Kate Taylor

SUNDAY SHUTDOWN #15 Sweeteners

I blogged on this last year which is useful for further reading, however wanted to write up a short summary for anyone who just wants to know the facts. Now.⠀

Low calorie sweeteners (LCS) come in a few different forms, artificial or a little more naturally from plants, you’ll know these as things like aspartame, saccharin or stevia. They are typically used in food manufacturing to replicate the taste of sugar without the calories or the damage to teeth. Many consumers now prefer the taste of the products made with LCS over their sugary counterparts.⠀

The current research base tells us that artificial sweeteners are not harmful to human health. The majority of studies showing any negative effect or link to disease have been done on animals and the initial cause for concern started way back in the 1970’s. Needless to say research has come on a fair bit since then. There are some observational studies which show that consumers of sweeteners tend to have a higher BMI, however, a meta-analysis conducted by Rogers et al (2016) found that sweeteners may actually aid weight loss. Given that this period of time (during weight loss) is not life long, consumption during this short term period while behaviour change is discussed may be a worthwhile consideration. Further to this, a meta analysis by Conz et al in 2023 showed conflicting results when looking at the effect of LCS on gut microbiota. Some studies presented an null effect on human health and others showed a lack of significant effects at all. This comes down to many other factors such as overall diet quality, metabolism, current health of the gut and dietary habits.

There was once a school of thought that using artificial sweeteners meant you were more likely over eat at other occasions throughout the day. However, a recent randomised controlled trial by Fantino et al (2018) showed that short or longer-term consumption of LCS beverages with meals does not affect appetite and hunger or overall calorie and food intake.

And practically from a coaching perspective, if you are trying to lose weight and you can cut circa 150 calories from swapping a sugar sweetened beverage to a “diet” variety then you should. Done.⠀

SUNDAY SHUTDOWN #14 Milk an dairy: but mostly milk because to cover dairy as an entire category is too much information for a Sunday.⠀

It was posed to me at a workshop recently “humans are the only mammal that drink milk from another animal” and that the fact I was referencing cow’s milk as a good source of nutrition was wrong. We are also the only animal to drive cars, peel our vegetables, cook using gas and wear clothes and but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Does it?⠀

So I just wanted to set the record straight. Dairy is one of the best sources of nutrients we have available to us. It contains calcium and vitamin D which help to protect our bones and B12 which is important for red blood cells. Protein to aid muscle repair and growth. Water and electrolytes for hydration levels and cell regulation. Cow’s milk is pretty much our only source of iodine, a mineral often overlooked yet extremely important for pregnant women and young children, it helps our brain develop. (Many plant drinks don’t contain it so check the label). It’s also relatively cheap, tastes nice but unfortunately doesn’t have a great carbon footprint.⠀

Dairy and cancer risk. There is no research to suggest dairy increases or causes cancer. In a meta-analysis conducted by Lu et al in 2016 (this is where lots of studies are reviewed and combined into one review so the research is strong) no relationship between the two was found.⠀

Bone health. There was once a school of thought that dairy consumption negatively affected bone health. Ie. Caused fractures. What we do know is that milk consumption as a child is most important as this has a protective effect on bones later on in life.⠀

Acne I hear you say? There could be a link here, but only in some people. Looking at the small number of studies that have been published, those with an increased dairy intake also had increased presence of acne. However, the evidence is only observational which means it’s not strong enough to link the two together.⠀

Lactose intolerance is when your body cannot digest lactose from dairy products. Some children may experience an intolerance to lactose but grow out of it after about 1 year. True dairy allergy only affects about 1-2% of children. It’s worth noting that when you routinely stop consuming dairy products, the body can produce less (down regulate) lactase. This is the enzyme that digests lactose (milk). Therefore when/if you reintroduce it you may experience problems digesting it until your body can regulate the lactase enzyme again.

If you are wanting to try plant based drinks (they aren’t milk really) then go for it. But not at the sole detriment of cows milk. I’d advise to include both. Cows milk for coffee, almond milk for cereal.

Also post endurance exercise milk is very hydrating, more than water in fact. It contains mostly water but also electrolytes and protein for muscle recovery.

SUNDAY SHUTDOWN #13 Good food vs bad food vs just food: think about that for a minute.⠀

I’m getting pretty fed up of hearing people use a “feeling” or “emotion” to describe a specific “food” but it’s so inherently engrained in our lives it seems normal. Us of a certain era have called foods good or bad for as long as we can remember, it’s almost just “what we know”. However, food is not good, bad, dirty, healthy, clean, guilt free, a treat or unhealthy.⠀

Most people categorise bananas as healthy or good, yet only eating bananas wouldn’t be that good or healthy for you would it?⠀

Sure food can be part of a happy occasion, it can make you feel great for a number of reasons and sometimes not make you feel very good at all, think sick, bloated or by causing a reaction such as an allergy. But it is so much more than good or bad, it gives us energy, helps us stay focussed, forms part of our social lives and keeps us alive!⠀

So the next time you call a food good or bad, try to catch yourself and reframe it as just food. Remove the rule. Focus on looking after yourself. ⠀

Rather than restrict bad foods and only eat good foods, try to allow yourself all of the things you love but work out when and how much you need them within the context of your whole diet and lifestyle. ⠀

This also takes time. It won’t happen overnight. No good foods. No bad foods. Just foods.

Also Sundays are for roast dinners. Always. ⠀

SUNDAY SHUTDOWN #12 Fructose makes you fat. But does it though?

It is a commonly asked question that the consumption of fructose contributes to weight gain or is even solely responsible for gaining fat. That for some reason, fructose is worse for you than glucose or lactose. It is highly likely this has stemmed from the rise in overweight and obesity over the last 20-30 years in line with an increase in consumption of fructose, most notably found in fizzy drinks.

Fructose is a form of sugar and is commonly found in fizzy drinks, fruit, agave, honey, salad dressing and desserts. The body cannot use fructose as an energy source straight away and therefore it must break it down into glucose which can then be used for energy or be stored in the liver or muscles.

But does it make you fat?

In a review of the evidence relating to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and weight gain conducted in 2007 it was concluded that HFCS does not contribute to overweight or obesity any differently to energy being provided from other food sources. This study was conducted in the USA by an exert panel pulled together by The Centre for Food, Nutrition and Agriculture Policy.

That being said, Morenga et al, 2013, found that consumption of fizzy drinks is related to weight gain, however when this was adjusted for total calorie intake, the statistical significance of this link became weaker. Basically, when they adjusted the diet for calories from other sources there was no observed difference in weight, irrespective of where the calories came from.

More recently, Rosset et al., 2016, investigated if fructose is more involved in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than calories from other macronutrients, such as protein and fat. They found that there is strong evidence to suggest that sugar consumption is high in obese patients. However, excessive consumption of fructose or sugar, independent of overconsumption of total energy is not solely responsible for weight gain.

The over-riding evidence on “fructose making you fat” is not conclusive. To further add to this, as humans we very rarely consume fructose on its own, we consume foods which contain a variety of different sugars and other nutrients like protein and fat too.

When it comes to fat loss or gain it all comes down to energy balance, which means calories in versus calories out. If you are consuming an excessive level of fructose and have been gaining weight, it’s the total over consumption of calories (or food) driving the gain, rather than the fructose itself.

SUNDAY SHUTDOWN #11 Food Intolerance Tests⠀

These are on the rise, in most cases you just “simply” take a blood sample and send it away and you’ll receive a list of all food and drink products you are sensitive or intolerant too. I was recently emailed by another new company asking if I wanted to work with them. The answer was a firm no.⠀

The research in this area is so new and I am confident that when it’s 100% there it will revolutionise the way we understand our body’s response to food. It will, in fact make personalised nutrition, personal. ⠀

But for now, the information provided is not based on sound human clinical research. Warning: We will now get a bit technical. There are a few different approaches which claim they can help, Kinesiology, IgG testing (this is the most common) and Mediator Release Testing (MRT) – thanks @martinnutrition for the clarity here. IgG tests will take a blood sample and test for IgG responses to certain foods, the thing is IgG antibodies will be present if you have consumed said food. Which really isn’t helpful, as you are left with results telling you to cut out eggs and dairy when you’ve been consuming them your whole life with no physical responses. ⠀

The only test that has any weight here is the one relating to lactose intolerance which tests to see if you have the enzyme than breaks down lactase (a protein found cows milk). That is valid. ⠀

Some also claim to tell you which exercise is ”best suited” to you. Our bodies are made up of hundreds of thousands of genes, yet these tests don’t go through every single one. Just imagine checking some, and then creating advice based on them. What about the other couple of thousand then? What about their impact. This gene says you will be best suited to running, but there could be one out there that says your legs muscles actually are better suited to cycling, they just haven’t discovered that one yet ?‍♀️ and most importantly what if you hate running, or cycling and love weightlifting. You should do weightlifting.

Rather than spend a couple of hundred pounds on this, speak to a qualified professional who can tailor your advice to your lifestyle & what you like!

SUNDAY SHUTDOWN #10 Eggs⠀

Hit the headlines yesterday (16 March 2019) with claims eating them increased the risk of heart disease and early death. This causes problems for a number of reasons.
⠀
Claiming that consuming one particular food causes early death or any specific health problem is misleading. And actually in almost all cases impossible.

This kind of language further demonises foods which isn’t helpful. We should be focusing on foods we want to include rather than being restrictive.

Eggs contain cholesterol which has been shown not to impact blood cholesterol in the majority of people. High blood cholesterol is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

So what’s important when trying to reduce your blood cholesterol is replacing some of your saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats to increase the ratio of poly to saturated. It’s not just about removing saturated fat but substituting…⠀
?Sat fat think red meat, coconut oil, butter, fried foods⠀
?Polyunsaturated fat think oily fish (salmon, trout, mackerel), rapeseed oil, walnuts and chia seeds.⠀

All in all. Keep eating eggs. There is no recommended limit, eat as many as you like in the context of a balanced diet. Eat more ?foods and less ?foods.⠀

SUNDAY SHUTDOWN #9 Protein powder will make you too bulky?⠀

This one is predominantly aimed at my lady followers because it’s something I get asked and want to set the record straight.⠀

Protein powder (whey or vegan) is an easy, convenient way to add protein into your diet. Most people can’t even manage a decent amount of protein at every meal and for people with specific diets (like vegan, veggie or certain intolerances) it can be more difficult to “think” up what to eat.⠀

For those of you who exercise, do classes, run, cycle etc regularly and are maybe training for an event your protein requirements will be higher than the general population. This also applies for the elderly population too (to prevent sarcopenia/muscle wastage).

When you train you are effectively breaking down your muscles and you need protein to build them back up and make them stronger. Protein must be part of your recovery.⠀

For someone moderately active or training for an endurance event research suggests 1.2 – 1.7g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. I’ll let you do the maths on that yourself ?. If you aren’t that active I’d be aiming for at least 1g per kilogram body weight and above. ⠀

How to use it?⠀
Add to shakes⠀
Mix with yoghurt and add some fruit⠀
Add into overnight oats⠀

You can get all the protein you need from food, but quite frankly most of us don’t have time to prepare it, pay for it or be organised enough. Convenience is ok sometimes.⠀

And please, do not worry. You will not look like the hulk from having it occasionally, even daily. In order to get jacked you need to consume more than the above mentioned figures, lift extremely heavy weights quite often and possibly dabble in steroids.

SUNDAY SHUTDOWN #8 Turmeric

This recent craze has seen turmeric appear in everything from hot drinks and juice shots to salads to flavoured pastries.

Turmeric has been used in Asian culture, medicine and cuisine for centuries and has somehow made its way into in our lifestyle as a “healer” with its main claim to fame being as an anti-inflammatory. This is because it contains an active compound called curcumin. Research into curcumin (which makes it yellow) is ongoing at the moment but there is no concrete science behind its benefits in humans.

The majority studies that have been completed on the benefits of curcumin have been done in a lab. Not in humans. There is however more research being completed on its role in IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and head and neck cancer. Any studies that have been done in humans used curcumin in conjunction with actual medicine, not as a replacement.

A few things to note here. Whilst it’s been used in other cultures that does not mean it will have the same effect on our population, we live in a modern world versus a world with less stress, less processed food, more fruit and veg and more social time around meals. It’s not the turmeric that make these populations healthy, it’s their lifestyle as a whole.

The amount of turmeric you would need to consume to obtain the suggested health benefits of the curcumin is a truckload ???. For perspective any positive change seen in the studies above were seen with 3 grams of curcumin, we might add one teaspoon of turmeric to a drink, which is about 5 grams and that only contains around 100milligrans of curcumin. ?‍♀️

If you like the flavour there is 100% a good reason to include it IN YOUR FOOD. For flavour. Because you like it.
It will not prevent you from gaining weight, having a stroke, stop cancer growth, or detoxify your body and boost your metabolism.
Verdict – Turmeric, always for a curry, never for a latte. Enjoy it in your diet but don’t add it to everything in sight.