Introduction

Speaker 1 0:00

What is up and welcome back to Talking Nutrition . We are back with our second Step 10 Merc Q&A call . Actually , this call I had to break it up into . It turned out to be another full hour . Now this time I added the timestamp so it's easier to navigate your questions . I tried to kind of like lump them together , you know , based on topic , but we had so many I mean , we do have 38 people in the challenge , so it's like it's a lot of questions to go through . I had five people actually six with me who lasted through the whole call and most people are watching the replay . But hey , like that's also why I wanted to share this with you .

Speaker 1 0:36

We touch on a lot of good stuff . We touch on protein quality , which actually got me going down a rabbit hole , which will be a new video blog I post , like I'll talk about this on a podcast too , I think , about the protein quality score . There was great chat . We talked about fiber , things like just processed foods versus , you know , minimally processed foods , high fat versus low fat foods , why it's important to really take care of your diet , like especially as we age . How stress , you know , impacts nutrition . Like we had a whole bunch of different topics , really good chat .

Speaker 1 1:16

Now here's the thing . I also don't want to overwhelm you with like too much stuff . You know what I mean . I'm listening to like a full , like an hour Q and A . I could imagine that at some point you're gonna be like ah , you know , it's like I get it Okay , cool . So for that reason I am splitting this up in two episodes . Today is gonna be a nice 30 minute episode , so let's dive in . Next week will be part two of this Q and A , and afterwards we're gonna talk , probably mostly mindset . I still have to kind of decide , but you'll find out . Anyway , let's get into it . I'll talk to you soon .

Full fat vs low fat / Ultra-processed foods vs less processed

Speaker 1 1:49

First question Kaia says is it better to eat full fat versions of products instead of low fat , for example , milk , butter , cheese ? There's so many options . Ultra process versus less process . I kind of hate the term ultra processed I . It is a term obviously , like I know what it means and it is a thing , but it's almost like a term that's being used currently to really fuck and like make people afraid of certain foods . But there's actually no bad food . Like there's not one single food that's inherently by itself gonna make your whole diet bad . You can have a good diet and a bad diet . Your good diet , right , would be mostly minimally processed foods , slash whole foods , where single ingredient foods are usually gonna be your best bet .

Speaker 1 2:45

So let's start there , right ? And we're talking about kind of like an 80-20 ratio , and I mean people who've been here for a while like you've heard me talk about this over and over again 80-20 , 80-20 . It's part mindset , it's part hey . Your actual calories should be for 80% coming from minimally processed or whole foods , and then 20% you can literally just have whatever you want . Yes , including the ultra processed foods , and I do get it right .

Speaker 1 3:16

Obviously , we don't want your whole diet to be made up of ultra processed foods or even just processed in general . But I think we need to step away from the fucking fear mongering around specific foods and seed oils and all that stuff and sugar , whatever it is . That's the fault of the media as well as social media , the click baity shit . You know it's even with the diet sodas , which are also totally fine to drink Like . We need to kind of step away from the fear mongering and just focus on the good stuff . Can we add some protein ? Can we add some fruits , vegetables , single ingredient foods for the most part , and then there's actually no reason to be afraid of any processed foods .

Speaker 1 4:01

And it's also like these days , it's almost like if something is processed it's bad . But let's understand too that there's a spectrum right From a single ingredient food all the way to what's called the ultra processed food , because obviously those are a thing . We have the foods that are consistent of a whole bunch of different ingredients , like half of what we don't even know what it is , the artificial whatever , like sure , and usually it's high in fat , high in sugar , high in sodium , and that's really that combination that makes us really want to eat a lot of it . But still then I , with not a single client , like we don't ever look at that specifically and I never have people remove stuff . We don't focus on that , we don't give it any attention . Of course food quality matters but , like I said , we focus on the addition of the good stuff and we also , over time , we work on actually being okay with including a little bit more processed foods . And that's almost weird to say as a nutrition coach . But , like I said , on social media , whatever , there's so much fear mongering , and I mean we know nutrition information is being like the research is like being cherry picked . Data is literally twisted for like vegan documentaries , like game changers and all that completely just lies and shit , which is not cool . I'm all for different diets , but people are literally using certain studies and twisting numbers and just to prove their point , to prove their agenda .

Speaker 1 5:44

But okay , getting specifically back to your question , is it better to eat more full fat versions or the lower fat ? It actually doesn't matter . It actually doesn't matter at all . If you are in a fat loss phase , for example , it can be a really good idea to go with a low fat option . Why ? Well , fat is the highest in calories . It doesn't make it bad . It doesn't make it bad . The fat is nine calories per gram . Carbohydrate and protein is four calories per gram . The thermic effect , which is how many calories you burn from digestion , is pretty much nothing from fats . For carbohydrate , that's five to 10% , which means that five to 10% gets burned off through digestion , and then for protein , it's even more 20 to 30, . That gets burned off through digestion , which means that you're actually getting even fewer calories .

Speaker 1 6:41

Anyway , long source words fats , highest in calories , which means that we can go for that lower fat option , that we still have our milk , our butter , our cheese , whatever it is , our yogurts , right , and enjoy those products if we actually like that . And a skier , for example , is a great idea , which is like pretty much no fat or depending on which one you get , but it's like no fat , very high in protein , amazing option . Have that with berries , boom , there you go . That's like the perfect snack or meal for when you're in a deficit diet . On the other hand and we actually have a question today for from someone who is currently in a reverse diet we're having her eat more . She's a client of mine . In those scenarios you'll hear me recommend this later we can switch to the higher fat option and benefit off that . I'm still usually gonna push for a moderate to high carbohydrate diet and we like to keep fats not completely at the minimum but on the lower end , because that seems to be best for most people . Little bit depending on the person . And you'll see too , like carbs or fat ratios , like it's gonna be very personal . So I hope that answers your question . It's really they're both fine . That's like the TLDR version of my fucking too long answer . It's like they're both cool , totally fine . You can use those different foods as different tools in different scenarios .

The 80/20 rule

Speaker 1 8:16

Then we have Samantha . What's up Samantha Question ? I like periodically reviewing my 80-20, . There you go . 80-20 rule , right , and she's a client , she knows her shit and what that looks like daily , because I can have tasty foods that aren't the most nutritious . Just moderation big word moderation , right . So she says moderation was a mindset shift that I really worked on this year because in quotes junk food was all or nothing for me for a long time . Reviewing the 80-20 idea helps my brain stay on track .

Speaker 1 8:52

Now I'm wondering what the question is , because it's more like a statement . But okay , anyway , let me just quickly double check in the group . I have to double check this one . But she brought up a really good point . Let me see real quick . Okay , so I don't see any further . Okay , all good . So let me just expand on this and then we'll continue . But I do really really like that she brought this up .

Speaker 1 9:16

This is a client and Samantha's been in our group coaching program . She was one of the first people , actually the first cohort , and basically with her we focused like the first bunch of weeks , I wanna say almost two months we had her . We brought her all the way up from shitty diets , like 12 in a category , whatever , all the way up to 2000 . We just focused on having good foods in our diet , but then we worked through special scenarios , sometimes emotional eating and these kinds of things all or nothing , right . It's a shift that we need to make because we can actually , like she said , we can have some and be okay .

Speaker 1 10:00

Now , I'm not sure what the actual question was gonna be here . However , I can almost maybe guess or at least relate to what she's mentioned here . For example , what I could imagine is someone asking or wondering hey , would we actually calculate the 20% ? And I've actually changed my opinion on this because I used to say , hey , it's not like we go out of our way and calculate it , and it's more of a mindset . It's more , hey , making better choices most of the time . This even goes for , like anything else , with your steps . Hey , as long as you hit your steps most of the time , you're good . Now , of course and the challenge is different , but , generally speaking , right , if you mostly sleep well , if you mostly drink plenty of water , right , you're good . There's lots . You can get really fucking good results , being 80% consistent . So it's also a mindset . It's also something that allows you to fuck up every now and then and be like , well , let me just pick it up . Cool , move on Now .

Speaker 1 11:02

And what did I change here ? I actually did switch from basically always telling people , hey , we don't have to calculate that , but no , like , I'll pull up their food log and let's actually calculate this . And I've used this with multiple people and I talked to someone recently and I basically just had to be like hey , you know , right now we're like at a 50-50 . We need to get our shit back together . And that's what we worked on and it took a couple of weeks , but then we're good again .

Speaker 1 11:29

Now to a hard point , right ? The being able to have the tasty , fun foods in moderation . That is such a big lesson to learn and it's not easy , right ? It takes time and I want you guys to know no matter what program you join , it's gonna be a process to work through . Hey , guess why we do six months with our one-on-one clients , right , at least Guess why we're actually bringing the group or we just did that to a three month minimum instead of month-to-month . It takes time . We need our time to work through shit , you know . So I hope that makes sense and I really want everyone even if this is the only thing you take away from this call that 80-20 principle is huge If you wanna learn more about this . By the way , it's also called flexible dieting . There's a book called flexible dieting which I highly recommend to everyone . Really good book by Alan Aragon . Highly recommend that one . If you like reading , check that out . If you like listening to audiobooks , go for it , right ?

Speaker 1 12:36

Next question like I said , I should keep it a little bit more to the point here .

Advise for lowering ultra-processed foods

Speaker 1 12:39

Kelly says my questions are related to ultra-processed foods as well . In England most people's diets are made up of approximately 60% ultra-processed foods . What would you advise for trying to reduce this number ? I kind of answered it already , but I don't advise anyone to reduce it , not directly at least .

Speaker 1 13:04

Like I said , instead of focusing on the scary , ultra-processed foods is like hey , we have our guidelines and I also call it like eating like a fucking grown-up where , hey , we need to get our fruits and vegetables in . That's a given and we all know that and with those as much as like there's like two green powders and all that you can't get around . It's not the same . It's fine to get a multifidement , it's fine to have a green powder , but it's not the same . We need to get our fruits and vegetables in , for example . We need protein , a good amount of protein , with every single meal . Like there's a couple of basics there , right , that we want to get in our fiber , our whole grains , our healthy fats from cold water , fish like salmon , or omega-3s in nuts and seeds , avocado , extra virgin olive oil , right , mostly complex carbs , meaning , like I said , those single ingredient foods like have a sweet potato , right , have those really good foods for us , just like minimally processed stuff . If we focus on that , we don't have to worry about the ultra-processed stuff , because 60% , yeah , like that's a pretty bad fucking ratio . That means basically 60% , 40% whole foods and 60% ultra-processed . So absolutely don't get me wrong either , right , absolutely , we need to bring you to that 80-20 ratio .

Speaker 1 14:32

And hey , by the way , if we go on a diet and we're in the fat loss phase , we have people do 90-10 . Because , let's be honest , when you are in the fat loss phase , we're not gonna fuck around in like puzzle like alcohol and like go too crazy with the fun foods Like . No , it's a couple months , we'll be tightening the grip , we get a little bit more strict , we suck it up because guess what , if you do that , you're gonna get better results , which is more motivating . You lose more weight , and guess what ? Then you can get to go back again and have the fun stuff a little bit more , in moderation . That's why in the diet I always say 90-10 .

Speaker 1 15:12

But once again we have a more additive approach . Right ? I actually don't waste any energy on someone who eats too much chocolate . I just had a talk with someone about this . They're like , hey , I really feel like I'm addicted right To sugar , to chocolate . I always crave this stuff . And guess what we did ? We didn't focus on the chocolate at all . I saw that her protein and her fiber were both too low . We brought that up . Guess what happened ? No more cravings , no more issue .

Speaker 1 15:46

I'm not saying this is the only solution . There's multiple factors . Sleep can be a big one . That really messes with our willpower . Making more hungry , less satiated , right , et cetera is gonna play into , hey , us being willing to make those healthy food choices . So , like I said , it's easier said than done . But still , yeah , 820 , that's the way to go . Focus on 80% , focus on 80 to 90% and then you're good . And of course , that's a gradual change ,

Truth about red meat & mixing up your nutrition

Speaker 1 16:20

that is , as balancing between light and dark meat .

Speaker 1 16:24

The researchers say that you shouldn't , that you should , be careful with red meat . If you eat fish twice a week for dinner , how would you have spent the rest of the week with a mix of dark and light meat ? Yeah , so this is where we need to understand . The research needs to be understood correctly and used correctly , and we need to also understand that association doesn't mean causation and that's basically a fancy way of saying like , hey , it might go hand in hand when they look at specific groups in populations , right , but it doesn't have to be the root cause . Here's the thing I know .

Speaker 1 17:11

We tend to think that research shows that red meat is bad for you . That it causes cancer does not seem to be the case . Red meat is the most nutritious meat you can eat . You get the most vitamins and minerals out of that Way , more than chicken or anything else . So red meat is actually some of the best meat you can eat . It's not gonna cause cancer . You know what does ? Having all of your red meat from all of the processed foods that's probably gonna cause it and a plethora of other unhealthy things that are usually combined with those kind of lifestyles . So red meat , totally fine . We should be eating red meat on a regular basis .

Speaker 1 18:04

Here's the thing too as much as I love chicken for example , chicken thighs , chicken breast it's also like when you contain like , let's say , that's your only protein source , which I do feel like in the fitness phase , it's almost like the go-to and , let's be honest , it's a really nice option . Of course I have a lot it's . You know , you can do a lot with it . You know like , I do like it . But when you have the same food over and over and over and over again , you can actually cause sensitivities to that specific food just from having it so much , which is a real thing . So that's why I always say just change it up . We can repeat stuff , definitely , but let's also change it up . Let's hey , maybe you mentioned your light meat , your dark meat and your fish . Right , you mentioned fish twice a week . Okay , let's just go , let's just repeat those three in a row . Let's say , let's call it dinner , right , one day light meat , one day fish , one day dark meat , et cetera . Just keep going like that , just alternate . That's a great way to do it , but I do want to , you know like , again , like state that , yes , generally like , people tend to think that research shows that , but it's actually not true , as misunderstood .

Speaker 1 19:29

Red meat is very healthy for many different reasons and it is totally fine . When it becomes an issue is when people really start to have a shitty diet . Like I said , it's not a bad food or whatever Like no , it's a bad or a good diet . Going back to the processed foods if it's not 80 , 20 , if it's like , let's call it like you know , like in the UK , for example , or 60% plus processed foods . Also thinking okay , like , let's say , someone eats at McDonald's every single time and that's where their red meat comes from . Okay , we're also drinking a whole bunch of , you know , sugary drinks and all those kinds of things . Okay , again , if it's the majority of your diet , that's when it becomes an issue . So , again , just alternate between the three . There you go . That's a great way to do it .

How to eat enough protein as a vegetarian

Speaker 1 20:19

Caroline says how to eat enough protein in a vegetarian diet . You put it on a plate and you grab a fork and then no , I'm kidding . So a vegetarian diet . You can still very easily get your proteins in much easier than vegan diet , by the way , which is still possible , but vegetarian diet . So Ag is going to be a big one .

Speaker 1 20:43

Ag's , by the way , kind of related to Terri's question . Ag's are also fucking demonized . Like you hear crazy claims like right , well , ag's are just as bad as cigarettes . I've heard clients of mine who used to go to a dietician who were told that 100% full of shit . Like that's the craziest thing ever . Like Ag's are super healthy . Same type of deal the like the Ag yolk is so full of vitamins , b vitamins , colleen like it's super good for us .

Speaker 1 21:15

The protein is one of the best forms of protein that we can get out of all the options out there . The same type of deal there . Like for some reason there's like these weird ideas around certain foods and I know this is not related to your question , but like that's something I want to bring up because Ag's , for example , great , great option . I will say this as much as Ag's are good for protein , they are higher in fats or calories you know from fats . So I like to see Ag's more as like a , an okay protein fat source . If that makes sense , hey , maybe you can add Ag whites . That's maybe one way to go about it .

Speaker 1 21:57

I'm thinking dairy products . If you're vegetarian you're going to have to rely on Ag's . On dairy , I'm thinking there's a lot of protein milks . We have , like the skier drink here now , skier yogurt which is like a 0% fat or very low percent fat , high protein yogurt , really good option , very nice , I love that stuff . Very affordable also . Just not when you live . When you live in Norway is like everything is expensive . Got this cheese , for example , very similar right Kind of similar kind of macro ratio . Not everyone loves the texture , but hey can work around that maybe . But those kind of things like dairy products are going to be great . That's also a very good option I do like . So I always tell people like hey , if you go with supplementation , it's cool , don't make it your main source .

Speaker 1 22:49

But especially with vegetarian , vegan diets , it can be very beneficial to have a quality protein powder and in this case it should vegetarian . I would go with a way isolate , as technically your your your highest quality options that you can get and also affordable . Great , great to have that one . So that would be . So dairy eggs . Then there's also your plant right options Beans , legumes , lentils , chickpeas those are great .

Speaker 1 23:24

I will say that they're fine . They're just not mainly protein sources . They're like car sources with an okay amount of protein , which is fine . We just need to remember that , because if we are in the phallus phase and we need to lower calories , maybe it's not the best to have those foods , because it's going to be way more difficult to play like macro Tetris to squeeze those in , you know . Then again , I've seen amazing options Lentil pasta , chickpea pasta , those kind of things . Those are great , and there was a there used to be a really good one here . They're fucking discot , discontinued it . There was , like this , lentil pasta . I used to love it , very high in protein , almost equal to carbs , and that was a really nice option . So those kinds of things do add up . It's just that .

Speaker 1 24:14

And this is my last point here to the vegetarian diet . It's or I think actually we have a question about vegetarian later , but yeah , in a few . But basically what happens to is people tend to think okay , now I need to eat these plant options for my proteins . However , those proteins are not fully broken down as well , which means that you're going to have to eat more of that product to get maybe the same amount of protein . You're not always going to get all the amino acids , which I will say . That's also one of those things where , when you eat enough protein , you're probably going to be fine . It's also one of those things that gets taken out of proportion right on social media . But what you're going to have to do is eat so much of those foods that now fiber gets way high , which is like a good amount of fiber is good , but when it's too much it causes digestive issues , right . So we really want to be smart about that .

Speaker 1 25:14

And last tip do not go for veggies for protein . If that makes sense , like don't rely on veggies for your protein . I will say that that's also a big misconception . People think broccoli for protein , like you're gonna have to eat a whole lot of it and your stomach is not going to be happy . So long story short dairy products are great . Most fake meats are not that great . Before I forget , tofu , tempeh those can be really nice , quality way , isolate , and then I think you have a good start . But yeah , let's stay in touch about that anyway .

Healthy eating checklist (the essentials)

Speaker 1 25:48

Robin says question how much veggies , meat , fish should I eat in a week ? What is recommended ? So I call this the essentials and feel free to maybe write this down . Do that if you want to do . Maybe I can even share this in a group , but the essentials will be almost like your flexible diet checklist where let's start with this right . So , one by one , protein with every meal . Like I said , take notes , right . If you do this every single day like you're killing it , protein with every meal .

Speaker 1 26:20

One to three servings of fruits per day . One to three , right , is probably best to be on the higher end . If you're dying , two to four servings of veggies per day , and with fruits of veggies , like what do I mean by a serving ? Let's call it like a fist size portion , just to make it simple . And for your protein , maybe like the quarter of your plate .

Speaker 1 26:41

What else do we have ? We have eating our omega three Fatty fish . If you don't like those , that's cool , let's call it . If we eat it like twice a week , we're probably good . We need those omega-3s very anti inflammatory , very healthy for us . If you don't eat those , make sure to get a fish oil . But we need that , right ? No , so we've got the fruits , veggies , the protein , the fish oil .

Speaker 1 27:08

Hydration drink when you're thirsty . That's the easiest way to go about it . We can calculate it , but drinking when you're thirsty and then having some more around training , you're probably good Eating or getting at least a protein , carb , fat and color with every meal . So anytime you come out with a meal , make sure you get something for your proteins , something for your carbs , for your fuel , right ? Your fats , which is mostly for health and hormones , and then either a fruit or vegetable . Use that as your guideline , right ? Other than that , we want to make sure , again , you stick to that 80-20 rule and , to be honest with you , that's pretty much it in terms of what I would say . If you do that for almost all of your meals or most of your meals let's call it 80-ish percent of your meals or 80-90 , and you're absolutely killing it and just stick into single-ingredient foods . You know what I mean . But I would start there specifically to your question veggies , two to four servings per day , meat daily , if you like that daily , yeah , you need to get your proteins in anyway , and meat is one of the best , if not the best , option for you . So fish same type of deal , cold water fish like salmon trout twice a week . That would be great . I would start there . And with all those changes , right , remember to make changes like once at a time .

What to do if you struggle to eat more/ENOUGH

Speaker 1 28:48

Katherine says nutrition question In your experience , what is the biggest pitfall when it comes to nutrition and getting in enough fuel for the body ? I struggle a bit with the amount of food and it's almost easier just to go the unhealthy round to get more calories in . Also , what are some good alternatives to chicken and pork , lean and white meat ? When we start with the last bit , because that's the easiest , I would go with turkey . That's a great option there . Other than that , if you like fish , then a cod is very lean , but in your case I'm going to be or by the way , or like ground beef very healthy if you go with , maybe like a low fat option . However , right , because you're asking for low and white meat here , and there's a reason .

Speaker 1 29:34

I start with this part of the question how about we don't look for those lean options ? Because lean proteins are great , but they're by no means better than fattier meats or fish . So to your question having a hard time getting an oven , let's have higher fat ground beef or higher cuts sorry , higher fat cuts of beef . Have chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts . That's a little bit higher fat . Have salmon , right , higher in fats , very healthy , right , but higher in fat , so you get more calories in . Swap the lean fish for something like that , or a trout or something also higher in fats . Put olive oil on your food , like you literally won't even notice , right , and it really adds up , and again it's healthy fats Going to carbohydrate sources .

Speaker 1 30:27

Because she's just coming out of diet During a fat loss phase . We want to have filling foods right Now . Here we actually want to flip that and we want to say , okay , let's still have healthy foods for the most part , but let's also make sure that , hey , we let's say the boiled potato , which is the actual most filling food , let's swap that for maybe something like pasta or bread or wraps or those kind of things . That is totally cool . So it's playing with different foods , with different scenarios , and in this case , I'd like to look into your food diary . So we should probably do that on Monday During your next check-in , like , let's look at your 20% .

Speaker 1 31:15

Are you actually having your 20% on a daily basis ? Because , again , you know it's almost easier to go for those unhealthy foods and I don't want you to mostly have that . Right , you're in a reverse diet , like we're adding real foods in , but I'd still like to see that 20% . I still like to see that 20% . And , by the way , guys , a glass of orange juice , 30 grams of carbs , right , that is 120 calories . Boom , there you go . That's the easiest shit .

Speaker 1 31:42

Sabrina has a question later on , as she mentions hey , if you're busy and instead of having a meal , it's called after smoothie , boom , there you go , have that . Have a good you know a good smoothie with a lot of micronutrients , right , berries , maybe , spinach , protein , throw stuff together . Have like a milk I do really enjoy , like maybe a fatter one even . Right , make it easier to consume those calories it's less about . Again , like I don't want to see people reverse dieting and just add a whole bunch of shit , like we're still going to control it and the first two to three weeks , like I really want to see more single ingredient foods being added . But it doesn't mean that we can play with the more sorry , the more calorie , dense , slash , less filling foods that are still healthy Makes sense . And , of course , like you know , she's a client as well . So we're going to be working on this and I see this a lot . I see this a lot .

Speaker 1 32:36

People are doing great during a fat loss phase and guess what ? Worldwide , we know that it's not the actual weight loss phase , right . That's the issue . People lose weight with crazy diets . It's what happens after and we do . It is the right way , right . That's why our people do keep it off . It's okay we do reverse diet . But here's the thing , it's ongoing collaboration . It's like something we need to work on , client to client , to coach , right . We need to hold you accountable and make sure that , hey , we go back and forth about these things because it's difficult . I've seen more people struggle with the eating more part right , compared to eating less during a diet . So I want everyone to know here as well wherever you are at in your journey maybe you're just getting started , maybe you're just trying to eat enough Be like , just know that it's okay to have a hard time with that , because it's very common , but share that with people , ask for help , try to be proactive and resourceful and figure it out , because everything is figure outable .