September 2, 2025 • 33 mins
If you could lower your long-term dementia risk with everyday food choices, would you do it? This week we unpack new ANU-led research linking higher dietary magnesium with healthier brain ageing, then show you how to close the magnesium gap with real food and smart, practical routines. We also tackle a silent progress-killer for many women, unstructured weekend eating, and finish with a clear verdict on protein water.
What you’ll learn
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Magnesium → brain health, in plain English: What the study actually found, why midlife matters, and how much most adults should aim for in Australia.
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Food-first ways to lift intake: Leafy greens, nuts and seeds, legumes and whole grains that fit busy lives, plus simple swaps that add up fast.
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When supplements help: A quick checklist for choosing a quality magnesium, including forms and tolerability. If you want a dietitian-formulated option, see our Designed by Dietitians Triple-Magnesium blend in cranberry lemonade.
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Plan meals, not all-day grazing, especially on sport and errands days
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Allow two indulgent meals, not two indulgent days
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Do a Thursday or Friday top-up shop so fresh food is on hand
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Be the venue booker, choose places with sides and veg so you enjoy the meal and still feel good
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Drop the all-or-nothing mindset and reset at the very next meal
Weekend eating without the blow-out:
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Are “nitrate-free” turkey slices actually better? Why they can still count as processed, what matters on the label, and why home-cooked poultry is the gold standard.
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Listener Q: Protein water explained, where it came from, who it was designed for, and why most listeners are better off with whole-food protein or a standard shake.
Why this episode matters
Dementia risk rises with population ageing, so earlier, consistent habits give you the best shot at protecting brain health, especially for women who are often under the magnesium RDI.
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):
Do you plan your food for the weekend. Maybe there's
a night you usually get takeaway, or maybe, like many
of our clients, you find that keeping your diet on
track during the week isn't the issue, but the weekends
are a bit of a free for all and is
often undoing all of your diet and exercise hard work
from the week that was On today's episode of The
Nutrition Couch, we deep dive wee care nutrition and share
(00:23):
our best tips on how to enjoy the many foods
are typical weekend offers without derailing your diet completely. Hi,
I'm Leanne Ward and I'm Cusyburrow, 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, as well as all things
weekend to eating. We have some new data that looks
(00:44):
at dietary magnesium and dementia risk. We've also found a
new alternative to process meat as a sandwich filler. And
our listener question is all about water, but not the
type of water you're thinking about. But Dickick is up today, Susie.
We found a great new study on magnesium and dementia
and I do have Alzheimer's and dementia in my family
(01:05):
on both sides, lucky me. So whenever something comes through
about dementia, you know, my little ears per cup and
I always think, if I can do something and it's
pretty damn simple, I'm going to do that to help
reduce my risk because I've got it on both sides
of the family. Both of my grandparents on either side
I passed away from basically complications related to Alzheimer's or dementia.
(01:25):
And so whenever I see some new research come through,
it always, yeah, it always piques my interests. So basically,
this was a new study from a ANDU, which the
Australian National University, and it was showing that more magnesium
in our diet can essentially potentially lead to better brain
health as we age. So the scientists they were from
the Neuroimaging and Brain Lab at a ANDU and it's
(01:48):
in pretty fascinating research. And I think we're going to
see more and more, particularly around magnesium, because I really
think that twenty twenty four, the supplement of the you know,
the BANG supplement was created. You know, we all love it.
There's so much new research and data. I really think
in twenty twenty five magnesiums having its moment. I really do,
and I said to you, you know, many months ago,
(02:09):
I love magnesium. I'm obsessed and I think a lot
of people are as well. And it's getting a lot
more funding, which is really exciting as well as through
the research. So in this study, basically what they looked
at was they followed six thousand cognitively healthy participants. It
was in the United Kingdom, and those people were aged
between forty to seventy three. And they found that of
(02:30):
those participants, those who consumed more than five hundred and
fifty milligrams of magnesium each day had a brain age
approximately one year younger by the time they reached fifty five.
Now this is significant because basically what we want from
magnesium intake for most healthy people is about three hundred
and fifty milligrams a day. I generally say if somebody
(02:51):
is highly active, they have a really stressful job, or
they're not really sleeping that well, you should increase your magnesium.
So this was interesting because it didn't really look at
digestive of health. It didn't really look at sleeper, didn't
really look at muscles, and that's what a lot of
people supplement with magnesium for those top three reasons I
find in my clients. So this is something that really
did focus on brain health and dementia risks. So I
(03:13):
think it was really really interesting because the research essentially
showed that if you can increase your intake of magnesium
rich foods, and we're talking things like spinach, nuts and seeds,
legumes and whole grains, which we know is a good quality,
healthy diet, and I'd say probably ninety to ninety five
percent of people do not eat anywhere near enough of
those foods, so it's essentially just eating more of a
(03:35):
really well balanced diet. This can actually help to reduce
the risk of dementia, which is actually the second leading
cause of death in Australia and it's the seventh biggest
killer globally. So it puts a huge strain on, you know,
the health system, and even from like a social perspective
as well. If anyone's ever had a family member with dementia,
you know that it's a lot. It's a lot, and
(03:57):
so I think that if there's anything that we can do,
particularly from a young longer age, to help that, I
think that it's really really powerful. What do you think
do you know anyone in dementia or any family history yourself.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
I think it's just on everyone's mind because even if
it's not in your direct family, which I'm lucky to
date has not come, but it's so wides spreading with
an aging population, it is on everyone's mind, particularly if
they're caring for aging parents. What can we do to
preserve brain function? Because there's no good being alive if
your brain's not working very well. So I've just had
a lukily and because the recommended intake it's four twenty
(04:31):
milligrams a day for men and three twenty for women,
but the average intake in Australia is far short of that.
So men on average and they're only getting three hundred
and forty milligrams, so about one hundred less than they
need in two hundred less than this recommended dose for
brain health, and women half as much.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
They're only getting two hundred and fifty.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So it's one of those nutrients that if you put
anything up on magnesium it goes crazy.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
And nutrition is funny.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
It doesn't always if I put something up, say about
a Mega three, people could give or leave it sometimes,
but magnesium for some reason has got a very positiveciation.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Everyone loves it, So yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I think it's just fascinating, and I think we should
say the reason that we don't get enough is that
it is in sort of foods that can easily be
skipped in busy diets because it's really in whole grains,
in nuts and seeds, in leafy greens. Now, unless you're
proactively having a whole grain cereal or bread, So if
you're out and eating cafe food, you're probably not getting
whole grain leafy greens. It's a concerted effort to get
(05:23):
a couple of serves of those every day, and if
you don't routinely have nuts and seeds in your diet,
that is why you're not getting it. So certainly, I
think it is an easy nutrient to bump up. Our
whole health and digestive health will benefit from eating more
of those foods in general, and as we're seeing increasing
supplementation is proving to be a viable option for people
to just give them a little bump up, and it
(05:44):
may aid sleep and digestion as well. So yeah, I
thought this was a fantastic study.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
I actually love it.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
I'm going to cover it on my radio interview next week,
because I think when we're given those specific amounts to
aim for, it's very helpful for people to do that.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
So, yeah, great find I loved it.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah, And I also just had a quick look, like
you at some of the research and it's actually expected
that people worldwide who would be diagnosed with dementia is
expected to double from fifty seven million to more than
one hundred and fifty million by twenty fifty. So this
is going to place an even greater strain on an
already strained healthcare system, social services, and even just the
(06:21):
global economy. And to date, there is no cure for dementia.
There has been a ton of research from like a
pharmacological perspective, but they've all been unsuccessful so far. There's
no cure for dementia. So if there's something that we
can do in our twenties, in our thirties, in our
forties that potentially could help prevent dementia, we should all
be doing it now. And researchers are really saying that
(06:43):
a higher intake of magnesium in our diet from a
younger age may help to safeguard us from these neurodegenitive diseases,
and some of this cognitive decline even by the time
we reach our forties. So it was interesting that the
researchers in the study did also call out that magnesium
has an even more beneficial effect post metopausal so it
(07:03):
said both men and women, but obviously post metopause is
in women. They think that magnesium appears to have an
even greater benefit from a cognitive perspective, and it may
be due to the anti inflammatory effects that magnesium provides
in the body. So if you're fifty plus, listen up.
But I think that we should all be doing this,
Like magnesium is found in such great amounts of healthy foods.
(07:25):
None of my clients eat enough nuts and seas, none
of my clients eat enough leafy greens, none of my
clients eat enough legumes and beans. I struggle to get
even one serve of legumes and beans, and most of
my clients diets each week. Susie, So I think that
if there's something that we can do, and it's pretty simple,
we should all really take notes. And if you need
to supplement with magnesium, you absolutely can. And there's a
(07:47):
reason that Susie and I have recently released a triple
bioavailable form of magnesium and a delicious cranberry lemonade flavor
under our design by Dietisian Supplement brand, because we know
that people do not eat enough magnesium, know that there
are huge health benefits, We know that there's more and
more research coming through showing that people just simply aren't
getting enough. And so if you are really struggling to
(08:08):
get an intake of five hundred milligrams plus of magnesium
in through your diet, which let's be honest, most busy
people will, it potentially may be an idea to supplement
for multiple health benefits, and you can find that supplement
designed by Dietitians dot com. And we've had some great
feedback so far, haven't we, Susie, in terms of sleep,
digestive health, the flavor, the taste of it. People are
(08:30):
loving it well.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
We made certain supplements for a reason and we're very
aware of the growing evidence around these for longevity and
health for a number of reasons. So absolutely all right,
we're going to talk about the weekends. The weekends can
be loose, can't they alien.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Not my weeken I've just recovered from gastro hell.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
I don't know why I'm lightly it's not funny, Yeah, seeing.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Just sipping on my hydraulte and Susie thinks it's the
funniest thing in the world.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
No, it was because you came on.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I thought, oh my god, you're pregnant, like you look
like you're about to throw up, like you look so unwell.
So poor Leanne has had a terrible gastro bug like
she is looking very lean on our screen, like she's
looking pretty skinny because she hasn't eaten for six days.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Now, which isn't good, is it, Leanne? No, No, it's
been a weekend.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
It hasn't been a weekend of eating. It's been a
weekend of the opposite of eating.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And don't get in the sawn and Leanne, when you're dehydrated,
that won't be a good thing.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
So just not a full strength powered for you.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
The first time we've recommended its full strengths top tricks
in a while is Fillyann, who hasn't eaten in six days.
But in general, in all seriousness, of course we are
sadly and isn't well. We wish you hopefully you feel
better soon, my love. But weekends, weekends can be debaucherous
at the best of times. And I've just to date
had a number of clients talking about the weekends, and
I think the reason we wanted to cover it today
(09:44):
is it certainly is the case. Isn't it Leanne that
you can eat very well Monday to Friday and completely
undo all of your hard work by a couple of
debaucherous days. Absolutely, and I know many of my own
clients can be in this cycle, and it happens for
a few different reasons. I think if you're a very structured,
scheduled person, by the time you get to Friday night,
you just need a rest. And it's about what is easy,
(10:07):
you know. And particularly for busy women running kids around,
whether you've got small kids that it's to parties and
play dates and the playground, or whether you've got older
children and you're just running them around, it is often
just a food fest. Or women are sacrificing their own
nutritional needs for the family. So I'll often see busy
women or run out the door Saturday morning no idea
(10:29):
what they're going to eat, and as such it gets
to one or two, they're absolutely starving. They're just grabbing
whatever they can or something on the run, and then
of course we are more likely to be having wines
and dips, and then we're eating out. So it's just
that sort of accumulation of a whole lot of food.
Or you might not have any responsibility family wise, but
spend your weekends at brunches and drinks and celebrations, and
(10:50):
you can see that we just don't have that many
calories to play with. And then the other thing I
see is that whilst we do have more time to exercise,
we're generally doing less. Might have a few clients, you
might get up early Saturday and go to the gym
or do park run, but then that's it. They're sort
of not doing as much activity, particularly at this time
of year where the days remain short and quite cold.
It can be quite you know, not exactly inspirational to
(11:12):
go for a walk when it's raining or cold outside.
So I thought it was a good time just to
talk about some strategies to help manage the weekends and land.
And I want to stress that we're certainly not in
the business of telling people to not enjoy themselves. You know,
I really stress to my clients, you want to keep
your food fairly clean in the week so you can
go and enjoy, you know, meals and special celebrations with
friends and family. But it's about how can you manage
(11:35):
that and how do you buffer that? So we'll sort
of share some of our best tips. So the first
thing I would say is you do need to kind
of map out what you're going to be doing, because
otherwise you're going to find yourself hungry, like I said,
two o'clock in a fast food drive through, not for
any other reason that you're starving and there's nothing else around.
So whether you are planning to have lunch somewhere, or
(11:57):
have something ready to go for lunch on a Saturday,
or make sure that you're getting a coffee and something
decent at the cafe that you routinely go to, or
just do that little bit of planning because planning is
ultimately the key. It will go a long way. And
I was describing to a client yesterday. You know, if
you're going to be leaving at the crack of dawn
to go to kids' sport, take a sandwich with you
or take a rap with you so that when you
(12:18):
do get hungry, you've got something and then have a
few of those convenient options like the tuna and crackers,
or like a yogurt chewbe ready to go, you know,
things that you can grab and go and have with you,
or have a pouch soup in the cupboard, so when
you duck in later, you've actually got something. So the
planning will go a long way. I generally work off
two more debaucherous meals. So what I find happens is
(12:41):
my clients have two days of debaucherous eating, not two meals.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
So there's a difference.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
So a debaucherous meal is not a complete binge, but
it's more if you're going to a restaurant and you're
going to have dessert and wine, or you're at a
wedding and you know there's going to be three courses,
or it is a celebration with friends and you're going
to have a bottle of wine. They're those meals that, yes,
you've got room to move with calories for them to
be bigger. And I wouldn't be saying, you know, don't
order what you feel like off the menu, but I
(13:07):
would say don't wake up the next day and eat
breakfast at seven if you've had a big night.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
So usually weekends mean fewer meals. Very rarely will you need.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
To snack on the weekend, with one exemption, if you're
not eating dinner to eight or nine, I would have
a snack to take the edge off. But generally focus
on meals not snacks, because the snacking habit I see
land is that people have one coffee, then they have
another coffee, then they haven't really eaten, so they grab
a muffin or a croissant, and then they haven't really
had much. The have cheese and crackers, and it gets
(13:36):
to three o'clock, they're starving, they have a toasty and
it's just a whole day of eating, and inevitably they're
not moving a whole lot either. So try and keep
it structured to meals not snacks, and have something with
you so you can then go and have a proper
meal and keep a couple of things in the freezer
so if you get home you can put some chicken
strips in the oven with some frozen veggies, or a
(13:57):
couple of pieces of fish and some homemade chips, or
even a pre made pizza with a salad bag. So
try and it might be more like weekend food, but
it's healthier forms of that, so you're not tempted to
get the takeaway or the drive through, or if you
do find yourself at the cafe, what can I get
that's going to be healthier? You better to get a
filo pastry and salad, or a piece of fratata and salad.
(14:17):
Just looking for ways to get the fresh food in
there rather than what we often eat, which is the
pies and the sausage rolls and the pastry that slips
in on the weekend. You know, grab a barbecue chicken
on a Friday at the supermarket, so you've got it
there and you can throw it on some wraps or
bread rolls, so you've got that ready to go. It's
just having different options for different scenarios or no, if
you're at a food caught in the shopping center, you
(14:38):
can get a naked burrito at Mexican, you can get
chicken strips and salad. You can get low car rice
paper rolls. There are always better options, but if you
haven't thought of them, and you're in that instant of
organizing food for kids or family, you won't think of
it and you'll just grab what's easy.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
So there are a few of my rules, that's stick.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
To two or three meals, really be mindful about which
meals are going to be more in do so you
can sort of say, right, I'm going to have that,
but then I'm going to go light. The other two.
Keep a few options for healthier things on hand. And
just when you leave the house Saturday morning, you kind
of want to know when you're going to have a meal.
Otherwise the day will just be filled with snacks that
aren't filling you up but often have got quite a
(15:16):
lot of calories.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Great. Now I've got three tips as well, mne a
little bit different but still equally as important as yours,
I feel. But the first one is mindset. And you
and I talk about you know this five clients all
the time where you said, you know a meal or
two off, but what tends to happen is, oh, well,
breakfast didn't go to plan as you said. I ended
up running out the door late to sport. I forgot
the healthy overnight notes that I made, so I got
to sport and I was like, oh, I may as
(15:39):
well have the sausage visual and then I, you know,
bug it up my diet already, So then I'm just
going to go and have whatever for lunch and whatever
for dinner, and then you just end up riding off
the whole weekend. So it's really that all or nothing mindset.
Just because you've had a meal that's slightly heavy or
a higher calorie doesn't mean that you've you know, screwed
it all up or you ruined all your progress. You
just need to get back on track the very next
(16:00):
So just be really conscious of that black or white
type of thinking, that all or nothing mindset, particularly when
it comes to weekend eating. My next tip, Susie and
I see this time and time again with myself but
also with my clients is to do a top up
of fresh food. Because what I tend to do and
what I encourage a lot of my clients to do.
They don't all do it, but most of them do
because they find it helpful, is do a bit of
(16:21):
a meal prep on a Sunday or sit down, plan
out the meals, get the groceries, and you've got it all.
On Sunday, you might prep a few things. You got
your nice healthy meals for the week. Typically what happens, though,
is they tend to run out by about Wednesday or
Thursday or by Wednesday or Thursday. You just can't eat
the same thing anymore. You don't want the salmon and salad,
you don't want the chicken and rice and broccoli anymore.
You're like, I want something a little bit nice. You
(16:42):
might want to frozen pizza, you might want to make
a Risota or a lasagna, but you've got to do
a top up of fresh food around that Thursday Friday,
or you're down and out Friday Saturday. You don't still
have nice, beautiful, available fresh food in your fridge that
you got from the farmer's markets on the weekend the
very next Friday or Saturday, and then what tends to
happen is we don't top that up again until Sunday.
(17:03):
So we're often left short from fresh food Thursday night,
Friday Saturday. And that's a big reason that so many
of my clients struggle and turn to uber eats or
you know, just eat out at restaurants. We'll eat out
three meals on a Saturday instead of one or two,
like you discuss, Susie. So top up that fresh food
the end of the working week and you'll be so
much better for it. And the last one is choose
(17:25):
the place to eat. As women, we like to please people.
We don't want to cause a fuss. We're just happy
to go with the flow, and it often backfires on us.
So many times my clients are like, well, I'm going
out with my girlfriends on Saturday. I'll let you know
a menu and we can talk about it, no problem.
Gets to Thursday, I'm like, hey, where are you going?
Let me know so we can talk through the menu. Oh,
haven't decided yet. People can't make up their minds. Gets
(17:45):
to Friday morning, I'm like, hey, where are you going,
Let's talk through this menu. Haven't decided yet and it's
just that thing, so let's just choose the place. Book
it in, choose somewhere that's healthy, or the reality is
you're going to end up at a really heavy place
like Italian. You're going to end up but a pub
with only fried food available, and then you're going to
be disappointed in yourself because you haven't got anything nice
and wholesome to choose from, or you haven't got any
(18:07):
extra side salads to balance, which you can have your pizza,
but auder your salad too. But the amount of places
that don't actually offer a good option a salad or
a side of broccolini or something is It's actually like,
I'm quite surprised the amount of restaurants in Australia that
still don't have nice sides available to sort of buffer
some of those high calorie meals with. So absolutely choose
the place. Don't let everybody else pick for you. Don't
(18:30):
make it a last minute decision or oh we'll choose
someone when we all get there and we all decide,
Just be that person and book it in because nobody
else is gonna mind. Everyone else is just too busy
to do it. If you book a healthy place, you
will be far more likely to choose something healthy that's
in line and supportive with your goals. So they're my three.
Watch the all or nothing mindset, top up with your
(18:51):
fresh food the end of the working week, and book
in and choose the place to eat because it's so
incredibly important for your success and in order to get
to your goals long term.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
I agree, but I do think that if it's more
of that special meal, so you're going to a celebration.
I often have clients message me and they'll say, what
should I choose from the menu, And I'll say I
don't know what you feel like, because a big part
of enjoying a meal out if it's special. I'm not
talking about a run of the meal tie on a
Thursday night. I'm talking about like a special occasion. It's
(19:20):
one of those two. If you have what you don't
feel like, you'll keep eating. Whereas if you really feel
like a Schitzel or a burger, I'd say try and
health a fire, so you know, don't eat both halves
of the bun, or get it without the fries and
ask for salad on the side, or if you're having
a schitzel, order a side of veggies that you can
get and then know it's heavier and take some home.
So know that those kind of meals are double the
(19:43):
calorie load of a normal meal. It's two meals basically,
so I think that's important. Whereas if you go and
you have the salad, you'll probably eat forty five million
fries anyway. So just really decipher in your mind whether
it's a special occasion or whether it's run of the
meal and you do need to have the fish or
something that's a bit lighter, and that depend on individuals
and how often you eat out, like I've got people
in the country who might never eat out, whereas I've
(20:04):
got people who are going three four times a week,
so that will depend on the background. All right, Well,
I've got a new product, Leanne, and I put it
on my Insta and I've got like four hundred million messages.
And I'm surprised because it's not a product that did
anything for me really, But you have now said you've
got some thoughts, which I love, So I'll run you
through it and then we'll get Leanne's thoughts because she's
(20:25):
gonna surprise us, I think. So I was just by
chance in the ham section, which is a tricky section because,
of course, the World Health Organization suggests we minimize our
intake of process meat, primarily because the nitrates used to
preserve most ham, salami bacon are associated with an increased
risk of digestive cancers.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
That's well documented.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
There are known carcynogen so encouraging people to have more
of them is something we really try not to do.
But we also acknowledge that at times you might need
a ham sandwich or want one, or like some bacon
on the weekend. But I found this new product at
Willie's and It is the roasted carved turkey breast from
Mount Barker, and I have not heard of this company before.
(21:05):
It's got a four star health rating. Now if I
look at the ingredients land, it's very interesting. Ninety three
percent turkey breast dextros, which is sort of a filler
from corn, vinegar, powdered potatoes, start cheese to extract salt,
vegetable powders, natural flavor, citrus extract, vegetable gum. The takeo
messages there's no nitrates, so you would argue, is it
(21:26):
still a processed meat? So per serve the service seventy
five grams, which is insignificant. You get two serves a pack,
so it's on sale for eight or eight dollars fifty,
so about four dollars twenty five a serve of almost
twenty grams of protein, so not actually pretty reasonable cost point.
Just over one hundred calories, almost twenty grams of protein.
Very low fat, low fat products, very low saturated fat
(21:49):
as turkey breast is a tiny bit of carbohydrate from
the filler is not very much. I wouldn't take it seriously.
And sodium also quite low for a process meat. So
three hundred and forty five milligrams. Keep in mind that
I would usually be about double that, if not a
bit more. So before I say things, I'm going to
let the end talk because I'm very.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
No, no, let's hear your opinion.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Oh no, Now I'm thinking I'm missing something because I
thought it was pretty good. It didn't have any nitrates,
So I was like, whoa a processed meat or meat
without nitrates? But maybe I'm missing something.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
I don't know. Tell me, I'm intrigued now.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
No, no, no, you're right. It is certainly a better option.
But I was having this conversation with a client and
she was eating this multiple times a week, you know,
basically to drive a protein intake up. It was really
high protein. It was a lean source from a fat
loss perspective, it's excellent, and she's like, why would I
cook turkey or chicken if I can just make it
have this? Basically, she's like, it saves me a lot
(22:43):
of time. So she's using it multiple times a week.
And what we did is we broke down the ingredient,
so ninety three percent turkey breast. Obviously that's the base
meat ingredient. It's a protein, it's excellent. The dextros from
corn is basically a sugar used to flavor brownett and
preserve it. Essentially, you've got vinegar powder, You've got potato starch,
You've got yeast extract and salt, so all of these
(23:05):
are in there to basically enhance the flavor, the texture
and prolong the shelf life of the product. Essentially, you've
also got a bunch of natural flavor enhancers. You've got
vegetable powders, natural flavors, citrus, citrus extract and herb extracts.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Got their blood sugar because she hasn't eaten for six
and then and then.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
You've got the idea of my blood sugar. And then
you've got guagam. I had to do the opening of
the podcast what three or four times? Didn't I couldn't
get it, and she's very sad today. And then the
last one is guagum, which is a stabilizer or a thickener.
So on face value, this looks like an excellent product.
It looks like much better ingredients than you would from
(23:42):
the run of the mill Ham basically, but when you
look up the definition of a process meat according to
the International Health Authority is that's the WHO, the World
Health Organization and Cancer Counsel Australia. The definition of a
process meat is that meat has been preserved by smoking, curering, salting,
or adding chemical preservatives. The product contains added salt and
(24:05):
sugar dextros, so it has added salt and added chemical preservatives.
They've got preservatives and binders in there. They've got guaga
and they've got vinegar. They've got citrus. Are they natural
and healthier, yes, but they're still acting as preservatives. And
then you've got flavor enhancers in there too. Are they
natural flavor enhancers yes, So one would argue that this
(24:25):
product is technically a process meat. It's not a process
red meat, but it's a processed meat. So I guess
from a health context, process meats are not inherently harmful
in small amounts. If you went off and you had
your butting sausage dies or not a problem. But it's
the regular high intake of process meats and process red
meats that is associated with an increased health risk, particularly
(24:46):
for things like colorrect or cancer.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
I don't think so it's the nitraits.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Yes, but also it significantly in terms of the bow
cancer risk. But whether or not it's a processed red meat,
because there's two separate things from the who. There's the
process red meats in terms of the bow cancer risk,
and then there's the whole classification of process meats overall,
which they say to directly limit as well. So is
it better than ham and red meat process red meats, Yes,
(25:13):
but it is still a process meat. So you are
still better off to make your own turkey, breast or
chicken yourself. If you're using it in your lunch box
or in your sandwiches a couple of times a week,
I don't really have a problem with it. It's where
my client was using that, like I think like five
or six times a week, and she was often using
the double pack, so she was using a double serve
to really get that kind of forty grams of protein in.
(25:35):
So this is so this has come from her pet
had recommended it. This was before she started working with me.
We went through a diet, we made some changes, and
I was like, it's got to go. It's too much.
Like it is still a process meat. So is it
a better option than ninety nine percent of what you'll
find in that processed meat aisle? Yes? But is cooking
chicken or turkey yourself still going to be better from
a health perspective, yes, So it's those little nuances that it's,
(25:58):
you know, nothing shocking, but I think it is still
important to remember that this does still have some level
of processing aids in it, preservatives, added salt binders, some
natural flavor enhancers as well, so it's not quote unquote bad,
but it is really down to how much of it
you have, And of course things like white meats are
better for us then those process red meats as well,
(26:20):
So it is really dose dependent and how much of
that you're having, which can impact your risk over time.
And then of course you've got all your other lifestyle factors,
how much FIB you have, how much exercise you do,
do you smoke, do you drink alcohol, do you have
a family history. All of that stuff matters as well.
So I just wanted to put it into context where
I think sometimes people see something and they're like, oh
my gosh, that's healthy, and they run with that and
(26:41):
then they overdo it. So I think the main message
is that balance and moderation is still key if you
want to use that in a sandwich once or twice
a week. I honestly wouldn't really have a concern if
a client did that, but if they were using it
daily because they're like, it's a lean protein source, it's
really you know, cost effective, it's it's already cooked for me,
it's excellent for me, and dumping tons of that in
every meal, then I would probably have a little bit
(27:03):
more of a problem with it.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
I think it's a bit because what you're saying, it's
preserved because it's got salt and vinegar.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
And guagam and you know it stabilizers. Yeah, like they're
preserving the shelf life.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Yeah, Okay, I get what you're saying, and I agree.
Like if I was rating say ham salami, I'd give
it a one or two out of ten. I'd give
this product a seven eight out of ten, and then
i'd give chicken breast or turkey breast a ten.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
So just so listeners, I've got to I agree.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Say what The only thing I would want to really
stress is that when you look at the yes process
meets increasing the calorie density, it's not in natural form.
It's really important to know that when it comes specifically
to the digestive cancer risk, it is the night traits
that break through the digestive barrier and cause issues. And
(27:52):
we want to stress that when we're using the word
preservative in this context, they don't have artificial preservatives of
such with numbers. They're using more natural processing which have
been used for thousands of years, salts, vinegar, so yes,
it is preserved and processed, but it does not contain
night trits. And I think that is a big bonus
(28:12):
because ninety five percent of that process meat category, including
all those terrible twiggy sticks and cheese and cracker snacks
that they're marketing to kids, have all got it in
and I think that it should be banned, and I
think it will be eventually. Might take twenty years, but
eventually they'll get banned in the food supply because of
that strong association. If the World Health Organization is saying
we should skip it, I suggest we skip it. So
(28:33):
I do want to stress that when we're using preservatives
in this product, it doesn't contain those, and that's why
it's a standout product. But I'm with you, you know, I
would want my client to have it once or twice
a week, max. And certainly not a double whammy. It's
certainly not thirty eight grams of protein in that context
because so, yeah, so I thought it was an interesting
one and it will be interesting to see if so.
I haven't tasted it as well. I'm a bit funny
sometimes with those process proteins. I don't always I find
(28:56):
they just not tasting the same as the other fresh stuff.
So I haven't eate, actually eat, but yes, technically it
is better than our traditional ham, salami, etc. So yeah,
a very interesting one that we came across. So yeah,
let us know your thoughts.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, I agree, I like it. In smollmuts or list
of question of the week, is protein water worth it? Again?
Like it's not easy to answer yes or no. Do
these things like can you eat enough protein in your diet? Yes?
Have I ever written protein water into a client's meal plan? No? However,
for the right type of person, it potentially could be
(29:28):
worth it. I've got a very dear friend of mine
who just had bariatric surgery and she's being on protein
water all the time, and for her it's something that
she actually needs at this point in her life.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Which is where it started. That was where the interest
really came from people who were having the gastric slave surgery,
and they couldn't tolerate a lot of solid food. So
that was when I first came across it, and then
it sort of translated over into mainstream.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Yeah, because after surgery it was those clear fluids. They
didn't a lot of doctors didn't want what was called
the free fluids, the milkier type of fluids. They wanted
those really fluids that you could see through. Basically, So
I think think an important point. And I've had a
lot of clients who sating me like, oh, I don't
have dairy, but they're sitting on these protein waters. Most
protein waters are actually based on light. So a lot
of protein waters actually do contain milk, the lunch majority
(30:10):
on the market, So just be conscious of that if
you are bigan or you do actively avoid dairy for
whatever reason. A lot of them do contain whey. They
are quite expensive, like a lot of them are upwards
of about four or five dollars for a bottle. They're
also the majority of them housed in plastic bottles, which
we know, you know, we're actively trying to reduce our microplastics.
(30:30):
So from that point of view, I don't love them either.
If a brand does make it in a powder and
you can make it up yourself. That would be my preference.
I think it can be a good alternative if you're
not somebody that likes milky proteins, if you are somebody
who for whatever reason, really struggles to get enough protein
in through their diet. But I really do think that
most people, particularly for lunch and dinner, have an easy
(30:52):
you know, like they get enough protein. Like it's really
fiber and vegetables that people really struggle to get in.
And all most of our clients, Susie and I, we
find that breakfast is a hard meal for busy women
to get enough protein in. So, for whatever reason, if
you want to sip on a bit of protein water
at breakfast, but I don't think it's really something that
most people need to be sipping on all day long.
I personally don't write them into my meal plans. I
think they have a time and a place. I'm not
(31:14):
against them, but I don't find them anywhere near as
beneficial as other protein sources. What do you think.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
I don't like them because I don't think they absorb well.
I think that just stick in some way protein in water,
Like I just think that you're always better to absorb
it in a whole food, So it's never my go to,
even when I had clients who had barrier shal surgery,
I don't want them sipping protein in water. I think
that the synergistic effect of calcium, magnesium naturally occurring nutrients
(31:41):
will enhance protein absorption. So I don't ever use them.
And I know they're really popular, but I just think
people should be drinking water and eating their protein, Like
why would you be drinking it?
Speaker 3 (31:51):
Like, I don't get it.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
It's not for me, So each of their own, Like
if someone said they loved it, but this actually was
a question on the tanc Instagram, But I don't know.
I just don't see why. Why would you need that
if you hadn't had barriercry surgery.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Why? Well, I think, yeah, as I said, a time
a time at a place. Yeah, for a really particular person,
but it's not something we'd broadly recommend for the general population.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Like I don't want people sipping on nutrients for hours,
Like if I need them to have their water in
between have a break from eating, I don't want to
sipping on protein over four hours, Like, no way, I'm
not a big fan at all. I don't like them,
but they're obviously selling like hotcakes because all of the
big brands are bringing them out. You won't see one
a designed by dietitian label on it because I'm a
hard no.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
No. You'll never see a green spowder, and you'll never
see a protein water designed by dietitians. All right, that
wraps up the podcast.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
I just yeah, I just think, why would you spend
five dollars on that?
Speaker 1 (32:40):
What more is there her to say?
Speaker 3 (32:41):
What is there to say?
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Like buy coffee, like with milk, like it'll a bit
all better, but don't drinking protein water is just I
don't I just don't get it.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
It's not for me.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Even with my teenage athletes, I want them to have
a milkshake, not a protein water. So yeah, not for me.
I won't get an endorsement from protein water anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
All right. Well, that Susie is hard non protein water.
That's it. That brings us to the end of another
episode of the Nutrition Couch. No protein water's here, And
if you know that your diet needs a little bit
more protein not from protein water, you can check out
our scientifically formulated not protein water range at designed Bydietitians
dot Com. We've also got collagen, we've got a triple magnesium,
and we've got, of course our fabulous ranges of creating
(33:19):
which most busy women really should supplement with. So check
us out at designed Bydietitians dot com and we will
catch you in next week's episode. Not reviewing protein water
Speaker 2 (33:28):
And Leanne is smiling, so she must be feeling slightly
less nautous, so when she popped on the podcast, slightly
better hope you feeling better lyend
Do you plan your food for the weekend. Maybe there's
a night you usually get takeaway, or maybe, like many
of our clients, you find that keeping your diet on
track during the week isn't the issue, but the weekends
are a bit of a free for all and is
often undoing all of your diet and exercise hard work
from the week that was On today's episode of The
Nutrition Couch, we deep dive wee care nutrition and share
(00:23):
our best tips on how to enjoy the many foods
are typical weekend offers without derailing your diet completely. Hi,
I'm Leanne Ward and I'm Cusyburrow, 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, as well as all things
weekend to eating. We have some new data that looks
(00:44):
at dietary magnesium and dementia risk. We've also found a
new alternative to process meat as a sandwich filler. And
our listener question is all about water, but not the
type of water you're thinking about. But Dickick is up today, Susie.
We found a great new study on magnesium and dementia
and I do have Alzheimer's and dementia in my family
(01:05):
on both sides, lucky me. So whenever something comes through
about dementia, you know, my little ears per cup and
I always think, if I can do something and it's
pretty damn simple, I'm going to do that to help
reduce my risk because I've got it on both sides
of the family. Both of my grandparents on either side
I passed away from basically complications related to Alzheimer's or dementia.
(01:25):
And so whenever I see some new research come through,
it always, yeah, it always piques my interests. So basically,
this was a new study from a ANDU, which the
Australian National University, and it was showing that more magnesium
in our diet can essentially potentially lead to better brain
health as we age. So the scientists they were from
the Neuroimaging and Brain Lab at a ANDU and it's
(01:48):
in pretty fascinating research. And I think we're going to
see more and more, particularly around magnesium, because I really
think that twenty twenty four, the supplement of the you know,
the BANG supplement was created. You know, we all love it.
There's so much new research and data. I really think
in twenty twenty five magnesiums having its moment. I really do,
and I said to you, you know, many months ago,
(02:09):
I love magnesium. I'm obsessed and I think a lot
of people are as well. And it's getting a lot
more funding, which is really exciting as well as through
the research. So in this study, basically what they looked
at was they followed six thousand cognitively healthy participants. It
was in the United Kingdom, and those people were aged
between forty to seventy three. And they found that of
(02:30):
those participants, those who consumed more than five hundred and
fifty milligrams of magnesium each day had a brain age
approximately one year younger by the time they reached fifty five.
Now this is significant because basically what we want from
magnesium intake for most healthy people is about three hundred
and fifty milligrams a day. I generally say if somebody
(02:51):
is highly active, they have a really stressful job, or
they're not really sleeping that well, you should increase your magnesium.
So this was interesting because it didn't really look at
digestive of health. It didn't really look at sleeper, didn't
really look at muscles, and that's what a lot of
people supplement with magnesium for those top three reasons I
find in my clients. So this is something that really
did focus on brain health and dementia risks. So I
(03:13):
think it was really really interesting because the research essentially
showed that if you can increase your intake of magnesium
rich foods, and we're talking things like spinach, nuts and seeds,
legumes and whole grains, which we know is a good quality,
healthy diet, and I'd say probably ninety to ninety five
percent of people do not eat anywhere near enough of
those foods, so it's essentially just eating more of a
(03:35):
really well balanced diet. This can actually help to reduce
the risk of dementia, which is actually the second leading
cause of death in Australia and it's the seventh biggest
killer globally. So it puts a huge strain on, you know,
the health system, and even from like a social perspective
as well. If anyone's ever had a family member with dementia,
you know that it's a lot. It's a lot, and
(03:57):
so I think that if there's anything that we can do,
particularly from a young longer age, to help that, I
think that it's really really powerful. What do you think
do you know anyone in dementia or any family history yourself.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
I think it's just on everyone's mind because even if
it's not in your direct family, which I'm lucky to
date has not come, but it's so wides spreading with
an aging population, it is on everyone's mind, particularly if
they're caring for aging parents. What can we do to
preserve brain function? Because there's no good being alive if
your brain's not working very well. So I've just had
a lukily and because the recommended intake it's four twenty
(04:31):
milligrams a day for men and three twenty for women,
but the average intake in Australia is far short of that.
So men on average and they're only getting three hundred
and forty milligrams, so about one hundred less than they
need in two hundred less than this recommended dose for
brain health, and women half as much.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
They're only getting two hundred and fifty.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So it's one of those nutrients that if you put
anything up on magnesium it goes crazy.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
And nutrition is funny.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
It doesn't always if I put something up, say about
a Mega three, people could give or leave it sometimes,
but magnesium for some reason has got a very positiveciation.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Everyone loves it, So yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I think it's just fascinating, and I think we should
say the reason that we don't get enough is that
it is in sort of foods that can easily be
skipped in busy diets because it's really in whole grains,
in nuts and seeds, in leafy greens. Now, unless you're
proactively having a whole grain cereal or bread, So if
you're out and eating cafe food, you're probably not getting
whole grain leafy greens. It's a concerted effort to get
(05:23):
a couple of serves of those every day, and if
you don't routinely have nuts and seeds in your diet,
that is why you're not getting it. So certainly, I
think it is an easy nutrient to bump up. Our
whole health and digestive health will benefit from eating more
of those foods in general, and as we're seeing increasing
supplementation is proving to be a viable option for people
to just give them a little bump up, and it
(05:44):
may aid sleep and digestion as well. So yeah, I
thought this was a fantastic study.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
I actually love it.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
I'm going to cover it on my radio interview next week,
because I think when we're given those specific amounts to
aim for, it's very helpful for people to do that.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
So, yeah, great find I loved it.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah, And I also just had a quick look, like
you at some of the research and it's actually expected
that people worldwide who would be diagnosed with dementia is
expected to double from fifty seven million to more than
one hundred and fifty million by twenty fifty. So this
is going to place an even greater strain on an
already strained healthcare system, social services, and even just the
(06:21):
global economy. And to date, there is no cure for dementia.
There has been a ton of research from like a
pharmacological perspective, but they've all been unsuccessful so far. There's
no cure for dementia. So if there's something that we
can do in our twenties, in our thirties, in our
forties that potentially could help prevent dementia, we should all
be doing it now. And researchers are really saying that
(06:43):
a higher intake of magnesium in our diet from a
younger age may help to safeguard us from these neurodegenitive diseases,
and some of this cognitive decline even by the time
we reach our forties. So it was interesting that the
researchers in the study did also call out that magnesium
has an even more beneficial effect post metopausal so it
(07:03):
said both men and women, but obviously post metopause is
in women. They think that magnesium appears to have an
even greater benefit from a cognitive perspective, and it may
be due to the anti inflammatory effects that magnesium provides
in the body. So if you're fifty plus, listen up.
But I think that we should all be doing this,
Like magnesium is found in such great amounts of healthy foods.
(07:25):
None of my clients eat enough nuts and seas, none
of my clients eat enough leafy greens, none of my
clients eat enough legumes and beans. I struggle to get
even one serve of legumes and beans, and most of
my clients diets each week. Susie, So I think that
if there's something that we can do, and it's pretty simple,
we should all really take notes. And if you need
to supplement with magnesium, you absolutely can. And there's a
(07:47):
reason that Susie and I have recently released a triple
bioavailable form of magnesium and a delicious cranberry lemonade flavor
under our design by Dietisian Supplement brand, because we know
that people do not eat enough magnesium, know that there
are huge health benefits, We know that there's more and
more research coming through showing that people just simply aren't
getting enough. And so if you are really struggling to
(08:08):
get an intake of five hundred milligrams plus of magnesium
in through your diet, which let's be honest, most busy
people will, it potentially may be an idea to supplement
for multiple health benefits, and you can find that supplement
designed by Dietitians dot com. And we've had some great
feedback so far, haven't we, Susie, in terms of sleep,
digestive health, the flavor, the taste of it. People are
(08:30):
loving it well.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
We made certain supplements for a reason and we're very
aware of the growing evidence around these for longevity and
health for a number of reasons. So absolutely all right,
we're going to talk about the weekends. The weekends can
be loose, can't they alien.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Not my weeken I've just recovered from gastro hell.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
I don't know why I'm lightly it's not funny, Yeah, seeing.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Just sipping on my hydraulte and Susie thinks it's the
funniest thing in the world.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
No, it was because you came on.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I thought, oh my god, you're pregnant, like you look
like you're about to throw up, like you look so unwell.
So poor Leanne has had a terrible gastro bug like
she is looking very lean on our screen, like she's
looking pretty skinny because she hasn't eaten for six days.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Now, which isn't good, is it, Leanne? No, No, it's
been a weekend.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
It hasn't been a weekend of eating. It's been a
weekend of the opposite of eating.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And don't get in the sawn and Leanne, when you're dehydrated,
that won't be a good thing.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
So just not a full strength powered for you.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
The first time we've recommended its full strengths top tricks
in a while is Fillyann, who hasn't eaten in six days.
But in general, in all seriousness, of course we are
sadly and isn't well. We wish you hopefully you feel
better soon, my love. But weekends, weekends can be debaucherous
at the best of times. And I've just to date
had a number of clients talking about the weekends, and
I think the reason we wanted to cover it today
(09:44):
is it certainly is the case. Isn't it Leanne that
you can eat very well Monday to Friday and completely
undo all of your hard work by a couple of
debaucherous days. Absolutely, and I know many of my own
clients can be in this cycle, and it happens for
a few different reasons. I think if you're a very structured,
scheduled person, by the time you get to Friday night,
you just need a rest. And it's about what is easy,
(10:07):
you know. And particularly for busy women running kids around,
whether you've got small kids that it's to parties and
play dates and the playground, or whether you've got older
children and you're just running them around, it is often
just a food fest. Or women are sacrificing their own
nutritional needs for the family. So I'll often see busy
women or run out the door Saturday morning no idea
(10:29):
what they're going to eat, and as such it gets
to one or two, they're absolutely starving. They're just grabbing
whatever they can or something on the run, and then
of course we are more likely to be having wines
and dips, and then we're eating out. So it's just
that sort of accumulation of a whole lot of food.
Or you might not have any responsibility family wise, but
spend your weekends at brunches and drinks and celebrations, and
(10:50):
you can see that we just don't have that many
calories to play with. And then the other thing I
see is that whilst we do have more time to exercise,
we're generally doing less. Might have a few clients, you
might get up early Saturday and go to the gym
or do park run, but then that's it. They're sort
of not doing as much activity, particularly at this time
of year where the days remain short and quite cold.
It can be quite you know, not exactly inspirational to
(11:12):
go for a walk when it's raining or cold outside.
So I thought it was a good time just to
talk about some strategies to help manage the weekends and land.
And I want to stress that we're certainly not in
the business of telling people to not enjoy themselves. You know,
I really stress to my clients, you want to keep
your food fairly clean in the week so you can
go and enjoy, you know, meals and special celebrations with
friends and family. But it's about how can you manage
(11:35):
that and how do you buffer that? So we'll sort
of share some of our best tips. So the first
thing I would say is you do need to kind
of map out what you're going to be doing, because
otherwise you're going to find yourself hungry, like I said,
two o'clock in a fast food drive through, not for
any other reason that you're starving and there's nothing else around.
So whether you are planning to have lunch somewhere, or
(11:57):
have something ready to go for lunch on a Saturday,
or make sure that you're getting a coffee and something
decent at the cafe that you routinely go to, or
just do that little bit of planning because planning is
ultimately the key. It will go a long way. And
I was describing to a client yesterday. You know, if
you're going to be leaving at the crack of dawn
to go to kids' sport, take a sandwich with you
or take a rap with you so that when you
(12:18):
do get hungry, you've got something and then have a
few of those convenient options like the tuna and crackers,
or like a yogurt chewbe ready to go, you know,
things that you can grab and go and have with you,
or have a pouch soup in the cupboard, so when
you duck in later, you've actually got something. So the
planning will go a long way. I generally work off
two more debaucherous meals. So what I find happens is
(12:41):
my clients have two days of debaucherous eating, not two meals.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
So there's a difference.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
So a debaucherous meal is not a complete binge, but
it's more if you're going to a restaurant and you're
going to have dessert and wine, or you're at a
wedding and you know there's going to be three courses,
or it is a celebration with friends and you're going
to have a bottle of wine. They're those meals that, yes,
you've got room to move with calories for them to
be bigger. And I wouldn't be saying, you know, don't
order what you feel like off the menu, but I
(13:07):
would say don't wake up the next day and eat
breakfast at seven if you've had a big night.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
So usually weekends mean fewer meals. Very rarely will you need.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
To snack on the weekend, with one exemption, if you're
not eating dinner to eight or nine, I would have
a snack to take the edge off. But generally focus
on meals not snacks, because the snacking habit I see
land is that people have one coffee, then they have
another coffee, then they haven't really eaten, so they grab
a muffin or a croissant, and then they haven't really
had much. The have cheese and crackers, and it gets
(13:36):
to three o'clock, they're starving, they have a toasty and
it's just a whole day of eating, and inevitably they're
not moving a whole lot either. So try and keep
it structured to meals not snacks, and have something with
you so you can then go and have a proper
meal and keep a couple of things in the freezer
so if you get home you can put some chicken
strips in the oven with some frozen veggies, or a
(13:57):
couple of pieces of fish and some homemade chips, or
even a pre made pizza with a salad bag. So
try and it might be more like weekend food, but
it's healthier forms of that, so you're not tempted to
get the takeaway or the drive through, or if you
do find yourself at the cafe, what can I get
that's going to be healthier? You better to get a
filo pastry and salad, or a piece of fratata and salad.
(14:17):
Just looking for ways to get the fresh food in
there rather than what we often eat, which is the
pies and the sausage rolls and the pastry that slips
in on the weekend. You know, grab a barbecue chicken
on a Friday at the supermarket, so you've got it
there and you can throw it on some wraps or
bread rolls, so you've got that ready to go. It's
just having different options for different scenarios or no, if
you're at a food caught in the shopping center, you
(14:38):
can get a naked burrito at Mexican, you can get
chicken strips and salad. You can get low car rice
paper rolls. There are always better options, but if you
haven't thought of them, and you're in that instant of
organizing food for kids or family, you won't think of
it and you'll just grab what's easy.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
So there are a few of my rules, that's stick.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
To two or three meals, really be mindful about which
meals are going to be more in do so you
can sort of say, right, I'm going to have that,
but then I'm going to go light. The other two.
Keep a few options for healthier things on hand. And
just when you leave the house Saturday morning, you kind
of want to know when you're going to have a meal.
Otherwise the day will just be filled with snacks that
aren't filling you up but often have got quite a
(15:16):
lot of calories.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Great. Now I've got three tips as well, mne a
little bit different but still equally as important as yours,
I feel. But the first one is mindset. And you
and I talk about you know this five clients all
the time where you said, you know a meal or
two off, but what tends to happen is, oh, well,
breakfast didn't go to plan as you said. I ended
up running out the door late to sport. I forgot
the healthy overnight notes that I made, so I got
to sport and I was like, oh, I may as
(15:39):
well have the sausage visual and then I, you know,
bug it up my diet already, So then I'm just
going to go and have whatever for lunch and whatever
for dinner, and then you just end up riding off
the whole weekend. So it's really that all or nothing mindset.
Just because you've had a meal that's slightly heavy or
a higher calorie doesn't mean that you've you know, screwed
it all up or you ruined all your progress. You
just need to get back on track the very next
(16:00):
So just be really conscious of that black or white
type of thinking, that all or nothing mindset, particularly when
it comes to weekend eating. My next tip, Susie and
I see this time and time again with myself but
also with my clients is to do a top up
of fresh food. Because what I tend to do and
what I encourage a lot of my clients to do.
They don't all do it, but most of them do
because they find it helpful, is do a bit of
(16:21):
a meal prep on a Sunday or sit down, plan
out the meals, get the groceries, and you've got it all.
On Sunday, you might prep a few things. You got
your nice healthy meals for the week. Typically what happens, though,
is they tend to run out by about Wednesday or
Thursday or by Wednesday or Thursday. You just can't eat
the same thing anymore. You don't want the salmon and salad,
you don't want the chicken and rice and broccoli anymore.
You're like, I want something a little bit nice. You
(16:42):
might want to frozen pizza, you might want to make
a Risota or a lasagna, but you've got to do
a top up of fresh food around that Thursday Friday,
or you're down and out Friday Saturday. You don't still
have nice, beautiful, available fresh food in your fridge that
you got from the farmer's markets on the weekend the
very next Friday or Saturday, and then what tends to
happen is we don't top that up again until Sunday.
(17:03):
So we're often left short from fresh food Thursday night,
Friday Saturday. And that's a big reason that so many
of my clients struggle and turn to uber eats or
you know, just eat out at restaurants. We'll eat out
three meals on a Saturday instead of one or two,
like you discuss, Susie. So top up that fresh food
the end of the working week and you'll be so
much better for it. And the last one is choose
(17:25):
the place to eat. As women, we like to please people.
We don't want to cause a fuss. We're just happy
to go with the flow, and it often backfires on us.
So many times my clients are like, well, I'm going
out with my girlfriends on Saturday. I'll let you know
a menu and we can talk about it, no problem.
Gets to Thursday, I'm like, hey, where are you going?
Let me know so we can talk through the menu. Oh,
haven't decided yet. People can't make up their minds. Gets
(17:45):
to Friday morning, I'm like, hey, where are you going,
Let's talk through this menu. Haven't decided yet and it's
just that thing, so let's just choose the place. Book
it in, choose somewhere that's healthy, or the reality is
you're going to end up at a really heavy place
like Italian. You're going to end up but a pub
with only fried food available, and then you're going to
be disappointed in yourself because you haven't got anything nice
and wholesome to choose from, or you haven't got any
(18:07):
extra side salads to balance, which you can have your pizza,
but auder your salad too. But the amount of places
that don't actually offer a good option a salad or
a side of broccolini or something is It's actually like,
I'm quite surprised the amount of restaurants in Australia that
still don't have nice sides available to sort of buffer
some of those high calorie meals with. So absolutely choose
the place. Don't let everybody else pick for you. Don't
(18:30):
make it a last minute decision or oh we'll choose
someone when we all get there and we all decide,
Just be that person and book it in because nobody
else is gonna mind. Everyone else is just too busy
to do it. If you book a healthy place, you
will be far more likely to choose something healthy that's
in line and supportive with your goals. So they're my three.
Watch the all or nothing mindset, top up with your
(18:51):
fresh food the end of the working week, and book
in and choose the place to eat because it's so
incredibly important for your success and in order to get
to your goals long term.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
I agree, but I do think that if it's more
of that special meal, so you're going to a celebration.
I often have clients message me and they'll say, what
should I choose from the menu, And I'll say I
don't know what you feel like, because a big part
of enjoying a meal out if it's special. I'm not
talking about a run of the meal tie on a
Thursday night. I'm talking about like a special occasion. It's
(19:20):
one of those two. If you have what you don't
feel like, you'll keep eating. Whereas if you really feel
like a Schitzel or a burger, I'd say try and
health a fire, so you know, don't eat both halves
of the bun, or get it without the fries and
ask for salad on the side, or if you're having
a schitzel, order a side of veggies that you can
get and then know it's heavier and take some home.
So know that those kind of meals are double the
(19:43):
calorie load of a normal meal. It's two meals basically,
so I think that's important. Whereas if you go and
you have the salad, you'll probably eat forty five million
fries anyway. So just really decipher in your mind whether
it's a special occasion or whether it's run of the
meal and you do need to have the fish or
something that's a bit lighter, and that depend on individuals
and how often you eat out, like I've got people
in the country who might never eat out, whereas I've
(20:04):
got people who are going three four times a week,
so that will depend on the background. All right, Well,
I've got a new product, Leanne, and I put it
on my Insta and I've got like four hundred million messages.
And I'm surprised because it's not a product that did
anything for me really, But you have now said you've
got some thoughts, which I love, So I'll run you
through it and then we'll get Leanne's thoughts because she's
(20:25):
gonna surprise us, I think. So I was just by
chance in the ham section, which is a tricky section because,
of course, the World Health Organization suggests we minimize our
intake of process meat, primarily because the nitrates used to
preserve most ham, salami bacon are associated with an increased
risk of digestive cancers.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
That's well documented.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
There are known carcynogen so encouraging people to have more
of them is something we really try not to do.
But we also acknowledge that at times you might need
a ham sandwich or want one, or like some bacon
on the weekend. But I found this new product at
Willie's and It is the roasted carved turkey breast from
Mount Barker, and I have not heard of this company before.
(21:05):
It's got a four star health rating. Now if I
look at the ingredients land, it's very interesting. Ninety three
percent turkey breast dextros, which is sort of a filler
from corn, vinegar, powdered potatoes, start cheese to extract salt,
vegetable powders, natural flavor, citrus extract, vegetable gum. The takeo
messages there's no nitrates, so you would argue, is it
(21:26):
still a processed meat? So per serve the service seventy
five grams, which is insignificant. You get two serves a pack,
so it's on sale for eight or eight dollars fifty,
so about four dollars twenty five a serve of almost
twenty grams of protein, so not actually pretty reasonable cost point.
Just over one hundred calories, almost twenty grams of protein.
Very low fat, low fat products, very low saturated fat
(21:49):
as turkey breast is a tiny bit of carbohydrate from
the filler is not very much. I wouldn't take it seriously.
And sodium also quite low for a process meat. So
three hundred and forty five milligrams. Keep in mind that
I would usually be about double that, if not a
bit more. So before I say things, I'm going to
let the end talk because I'm very.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
No, no, let's hear your opinion.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Oh no, Now I'm thinking I'm missing something because I
thought it was pretty good. It didn't have any nitrates,
So I was like, whoa a processed meat or meat
without nitrates? But maybe I'm missing something.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
I don't know. Tell me, I'm intrigued now.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
No, no, no, you're right. It is certainly a better option.
But I was having this conversation with a client and
she was eating this multiple times a week, you know,
basically to drive a protein intake up. It was really
high protein. It was a lean source from a fat
loss perspective, it's excellent, and she's like, why would I
cook turkey or chicken if I can just make it
have this? Basically, she's like, it saves me a lot
(22:43):
of time. So she's using it multiple times a week.
And what we did is we broke down the ingredient,
so ninety three percent turkey breast. Obviously that's the base
meat ingredient. It's a protein, it's excellent. The dextros from
corn is basically a sugar used to flavor brownett and
preserve it. Essentially, you've got vinegar powder, You've got potato starch,
You've got yeast extract and salt, so all of these
(23:05):
are in there to basically enhance the flavor, the texture
and prolong the shelf life of the product. Essentially, you've
also got a bunch of natural flavor enhancers. You've got
vegetable powders, natural flavors, citrus, citrus extract and herb extracts.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Got their blood sugar because she hasn't eaten for six
and then and then.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
You've got the idea of my blood sugar. And then
you've got guagam. I had to do the opening of
the podcast what three or four times? Didn't I couldn't
get it, and she's very sad today. And then the
last one is guagum, which is a stabilizer or a thickener.
So on face value, this looks like an excellent product.
It looks like much better ingredients than you would from
(23:42):
the run of the mill Ham basically, but when you
look up the definition of a process meat according to
the International Health Authority is that's the WHO, the World
Health Organization and Cancer Counsel Australia. The definition of a
process meat is that meat has been preserved by smoking, curering, salting,
or adding chemical preservatives. The product contains added salt and
(24:05):
sugar dextros, so it has added salt and added chemical preservatives.
They've got preservatives and binders in there. They've got guaga
and they've got vinegar. They've got citrus. Are they natural
and healthier, yes, but they're still acting as preservatives. And
then you've got flavor enhancers in there too. Are they
natural flavor enhancers yes, So one would argue that this
(24:25):
product is technically a process meat. It's not a process
red meat, but it's a processed meat. So I guess
from a health context, process meats are not inherently harmful
in small amounts. If you went off and you had
your butting sausage dies or not a problem. But it's
the regular high intake of process meats and process red
meats that is associated with an increased health risk, particularly
(24:46):
for things like colorrect or cancer.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
I don't think so it's the nitraits.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Yes, but also it significantly in terms of the bow
cancer risk. But whether or not it's a processed red meat,
because there's two separate things from the who. There's the
process red meats in terms of the bow cancer risk,
and then there's the whole classification of process meats overall,
which they say to directly limit as well. So is
it better than ham and red meat process red meats, Yes,
(25:13):
but it is still a process meat. So you are
still better off to make your own turkey, breast or
chicken yourself. If you're using it in your lunch box
or in your sandwiches a couple of times a week,
I don't really have a problem with it. It's where
my client was using that, like I think like five
or six times a week, and she was often using
the double pack, so she was using a double serve
to really get that kind of forty grams of protein in.
(25:35):
So this is so this has come from her pet
had recommended it. This was before she started working with me.
We went through a diet, we made some changes, and
I was like, it's got to go. It's too much.
Like it is still a process meat. So is it
a better option than ninety nine percent of what you'll
find in that processed meat aisle? Yes? But is cooking
chicken or turkey yourself still going to be better from
a health perspective, yes, So it's those little nuances that it's,
(25:58):
you know, nothing shocking, but I think it is still
important to remember that this does still have some level
of processing aids in it, preservatives, added salt binders, some
natural flavor enhancers as well, so it's not quote unquote bad,
but it is really down to how much of it
you have, And of course things like white meats are
better for us then those process red meats as well,
(26:20):
So it is really dose dependent and how much of
that you're having, which can impact your risk over time.
And then of course you've got all your other lifestyle factors,
how much FIB you have, how much exercise you do,
do you smoke, do you drink alcohol, do you have
a family history. All of that stuff matters as well.
So I just wanted to put it into context where
I think sometimes people see something and they're like, oh
my gosh, that's healthy, and they run with that and
(26:41):
then they overdo it. So I think the main message
is that balance and moderation is still key if you
want to use that in a sandwich once or twice
a week. I honestly wouldn't really have a concern if
a client did that, but if they were using it
daily because they're like, it's a lean protein source, it's
really you know, cost effective, it's it's already cooked for me,
it's excellent for me, and dumping tons of that in
every meal, then I would probably have a little bit
(27:03):
more of a problem with it.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
I think it's a bit because what you're saying, it's
preserved because it's got salt and vinegar.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
And guagam and you know it stabilizers. Yeah, like they're
preserving the shelf life.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Yeah, Okay, I get what you're saying, and I agree.
Like if I was rating say ham salami, I'd give
it a one or two out of ten. I'd give
this product a seven eight out of ten, and then
i'd give chicken breast or turkey breast a ten.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
So just so listeners, I've got to I agree.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Say what The only thing I would want to really
stress is that when you look at the yes process
meets increasing the calorie density, it's not in natural form.
It's really important to know that when it comes specifically
to the digestive cancer risk, it is the night traits
that break through the digestive barrier and cause issues. And
(27:52):
we want to stress that when we're using the word
preservative in this context, they don't have artificial preservatives of
such with numbers. They're using more natural processing which have
been used for thousands of years, salts, vinegar, so yes,
it is preserved and processed, but it does not contain
night trits. And I think that is a big bonus
(28:12):
because ninety five percent of that process meat category, including
all those terrible twiggy sticks and cheese and cracker snacks
that they're marketing to kids, have all got it in
and I think that it should be banned, and I
think it will be eventually. Might take twenty years, but
eventually they'll get banned in the food supply because of
that strong association. If the World Health Organization is saying
we should skip it, I suggest we skip it. So
(28:33):
I do want to stress that when we're using preservatives
in this product, it doesn't contain those, and that's why
it's a standout product. But I'm with you, you know, I
would want my client to have it once or twice
a week, max. And certainly not a double whammy. It's
certainly not thirty eight grams of protein in that context
because so, yeah, so I thought it was an interesting
one and it will be interesting to see if so.
I haven't tasted it as well. I'm a bit funny
sometimes with those process proteins. I don't always I find
(28:56):
they just not tasting the same as the other fresh stuff.
So I haven't eate, actually eat, but yes, technically it
is better than our traditional ham, salami, etc. So yeah,
a very interesting one that we came across. So yeah,
let us know your thoughts.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, I agree, I like it. In smollmuts or list
of question of the week, is protein water worth it? Again?
Like it's not easy to answer yes or no. Do
these things like can you eat enough protein in your diet? Yes?
Have I ever written protein water into a client's meal plan? No? However,
for the right type of person, it potentially could be
(29:28):
worth it. I've got a very dear friend of mine
who just had bariatric surgery and she's being on protein
water all the time, and for her it's something that
she actually needs at this point in her life.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Which is where it started. That was where the interest
really came from people who were having the gastric slave surgery,
and they couldn't tolerate a lot of solid food. So
that was when I first came across it, and then
it sort of translated over into mainstream.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Yeah, because after surgery it was those clear fluids. They
didn't a lot of doctors didn't want what was called
the free fluids, the milkier type of fluids. They wanted
those really fluids that you could see through. Basically, So
I think think an important point. And I've had a
lot of clients who sating me like, oh, I don't
have dairy, but they're sitting on these protein waters. Most
protein waters are actually based on light. So a lot
of protein waters actually do contain milk, the lunch majority
(30:10):
on the market, So just be conscious of that if
you are bigan or you do actively avoid dairy for
whatever reason. A lot of them do contain whey. They
are quite expensive, like a lot of them are upwards
of about four or five dollars for a bottle. They're
also the majority of them housed in plastic bottles, which
we know, you know, we're actively trying to reduce our microplastics.
(30:30):
So from that point of view, I don't love them either.
If a brand does make it in a powder and
you can make it up yourself. That would be my preference.
I think it can be a good alternative if you're
not somebody that likes milky proteins, if you are somebody
who for whatever reason, really struggles to get enough protein
in through their diet. But I really do think that
most people, particularly for lunch and dinner, have an easy
(30:52):
you know, like they get enough protein. Like it's really
fiber and vegetables that people really struggle to get in.
And all most of our clients, Susie and I, we
find that breakfast is a hard meal for busy women
to get enough protein in. So, for whatever reason, if
you want to sip on a bit of protein water
at breakfast, but I don't think it's really something that
most people need to be sipping on all day long.
I personally don't write them into my meal plans. I
think they have a time and a place. I'm not
(31:14):
against them, but I don't find them anywhere near as
beneficial as other protein sources. What do you think.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
I don't like them because I don't think they absorb well.
I think that just stick in some way protein in water,
Like I just think that you're always better to absorb
it in a whole food, So it's never my go to,
even when I had clients who had barrier shal surgery,
I don't want them sipping protein in water. I think
that the synergistic effect of calcium, magnesium naturally occurring nutrients
(31:41):
will enhance protein absorption. So I don't ever use them.
And I know they're really popular, but I just think
people should be drinking water and eating their protein, Like
why would you be drinking it?
Speaker 3 (31:51):
Like, I don't get it.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
It's not for me, So each of their own, Like
if someone said they loved it, but this actually was
a question on the tanc Instagram, But I don't know.
I just don't see why. Why would you need that
if you hadn't had barriercry surgery.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Why? Well, I think, yeah, as I said, a time
a time at a place. Yeah, for a really particular person,
but it's not something we'd broadly recommend for the general population.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Like I don't want people sipping on nutrients for hours,
Like if I need them to have their water in
between have a break from eating, I don't want to
sipping on protein over four hours, Like, no way, I'm
not a big fan at all. I don't like them,
but they're obviously selling like hotcakes because all of the
big brands are bringing them out. You won't see one
a designed by dietitian label on it because I'm a
hard no.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
No. You'll never see a green spowder, and you'll never
see a protein water designed by dietitians. All right, that
wraps up the podcast.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
I just yeah, I just think, why would you spend
five dollars on that?
Speaker 1 (32:40):
What more is there her to say?
Speaker 3 (32:41):
What is there to say?
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Like buy coffee, like with milk, like it'll a bit
all better, but don't drinking protein water is just I
don't I just don't get it.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
It's not for me.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Even with my teenage athletes, I want them to have
a milkshake, not a protein water. So yeah, not for me.
I won't get an endorsement from protein water anytime soon.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
All right. Well, that Susie is hard non protein water.
That's it. That brings us to the end of another
episode of the Nutrition Couch. No protein water's here, And
if you know that your diet needs a little bit
more protein not from protein water, you can check out
our scientifically formulated not protein water range at designed Bydietitians
dot Com. We've also got collagen, we've got a triple magnesium,
and we've got, of course our fabulous ranges of creating
(33:19):
which most busy women really should supplement with. So check
us out at designed Bydietitians dot com and we will
catch you in next week's episode. Not reviewing protein water
Speaker 2 (33:28):
And Leanne is smiling, so she must be feeling slightly
less nautous, so when she popped on the podcast, slightly
better hope you feeling better lyend
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