put some salt in there as well, and just
the combination of dill and salt, the bread crumbs, the
sweet potato mass some of that salmon flavor as well.
And certainly David and I eat salmon two three times
a week. It's a non negotiable for us. We both
actually love it, so it's a lot easier to get in.
And I also think it's worth highlighting that the skin
of the salmon contains the bulk of the Amiga threes
(19:02):
as well. Have so many clients who really love salmon,
but they don't eat the skin at all, and I
think that that can hinder the amount of Amiga three
you're actually trying to get in. So where possible, we
pat the salmon dry, we salt the crap out of it,
like we use so much salt, and then we put
its skin down into a really hot cast iron pan
and that cooks beautifully. Because I don't like that, like
that salty skin. I can't handle it. It's like reheated
(19:24):
the next day.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I'm like a hard no. But if it's like fresh,
it's crispy, it's salty either.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Just think it's delicious and it's much easier to get
in when it's hot and salty and a little bit crispy.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
True, And I think, don't be scared, particularly in the
case of tin fish, if you need a bit of
mayo or something that is high and fat to flavor
it so you do enjoy it. Like I think sometimes
we're scared to add seasonings because we think, oh, we
shouldn't be adding mayo or fat to it. Where I
would be happy if a client needed to add a
little bit of pesto or mayo to sort of mask
the taste of the fish so they enjoyed it but
still got the benefits.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I wouldn't have a problem with that.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
And I think that's why in the supermarket section, whilst
Tuina it does have and Mega three it does have
some and you see a lot of those cracker packs
with a bit of Mayo and things. Actually don't have
a problem with them because I'd much rather my client
eat the fish, even if it does have a bit
of extra fat added, then not eat it at all.
So don't be scared to sort of flavor it up.
And yeah, I find across the board they can be
really tasty and very nutritious meals, So keep an eye out. Alright, Lynne,
(20:20):
I've got a new product now I'm interested again.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
I sort of saw it in the supermarket. Have you
seen it?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
No, I haven't seen it yet. Okay, it's a new one,
is it.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
The good thing actually now is we're recording videos and
what we're going to do for our listeners as we
refine our video process, we're going to be off to
start to actually have the physical product with us to
show you. So that's exciting. So we'll probably start that
from next in the next couple of weeks. But this
one is unfortunately we'll just describe it to you, but
it's in coals, not will worse and it's the Primo
light lunch smoke Ham, tasty cheese and Vita wheat nine
(20:52):
grains dejan A's It's a light lunch lean that's how
it's marketed. Every time I look in this section, there's
more and more of these product, so it's certainly obviously
a direction from the buyer that people are looking for
these kind of products. It retails at six dollars fifty,
which is cost effective for a lunch. And let's have
a look at the nutritional so per serve. It's just
(21:12):
shy of three hundred calories, so eleven hundred and thirty kilodelels.
It's marketed heavily on the protein content, which is eighteen
point eight grams. It's got eighteen point seven grams of carbs,
so shy of two slices of bread worth coming from
those fider weights. Bidiweight and nine grain are a very
nutrient dense grain, a whole grain, very good quality carbohydrate.
Only two point four grams of sugar, which is what
(21:34):
you would expect from ham and cheese and crackers. The
saturated fat at five point nine is quite high, and
that's because it is a cheese product. Sodium quite high
at eight hundred and eleven milligrams, given that we should
really try and have less than two thousand a day,
and not insignificant in fat twelve point four grams again,
there's cheese and ham in it. If I look at
the ingredient list, the first ingredient is reduced fat tasty cheese,
(21:57):
So they're cutting some fat out there by using a
light chet smoked ham. They're not giving me percentages of
their Now, I'm pretty sure they'll have the nitrates in there. Yes,
they do, as it is a processed meat, modified starches,
the vital weight nine grains, which have got a very
clean ingredient list overall, then the djna's which has a
bit of mustard. So the ingredient list is quite long,
(22:17):
and that's primarily because it comes from processed meat and crackers. Now,
the issue that I believe LIAM will also have is that,
whilst it's heavily marketed for protein content, eighteen grams for
lunch is still pretty low. Really for our women, we'd
be wanting at least we're closer to thirty. But the
(22:38):
issue is that process meat ham, turkey salami is not
equivalent in protein content to what I describe as real
protein chicken breast lean meat itself. Plus it is identified
as a known carcidogen from the World Health Organization. So
even if I loved this product, nutritionally, I can't recommend
(22:59):
it because it still has process meat in it, and
we spoke about process chicken a couple of weeks ago.
So I think it's just really good reminder that whilst
these products look good, and if I had to choose
between a client having this with some salad like a
salad bag and a fast food meal, yes, I would
absolutely choose this, but it's down the list. It's certainly
(23:23):
not on my shopping list, it's not on my client's
meal plans. I have to be very clear those additives,
those preservatives should not be consumed daily in our diet.
I usually say process meat bacon once maybe twice a
week at most. So yeah, it's a really interesting product
because obviously people are buying them. Obviously they're being heavily marketed.
(23:44):
They're expensive, like the little ones for kids are three
fifty to four to fifty per snack, and they're all
slap protein, protein protein. But let's be very clear, it
remains process meat and as such is in an occasional
food at best.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Honestly, couldn't summer it better. Like the addition of the vita,
it's great. You know, we like a cracker with a
bit of fiber in it. However, like you said, it
is still an ultra process food. The ingredients in there,
there's what like twelve lines in terms of the ingredient list.
The ham contains a preservative two fifty, so you are
getting it is deemed an ultra processed red meat. So
I think it, Like you said, it's an occasional thing.
(24:20):
If you forget your lunch, if you're heading off to
the kids soccer game, you're hungry, you want to grab
something from the supermarket. Yes, it's not on the go option,
and a little bit of process red meat is fun.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
You know.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
It's okay to have bacon, you know, once we get
the cafe. It's okay to have a sausage to dinner.
But if you're regularly using ham in your sandwiches and
buying these things, if you're having sausages two three times
with the family, if you eat bacon nearly every weekend,
if you have the cheeseboards with the kabana the salami,
you're putting the salami in your pizza, it's too much.
We have the research that shows us that too much
(24:50):
process red meat significantly increases your risk of cancers, particularly
about cancer, so we know that there's no argument against that. So,
like you said, it's an occasional thing. Is it a
better choice compared to a lot of the other cheese
and cracker options. Yes, but I would still argue that
there's one hundred other better choices in the soupermarket. It's
not something that you would ever really see me recommend ever,
(25:10):
unless a client is like, look, I absolutely love this.
It's one of my favorite foods in the world. How
can we include this as part of a balanced diet? Okay,
but it is not something I would personally recommend. I
have a very sort of hard stance against those ultra
process meats. I think there's far better options in the soupermarket.
We talked about that ready made chicken breast a couple
of weeks ago. That is a far better option. And
you can grab a packet of vitawheats yourself, grab some
(25:32):
sliced cheese off the shelf and make that up in
a matter of minutes, and it's a better option than
including the ham in my opinion.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
Yeah, And to be honest, like, you can buy their
Vite eight nine greens and Rye cruskets three dollars on
sale regularly and a Tina tuna or salmon. Salmon's a
bit more, but say tuna's two dollars, so you're getting,
you know, for five dollars, a much better lunch option
and also extra serves of it. So I think, yeah,
so it's a tricky one because we're seeing just so
(26:00):
many of them pop up. The other thing, Actually, I've
got some feedback. I did buy the Yumi's Avocado dip
with crackers the little snack pack. My boys weren't the
biggest fan of it, which was a shame because I
would have really liked to be able to send it
to school.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
So if any other listeners have tried it, let us know.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
But I will report back because sometimes I put something
on my Instagram stories and someone wrote taste crap, so
I could just report straight away no good. So I
think that kind of feedback works quite well because Leanna
and I can't try everything. But I have no doubt
that ham and cheese and crackers will taste good. But yeah,
they're sort of down the list of quick and easy options.
But I have a massive issue with my clients at
the moment in Bacon, like I just find it slips
(26:37):
in so many times, like they'll have their eggs and
fetter and hallomi and then a bit of bacon two
or three times a week. And I'm just like, you
can't have process meet that often, Like let's be clear,
it's once a week kind of thing, because I think
people are eating a lot more.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
Of it than they realize.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Yeah, it's a difficult one, particularly from a budget perspective,
but you know, we've discussed it at length on the
podcast before.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
So bacon's cheap. Is bacon chee?
Speaker 1 (27:00):
No?
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I mean ham? So ham hams hat cheap. Yeah, but
bacon's not cheap at all. But yeah, ham is very cheap.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
It's a good lunchbox filler, particularly for families with small children.
Sausages and ham make regular appearances in the Diet. We
get that, we're not saying that you're a bad person.
We get that we've had we know we've had discussions
at length about it on the podcast, But where you
can do try to minimize your intake of process red meats,
and particularly for your children, because it's not you know,
we're not seeing bow cancer percent and children. We're seeing
(27:24):
it present in a lot of younger people in their
thirties who consumed a lot of these products, the devons,
the hams, the salamis, the bacon regularly in their school
lunchboxes on weekends. This is where we're seeing these huge
increase in bow cancer patients in their thirties and in
their early forties, when it used to be something we
saw in people who were in their sixties and in
their seventies or potentially their eighties. So it is a
(27:48):
younger person's disease which is quite scary, and it's what
we're consuming within our childhood as well that is going
to increase or decrease overage potentially in our twenty thirties
and forties.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
And I will say because of course people will say, oh,
but you know, my Italian grandparents eat a lot of
salami and they're very healthy and live to one hundred
and five. Now, the difference is that traditional European diets
Mediterranean Italians, whilst they may include process meat, they don't
tend to have a lot of the other rubbish that
we have. You don't see them eating banana bread and
croissants and extra large lattes. So yes, they do have
(28:22):
a higher intake of those products, but they also have
far less processed food across the board, and they have
a massive amount of fresh fruit and vegetables which will
help to buffer those damaging cells in the body. So
basically when you have more fruit and vegetables, it helps
to protect against cancer cells. So just say they are
eating process meat, but they've got a buffer effect, so
that may explain that to a certain extent. So it's
(28:42):
just our dietary patterns are such that we're more prone
and that's one of the contributors, and we don't get that,
you know, seven to ten serves of fresh fruit and
veged daily to have that preventative or the buffer effect
perhaps that the traditional European cultures do have from process meat.
But certainly pole Is, like you know other Eastern European countries,
they do have very high rates of bout cancer. Don't
(29:03):
be mistaken, they do. So it's a little bit of
that what's the French paradox, you know what I mean,
because they also have the.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Good stuff too, So just keep that in mind. We
don't eat like that here, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
And the portion sizes I think as well, are huge
in Australia compared to other parts of the world, as well,
but that's as much as we're saying the topic. We'll
move on and then finally Susie onto our listener. Question
of the week is all about sardines and if they're
a good choice. So I'll go first because I have
a very polarizing opinion. From a health perspective, yes, absolutely,
there's no arguments here. From a personal preference perspective.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
I'm a hard no. I'm just I'm a hard no.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
It's I would say it's the one thing I never
gave away kids, despite knowing how incredible they are from
a nutrition perspective, particularly for the amiga trees. They've got protein,
they've got Vitamin D, they've got calcium, they've got B twelve,
Like they're an incredible powerhouse for food.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
I can't do it, Susie. I can't do it. Like
just the thought of it almost makes me vomit a
little bit in my mouth, Like, I just I can't.
I think it's.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Because when I was early pregnant, I tried to eat
them because I knew how healthy they were, and I
was like nauseous, and I was like and now I
just look at a sardine and I'm just like, oh no,
I can't do it, so I can't even serve it
to my kids.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
I can't even like take it out of the tins.
So they're not for me.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
My parents eat them, they love them, they're super healthy.
I just they're not in our household.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
I'm sorry. But if you do love them, if you
can tolerate them, they're great.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Yeah, we're not.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
Getting sponsored by John West when you talk players about sardine.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
So I'm so sorry.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
Sorry, Like Satin, yes, she used to think about who
she's talking to.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Now.
Speaker 4 (30:31):
First of all, this is a question from one of
our listeners who we have great respect for, who loves sardine.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
So let's be a bit more genter, like sit.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
They're incredibly healthy. I don't say that they're healthy, they're
just not for me.
Speaker 4 (30:41):
We don't need your description of your bad experience for startings.
So first of all, I feel like sadines. They're a
bit like cottage cheese. It's whether you grew up with
them or not, because certain cultural groups have had them
in their diet forever, you know, like Northern European people
like I had a Norwegian boyfriend back in the day,
and they just ate all that fish herrings, mackerel like
it was very familiar. I think it's what we're familiar with,
(31:03):
so certainly, I think that probably the main consumer of
satings in Australia are older Australians and ones perhaps from
European backgrounds, so are familiar. Basically, they're really good for you,
and they're really cheap, like a tin of them in
Coles and Will is like two bucks, so they're really
high quality protein. They're extremely good for you. If you
like them, go for it, like they're probably the cheapest
Amiga threes you'll consume, and so good for you. So yeah,
(31:25):
we just don't talk about it, I guess because we're
sort of always trying to talk mainstream and we certainly
don't want our listeners to all go and take their
saturdays to the office and you know, get a bad rap.
I'm thinking, you know, you can't be doing phish in
the office, microwave fisk that's an episode. So I think
that's why we don't mention it. But that's the only reason.
They're really good. If you love them, go for it.
(31:46):
Do I have them at home? Not overly, because again
I didn't get brought up with them, but my mum
likes them, and so I think, yeah, absolutely. The only
reason we don't mention it is they're probably not from
a lot of people on their mainstream grocery list. But
whether you like them on toast at home, whichever way,
you like them one hundred percent, they are a super food.
And yeah, the more of them you like and can eat,
the better really for your budget and your nutrition.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
So go for it one hundred percent. If you can
tolerate it, go for it.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Just so if you like them, not tolerate, that's a
negative for it. If you like them, go for it.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
If you like them, yes, all right, Well that brings
us to to the end of another fishy episode of
the Nutrition Couch and one that we have live recorded
for you guys as well, and we'll just quickly mention
that if you know that your diet need is a
little bit more protein, you can check out our range
of scientifically formulated supplements at design Bydietitians dot com sent
as an email adminute designed by Dietitians dot com.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
If you have any questions about the range, thank you
for listening, and we will talk more nutrition things next week.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
Have a great week.
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com