diet – Nutrition Track

4 Quick Steps to Improve Gut Health!

Adele Wong — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 05:26:50 +0000

Let’s talk about GUT HEALTH!

There has been a lot of research around gut health and its role in our overall health. It has been linked to mental health, our immunity, and many other chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes.

The gut contains trillions of microorganisms known as the gut microbiome. Did you know that you have more gut bacteria than the number of cells in your body?!

These gut bacteria play an important role in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as regulating the immune system.

Research around gut health is still in its infancy stage. But we know enough that it is important to have a healthy gut! The key to a healthy gut is keeping your gut bacteria happy!

How can we keep our gut bacteria happy?

Hint: FIBRE!

How can we incorporate more fibre?

Check out these 4 simple steps!

Step 1: Consume 5 servings of vegetables

Step 2: Add 2 servings of fruit

Step 3: Include 3 servings of wholegrains

Step 4: Incorporate 3 servings of legumes, nuts and seeds

Nutrition, exercise, stress management, illness and medication can all have an impact on gut health.

These 4 steps would come under nutrition, involving foods that are high in fibre, which we know can promote a healthy gut.

Try this today!

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My Postpartum Journey and Lessons Learned

Adele Wong — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 05:37:26 +0000

Hey everyone! I hope all of you are keeping well.

Adele here, founder and dietitian at Nutrition Track.

Just a few life updates:

I had a baby about 11 months ago
Currently juggling mum, fitness and entrepreneur life + everything in between

I wanted to pop on here to share some thoughts and a glimpse of my postpartum journey as this relates to what I talk about all the time on this platform!

Pregnancy, postpartum and navigating the demands of babyhood have upended my regular routine and challenged me in countless ways.

For the past 13 years, I’ve been unwavering in my commitment to nutrition and exercise. I was eager to put my tried-and-true habits to the test during this new phase of my life. To be honest, I was excited for the challenge.

Side note: Although they can be closely linked, I want to clarify that I am referring to my healthy habits around nutrition and exercise, not aesthetics.

9 months pregnant vs 9 months postpartum

I can safely say that YEARS of working on giving myself GRACE, building solid habits, adjusting them according to different chapters of my life, and aligning everything I do with my goals and values have set me up for success.

Don’t get me wrong. The process IS/WAS still hard and there were many bumps along the way. But overall, I’ve been able to stick to what is important to me and consistently show up for myself.

A Note on Goals and Values

One thing that I’m VERY clear about is my goals and values. A healthy lifestyle requires effort. Period. BUT the process is easier (or rather justifiable) if they are IN LINE with your goals and values. Some of my values include family, growth, resilience, accountability, health and nutrition. Showing up for myself and going out of my way to do the things that are in line with my values make sense to me. More importantly, I’m able to serve my family better when I’m at my best both physically and mentally.

If you have not identified your goals and values, I challenge you to do so. If you have, then think about your current habits and behaviours. Are they in line with your goals and values?

As mentioned, it took YEARS of hard work to get to where I’m at.

Let’s rewind to my early 20s. I’ve always been victim of the perfectionist mindset. I adopted the mindset that if it was NOT perfect, it was not worth doing at all. This is why I can totally relate to my clients who struggle with this. I’ve always swung between the extremes of going ALL IN or NONE AT ALL. The middle ground didn’t exist. And obviously, it was mentally exhausting.

I’m still a work in progress. This mindset does creep up from time to time. BUT I have actively taken steps to overcome them. Right now, I’m working on developing a growth mindset, building resilience, practising self-compassion and taking challenging experiences as opportunities for growth.

This is the very thing that you NEED to master during the postpartum journey – being OK and doing whatever you can when things are NOT perfect because everything during this time is FAR from perfect. And if you wait, you’ll never achieve anything. So here’s a reminder that you don’t have to wait for Monday, a new week, a new month or a new year to make changes. You can start wherever you’re at and focus on small steps. We’re in this for the long haul.

This is exactly what my signature FIRST STEP COURSE is ALL ABOUT! I created this program back in 2018 and have continuously improved it based on feedback from hundreds of clients. I’m truly proud of the content and the approach with the goal of helping you find a sustainable non-restrictive way of eating, exercising and just doing life according to YOUR goals and values. I also cover developing the right mindset around nutrition and how to navigate through different life situations.

This experience has been invaluable, and I’ve learned so much about myself and what I am capable of.

I hope this course can do the same for you.

What are my current goals and what does my routine look like?

Here’s a snapshot:

In terms of nutrition and exercise, my focus is to just get back to my regular routine and regain fitness.

Current nutrition and exercise approach:

Working out 6x/week + 1 rest day – 2 HIIT style days (at F45 Damansara Heights!), 2 strength days, 2 runs.
Meal prep 2-3 times/week. Super basic, nothing fancy.
Focus on whole foods but include (and heavily rely on) convenience and processed foods like tinned tuna/legumes, frozen fruits/veg, protein powders. If you’re worried about processed foods, check out these videos here and here.
Flexible mindset around food.

Numbers and body composition:

9 months in vs 9 months out

Weight: Lost 17kg

BF%: Lost 10%

Muscle mass: Gained 1kg

Fitness level and strength gains: back to pre-preg state and increasing

My scans from 2018 to 2023!

We love to see lean mass go UP!

Disclaimer: This is just to give you an idea of what it looks like. These are MY numbers and stats. PLEASE do not compare. There are SO many factors that come into play. I actually started weighing myself again halfway through pregnancy cos I was being weighed at the hospital and it was nice to see some numbers. I have a VERY neutral relationship with the scale. It does NOT dictate my actions, thoughts or behaviours. I also track all my workouts so I know exactly where I’m at.

Wherever you’re at in your journey, let this be an encouragement that you CAN do it and it is POSSIBLE!

But first, you need to accept where you are. Give yourself grace. Identify your goals and values. Focus on the lowest hanging fruit. Put the right strategies in place. Show up for yourself every single day. Work on you for YOU!

If you need help, I’ve laid them all out in the First Step Course.

You can check it out here.

Sending you loads of love.

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How to Hit Your Daily Fibre Intake

Adele Wong — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 07:57:48 +0000

If you haven’t heard – dietary fibre is a power house!

Research has shown that people with higher fibre intakes had lower risk of premature mortality compared to those with lower fibre intakes.

The benefits include:

Improve every aspect of metabolic health (improve glycemic control, lower cholesterol etc)
Manage constipation
Help with satiety, and maintaining healthy weight
Food for gut bacteria

Studies have also consistently shown that dietary fibres have microbial and regulatory effects on the gut that have important implications for gastrointestinal health.

They have effects on lipaemic and glycaemic responses, nutrient digestion and absorption, microbiota, cholesterol regulation and affecting gut transit.

A meta-analysis found that 25-29g of dietary fibre per day had the greatest risk reduction in type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, stroke, coronary heart disease, all cause mortality, and mortality from cancer and coronary heart disease.

When we think of fibre we normally think of veggies.

Yes they are one of the main sources but there are other foods that are good sources too – vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, legumes, herbs and spices!

How much to consume?

Guidelines recommend about 25-30g of fibre a day.

Here’s what it can look like:

The key is to aim for a WIDE VARIETY.

Why?

There are many different types of dietary fibres and their individual characteristics (such as fermentability, solubility abs viscosity) influence their overall function and effect.

Therefore, pragmatically, the BEST way to obtain all the benefits from fibre is to consume a wide variety of plant foods!

Think DIVERSITY!

Quick tip:

If you don’t normally consume fibre rich foods, increase SLOWLY and drink plenty of water! If you increase too quickly, you may feel a little gassy and bloated. This is because your gut bacteria produces gas when they process the fibre. The good news is that the gut is highly adaptable! It will adjust over time. GO SLOW!

#EATYOVEGGIES

References:

Gill, S. K., Rossi, M., Bajka, B., & Whelan, K. (2021). Dietary fibre in gastrointestinal health and disease.Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology,18(2), 101-116.
Reynolds, A. N., Akerman, A. P., & Mann, J. (2020). Dietary fibre and whole grains in diabetes management: Systematic review and meta-analyses. PLoS medicine, 17(3), e1003053.

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Fat Loss Progress: What to expect?

Adele Wong — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 09:43:09 +0000

The two mistakes that I see people make when it comes to fat loss is expecting linear results and being too hyper focused on scale weight.

Are results linear?

When it comes to fat loss or any other health goal, it might seem logical that if you are doing everything right, that you should see a linear trend.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Some days the scale might go up and some days it might go down. Salt intake, water intake, stress, menstrual cycle, time of day, bowel contents etc can all cause shifts in bodyweight. This is usually a reflection of changes in body water and not body fat.

Side note: this is why if you want to track weight, you need to weigh daily and take the weekly average. This will give you a better picture of what is going on.

Our body is a rather complex system. You are not living in a vacuum.

Some weeks, everything might go smoothly. And some weeks, you might have more stress and other commitments. It is important that you monitor overall trends and not react based on a single day’s reading or measurement.

Are you being too hyper focused on the number on the scale?

While scale weight is an easy and objective measure for measuring dieting success, it is NOT the only measure. I have had clients who managed to improve their body composition and drop several sizes without any changes in weight.

I’ve also had clients who have achieved all of the above but are frustrated that the number didn’t go down. If you are progressing, does the number actually matter? Please do not use the number on the scale as a measure of self-worth. It tells you nothing other than the force of gravity that is acting on you. Change your perception of scale weight and don’t let it dictate or undermine your amazing progress!

There is more to life than just seeing results and looking at the scale.

Look out for these:

Are you gaining strength?
Do you feel better and more confident?
Are your clothes fitting better?
Do you have more energy?
Are you moving better?
Are you getting better sleep?

These are ALL signs of progress! In fact, I personally feel that these matter even MORE.

Shift your focus and mindset. FOCUS on building healthy habits! Keep going!

If you are feeling lost and need help, reach out to us!

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Why do I have a slow metabolism?

Adele Wong — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 09:41:41 +0000

Do you have a slow metabolism?

The good news is – Unlikely!

We tend to assume that our metabolism slows down as we age (especially when we hit 30s and 40s) and that this is the main cause of weight gain.

Fun fact: Your metabolism actually stays relatively stable from 20-60 years old! Research suggests that any change is potentially due to a decrease in physical activity and a loss of muscle mass, which comes down to lifestyle change.

Some examples of lifestyle change:

Uni/work
Moving out of home
Migration
Partner/marriage: your partner can influence your eating behaviours
More social events: eating and drinking
Stress

Some examples of changes in physical activity:

Less movement in general
Less time for physical activity
Not engaging in strength training
More sedentary

All of these factors can gradually lead to weight gain over time.

What can you do?

Here are some ideas of how you can stay active as you age and keep your metabolism firing! The other components that I talked about in “4 Ways to Boost Metabolism?” are important too!

Start working on these components today!

Reference:

Pontzer, H., Yamada, Y., Sagayama, H., Ainslie, P. N., Andersen, L. F., Anderson, L. J., … & IAEA DLW Database Consortium §. (2021). Daily energy expenditure through the human life course. Science, 373(6556), 808-812.

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Food Intolerance Test: Yes or No?

Adele Wong — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 08:13:52 +0000

Food intolerance/sensitivity testing has become very popular. Many of these tests claim that there is a link between food intolerances and a whole host of medical conditions including headaches, chronic fatigue, bloating, skin issues etc.

However, can you actually test for a food intolerance? Are these tests valid and supported by scientific evidence?

Let’s find out!

First of all, let’s look at the differences between food allergies and food intolerances.

Food allergies are IgE mediated, which can be tested. However, when it comes to food intolerances, it becomes a lot trickier. To date, there is no valid test for food intolerances.

Food intolerance testing looks at IgG. According to the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, many samples show positive IgG4 results WITHOUT clinical symptoms. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology also mentions that IgG and IgG subclass antibody tests for food allergies are not validated, have no clinical relevance, lack sufficient quality control, and should not be performed. This is also in line with the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, where they strongly advice against these tests for the purpose of predicting or identifying adverse food reactions.

If that’s the case, why do some people see results or feel better after these tests?

As mentioned, food intolerance tests look at IgG, which simply reflects exposure to a food. Therefore, the results will reflect your current diet and you will be told that these are the foods that you are intolerant to. Fun fact: high levels of IgG is associated with immune TOLERANCE (not intolerance) to a food!

What happens after that is that you end up cutting out all of these foods to the point that you may end up cutting out a food that you are actually intolerant to by CHANCE!

The other thing that typically happens after these tests is that individuals may start to improve their diet – including more fruits, vegetables etc, which does improve overall health and wellbeing AKA they may start feeling better!

The issue with these tests:

You end up avoiding and cutting out foods that you are not intolerant to
Potential nutrient deficiencies
Unnecessary stress
Risk of developing disordered eating behaviours and anxiety around food

In short, these tests are NOT VALID and a total waste of money.

If you think you might have an issue, PLEASE seek help from a qualified doctor/health professional/dietitian.

Questions?

References:

Lee, T. H., Wu, Y. Y., Chan, J. K., Ho, M. H. K., Li, P. H., & Sou Da Rosa Duque, J. (2017). Immunoglobulin G testing in the diagnosis of food allergy and intolerance.Hong Kong Medical Journal.
Stapel, S. O., Asero, R., Ballmer‐Weber, B. K., Knol, E. F., Strobel, S., Vieths, S., & Kleine‐Tebbe, J. (2008). Testing for IgG4 against foods is not recommended as a diagnostic tool: EAACI Task Force Report.Allergy,63(7), 793-796.

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Will Eating Too Little Damage My Metabolism?

Adele Wong — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 07:54:01 +0000

I’m working out! I’m eating less! BUT I’m NOT LOSING WEIGHT! THAT’S IT! I’VE RUINED MY METABOLISM!

Will eating too little damage your metabolism?

We’re going to discuss how your metabolism works and why your fat loss has come to a halt or worse, INCREASED! (GASP!).

But before that, let’s get this point forward – You will NOT gain weight if you are eating less than what your body requires. The laws of thermodynamics still apply.

So, what’s going on?!

When you lose weight and fat, you don’t need as much energy (food) anymore to keep you alive and functioning.

Make sense? Great!

This is known as adaptive thermogenesis, where your metabolism ADAPTS to needing less food as you’re now leaner and “smaller” in size [1].

Metabolism

To understand why and how your metabolism adapts, we have to know what are the components that make up your metabolism.

Metabolism – ALL the processes that occur in the body that require energy

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): Energy needed to keep you alive at REST. This is a huge chunk of your daily energy expenditure (60-75%!). This variable depends on age, sex, body weight and composition, and genetics.

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): Energy needed to digest food. Yes, your body needs energy to DIGEST food! It uses about 5-10% of your energy.

*You burn more energy digesting protein followed by carbs and fats

*You burn more eating minimally processed foods (AKA REAL FOOD!) as compared to ultra processed foods

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): Movement that is not exercise: fidgeting, cooking, walking, doing house chores etc

Physical Activity (PA): Planned physical activity: Running, swimming, cycling etc

What happens when your body fat changes?

Remember adaptive thermogenesis?

Yeah, THAT happens!

When you start to lose body fat (by eating less), your metabolism decreases.

Basal metabolic rate decreases (as you weigh less)
Thermic effect of food decreases (as you eat less)
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis decreases (as you eat and potentially move less)
Energy burned during physical activity decreases (as you weigh less)

This means that OVERALL, you are BURNING LESS! It reacts by conserving as much energy as possible as it senses that food is scarce [2].This is how the body fights to maintain homeostasis, avoid starvation and KEEP YOU ALIVE!

This is a good thing……

Here’s the catch 22 – the more weight you lose, the stronger the adaptation.

Just when you thought you could outsmart your body!

Source

This is why it takes more effort to lose that last bit of stubborn fat!

Other things that can happen:

Cortisol

Eating less is a form of stress to the body. And I’m sure you’ve heard of the stress hormone cortisol. When cortisol increases, it can cause your body to store (not gain!) more fat around the belly (among other things that can happen).

Ghrelin

Ghrelin is your hunger hormone that causes you to become hungry. Think of ghrelin as gremlin. You know, the creature that eats stuff (sorta). Ghrelin increases with weight loss [3]. As a result, you will feel hungry and might end up eating MORE than you should.

With ALL of this happening just by losing weight and fat, you can see why you may have trouble with further weight loss or worse, weight REGAIN!

Does this mean you’re doomed?

No! Of course not. This just means that you need to change what used to work for you, apply a few strategies to outsmart your body, and focus on building good habits and behaviours around food.

Summary:

No, your metabolism is not damaged.
Your body adapts to the weight and fat that you have lost by manipulating how much you burn overall (metabolism).
Adaptive thermogenesis seems to be stronger for individuals who have lost a lot of weight.
There ARE ways to overcome this. If you need help, book in a consultation with us or check out our online courses!

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