September 17, 2025 • 33 mins
This week on The Nutrition Couch, Leanne and Susie unpack one of the hottest wellness trends right now: saunas. Could sitting in a sauna a few times a week genuinely lower inflammation, boost recovery, and even add years to your life? The science might surprise you.
Inside the episode:
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The research linking regular sauna use to heart health, longevity and mental wellbeing.
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How often (and how long) you really need to sit in the sauna for maximum benefit.
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Whether infrared saunas stack up against traditional Finnish styles.
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Why potassium deficiency is quietly on the rise — and the simple food swaps that can protect your heart.
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Our favourite low-sugar sparkling water swap for soft drinks.
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Listener Q&A: Osteopenia explained — diet, supplements, and the surprising role of jump training in bone strength.
If you’ve ever thought about investing in your own sauna, now might be the time. Thanks to our friends at Elevate Saunas, you can get $250 off selected sauna models with the code LEANNE250, or 10% off full-priced saunas with the code LEANNE10. Explore their range at Elevate Saunas.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Are you a fan of a sauna.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Maybe you've heard recently there are a number of metabolic
benefits associated with using a sauna, and to test that theory,
I've got one. So in today's episode of The Nutrition Couch,
we chat all things saunas, health and longevity, and chances
are you may.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Want a sauna too. When we're finished, Hi, I'm.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Leanne Wood and I'm Sissy Burrow, and together we bring
you The Nutrition Couch, the weekly podcast that keeps you
up to date on everything that you need to know
in the world of nutrition.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
As well as saunas.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
We have some new data to suggest we may not
be getting enough potassium. We also have a new lo
sugar drink we think our listeners will love. And our
listener question is all about bone health. But to kick
us off this week, Susie, I've got a sauna and.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I'm very excited. And you popped our sauna cherry with us.
When we are you in Brisbane? Are we all jumped
in for the very first time.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
It just happened to the Universal line and we just
happened to get the sauna installed. You came up a
few days later and we all got to use it.
For the first time and it was It was amazing,
wasn't it. Will We've both been a big ban of
saunas for a long time.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yes, I went. I was lucky enough to head up
to Brisbane because we also have stocked our warehouse for
design by Dietitians, which is very, very exciting. And Leanne
has got a sauna. Now I love a sauna.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I don't know what it is.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I think it's going back to the seventies and the
Norse gads where you used to see saunas on TV.
But it is a beautiful sauna and it's a barrel sauna.
You're going to describe it for out the listeners. It's
so so pretty. You can fit four people in there.
There was three of us. It was a threesome, wasn't it, David.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
It's a step so you can go up to the
top level where you know hotty. It rises so you
get the better benefits because it's hotter on the top
sort of the top level. Then you can also start
yourself on the lower level if you want to kind
of heat adapt yourself a little bit as well. But
it's a traditional seed two to four person barrels sauna.
It's amazing. It's out in our pool deck. And we
went with a local Brisbane brand. Obviously, anyone who knows
(01:58):
David and I we do a lot of research. We
we like nice things sometimes, so we we researched a
great actually local Brisbane brand called Elevate Saunas, and so
that's the one we've got and we're very impressed.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
We really like it.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
So yeah, it's all going well so far. So we
thought we'd have a little chat about saunas.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
On the potty, didn't we.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Well, there's a lot of benefits. I've noticed when I've
been watching the Real Housewives shows that a lot of
people are putting their own plunge pools saunas. It's all
about wellness and longevity. But there is this sort of
growing research in this space that you're going to share
with us today. But if anyone is thinking of it,
because I mentioned it to my friends and about three
of them said, oh, I quite like a sauna, So
I feel like it's the way of the future. I've
(02:36):
got my iron one as well. I think how fantastic
just to go and get some heat. And I just
loved it. So I was a bit out of sauna
whack though we didn't last more than ten minutes, did we?
Speaker 1 (02:45):
It was pretty hot in there. I think we did
about twelve to start with, which you know it's not.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
But yeah, so tell us about the research and why
are they so good? And why have you written this
off on your tax return as an investment for your business?
Speaker 1 (02:56):
No, we didn't, sho.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
So basically, I mean, I think we've known for a
long time that saunas have great benefits. So you've got,
you know, the mental health kind of benefits where it
helps you to calm down and relax, but then we've
actually got some scientific benefits to them as well, and
particularly a lot of different cultures around the world, particularly
you know, the Swedish, the Finished style cultures have used
traditional saunas for you know, for everyone in a day,
and they it's just part of their daily makeup. They
(03:21):
just do this because they know it's great for them
and it's a part of like the you know, cultural
bonding type of experience as well. So I guess the
way that saunas work is that they expose their body
to heat, and in most saunas is typically heat between
about seventy to ninety degrees so it's very, very hot,
and what it does is it raises your core temperature,
it increases your heart rate, and it basically makes you sweat.
(03:44):
So it's sort of linked to It's kind of like
moderate cardiovascular exercise, right, And this heat stress that you're
putting the body through has numerous biological pathways, and those
pathways have been shown in the research to support things
like circulation, reduced inflammation, and even boost recovery after exercise
as well. And then like I mentioned, they're really popular
(04:05):
for like the mental health benefits as well. There's a
bit of like a ritual when you jump in a sauna,
you relax your unwind. You know, you're not supposed to
take anything in with you, so I take my garm
and watch off. I leave my phone outside. Like technology
and high heat doesn't go well together, so it is
really that time where you kind of just switch off
and you're left alone with your thoughts. But anyone who
knows my husband David knows that he's tech obsessed. So
(04:27):
of course David has put like led strip lighting in
our sauna.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
He's put some music in the sauna.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
So where I was using my sorda at the gym,
it was very relaxing because it was just me and
sometimes I take a book in.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Sometimes it was just me and my thoughts.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
But at the moment in our sauna, you can get
some some pumping beats in there thanks to David and
his speakers. So yeah, so now I got some music
in disorder. But I guess, as I mentioned, there are
some true like scientific.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Benefits as well.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
So if you look at some of the research behind it,
longevity is a big one, and I think that's why
a lot of people use the sauna as well, because
there was a finished cohort study that showed I think
it was a reduction of about thirty to forty percent
lower or cause mortality for people who frequently use saunas.
And I think when you look at frequency with sauna,
a lot of the health benefits come from utilizing a
(05:14):
sauna two to three times a week, and I think
the bulk of the benefits is between about twenty to
twenty five minutes, much more than thirty minutes. The research
has actually shown you don't get any real additional benefits
and then you really start to get quite dehydrated past
thirty minutes. So I would say I sort of try
to do about twenty minutes myself, I'm going to build
up to sort of that twenty five thirty minutes, but
you don't really get any additional benefit after thirty minutes,
(05:37):
but you do sort of want to be in there.
I think the research again shows at least fifteen minutes
and to do that. Why it's linked to longevity is
because it helps to boost what's called heat shock proteins
and they really help to support like saular repair and
those like anti aging pathways, and they also lower CRP.
So we will always taught as dietitian CRP as a
(05:57):
marker for like it's a key inflammation marker in the botto.
So this sort of regular sort of use helps to
lower CRP. Then there's also some research that looks at
heart health as well, and there was again a finished
study with men over twenty three hundred men. They followed
them for twenty years and it showed that Finish men
who regularly use the sauna and they were saying at
(06:17):
least four times a week, had a fifty percent lower
risk of fatal cardiovascular events compared to men who didn't
use it at all, who only used it once a week.
So there is benefit in using it multiple times per week,
you know, two, three, four times a week, and they
think that study was sort of implying that it helps
to improve blood vessel function, It helps to lower blood pressure,
(06:38):
like we mentioned, it helps to lower inflammation markers and
reduce things like oxidative stress. So really great benefits in
terms of longevity, inflammation, heart health.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
And certainly some of.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
This research is newer and emerging as well, Like it's
not strong, strong, strong, But I always kind of think
my theory as a dietician is do no harm first,
and then secondly, if it's something that makes people feel good.
There are some small emerging benefits that I really think
we jump on these things because we know with evidence
based research sometimes it can take twenty years to become
(07:09):
what we would call like ground knowledge or something that
every dietitian is recommending, every doctor is recommending. So research
takes a long time to do and also become well
known in terms of just what do you call it,
like regular guidance, I guess, or regular clinical practice and
actually being written into guidelines. And I genuinely do think
we will see things like saunas being recommended to people
(07:30):
for the cardiovascular benefits. They're already using it hugely within
the athletic population as well, because there's some great studies
that show regular sauna use can help with muscle recovery
and even pain relief as well. So because saunas helped
to increase blood flow to the muscle, this may help
with reducing things like doms that delayed onset of muscle saunas,
it may help with joint pain and stiffness, chronic pain,
(07:52):
and definitely there's some good research for that post recovery
after exercise as well. And then like I mentioned, there's
a mental health benefits as well.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Well. You go in the sauna, you just you know,
you calm down.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
You help to activate that parasympathetic nervous system, and that
particularly when combined with meditation and things like journaling a
couple of times a week. There was a study back
from twenty sixteen that showed symptoms that helped to reduce
symptoms of depression and anxiety and helped improve mental health overall.
So it's some huge benefits more emerging stuff as well,
But from what I've seen, there's really no negative side
(08:24):
effects to using a sauna, unless, of course, you have
a medical condition that would warrant, of course, to be careful,
Like I wouldn't recommend it for people that are pregnant.
I wouldn't recommend it if somebody had really low blood
pressure all they were really heat sensitive, or if they
were already dehydrated, like if you went and you ran,
like you know, clocked in twenty thirty k's or you
did a massive workout and you were ready dehydrated, that
(08:45):
can actually be more risky in itself. So just I guess,
be careful because you are when you're in a sauna,
it is at a very high temperature, and so we
don't want to be doing, you know, silly things like
that they're going and dehydrated, or recommending it to pregnant
women who you know, do have a level of heat
sensitivity already. And probably the final question that I think
will get is what's the difference between traditional and infrared saunas?
(09:07):
And I personally got a traditional sauna like a traditional
finished style sauna, because both saunas have benefits. But if
you actually look through the bulk of the clinical research,
the majority of the clinical research is with finished style saunas.
So the traditional saunas, the finished style ones have a
higher heat. They're sort of seventy eighty ninety degrees. They
heat the air and they heat the surface and they
(09:29):
cause you to sweat a lot, whereas an infrared sauna,
which is used a lot within like kind of like
the beauty kind of world, i'd say, and a lot
more sometimes with athletes as well, they have a lower
ambient temperature, so we're talking forty five to sixty degrees
of a lot lower, and it directly heats the tissue
instead of directly heating the air. So, like I said,
both have benefits depending on what you use it for.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
But I just was really.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Looking at the bulk of the clinical research, which is
mostly with finished style sauna, So that to me was
why I went with a finished style traditional sauna versus
in infrared sauna at this time.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
And I think one of the things that you said
to me was that you had been going to a
gym that had one, and it was a certain amount
each week. So for people using them frequently with a
gym works out an investment for the house if you
have one there, rather than paying sixty dollars a week
or whatever to go and use an external one. It's
only a couple of years, and then you'd be paying
for the one that you've got. How long did they
(10:23):
last have they said, I want to say for abook forever.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
I mean, obviously we've got ours's outdoor on the pull deck,
and we bought an outdoor sauna. Like I wouldn't buy
an indoor one and put it outside, So if you
were having it outside, I would definitely recommend getting an
outdoor sauna. But yeah, I mean I think the warranty
on it is is five years or something, so you know,
years and years. And like you said, I was paying
I go and train it at a separate gym, and then
I was going to pay an additional gym membership just
(10:49):
to do reformer pilates there and use their sauna as well.
And then David was like, hey, I want to come
use the sauna, and we were like, by the time
we're both paying four sets of gym memberships, like two
memberships at each gym. We were like, within a year,
we'll get our money back if we just get our
own sauna. Basically, so it is an investment, but if
just to start and see if you like it, just
see if you can find a local gym near you.
They're becoming really popular in a lot of gyms, and
(11:11):
yes you have to share it with other people, but
you know, I have a benefit of working from home,
so I would go around the non peak our times,
so there weren't as many people in there, but it
was certainly very very busy, and they had in the
gym that I chose, there was a one in the
female bathrooms and then another sauna in the male bathroom,
so you weren't going in there with you know, there
weren't too many people in there. Basically there was two
(11:31):
separate saunas which was ideal as well, and that one
had a traditional finished sauna in the gym that I
chose as well.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
And give a shout out to who made your sauna. Yeah,
so elevate saunas.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
So, as I said, they're local to Brisbane, they're really
great and they've been very very generous because I just
knew that when I mentioned it to you, you're like
a few of my friends and a few of my friends,
and everyone at the gym was like, oh my goodness.
And so they were very generous and they offered me
a discount code to give to the followers and the listeners.
So you can use the code Leanne two fifty JO
hundred and fifty dollars off any of the sales saunas
(12:02):
and there's quite a lot on sale at the moment,
or any of the full price saunas. You can use
the codallyan ten and that gives you ten percent off
the full price saunas. And because they are a good investment,
ten percent off is actually you know, it's a decent
discount as well. So if anybody wants that or the
direct links to, just send me a message on Instagram.
My Instagram's land Warred Nutrition and I can's any of
the details for that open.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Yeah, it is beautiful. I have to say, I can't
wait to get back up and use it again. All right, Leanne. Well,
I found some interesting research that came through about a
nutrient that we don't actually hear very much of. We
kind of appears are taking it for granted. And this
is potassium. And the headline was eating potassium rich foods
was linked to a twenty four percent reduced risk of
heart issues. And I was a bit like what because
(12:45):
potassium is certainly a nutrient we know is important to
maintain heart regulation, but never a nutrient we would consider
at risk of in the diet.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
It's kind of like salt.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
We tend to get plenty of it, but all evidence
to the contry. So there's growing amounts of research show
that because of change in Western diets, what we call
our sodium to potassium ratios are being quite heavily altered,
and this is impacting the risk of a number of
heart disease situations rhythm as so abnormal heart rate, increasing
heart failure, and overall mortality. Because basically what's happening Leanne
(13:19):
is that we have these diets that are packed.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Full of added salt.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
You know, I think we have about double the recommended
intake of salt on a daily basis. People get closer
to it's not milligrams of sodium, but the total amount
of salt is about double. I think between eight and
ten grams per day, coming from things like our processed foods,
where in a fast food meal you're getting over two
thousand milligrams in sauces, packaged food, processed foods. And then
(13:44):
on top of that, our intake of potassium rich foods
is going down because potassium whilst in a wide range
of fruits and vegetables, when you consider that busy people
are often not getting enough of those, They're not getting
the leafy greens, they may not be eating a whole
lot of fruit or nuts and sea and whole grains.
Over time, these ratios are decreasing significantly. So traditionally we
(14:06):
had a sodium potassium ratio of about ten to one,
and that's now down to an average of one to
two because of these general patterns in dietric assumption, leading
to this increased risk of heart disease over time, which
is just pretty shocking really in a day and age
which we have this abundance of fresh food. But one
of the things I think we're not even aware of
(14:28):
it so much is that if you're picking up all
your food away from the home, so you're getting a
coffee in the morning, a banana bread or a pastry
or traveling and so you're getting so food in a lounge,
which might be some hard boiled eggs, and then you
get lunched something like simple like sushi or catering, you're
probably not getting that bulk of leafy greens and fresh food.
(14:49):
And then very few of us are having sort of
three five serves of veggies at night, plus on top
of that, having a lot of catered food which is
packed full of salt, eating Asian food out, Mexican food
really packed again full of salt, which is why you
wake up after a pizza or fast food meal thirsty
in the night. So you can see that if your
life is such that you are eating out a lot,
maybe you're single, you're partying, they're on a daily basis,
(15:12):
you're probably getting nowhere near those amounts, and that's what
we're seeing over all, these ratios are being heavily distorted.
So I thought it was just a good opportunity to
chat about the importance of routinely high salt intake, but
also just ticking the box on potassium and some of
those key foods that are really rich in that nutrient
are things like your bananas, your leafy greens, avocado, and
(15:34):
these are foods you want to be consuming every day.
And that's why we constantly come back to the recommendation
of seven to ten serves of fresh fruit and vegetables
every day, because that's the best way to buffer the
effects of sodium.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
In the diet.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
And you would argue in European cultures whose intake of
salt is really high, you know they're having processed meats
in Europe or Italians are using a lot of salt
and cooking, they buffer it because they're getting that high
intake of fresh food as well, whereas trigtionally Western diet
we take all the salt and we ditch the fresh
food that goes with it. So I thought just for
anyone listening who has a found the history of heart
disease very very important, but also an important message for
(16:10):
all of us that those ratios are being heavily influenced,
and just another reminder that we need a lot more
of that fresh food. And just check your fruit intake,
check your intake of nuts and seeds, and make sure
you're getting at least one serve of leafy greens every
single day. Imperative as we move into our forties and beyond,
and heart disease and things like that tend to rear
their ugly head a bit more.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Yeah, And to be honest, it's really not that surprising
because when you look at the research within Australia, ninety
five percent of people don't eat enough vegetables.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
And it's incredible, like our clients state us.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
All the time, Oh, I eat enough veggies, it's not
a problem, and then they work with us and they're like,
oh wow, like I really didn't eat enough vegetables.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
I wasn't really aware.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
So we think we're doing the right thing, but when
you actually look at what constitutes a serf of vegetables.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
We're not getting anywhere near enough.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
And this study was really based out of the UK,
and it found that a third of teens and a
quarter of adults were actually.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Considered potassium deficient.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Like you said, it's not a nutrient we'd ever really
talk about in people's diets, and if we did, we're
generally saying, you know, limit your tassium because of an
issue with their kidneys or something. So it's never something
we're like, hey, eat more potassium. But I think it
does come back to those well rounded health messages that
say just eat more fresh food, eat a more wholesome
based diet. Get rid of like you said, the processed
red meats, because it's driving up the sodium and not
(17:22):
giving us any real potassium. So it is it just
does come back to balanced eating. And I know it's boring,
and I know that we say it a million times
on the podcast. But Australians are still not getting in
enough fresh foods. We're still not getting in enough vegetables.
We're still not getting in enough fruit. And unfortunately you
can't eat five serves of fruit and two serves of veggie.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
It doesn't work like that. One doesn't replace the other.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
You still need the bulk of the nutrients from enough
vegetables as well, and five serves of veggies to day
is a minimum, like Susie said, for really that anti
inflammatory style of eating, that good wholesome type of eating,
you want seven to ten serves and that is basically
impossible if you're only eating you know, vegetables at dinner,
if you're putting a piece of lettuce and a piece
of tomato and a sandwich at lunch, it's simply not
(18:02):
enough and it's not going to get you anywhere near
the required intake. So it's a great reminder and just
goes to show that even in twenty twenty five, despite
an abundance of access to what you would hope is
good quality and nutrition. There are tons of experts on Instagram,
there are free podcasts everywhere. We are still having more
nutrient deficiencies than we were potentially you know, decades and
(18:22):
decades ago. You know, we're seeing people come through with scurvy,
We're seeing twenty year olds being diagnosed with osteoporosis. You know,
we're seeing people having potassium deficiencies. We just didn't see
that decades and decades ago. But it's because we almost
have so much access to nutrition information that we're so
confused that we're almost you know, doing nothing or we're
not doing the right thing because we're so I guess
(18:44):
confused by how much nutrition information is out there. So
we're a really important reminder to just vet your social
media followers and so I.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Don't have a background of science.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
If they don't have, you know, if they're not using
research and evidence to actually guide their practice. If they're
just a mummy blog or an influencer, that's cool if
you want to follow them, but don't take nutrition advice
from them, because this is why we're seeing so many
people with so many nutrient deficiencies, which is not normal.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Right.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
I was speaking to a good hairdresser friend of mine recently,
and she said one of the things she notices is
even nutritionists will say you have a protein bar as
a snack, and she said, what's wrong with a banana?
Speaker 1 (19:22):
And it's so.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
True because there's commercially interest in promoting products or we
hear constantly about the power of protein. My observation is
the fresh food gets moved aside for the protein rich
foods first, when really the message is you want to
always have fresh food every single time you eat. So
if you're having a protein bar, keep in mind it
(19:43):
is likely ultra processed and whilst protein is important, the
fresh is equally as so that simple rule. Whenever you
eat a meal or a snack, there should be fresh
food there. So you're having eggs in the morning, where's
the spinach. You're having a bowl of oats or bircher,
add some berries to it, you're having crackers, add some tomato,
and that is where you build each day the overall intake.
And I liked it was a really good example where
(20:05):
the protein bar is not as good as a banana,
absolutely not. It's about the balance and making sure the
fresh fruit is there. All right, Lynne, Well, you've introduced
me to a new product and I was very excited
with this one because I have been known on occasion
to enjoy a dirty diet coke, and.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
We've spoken about it on the pody before.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
We know it's not good for us, but I just
I don't know. It's like goes back, doesn't it when
we're young and what we're programmed to have. But you
brought all of these beautiful drinks across to our new
warehouse in Brisbon, and one of them was a drink
I'd never seen before, and it was the Schweps Passion
Fruit and Pineapple. I think it is infused sparkling water,
(20:48):
sparkling miner water.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
I don't think it's new. You just haven't seen it though.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
No, it's not new. You're right, and you said to me,
oh my god, these are amazing. We have them all
the time, and I have fallen in love with this product,
cannot get enough of it. And I think these are
just great alternatives because we constantly have clients talking to
us about trying to get rid of the diet soft
drink or wanting something different to water, and I'll often say, yeah,
the Mount Franklin infuse drinks are really strong. There's a
(21:15):
mango one, but these are even better and they go
half price quite often at Colds and Willie. So you
get I think ten or twelve for nine dollars fifty,
which is really tight cost effective as well. Now there's
a whole range of different ones. I think you tried
a watermelon one fluntally like this passion watermelon. If you
tried it, is that one nice?
Speaker 2 (21:33):
The one story and war than it's delicious, But I
have to say, hands out, my favorite is passion fruit
and pintiple.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
But you know, we all have different taste.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
But I will say I personally believe that these like
not sponsored and nothing like that, but I personally think
the Sweeps ones are better than the Mountain Franklin ones.
I've always thought that these just taste as.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
It would be.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
But what I will I had a question for you
actually because basically it's just there's not a lot to
say about them. It's just water with a bit of flavor,
Like there's nothing flash, it's just sparkling and refreshing. And
it doesn't have the artificial sweeteness that soft drink, even
as zero soft drink will still have sweetener. It's just
not a spar tanan. But what I wanted to know
Leanne is that there are only a four health star rating.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
I think it's due to this.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
I think it's got a touch of sodium, and it
compared to mineral water, I think because the mineral water,
natural flavors and food acid are food acids citric acid.
So and it's got eight milligrams of sodium a serf,
which is like nothing.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
And that's why I was like, this is so confusing
for people because they think that it's it's just basically water.
It's got four point five health stars like this the
most ridiculous thing I've heard.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
I mean, it's got a technical additude which is food
acid perhaps, so it's fifteen. I would give it a choice,
which is about Yeah, this is where the calories down right,
like four points. I think they're absolutely wonder why I
personally would have at least one a day, if not too.
As I said, my favorite is a passion fruit pine ball.
This one here is the strawberry and watermelon. There's also
a blood.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Orange and mango. That one's really good. And a lemon lime.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
I must say, I haven't bought that because I'm not
the hugest lemon lime person unless it's like a more
of an electrolyte drink, So I haven't tried that one.
But yeah, there's those four and I don't buy them sous.
You know my budget queens. We don't pay for things
full price if we don't have to, So this one's
I only buy them half price at Coals and they're
in a ten pack of cans and so they're just
on the normal in the soft drink aisle, and I
(23:27):
only buy them half price, so they come down to
like nine or ten dollars, so effectively a dollar or slightly.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Less a can.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
And they do retail I think for about eighteen or
nineteen dollars, so I would never buy them full price,
and they regularly do between calls and will Wes go
half price. So I'll grab kind of full boxes at
once and then put them in the bottom of the
pantry and just kind of pull them out as I
need them, and whenever I see them half price, I
get some more. So they're a great little addition to
the pantry, to the fridge, and they're super tasty. I
(23:52):
think out of all the mineral waters, these are my
favorite on the market.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Yeah, it's nice to be off to recommend something. We're
so quick to criticize products. It was nice to find
something that actually tastes great and is a good substitute.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
I would say for.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Kind of any of the even zero drinks that have
still got the artificial sweetness in them, and which are
the ones that aren't so great for us, because I
believe they do program us to want more sweet food.
I think that's the concern, even if it's not a
spar tanan, even if it's the other varieties that are
used k as. The sulfate I think is one of
the ones in Zero. Again, they're a lot sweeter than
(24:24):
sugar itself, and hence there's evidence to show they have
a very much programming effect of wanting more sweet food.
So the benefit of having one of these more infused
waters is that you don't have that effect that basically
is just water with a touch of natural flavor. But yeah,
they're so popular in my house. I've had to hide
them because I bought the ten and then they were
like gone a day or two later. So yeah, but
they're yeah, nine point fifty alternate weeks, So check them out.
(24:47):
They're just in the drink section. And I think in
particular for kids. My boys are just almost ten, and
I have to say there are kids who are drinking
full strengths soft drink regularly. So I think that encouraging
kids to be enjoying that rather than uses and soft
drink is a very good programming effect because otherwise, you
know what we're familiar with. Keep in mind that the
biggest consumers of sweetened drink are teenage boys, and these
(25:09):
are habits that will continue throughout their adult life. So
if you can swap them over and to bubbly drink
sweet drinks that don't have this sugar and a more
natural that's a really positive shift, all right.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
And then our last segment for the podcast is our
listener question. So this week, I have been diagnosed with osteopenia.
Any diet or exercise tips. Now, this is a great
question because we're seeing more and more clients, and certainly
there are more and more people coming out diagnosed with osteopenia,
and there's certainly a very I'm not gonna say anti
dairy movement over the last few years, but I would say,
(25:43):
hands down, it is so rare where I get a
new client and they're like, oh, I just have a
latte on normal milk. It's always like I have an
oat latte, or I have an almond later, or I
have a I don't know, tiger milk or macadamia. Like,
it's so rare for me to have a client that's like,
oh yeah, I just I drink for groom milk.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (26:00):
I think with the move away from or the move
two more plant based milks, we are lacking in some calcium. Certainly,
over the years of plant based milk, ile has come
a long way in terms of fortifying a lot of
the different brands with additional calcium, which is excellent to see.
But certainly there are still clients that I have that
I say, all right, let's just check the label on
the almond milk. It's not fortified or it's only got
(26:21):
say one hundred milligrams where is ideally I would want
three hundred milligrams. So it's a great question, and it
is a condition that I'd say is becoming more and
more frequent, particularly with women over forty.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
But there is a lot you can actually do for it,
which is really exciting. So starting with nutrition, the key.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Nutrients, you would want a calcium like I mentioned, So
if your plant based milk is not fortified, you need
to find a brand that is fortified, ideally with at
least three hundred milligrams of calcium per cup. Other calcium
fortified plant foods, things like tofu sartings excellent as well,
sartings with bones, any sort of bony fish, and your
dark green leafy greens as well can be good for
calcium and things like almonds. And then of course vitamin
(27:00):
D is really really important, so you can if you're
low with vitamin D, you can supplement. But the best
source of vitamin D actually comes from the sun, so
actually just getting and it depends on where you live,
it depends on the color of your skin tone. Roughly
sort of ten to twenty minutes in the sunshine most
days we'll expose your skin to enough vitamin D, and
I think it's something like it's about thirty percent of
(27:20):
austrains after winter or deficient and vitamin D. So vitamin
D and calcium work together to help strengthen the bones.
And then of course there's protein, and if you are
over forty through those prairial metopausal years, protein is so essential.
It's essential for your bone matrix formation, which is really
important for strong bones as well. And then the other
three what we'd call is like mini nutrients that are
(27:41):
also important for your bones are your magnesium, your vitamin
K two, and your.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Phosphorus as well. So those three just come from a
good quality diet.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
You know, nuts and feeds, dart, green leafy veggies, whole grains, legumes,
just enough of that fresh food like we talked about,
and then really avoiding excess caffeine and excess alcohol. A
couple two of coffee a day is completely okay, but
too much caffeine can actually block dairy as well, which
which can impact calcium levels as well. So just not
(28:09):
too much caffeine and not too much alcohol. So that's
more the nutrition side of things. Nutrients are really important.
You can of course supplement with things like calcium and
vitamin D. Often there are a lot of different brands
in the market that do calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, NK
two all in the same kind of capsule pill, but
you don't have to supplement. I would certainly be getting
a blood test done to see if you're deficient, particularly
(28:31):
in terms of vitamin D, but the best way to
know if you have enough calcium is actually just doing
a quick dietary add up through your diet and knowing
if you're actually getting routinely enough calcium in and a
dietician can certainly assist with that. But the more exciting
thing is really from the exercise front, because we do
know that that weight bearing or resistance type training is
super important for your bone health.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
But there's really promising new.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
Research that's showing that impact based training, so think things
like jump training, that like pylometric training and loading has
been showing some really promising results for bone strength. So
one of my dieticians, Jordan, she has a big background
and exercise and she used to work in a dexis
gaining clinic where of course they you know, they check
your bone mineral density. She found some great new research
that was showing that there was a study in post
(29:15):
menopause or women, and it was showing that just fifty
jumps per day and you can split that up into
ten jumps just five times a day led to a
clinically significant increase in hit bone density after six months.
So you don't have to go like full hit style
training like jumping everywhere. You can actually just do some
jump style training on a yoga mat at home. You
just don't want to do it on a super hard
(29:37):
surface like concrete. You want to put like a yoga
mat or something down. So there's a really good app
called osteo Gains and that is something that I recommend
to a lot of my clients with osteopenia because it
can help to improve the bone mineral density through that
type of training.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
And it's gp in physio led as well.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
So there's some really exciting stuff you can do from
an exercise perspective, but it is really important to get
in and link in with a great physio exercise physiologists
to set you up with a really great, well rounded
training program. And particularly if you have a background of
like poor balance or fractures, you definitely want to touch
base with a health professional before you go and you
know pick up jump style training or go and lift
(30:14):
some really heavy weights. You want to just make sure
that that's safe for you to do.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Do you get the same result from skipping?
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Skipping is good, but I don't think the force was
enough like you had to it was a certain level
that you had to jump in terms of like height
in the air. Obviously we're in video, people will understand
my hands signals, but no, I believe that the same
result wasn't from skipping. And my mum uses one of
those mini trampolines and she bounces on it, she does
her little arm weights on it. And I was sort
of saying to one of my dieticians, Jordan, is that
(30:41):
the same result? And she said, no, it really has
to do this like proper, like jump straight up in
the air and landing on two feet and like we said,
on a softer surface, like on a yoga matter on carpet.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
So yeah, go check it out.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Like jump style training for osteopenia has been shown really
effective in the research. So that's what I've been recommending
for my clients lately.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
It's so interesting, and will put a link to it
in the show notes because I think there's so many people.
I can think of five friends I know who would
benefit from that. I can tell their bones are probably
not great even in their forties. But I have to
be honest with you, Leanne, I don't like jumping, well
I don't don't, but I.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Do enough in the style of training that I do
that it's enough.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
I do a lot of heavyweight training, I eat a
ton of calcium, and I do a lot of kind
of that jumping burbie box jumps, those kind of.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Things, but I do find freak me out.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Man, No, I can find it very effective for a
lot of my clients who do do have those brittle
bones and the background of it. Luck if your mum
had osteoporosis. Is something that I would be really be
being careful about through my thirties and forties because certainly
what we do in our thirties, forties and fifties impacts
how we show up in our sixties and seventies. So
it is something that if you're listening, the time is
now to be doing some of these things to help
(31:51):
preserve our bone mass. And certainly if you are a
bit concerned about your bone mineral density or whether or
not it might be okay, looking at and getting a
DEXA scan is an excellent idea at any age.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
I would say, yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
I routinely am asking that all the time of my
women now because I think that we're at such high risk.
If we want to have these long lives, you've got
to have strong bones.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
So really interesting hundre percent because the research I used
to work in the orthopedic ward and the research for
those who break their hip, it's the statistics are depressing.
It's something like thirty percent will die in the surgery,
thirty percent will never make it home, and the other
thirty percent will end up in a nursing home. So
the number one thing you want to do is prevent
any sort of falls and broken hips when you get
past that kind of you know, seventy age group, because
(32:32):
that's the number one thing is strong bones and strong
muscles is going to really just help you liver a
healthy and more functional lifestyle long term.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
Yeah, and if you're not a dairy, big dairy consumer
and haven't been your entire life, I'd be paying a
lot of attention, So definitely go and get a bone
density done.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Absolutely all right, Well, that brings us to the end
of the nutrition catch for another week, and we'll catch
you in next week's episode. And if you know that
your diet needs a little bit more protein, and our
women's protein powder as well also contains a calcium server
three hundred milligrams person as well, So check out our
scientifically formulated range of proteins, proteins, magnesium, collagen and hot
chocolates at design Bydietitians dot com.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Have a great week. Thank you for listening.
Are you a fan of a sauna.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Maybe you've heard recently there are a number of metabolic
benefits associated with using a sauna, and to test that theory,
I've got one. So in today's episode of The Nutrition Couch,
we chat all things saunas, health and longevity, and chances
are you may.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Want a sauna too. When we're finished, Hi, I'm.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Leanne Wood and I'm Sissy Burrow, and together we bring
you The Nutrition Couch, the weekly podcast that keeps you
up to date on everything that you need to know
in the world of nutrition.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
As well as saunas.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
We have some new data to suggest we may not
be getting enough potassium. We also have a new lo
sugar drink we think our listeners will love. And our
listener question is all about bone health. But to kick
us off this week, Susie, I've got a sauna and.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I'm very excited. And you popped our sauna cherry with us.
When we are you in Brisbane? Are we all jumped
in for the very first time.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
It just happened to the Universal line and we just
happened to get the sauna installed. You came up a
few days later and we all got to use it.
For the first time and it was It was amazing,
wasn't it. Will We've both been a big ban of
saunas for a long time.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yes, I went. I was lucky enough to head up
to Brisbane because we also have stocked our warehouse for
design by Dietitians, which is very, very exciting. And Leanne
has got a sauna. Now I love a sauna.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I don't know what it is.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I think it's going back to the seventies and the
Norse gads where you used to see saunas on TV.
But it is a beautiful sauna and it's a barrel sauna.
You're going to describe it for out the listeners. It's
so so pretty. You can fit four people in there.
There was three of us. It was a threesome, wasn't it, David.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
It's a step so you can go up to the
top level where you know hotty. It rises so you
get the better benefits because it's hotter on the top
sort of the top level. Then you can also start
yourself on the lower level if you want to kind
of heat adapt yourself a little bit as well. But
it's a traditional seed two to four person barrels sauna.
It's amazing. It's out in our pool deck. And we
went with a local Brisbane brand. Obviously, anyone who knows
(01:58):
David and I we do a lot of research. We
we like nice things sometimes, so we we researched a
great actually local Brisbane brand called Elevate Saunas, and so
that's the one we've got and we're very impressed.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
We really like it.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
So yeah, it's all going well so far. So we
thought we'd have a little chat about saunas.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
On the potty, didn't we.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Well, there's a lot of benefits. I've noticed when I've
been watching the Real Housewives shows that a lot of
people are putting their own plunge pools saunas. It's all
about wellness and longevity. But there is this sort of
growing research in this space that you're going to share
with us today. But if anyone is thinking of it,
because I mentioned it to my friends and about three
of them said, oh, I quite like a sauna, So
I feel like it's the way of the future. I've
(02:36):
got my iron one as well. I think how fantastic
just to go and get some heat. And I just
loved it. So I was a bit out of sauna
whack though we didn't last more than ten minutes, did we?
Speaker 1 (02:45):
It was pretty hot in there. I think we did
about twelve to start with, which you know it's not.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
But yeah, so tell us about the research and why
are they so good? And why have you written this
off on your tax return as an investment for your business?
Speaker 1 (02:56):
No, we didn't, sho.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
So basically, I mean, I think we've known for a
long time that saunas have great benefits. So you've got,
you know, the mental health kind of benefits where it
helps you to calm down and relax, but then we've
actually got some scientific benefits to them as well, and
particularly a lot of different cultures around the world, particularly
you know, the Swedish, the Finished style cultures have used
traditional saunas for you know, for everyone in a day,
and they it's just part of their daily makeup. They
(03:21):
just do this because they know it's great for them
and it's a part of like the you know, cultural
bonding type of experience as well. So I guess the
way that saunas work is that they expose their body
to heat, and in most saunas is typically heat between
about seventy to ninety degrees so it's very, very hot,
and what it does is it raises your core temperature,
it increases your heart rate, and it basically makes you sweat.
(03:44):
So it's sort of linked to It's kind of like
moderate cardiovascular exercise, right, And this heat stress that you're
putting the body through has numerous biological pathways, and those
pathways have been shown in the research to support things
like circulation, reduced inflammation, and even boost recovery after exercise
as well. And then like I mentioned, they're really popular
(04:05):
for like the mental health benefits as well. There's a
bit of like a ritual when you jump in a sauna,
you relax your unwind. You know, you're not supposed to
take anything in with you, so I take my garm
and watch off. I leave my phone outside. Like technology
and high heat doesn't go well together, so it is
really that time where you kind of just switch off
and you're left alone with your thoughts. But anyone who
knows my husband David knows that he's tech obsessed. So
(04:27):
of course David has put like led strip lighting in
our sauna.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
He's put some music in the sauna.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
So where I was using my sorda at the gym,
it was very relaxing because it was just me and
sometimes I take a book in.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Sometimes it was just me and my thoughts.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
But at the moment in our sauna, you can get
some some pumping beats in there thanks to David and
his speakers. So yeah, so now I got some music
in disorder. But I guess, as I mentioned, there are
some true like scientific.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Benefits as well.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
So if you look at some of the research behind it,
longevity is a big one, and I think that's why
a lot of people use the sauna as well, because
there was a finished cohort study that showed I think
it was a reduction of about thirty to forty percent
lower or cause mortality for people who frequently use saunas.
And I think when you look at frequency with sauna,
a lot of the health benefits come from utilizing a
(05:14):
sauna two to three times a week, and I think
the bulk of the benefits is between about twenty to
twenty five minutes, much more than thirty minutes. The research
has actually shown you don't get any real additional benefits
and then you really start to get quite dehydrated past
thirty minutes. So I would say I sort of try
to do about twenty minutes myself, I'm going to build
up to sort of that twenty five thirty minutes, but
you don't really get any additional benefit after thirty minutes,
(05:37):
but you do sort of want to be in there.
I think the research again shows at least fifteen minutes
and to do that. Why it's linked to longevity is
because it helps to boost what's called heat shock proteins
and they really help to support like saular repair and
those like anti aging pathways, and they also lower CRP.
So we will always taught as dietitian CRP as a
(05:57):
marker for like it's a key inflammation marker in the botto.
So this sort of regular sort of use helps to
lower CRP. Then there's also some research that looks at
heart health as well, and there was again a finished
study with men over twenty three hundred men. They followed
them for twenty years and it showed that Finish men
who regularly use the sauna and they were saying at
(06:17):
least four times a week, had a fifty percent lower
risk of fatal cardiovascular events compared to men who didn't
use it at all, who only used it once a week.
So there is benefit in using it multiple times per week,
you know, two, three, four times a week, and they
think that study was sort of implying that it helps
to improve blood vessel function, It helps to lower blood pressure,
(06:38):
like we mentioned, it helps to lower inflammation markers and
reduce things like oxidative stress. So really great benefits in
terms of longevity, inflammation, heart health.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
And certainly some of.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
This research is newer and emerging as well, Like it's
not strong, strong, strong, But I always kind of think
my theory as a dietician is do no harm first,
and then secondly, if it's something that makes people feel good.
There are some small emerging benefits that I really think
we jump on these things because we know with evidence
based research sometimes it can take twenty years to become
(07:09):
what we would call like ground knowledge or something that
every dietitian is recommending, every doctor is recommending. So research
takes a long time to do and also become well
known in terms of just what do you call it,
like regular guidance, I guess, or regular clinical practice and
actually being written into guidelines. And I genuinely do think
we will see things like saunas being recommended to people
(07:30):
for the cardiovascular benefits. They're already using it hugely within
the athletic population as well, because there's some great studies
that show regular sauna use can help with muscle recovery
and even pain relief as well. So because saunas helped
to increase blood flow to the muscle, this may help
with reducing things like doms that delayed onset of muscle saunas,
it may help with joint pain and stiffness, chronic pain,
(07:52):
and definitely there's some good research for that post recovery
after exercise as well. And then like I mentioned, there's
a mental health benefits as well.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Well. You go in the sauna, you just you know,
you calm down.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
You help to activate that parasympathetic nervous system, and that
particularly when combined with meditation and things like journaling a
couple of times a week. There was a study back
from twenty sixteen that showed symptoms that helped to reduce
symptoms of depression and anxiety and helped improve mental health overall.
So it's some huge benefits more emerging stuff as well,
But from what I've seen, there's really no negative side
(08:24):
effects to using a sauna, unless, of course, you have
a medical condition that would warrant, of course, to be careful,
Like I wouldn't recommend it for people that are pregnant.
I wouldn't recommend it if somebody had really low blood
pressure all they were really heat sensitive, or if they
were already dehydrated, like if you went and you ran,
like you know, clocked in twenty thirty k's or you
did a massive workout and you were ready dehydrated, that
(08:45):
can actually be more risky in itself. So just I guess,
be careful because you are when you're in a sauna,
it is at a very high temperature, and so we
don't want to be doing, you know, silly things like
that they're going and dehydrated, or recommending it to pregnant
women who you know, do have a level of heat
sensitivity already. And probably the final question that I think
will get is what's the difference between traditional and infrared saunas?
(09:07):
And I personally got a traditional sauna like a traditional
finished style sauna, because both saunas have benefits. But if
you actually look through the bulk of the clinical research,
the majority of the clinical research is with finished style saunas.
So the traditional saunas, the finished style ones have a
higher heat. They're sort of seventy eighty ninety degrees. They
heat the air and they heat the surface and they
(09:29):
cause you to sweat a lot, whereas an infrared sauna,
which is used a lot within like kind of like
the beauty kind of world, i'd say, and a lot
more sometimes with athletes as well, they have a lower
ambient temperature, so we're talking forty five to sixty degrees
of a lot lower, and it directly heats the tissue
instead of directly heating the air. So, like I said,
both have benefits depending on what you use it for.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
But I just was really.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Looking at the bulk of the clinical research, which is
mostly with finished style sauna, So that to me was
why I went with a finished style traditional sauna versus
in infrared sauna at this time.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
And I think one of the things that you said
to me was that you had been going to a
gym that had one, and it was a certain amount
each week. So for people using them frequently with a
gym works out an investment for the house if you
have one there, rather than paying sixty dollars a week
or whatever to go and use an external one. It's
only a couple of years, and then you'd be paying
for the one that you've got. How long did they
(10:23):
last have they said, I want to say for abook forever.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
I mean, obviously we've got ours's outdoor on the pull deck,
and we bought an outdoor sauna. Like I wouldn't buy
an indoor one and put it outside, So if you
were having it outside, I would definitely recommend getting an
outdoor sauna. But yeah, I mean I think the warranty
on it is is five years or something, so you know,
years and years. And like you said, I was paying
I go and train it at a separate gym, and then
I was going to pay an additional gym membership just
(10:49):
to do reformer pilates there and use their sauna as well.
And then David was like, hey, I want to come
use the sauna, and we were like, by the time
we're both paying four sets of gym memberships, like two
memberships at each gym. We were like, within a year,
we'll get our money back if we just get our
own sauna. Basically, so it is an investment, but if
just to start and see if you like it, just
see if you can find a local gym near you.
They're becoming really popular in a lot of gyms, and
(11:11):
yes you have to share it with other people, but
you know, I have a benefit of working from home,
so I would go around the non peak our times,
so there weren't as many people in there, but it
was certainly very very busy, and they had in the
gym that I chose, there was a one in the
female bathrooms and then another sauna in the male bathroom,
so you weren't going in there with you know, there
weren't too many people in there. Basically there was two
(11:31):
separate saunas which was ideal as well, and that one
had a traditional finished sauna in the gym that I
chose as well.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
And give a shout out to who made your sauna. Yeah,
so elevate saunas.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
So, as I said, they're local to Brisbane, they're really
great and they've been very very generous because I just
knew that when I mentioned it to you, you're like
a few of my friends and a few of my friends,
and everyone at the gym was like, oh my goodness.
And so they were very generous and they offered me
a discount code to give to the followers and the listeners.
So you can use the code Leanne two fifty JO
hundred and fifty dollars off any of the sales saunas
(12:02):
and there's quite a lot on sale at the moment,
or any of the full price saunas. You can use
the codallyan ten and that gives you ten percent off
the full price saunas. And because they are a good investment,
ten percent off is actually you know, it's a decent
discount as well. So if anybody wants that or the
direct links to, just send me a message on Instagram.
My Instagram's land Warred Nutrition and I can's any of
the details for that open.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Yeah, it is beautiful. I have to say, I can't
wait to get back up and use it again. All right, Leanne. Well,
I found some interesting research that came through about a
nutrient that we don't actually hear very much of. We
kind of appears are taking it for granted. And this
is potassium. And the headline was eating potassium rich foods
was linked to a twenty four percent reduced risk of
heart issues. And I was a bit like what because
(12:45):
potassium is certainly a nutrient we know is important to
maintain heart regulation, but never a nutrient we would consider
at risk of in the diet.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
It's kind of like salt.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
We tend to get plenty of it, but all evidence
to the contry. So there's growing amounts of research show
that because of change in Western diets, what we call
our sodium to potassium ratios are being quite heavily altered,
and this is impacting the risk of a number of
heart disease situations rhythm as so abnormal heart rate, increasing
heart failure, and overall mortality. Because basically what's happening Leanne
(13:19):
is that we have these diets that are packed.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Full of added salt.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
You know, I think we have about double the recommended
intake of salt on a daily basis. People get closer
to it's not milligrams of sodium, but the total amount
of salt is about double. I think between eight and
ten grams per day, coming from things like our processed foods,
where in a fast food meal you're getting over two
thousand milligrams in sauces, packaged food, processed foods. And then
(13:44):
on top of that, our intake of potassium rich foods
is going down because potassium whilst in a wide range
of fruits and vegetables, when you consider that busy people
are often not getting enough of those, They're not getting
the leafy greens, they may not be eating a whole
lot of fruit or nuts and sea and whole grains.
Over time, these ratios are decreasing significantly. So traditionally we
(14:06):
had a sodium potassium ratio of about ten to one,
and that's now down to an average of one to
two because of these general patterns in dietric assumption, leading
to this increased risk of heart disease over time, which
is just pretty shocking really in a day and age
which we have this abundance of fresh food. But one
of the things I think we're not even aware of
(14:28):
it so much is that if you're picking up all
your food away from the home, so you're getting a
coffee in the morning, a banana bread or a pastry
or traveling and so you're getting so food in a lounge,
which might be some hard boiled eggs, and then you
get lunched something like simple like sushi or catering, you're
probably not getting that bulk of leafy greens and fresh food.
(14:49):
And then very few of us are having sort of
three five serves of veggies at night, plus on top
of that, having a lot of catered food which is
packed full of salt, eating Asian food out, Mexican food
really packed again full of salt, which is why you
wake up after a pizza or fast food meal thirsty
in the night. So you can see that if your
life is such that you are eating out a lot,
maybe you're single, you're partying, they're on a daily basis,
(15:12):
you're probably getting nowhere near those amounts, and that's what
we're seeing over all, these ratios are being heavily distorted.
So I thought it was just a good opportunity to
chat about the importance of routinely high salt intake, but
also just ticking the box on potassium and some of
those key foods that are really rich in that nutrient
are things like your bananas, your leafy greens, avocado, and
(15:34):
these are foods you want to be consuming every day.
And that's why we constantly come back to the recommendation
of seven to ten serves of fresh fruit and vegetables
every day, because that's the best way to buffer the
effects of sodium.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
In the diet.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
And you would argue in European cultures whose intake of
salt is really high, you know they're having processed meats
in Europe or Italians are using a lot of salt
and cooking, they buffer it because they're getting that high
intake of fresh food as well, whereas trigtionally Western diet
we take all the salt and we ditch the fresh
food that goes with it. So I thought just for
anyone listening who has a found the history of heart
disease very very important, but also an important message for
(16:10):
all of us that those ratios are being heavily influenced,
and just another reminder that we need a lot more
of that fresh food. And just check your fruit intake,
check your intake of nuts and seeds, and make sure
you're getting at least one serve of leafy greens every
single day. Imperative as we move into our forties and beyond,
and heart disease and things like that tend to rear
their ugly head a bit more.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Yeah, And to be honest, it's really not that surprising
because when you look at the research within Australia, ninety
five percent of people don't eat enough vegetables.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
And it's incredible, like our clients state us.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
All the time, Oh, I eat enough veggies, it's not
a problem, and then they work with us and they're like,
oh wow, like I really didn't eat enough vegetables.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
I wasn't really aware.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
So we think we're doing the right thing, but when
you actually look at what constitutes a serf of vegetables.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
We're not getting anywhere near enough.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
And this study was really based out of the UK,
and it found that a third of teens and a
quarter of adults were actually.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Considered potassium deficient.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Like you said, it's not a nutrient we'd ever really
talk about in people's diets, and if we did, we're
generally saying, you know, limit your tassium because of an
issue with their kidneys or something. So it's never something
we're like, hey, eat more potassium. But I think it
does come back to those well rounded health messages that
say just eat more fresh food, eat a more wholesome
based diet. Get rid of like you said, the processed
red meats, because it's driving up the sodium and not
(17:22):
giving us any real potassium. So it is it just
does come back to balanced eating. And I know it's boring,
and I know that we say it a million times
on the podcast. But Australians are still not getting in
enough fresh foods. We're still not getting in enough vegetables.
We're still not getting in enough fruit. And unfortunately you
can't eat five serves of fruit and two serves of veggie.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
It doesn't work like that. One doesn't replace the other.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
You still need the bulk of the nutrients from enough
vegetables as well, and five serves of veggies to day
is a minimum, like Susie said, for really that anti
inflammatory style of eating, that good wholesome type of eating,
you want seven to ten serves and that is basically
impossible if you're only eating you know, vegetables at dinner,
if you're putting a piece of lettuce and a piece
of tomato and a sandwich at lunch, it's simply not
(18:02):
enough and it's not going to get you anywhere near
the required intake. So it's a great reminder and just
goes to show that even in twenty twenty five, despite
an abundance of access to what you would hope is
good quality and nutrition. There are tons of experts on Instagram,
there are free podcasts everywhere. We are still having more
nutrient deficiencies than we were potentially you know, decades and
(18:22):
decades ago. You know, we're seeing people come through with scurvy,
We're seeing twenty year olds being diagnosed with osteoporosis. You know,
we're seeing people having potassium deficiencies. We just didn't see
that decades and decades ago. But it's because we almost
have so much access to nutrition information that we're so
confused that we're almost you know, doing nothing or we're
not doing the right thing because we're so I guess
(18:44):
confused by how much nutrition information is out there. So
we're a really important reminder to just vet your social
media followers and so I.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Don't have a background of science.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
If they don't have, you know, if they're not using
research and evidence to actually guide their practice. If they're
just a mummy blog or an influencer, that's cool if
you want to follow them, but don't take nutrition advice
from them, because this is why we're seeing so many
people with so many nutrient deficiencies, which is not normal.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Right.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
I was speaking to a good hairdresser friend of mine recently,
and she said one of the things she notices is
even nutritionists will say you have a protein bar as
a snack, and she said, what's wrong with a banana?
Speaker 1 (19:22):
And it's so.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
True because there's commercially interest in promoting products or we
hear constantly about the power of protein. My observation is
the fresh food gets moved aside for the protein rich
foods first, when really the message is you want to
always have fresh food every single time you eat. So
if you're having a protein bar, keep in mind it
(19:43):
is likely ultra processed and whilst protein is important, the
fresh is equally as so that simple rule. Whenever you
eat a meal or a snack, there should be fresh
food there. So you're having eggs in the morning, where's
the spinach. You're having a bowl of oats or bircher,
add some berries to it, you're having crackers, add some tomato,
and that is where you build each day the overall intake.
And I liked it was a really good example where
(20:05):
the protein bar is not as good as a banana,
absolutely not. It's about the balance and making sure the
fresh fruit is there. All right, Lynne, Well, you've introduced
me to a new product and I was very excited
with this one because I have been known on occasion
to enjoy a dirty diet coke, and.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
We've spoken about it on the pody before.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
We know it's not good for us, but I just
I don't know. It's like goes back, doesn't it when
we're young and what we're programmed to have. But you
brought all of these beautiful drinks across to our new
warehouse in Brisbon, and one of them was a drink
I'd never seen before, and it was the Schweps Passion
Fruit and Pineapple. I think it is infused sparkling water,
(20:48):
sparkling miner water.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
I don't think it's new. You just haven't seen it though.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
No, it's not new. You're right, and you said to me,
oh my god, these are amazing. We have them all
the time, and I have fallen in love with this product,
cannot get enough of it. And I think these are
just great alternatives because we constantly have clients talking to
us about trying to get rid of the diet soft
drink or wanting something different to water, and I'll often say, yeah,
the Mount Franklin infuse drinks are really strong. There's a
(21:15):
mango one, but these are even better and they go
half price quite often at Colds and Willie. So you
get I think ten or twelve for nine dollars fifty,
which is really tight cost effective as well. Now there's
a whole range of different ones. I think you tried
a watermelon one fluntally like this passion watermelon. If you
tried it, is that one nice?
Speaker 2 (21:33):
The one story and war than it's delicious, But I
have to say, hands out, my favorite is passion fruit
and pintiple.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
But you know, we all have different taste.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
But I will say I personally believe that these like
not sponsored and nothing like that, but I personally think
the Sweeps ones are better than the Mountain Franklin ones.
I've always thought that these just taste as.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
It would be.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
But what I will I had a question for you
actually because basically it's just there's not a lot to
say about them. It's just water with a bit of flavor,
Like there's nothing flash, it's just sparkling and refreshing. And
it doesn't have the artificial sweeteness that soft drink, even
as zero soft drink will still have sweetener. It's just
not a spar tanan. But what I wanted to know
Leanne is that there are only a four health star rating.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
I think it's due to this.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
I think it's got a touch of sodium, and it
compared to mineral water, I think because the mineral water,
natural flavors and food acid are food acids citric acid.
So and it's got eight milligrams of sodium a serf,
which is like nothing.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
And that's why I was like, this is so confusing
for people because they think that it's it's just basically water.
It's got four point five health stars like this the
most ridiculous thing I've heard.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
I mean, it's got a technical additude which is food
acid perhaps, so it's fifteen. I would give it a choice,
which is about Yeah, this is where the calories down right,
like four points. I think they're absolutely wonder why I
personally would have at least one a day, if not too.
As I said, my favorite is a passion fruit pine ball.
This one here is the strawberry and watermelon. There's also
a blood.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Orange and mango. That one's really good. And a lemon lime.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
I must say, I haven't bought that because I'm not
the hugest lemon lime person unless it's like a more
of an electrolyte drink, So I haven't tried that one.
But yeah, there's those four and I don't buy them sous.
You know my budget queens. We don't pay for things
full price if we don't have to, So this one's
I only buy them half price at Coals and they're
in a ten pack of cans and so they're just
on the normal in the soft drink aisle, and I
(23:27):
only buy them half price, so they come down to
like nine or ten dollars, so effectively a dollar or slightly.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Less a can.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
And they do retail I think for about eighteen or
nineteen dollars, so I would never buy them full price,
and they regularly do between calls and will Wes go
half price. So I'll grab kind of full boxes at
once and then put them in the bottom of the
pantry and just kind of pull them out as I
need them, and whenever I see them half price, I
get some more. So they're a great little addition to
the pantry, to the fridge, and they're super tasty. I
(23:52):
think out of all the mineral waters, these are my
favorite on the market.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Yeah, it's nice to be off to recommend something. We're
so quick to criticize products. It was nice to find
something that actually tastes great and is a good substitute.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
I would say for.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Kind of any of the even zero drinks that have
still got the artificial sweetness in them, and which are
the ones that aren't so great for us, because I
believe they do program us to want more sweet food.
I think that's the concern, even if it's not a
spar tanan, even if it's the other varieties that are
used k as. The sulfate I think is one of
the ones in Zero. Again, they're a lot sweeter than
(24:24):
sugar itself, and hence there's evidence to show they have
a very much programming effect of wanting more sweet food.
So the benefit of having one of these more infused
waters is that you don't have that effect that basically
is just water with a touch of natural flavor. But yeah,
they're so popular in my house. I've had to hide
them because I bought the ten and then they were
like gone a day or two later. So yeah, but
they're yeah, nine point fifty alternate weeks, So check them out.
(24:47):
They're just in the drink section. And I think in
particular for kids. My boys are just almost ten, and
I have to say there are kids who are drinking
full strengths soft drink regularly. So I think that encouraging
kids to be enjoying that rather than uses and soft
drink is a very good programming effect because otherwise, you
know what we're familiar with. Keep in mind that the
biggest consumers of sweetened drink are teenage boys, and these
(25:09):
are habits that will continue throughout their adult life. So
if you can swap them over and to bubbly drink
sweet drinks that don't have this sugar and a more
natural that's a really positive shift, all right.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
And then our last segment for the podcast is our
listener question. So this week, I have been diagnosed with osteopenia.
Any diet or exercise tips. Now, this is a great
question because we're seeing more and more clients, and certainly
there are more and more people coming out diagnosed with osteopenia,
and there's certainly a very I'm not gonna say anti
dairy movement over the last few years, but I would say,
(25:43):
hands down, it is so rare where I get a
new client and they're like, oh, I just have a
latte on normal milk. It's always like I have an
oat latte, or I have an almond later, or I
have a I don't know, tiger milk or macadamia. Like,
it's so rare for me to have a client that's like,
oh yeah, I just I drink for groom milk.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2 (26:00):
I think with the move away from or the move
two more plant based milks, we are lacking in some calcium. Certainly,
over the years of plant based milk, ile has come
a long way in terms of fortifying a lot of
the different brands with additional calcium, which is excellent to see.
But certainly there are still clients that I have that
I say, all right, let's just check the label on
the almond milk. It's not fortified or it's only got
(26:21):
say one hundred milligrams where is ideally I would want
three hundred milligrams. So it's a great question, and it
is a condition that I'd say is becoming more and
more frequent, particularly with women over forty.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
But there is a lot you can actually do for it,
which is really exciting. So starting with nutrition, the key.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Nutrients, you would want a calcium like I mentioned, So
if your plant based milk is not fortified, you need
to find a brand that is fortified, ideally with at
least three hundred milligrams of calcium per cup. Other calcium
fortified plant foods, things like tofu sartings excellent as well,
sartings with bones, any sort of bony fish, and your
dark green leafy greens as well can be good for
calcium and things like almonds. And then of course vitamin
(27:00):
D is really really important, so you can if you're
low with vitamin D, you can supplement. But the best
source of vitamin D actually comes from the sun, so
actually just getting and it depends on where you live,
it depends on the color of your skin tone. Roughly
sort of ten to twenty minutes in the sunshine most
days we'll expose your skin to enough vitamin D, and
I think it's something like it's about thirty percent of
(27:20):
austrains after winter or deficient and vitamin D. So vitamin
D and calcium work together to help strengthen the bones.
And then of course there's protein, and if you are
over forty through those prairial metopausal years, protein is so essential.
It's essential for your bone matrix formation, which is really
important for strong bones as well. And then the other
three what we'd call is like mini nutrients that are
(27:41):
also important for your bones are your magnesium, your vitamin
K two, and your.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Phosphorus as well. So those three just come from a
good quality diet.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
You know, nuts and feeds, dart, green leafy veggies, whole grains, legumes,
just enough of that fresh food like we talked about,
and then really avoiding excess caffeine and excess alcohol. A
couple two of coffee a day is completely okay, but
too much caffeine can actually block dairy as well, which
which can impact calcium levels as well. So just not
(28:09):
too much caffeine and not too much alcohol. So that's
more the nutrition side of things. Nutrients are really important.
You can of course supplement with things like calcium and
vitamin D. Often there are a lot of different brands
in the market that do calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, NK
two all in the same kind of capsule pill, but
you don't have to supplement. I would certainly be getting
a blood test done to see if you're deficient, particularly
(28:31):
in terms of vitamin D, but the best way to
know if you have enough calcium is actually just doing
a quick dietary add up through your diet and knowing
if you're actually getting routinely enough calcium in and a
dietician can certainly assist with that. But the more exciting
thing is really from the exercise front, because we do
know that that weight bearing or resistance type training is
super important for your bone health.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
But there's really promising new.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
Research that's showing that impact based training, so think things
like jump training, that like pylometric training and loading has
been showing some really promising results for bone strength. So
one of my dieticians, Jordan, she has a big background
and exercise and she used to work in a dexis
gaining clinic where of course they you know, they check
your bone mineral density. She found some great new research
that was showing that there was a study in post
(29:15):
menopause or women, and it was showing that just fifty
jumps per day and you can split that up into
ten jumps just five times a day led to a
clinically significant increase in hit bone density after six months.
So you don't have to go like full hit style
training like jumping everywhere. You can actually just do some
jump style training on a yoga mat at home. You
just don't want to do it on a super hard
(29:37):
surface like concrete. You want to put like a yoga
mat or something down. So there's a really good app
called osteo Gains and that is something that I recommend
to a lot of my clients with osteopenia because it
can help to improve the bone mineral density through that
type of training.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
And it's gp in physio led as well.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
So there's some really exciting stuff you can do from
an exercise perspective, but it is really important to get
in and link in with a great physio exercise physiologists
to set you up with a really great, well rounded
training program. And particularly if you have a background of
like poor balance or fractures, you definitely want to touch
base with a health professional before you go and you
know pick up jump style training or go and lift
(30:14):
some really heavy weights. You want to just make sure
that that's safe for you to do.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Do you get the same result from skipping?
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Skipping is good, but I don't think the force was
enough like you had to it was a certain level
that you had to jump in terms of like height
in the air. Obviously we're in video, people will understand
my hands signals, but no, I believe that the same
result wasn't from skipping. And my mum uses one of
those mini trampolines and she bounces on it, she does
her little arm weights on it. And I was sort
of saying to one of my dieticians, Jordan, is that
(30:41):
the same result? And she said, no, it really has
to do this like proper, like jump straight up in
the air and landing on two feet and like we said,
on a softer surface, like on a yoga matter on carpet.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
So yeah, go check it out.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Like jump style training for osteopenia has been shown really
effective in the research. So that's what I've been recommending
for my clients lately.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
It's so interesting, and will put a link to it
in the show notes because I think there's so many people.
I can think of five friends I know who would
benefit from that. I can tell their bones are probably
not great even in their forties. But I have to
be honest with you, Leanne, I don't like jumping, well
I don't don't, but I.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Do enough in the style of training that I do
that it's enough.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
I do a lot of heavyweight training, I eat a
ton of calcium, and I do a lot of kind
of that jumping burbie box jumps, those kind of.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Things, but I do find freak me out.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Man, No, I can find it very effective for a
lot of my clients who do do have those brittle
bones and the background of it. Luck if your mum
had osteoporosis. Is something that I would be really be
being careful about through my thirties and forties because certainly
what we do in our thirties, forties and fifties impacts
how we show up in our sixties and seventies. So
it is something that if you're listening, the time is
now to be doing some of these things to help
(31:51):
preserve our bone mass. And certainly if you are a
bit concerned about your bone mineral density or whether or
not it might be okay, looking at and getting a
DEXA scan is an excellent idea at any age.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
I would say, yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
I routinely am asking that all the time of my
women now because I think that we're at such high risk.
If we want to have these long lives, you've got
to have strong bones.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
So really interesting hundre percent because the research I used
to work in the orthopedic ward and the research for
those who break their hip, it's the statistics are depressing.
It's something like thirty percent will die in the surgery,
thirty percent will never make it home, and the other
thirty percent will end up in a nursing home. So
the number one thing you want to do is prevent
any sort of falls and broken hips when you get
past that kind of you know, seventy age group, because
(32:32):
that's the number one thing is strong bones and strong
muscles is going to really just help you liver a
healthy and more functional lifestyle long term.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
Yeah, and if you're not a dairy, big dairy consumer
and haven't been your entire life, I'd be paying a
lot of attention, So definitely go and get a bone
density done.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Absolutely all right, Well, that brings us to the end
of the nutrition catch for another week, and we'll catch
you in next week's episode. And if you know that
your diet needs a little bit more protein, and our
women's protein powder as well also contains a calcium server
three hundred milligrams person as well, So check out our
scientifically formulated range of proteins, proteins, magnesium, collagen and hot
chocolates at design Bydietitians dot com.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Have a great week. Thank you for listening.
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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