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Steph Polson

Your easy to listen to, uncomplicated & not too serious food, nutrition & health podcast.  Host & Registered Nutritionist, Steph Polson interviews experts to serve you the best. 

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  • 20 episodes
  • Avg 28 min
  • English

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  • S1 · E48
    April 26 · 10 min

    Reaching Your Daily Calcium Goals: Essential Guide for Maintaining your Health

    FREE DOWNLOAD: CALCIUM GUIDE Struggling to understand and maintain your calcium intake? You’ve probably been told to have more dairy (& for good reason!). In this episode, we discuss delicious, nutrient-packed meal ideas that’ll help you hit your daily calcium targets - with and without dairy! Tune in for mouthwatering inspiration and smart tips to boost your bone and heart health effortlessly through calcium absorption and consumption! We Cover: 0:55: What calcium helps with in your Body and why we need to consume enough 1:20: Calcium needs throughout the lifespan 2:00: Why our calcium needs fluctuate through life 3:00: How to enhance calcium intake through food 3:15: High calcium breakfast 3:45: How to get calcium in your diet without consuming dairy 4:20: Higher-calcium, plant-based, dinner options 5:30: Discussing dairy vs plant-based milk and calcium fortification to ensure you meet your targets 6:10: What is bioavailability? 7:00: How calcium bioavailability can vary in each food product based on individual factors 8:00: Spinach and dark green leafy veggies as a source of calcium 9:40 The percentage of Australians that aren’t meeting their daily calcium requirements One-liners you don’t want to miss: “There are so many ways to sneak in extra calcium without compromising flavour. Whether it’s adding leafy greens, beans, or fortified foods” “Spinach, which is often seen as a calcium-rich food, has very low bioavailability, especially when it’s consumed by an individual with low vitamin D intake and status” “Almost three-quarters of women and about 50% of men in Australia are not meeting their daily calcium requirements.” FREE DOWNLOAD: CALCIUM GUIDE Support the show

  • S1 · E48
    Nov 26, 2025 · 10 min

    Ready-to-eat meals - what ones are worth it?

    Not a fan of cooking each night? Well you have probably noticed the growing chilled ready-to-eat meal category. After a *busy* day, opting for a microwave meal might bring a smile to your dial. What ones are worth it? *Check out our RTE Meals Guide* We cover: 2:30 Australia and New Zealand ready-to-eat meal brands 4:15 Explanation of “real foods” 6:00 Saturated fat content in ready-to-eat meals 8:00 Dietary fibre content in meals 9:40 Upgrading nutrients/ vegetable content One-liners you don’t want to miss: "By real foods, I mean quality, whole foods which fall under one of the five food groups as outlined in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating." "An easy way to incorporate quick nutrients is by adding spinach or grated carrot straight into the meal." "Less than 10% of our energy should come from saturated fat, on average about 12% of energy comes from saturated fat in our diets." Support the show

  • S1 · E56
    Oct 26, 2025 · 31 min

    International Congress of Nutrition (ICN) Key Findings

    Named one of New Zealand’s Top Women in Food & Drink, Ashley Wilson provides her take on the 2025 International Congress of Nutrition (ICN) in Paris. We cover: 6:40 The power of connecting 9.00 Ultra-Processed Food Heated Debate 12:15 Restructure Trial - Meal Texture/Eating Rate 13:30 AI Digital Marketing 17:10 Sweet Tooth Trial - our taste for sweetness 20:00 What the media shows us vs the scientific evidence 22:30 Jo Wicks “killer bar” PR vs Eat Lancet 25:30 UN High Level Meeting & non-communicable diseases 27:20 GLP-1 & Wegovy released in NZ 28:35 Heston Blumenthal, celebrity chef - Scaling down tasting menu 30:10 Wrap up One-liners you don’t want to miss: "We have just had the release of EAT- Lancet 2 which is this global report on planetary health and recommendations on how we should be eating. They have a huge communication campaign in place, however at their launch only half of the badges for the media have been picked up. We are seeing hardly any global media - just a handful of articles on the launch. In comparison, Jo Wicks is getting all of the media. It is really important we are looking to not just the media but other sources of information such as research or our dietitians - our leads in the profession, for this information, not just this the media. Because it can be really one-sided and can be related to click-bait - what’s going to get the readership.” Ashley's Top LinkedIn Follows: Ellie Hadjilucas - Founder of Nutricomms, Carrie Ruxton - PhD, Marcia Terra - IUFoST. Support the show

  • S1 · E47
    Jun 29, 2025 · 38 min

    Fuelling Your Body with Omega-3: The Full Breakdown

    Omega-3 fatty acids are often praised as essential for brain health, heart function, and overall well-being—but how much do we really know about them? In this episode, we explore their benefits, best food sources, and supplementation. Are you getting enough? What’s the difference between EPA, DHA, and ALA? And do plant-based sources measure up? Tune in as we break it all down, separating fact from fiction to help you make informed choices for your health. We cover: 2:45 Deep science dive into omega-3 fatty acids and why they are important 9.00 Does the omega-3 and omega-6 ratio matter? 13:25 Is canola oil good for you? 15:00 Food sources of omega-3 15:15 Best fish sources of EPA and DHA 18:10 Purslane weed containing omega-3 20:00 Conversion rate of ALA into EPA/DHA 22:00 Is frozen crumbed or battered fish goof for you? 26:00 Would you recommend those who don’t eat fish of a certain age to supplement with EPA & DHA? 28:00 Should we be concerned about mercury levels in omega-3 supplements and fish? 29:00 Pregnancy, fish and mercury 31:30 What is the intake of omega-3 in Australia and globally? What is the optimal omega-3 intake? 34:00 Optimal omega-3 for heart disease, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety-home/safe-levels-of-chemicals-in-food/mercury-levels-fish/ One-liners you don’t want to miss: "18+ years are consuming between 1.2-1.6g/day of ALA & 200-500mg of EPA/DHA/DPA. The nutrient reference values (targets) for ALA for men is 1.3g/day and for women is 0.8g/day. For EPA/DHA/DPA, 160mg/day men and 90mg/day women. Based on this we are meeting them but we need more information for how much we actually need for good health; which is a little bit different to how much people need if they have a health condition like arthritis." “People talk about the ratio of omega -6 to omega -3 being about 10-12:1 in America. And in Australia they say it's sort of somewhere between And 7-5:1. So that is quite a contrasting difference. The types of oils that used in Australia are lower in omega -6 than what we find in America. And that's because in America they rely a lot more on soybean oil as one of their domestic oils.” Support the show

  • S1 · E46
    Apr 8, 2025 · 1 hr 10 min

    The Nutrient Gaps You Didn’t Know You Had

    Are you unknowingly missing key nutrients in your diet? Dr Carlene Starck joins us to break down her Priority Nutrients research, revealing the vitamins and minerals Australians and New Zealanders are lacking. From energy to immune health, these hidden micronutrient inadequacies could be holding you back. Tune in to find out what your diet might be missing—and how to fix it! We cover: 3:00 Why this research was undertaken 6.00 Common nutrient inadequacies in Aus/NZ 8.00 Protein intake target - should it be higher? 9:45 Are the Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs) outdated? 11:45 Nutrients that have Suggested Dietary Targets (SDTs) 13:15 Methodological approach of the research 29:10 Key findings from the research 31:30 Vitamin D deficiency in Aus/NZ 32:30 Calcium targets, absorption and what do we know to be true about calcium and bone health and calcium and fractures. 39:20 Calcium bioavailability - how is this researched? 41:00 How to get vitamin D from food? 45:00 How and when to get your vitamin D status assessed 47:30 Omega-3 intake 50:00 Interesting omega-3 findings 51:30 Adult men - the forgotten group? 53:10 Teenagers - 15 inadequate nutrients! 54:00 Findings in females 19-45 years 56:20 How to know if you are not getting enough of certain vitamins and minerals? 60:00 How does exercise impact vitamin and mineral needs? 62:45 How can someone maintain healthy eating habits while still enjoying what they eat? 65:45 How can your research findings be used in the real world? One-liners you don’t want to miss: “We know that calcium intake is low, what we didn’t know was just how low and how severe that inadequacy was.” “It looks like higher intakes of vitamin C are really beneficial of 150-200mg/day. It doesn’t sound very much when you can go and buy vitamin C tablets which are 1000mg/day but the key with that is our body can’t absorb all of that at one time.” “People are only over-consuming in nutrients of concern.” “How we live, where we live, our lifestyles, our overall diet composition, how much exercise we are doing; all of these things really effect magnesium intake.” “Your body is not going to run out of calcium in terms of your blood levels. But what happens is when you don’t have enough calcium in your blood it will start to leach out of your bones.” “Vitamin D intake will help to decrease fracture risk. We need sufficient vitamin D to make sure we can adequately absorb calcium.” “Iron, vitamin D, calcium and the omega-3s, if you are exercising and very active. If you are concerned about priority nutrients those are the four. The other one that is also highlighted is selenium, that’s because it has antioxidant function. Selenium and vitamin E also work together, so getting both of these in.” Reference Starck CS, Cassettari T, Beckett E, Marshall S, Fayet-Moore F. Priority nutrients to address malnutrition and diet-related diseases in Australia and New Zealand. Front Nutr. 2024 Mar 13;11:1370550. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1370550. PMID: 38544756; PMCID: PMC10966131. Support the show

  • S1 · E45
    Mar 10, 2025 · 38 min

    Menstrual cycle, nutrition and training

    A deep dive into the science of the menstrual cycle, nutrition, and exercise. Evidence-based chats on hormones, training, and fuelling your body right! We cover: 3:00 Underrepresentation of females in the scientific literature 6:00 Why a narrative review on dietary energy intake across the menstrual cycle was completed 7:15 Description of the evidence-base on the effect of the menstrual cycle phase on energy intake 9:10 Phases of the menstrual cycle 11:05 The effect of the menstrual cycle phase on energy intake 14:00 The effect of certain foods and macronutrients across the menstrual cycle 17:00 Any other interesting pieces of research since the 2023 narrative review 18:35 What else could be driving the increase/decrease of energy across the menstrual cycle? 19:10 Effect of the menstrual cycle phase on exercise performance and physiology 22:00 Katherine’s key message for women 24:00 Katherine’s thoughts on some of Dr Stacy Sims messages 29:15 Does timing of post-workout snack/meal matter? 32:00 Training across the menstrual cycle 35:00 How will this field of research progress over the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years! One-liners you don’t want to miss: "That second half I guess you could say, of the menstrual cycle after ovulation, energy intake is higher and there seems to be a little bit more of a consistent pattern, that energy intakes higher in that luteal phase than in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.” “Try and have the unprocessed foods - fruits and vegetables, so basically increasing your micronutrient intake (your minerals and vitamins) could help alleviate some of those symptoms that might get around menstruation.” Support the show

  • S1 · E43
    Feb 19, 2025 · 25 min

    Alternative protein landscape in Europe

    Amy Williams from the Good Food Institute Europe joins us to explore the alternative proteins landscape across Europe. We cover: How alternative proteins are viewed across Europe now and previously What alternative proteins are people buying? What is happening in alternative protein research and how is it evolving? Alternative protein research and effects on health Alternative protein and nutritional adequacy What about plant-based milks? "Next Gen" alternative proteins References Story in Europe Sales reports European retailer initiatives on price parity and report on advantages for helping retailers meet emissions targets. Scitech reports on European research funding and publishing landscape UK research centres Danish PB action plan Fermentation Precision fermentation page State of the industry fermentation report (global) PB meat literature CVD systematic review and meta analysis Overall systematic review looking at health impacts as well as environmental impacts Eat-Lancet commentary on adequacy and role of APs RCTs exploring muscle synthesis rates in protein matched whole food and protein matched pb containing pb meat in elderly cohorts compared to conventional meat control. Milk Germany dietary guidelines & advice on PB milk UK’s Food Foundation summary of PB milk considerations Iodine pape UPF UPF page UK and French govt findings on evidence quality on UPF ‘Plant-sourced’ study & Support the show

  • S1 · E44
    Feb 11, 2025 · 9 min

    The 10 easiest ways to include legumes in your diet

    It's Pulses Week and this year I’ve teamed up with The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council and we are keeping it easy! We cover: 10 easiest ways to include legumes (beans/peas) in your diet FREE e-RECIPE BOOK One-liners you don’t want to miss: “Legumes support a healthy gut, help improve overall health, are full of key nutrients like protein and fibre and reduce risk of chronic disease.” “1 cup of cooked peas provides 8g of protein and because it is a plant protein, also provides fibre, about 8g. In terms of micronutrients, just to name a few - peas contain iron, zinc, vitamin C and vitamin K. “ “Now it doesn’t get much easier than canned legumes. Crack the can, drain the liquid and you have your beans. One of the easiest ones for forming a dish is the four bean mix can. I mean, who doesn’t love a 2 for 1 let alone a 4 for 1.” Support the show

  • S1 · E42
    Feb 2, 2025 · 24 min

    How healthy is sushi?

    Sushi is a quick, easy, better-for-you takeaway option that is popular by many. It’s time to dig into the nutrition alongside Jiwi chef and 4th place getter on NZ Masterchef, Hana Kirk. We cover: Behind the scenes Masterchef What is sushi? Differences between sushi in NZ/Aus vs Japan Changing landscape of sushi and diet in Japan What is actually in sushi Sugar in sushi rice Black/brown rice vs white rice How to make sushi Homemade sushi and how long it lasts How much soy sauce to have with sushi One-liners you don’t want to miss: “Teriyaki chicken sushi is not a thing in Japan.” “Do a temaki sushi (cone-shaped sushi) at parties. It’s so much fun and it’s way quicker and you get to choose your filling for each bite you have which makes it really fun and interactive.” “Traditionally, when you have the traditional sashimi, you only use a little bit of the soy sauce. And you don’t put the soy sauce on the sushi, you are meant to dip your sushi in the soy sauce on a little plate. Even pouring it on in Japan is a bit like…what are you doing…” Support the show

  • S1 · E45
    Jan 20, 2025 · 21 min

    The Leaf Protein Co: Unlocking Earth's most abundant source of protein

    Fern Ho, CEO and Co-Founder of The Leaf Protein Co. joins us to talk about a protein source you may have not heard about yet! We cover: What is leaf protein? The extraction process Global competitor landscape Other plants and their protein extraction Commercialising leaf protein What stage is Leaf Protein Co. currently at? How is your product performing once applied to different formats and food matrices? What the future holds for Leaf Protein Co The future of the protein industry One-liners you don’t want to miss: “Rubisco protein enzyme can be found in pretty much any leaf of any pant on earth and this is how it comes to be this most abundant protein on earth.” “To date is hasn’t been commercially made available. That’s potentially the nut we are trying to crack is to bring to market this amazing plant protein.” Support the show

  • S1 · E44
    Jan 19, 2025 · 5 min

    The typical Kiwi & Aussie health trajectory that you are following

    Welcome to The Weekly Motivation by Steph Polson, your go-to podcast for quick bursts of inspiration, accountability, and support. Every week, I’ll share practical tips, uplifting messages, and the encouragement you need to go beyond your goals. It’s about more than just achieving a goal—it's about the ongoing journey, building emotional resilience, and staying accountable along the way. There is a typical health trajectory that Kiwi's and Aussie's follow. Find out if you are on this trajectory and what you can do about it! Support the show

  • S1 · E42
    Dec 1, 2024 · 26 min

    Sunny’s 15kg Weight Loss Transformation - How He Did It

    Sunny Nathu left Auckland weighing 108kg, landed in Singapore for a work secondment, and said to himself that this has to stop, “if I go further down this path there is no turning back”. 6-months later Sunny has lost 15kg, well on his way to his 80kg goal weight, and is feeling better than ever! We cover: 02.50: Sunny’s weight gain and poor trajectory of health prior to transformation 06.50: Weight loss attempts 09.30: Lack of sleep and it’s impact on health 11:00: The burning desire to feel fitter and healthier 12.10: What Sunny started to do when he landed in Singapore 15.25: The #1 Key Factor To Sunny’s Health & Weight Transformation 18:00: Competing priorities of social life and health 19:00: Other aspects of health that come with weight loss - mental health 22:00: Sunny’s final piece of advice 24.15: Your realisation moment - you truely believe this is what you want One-liners you don’t want to miss: “It seems so clear now, but I guess back then you are pushing through. You know you aren’t making the right choices but you go okay it’s just one choice here and one choice there and you forget that it is all adding up.” “I was 108kg and I went I’ve got to change the course of my life and the only way I can do is by becoming fit and healthy. So that old thing of when you really want something and you believe you want something you will start to do anything to achieve that. Prior to that I wanted to lose weight and be fit and healthy, but did I truely believe that I wanted it? Maybe, not sure. But when I landed in Singapore I truely understood that is what I wanted and needed.” “It can be a virtuous cycle or it can be a vicious cycle.” Support the show

  • S1 · E40
    Nov 19, 2024 · 27 min

    BARLEYMAX®: Building a superfood company one grain at a time

    The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council’s Whole Grain Week is here! We’re bringing you Karlu Chu, The Healthy Grain CEO to take us on the journey of BARLEYMAX® and show us why this whole grain really is a superfood. We cover: About Karlu Chu, CEO BARLEYMAX® cultivated by CSIRO What is BARLEYMAX®? BARLEYMAX® growers Use of BARLEYMAX® in food products The scientific evidence of BARLEYMAX® and gut health Elevate Food Co Collaboration in the journey of BARLEYMAX® Global Health Trends One-liners you don’t want to miss: “BARLEYMAX® is a whole grain which has more than 30% fibre and 16% plant protein and also 4 types of prebiotics including fructans, arabinoxylans, beta-glucans and also resistant starch.” “We are bringing to the consumers here a more complete set of products which are 100% BARLEYMAX®. So consumers can get their BARLEYMAX® in bread, in cereals or as a snack or salad topper.” Support the show

  • S1 · E39
    Nov 17, 2024 · 18 min

    Your top questions on Weet-Bix™ answered

    The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council’s Whole Grain Week is here! We’re bringing you Jessica Ferguson, the Weet-Bix™ Dietitian to answer your top questions about Weet-Bix™. We cover: What are Weet-Bix™ made of? What does 100% wholegrains mean? How many wholegrains in Weet-Bix™? Why you should eat wholegrains How many wholegrains to aim for each day Nutrition & health benefits of Weet-Bix™ Dietitian’s top ways to eat Weet-Bix™ One-liners you don’t want to miss: “We can look at what Aussie’s are purchasing and when we look at the most recent data we see that only 1/3 of the recommended daily serves of grains and cereals foods were actually those that were whole grain or high in fibre. This is quite low and a steady decline from the previous 3-4 years.” “Weet-Bix can be that vehicle to top with your favourite chopped fruit, milk of choice, low fat yoghurt, sprinkle of nuts and seeds and you pretty quickly have a well-rounded brekkie.” Support the show

  • S1 · E38
    Nov 11, 2024 · 25 min

    Ultra-processed foods and their impact on health

    The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council’s Whole Grain Week is coming soon (next week!). We’re bringing you Elissa Price, PhD Candidate at the University of New South Wales to discuss her research findings on ultra-processed foods (UPF) and whole grains. We cover: What is food processing? Why are foods processed? Is it always bad? What is an UPF? The latest evidence on UPFs and health Regardless of how whole grains are processed, what does the research tell us about whole grains and health? Can UPFs be part of a healthy diet? Elissa’s three key takeaways on UPFs and whole grains One-liners you don’t want to miss: “They categorise foods based on the level of processing and that UPF is that more extreme group of processing. They define an UPF based on the nature, extent and purpose of the food processing and are identified foods that have gone through more extensive processing.” “Higher ultra-processed food intake and worse health outcomes. Some of those being obesity, cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, depression and all-cause mortality. There is a lot of research happening in this space and a lot of links being made.” References Whole-grain health benefits Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet, 2019. 393(10184): p. 1958-1972. UPF health associations Taneri, P.E., et al., Association Between Ultra-Processed Food İntake and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Epidemiol, 2022. Martínez Steele, E., et al., Dietary share of ultra-processed foods and metabolic syndrome in the US adult population. Preventive Medicine, 2019. 125: p. 40-48. Lane, M.M., et al., Higher Ultra-Processed Food Consumption Is Associated with Greater High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Concentration in Adults: Cross-Sectional Results from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study. Nutrients, 2022. 14(16): p. 3309. Beslay, M., et al., Ultra-processed food intake in association with BMI change and risk of overweight and obesity: A prospective analysis of the French NutriNet-Santé cohort. PLOS Medicine, 2020. 17(8): p. e1003256. Nova UPF subgroup associations Mendoza, K., et al., Ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular disease: analysis of three large US prospective cohorts and a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, 2024. 37. Chen, Z., et al., Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Three Large Prospective U.S. Cohort Studies. Diabetes Care, 2023. 46(7): p. 1335-1344. Cordova, R., et al., Consumption of ultra-processed foods and risk of multimorbidity of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: a multinational cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. Nova UPF whole-grain exclusion Price, E.J., et al., Excluding whole grain-containing foods from the Nova ultraprocessed food category: a cross-sectional analysis of the impact on associations with cardiometabolic risk measures. Am J Clin Nutr, 2024. Nova and ADG discordance Nguyen, H., et al., Extent of alignment between the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the NOVA classification system across the Australian packaged food supply. Nutr Diet, 2024. Support the show

  • S1 · E37
    Oct 30, 2024 · 48 min

    Alternative proteins with Food Frontier CEO Dr Simon Eassom

    Join us for a conversation on alternative proteins through the lens of nutrition and health. We cover: What are alternative proteins? What are complementary proteins? Mainstream media on diet, health and alternative proteins Are conventional processed meat products (e.g. sausages, bacon) improving the nutritional profile of their products? Food Frontiers position on the ultra-processed foods How alternative proteins could be positioned within the Australian Dietary Guidelines One-liners you don’t want to miss: “We are told constantly through dietary guidelines and information that comes out of health associations that processed meats are very bad for us. And it’s gone to the extreme in some cases - state governments in Australia banning the use in school canteens of some of the processed meats. As by definition they are heavily processed, they have all sorts of processes involved in the production of that product that we now understand are detrimental to health and in some cases carcinogenic. ” “I think we are going to see the growth of portfolios within government that have a clear focus on food systems because it is going to become essential. We are seeing in Australia the pressure on our food systems that are coming from climate change, particularly areas that have been impacted by food and draught.” Support the show

  • S1 · E36
    Oct 6, 2024 · 1 hr 2 min

    Is drinking juice good for you?

    To drink juice or not to drink juice? Tim Cassettari has been researching juice for the past 3 years, so we are in excellent hands as we cover the latest research on juice and health. We cover: Why study juice? What do dietary guidelines say about juice? The latest research Health benefits and health risks of juice The effect of juice on satiety & weight, dental health, brain health, gut health The optimal amount and type of juice What about pulp? The different types of juice processing and their effect on health Why might 100% juice have health benefits? How concerned should we be about sugars? What to look for on the label Practical considerations of juice Bigger picture health & nutrition learnings that can be taken from juice One-liners you don’t want to miss: “Under extreme conditions juice can lead to worsening to some markers of dental health but we don’t actually have evidence to say that’s the case in normal circumstances.” “100% juice can also improve markers of cardiovascular health and help to lower markers of chronic inflammation.” “We now have 19 randomised controlled trials comparing 100% juice to non-calorie beverages, so that could be water, an artificially sweetened beverage. There is not one study that shows any change in body weight with 100% juice. ” Support the show

  • S1 · E35
    Aug 14, 2024 · 11 min

    The evidence behind nutrition and depression & anxiety

    It's Women's Health Week and mental health always matters! Join us as we discuss what the evidence says when it comes to nutrition and depression & anxiety. We also look at a new study that was published in the Lancet comparing lifestyle (diet and exercise) and psychotherapy interventions. We cover: WHO definitions of depression & anxiety Rates of depression & anxiety in NZ and Australia Mediterranean diet & mental health New Lancet study around nutrition & mental health One-liners you don’t want to miss: “Across Australia and New Zealand, rates of depression and anxiety are ever-increasing.” “Overall, research shows that diet is important to mental health, the same way it is to physical health. Eating healthier positively impacts mental wellbeing, such as improving depressive symptoms.” “Over eight weeks they found that those assigned the lifestyle intervention had a 42% reduction in symptoms of depression and a 37% reduction in the psychotherapy program.” References https://theconversation.com/food-and-exercise-can-treat-depression-as-well-as-a-psychologist-our-study-found-and-its-cheaper-235952 What exactly is the Mediterranean diet? Easy adjustments you can make now to reap health benefits Support the show

  • S1 · E34
    Aug 13, 2024 · 33 min

    What you need to know about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

    It’s Women’s Health Week and Clare Goodwin, the PCOS Nutritionist and founder of Ovie is here to answer your questions on PCOS. We cover it all, including how PCOS affects weight and fertility. We cover: What is PCOS? How common in PCOS? Does it matter if someone remains undiagnosed? Causes of PCOS Main symptoms of PCOS How PCOS affects weight How PCOS affects fertility One-liners you don’t want to miss: “For years and years women have been treated like hypochondriacs and so a lot of that stems from this women not being taken seriously with pain, especially period pain and being told that this is normal when it is absolutely not. And thinking we need to dull down our symptoms.” “PCOS isn’t a particularly well named syndrome as a lot of the emphasis gets put on the “cysts” on the ovary which are just follicles and just a symptom of what was going on.” “We know that insulin and testosterone both cause body fat gain in females. So then we have this weight gain, and with this we get more testosterone and more insulin resistance, and this again causes more weight gain. And so it is this vicious cycle and in our body there is no negative feedback loop for this.” References https://www.ovie.io/ Support the show

  • S1 · E35
    Aug 11, 2024 · 27 min

    Flipping the script on menopause

    It’s Women’s Health Week and endocrinologist, Dr Megan Ogilvie is with us and flipping the script on menopause. Megan draws from different cultures and looks at menopause through a positive lens. A must-listen for all women that will leave you feeling aspired! We cover: What is menopause? And what is “normal” for women? How do you think women should view this time? What does this time really mean? Menopause myths Menopause and belly fat, why? One-liners you don’t want to miss: “In the 1800s life expectancy was about 45-50 years, we all died of our postpartum haemorrhage having our eighth baby. In 2024, life expectancy for women is about 85 so we can all expect very reasonably to live about 1/3 of our lifetimes in our postmenopausal years.” “Increasingly, science is showing us that this midlife time that is often the menopausal time for women, is a real window of opportunity to shape their health and wellbeing and therefore quality of life over their postmenopausal years.” “All of this talk around menopause which is so vast now is mostly good, but it’s a very negative Westernised narrative out there at the moment. It’s all about you’ll get this symptom, this symptom and this symptom then you get old and you become invisible. All tied up with Western ideas of ageing.” References https://www.menopause.org.au/health-info https://erhassociates.co.nz/curated-resources Support the show

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