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!

The post 4 Quick Steps to Improve Gut Health! appeared first on Nutrition Track.

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.

The post My Postpartum Journey and Lessons Learned appeared first on Nutrition Track.

• 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

The post How to Hit Your Daily Fibre Intake appeared first on Nutrition Track.

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!

The post Fat Loss Progress: What to expect? appeared first on Nutrition Track.

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:

1. 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.

The post Why do I have a slow metabolism? appeared first on Nutrition Track.

However, the concern with eggs is the cholesterol and many avoid them for this reason.

The question is, do cholesterol containing foods like eggs influence blood cholesterol levels? How many is too many?

Let’s find out!

Atherosclerosis is the build up of plaque inside arteries. Plaque is made up of cholesterol, fat, and other substances found in the blood. Atherosclerosis can lead to serious health problems – stroke, heart attack and even death. There is a strong link between LDL (AKA the “bad cholesterol”) and atherosclerosis. Pro-atherogenic particles include VLDL, IDL and LDL.

The post Do Eggs Increase Cholesterol Levels? appeared first on Nutrition Track.

1. 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.
2. 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.

The post Food Intolerance Test: Yes or No? appeared first on Nutrition Track.

Should I include them in my calories burned and account for them in my food intake?

First of all, your metabolism is way too complex to be captured by your fitness tracker. Secondly, the number of calories that you burn based on your fitness tracker is not likely the number of calories that you actually burned during your workout. There are TOO many variables involved and it is almost impossible to tell how much one actually burns during a workout (unless you are in a metabolic lab).

A study looking at the energy expenditure from fitness trackers across different activities found that the error rate was between 27.4% to 92.6%! That is a pretty huge range! Therefore, if you are eating back the number of calories burned, your progress will likely not go where you want it to. This is a mistake that many of my clients make.

However, your fitness tracker is NOT completely useless. It is still a useful tool. Since these numbers are likely to have the same error rate, you can compare them on a day to day basis. For example, if you burned 400 kcal on your workout today and the next day you burned 200 kcal, you can then assume that you worked out harder the day before. So, you are still using these numbers but not the EXACT number.

Accuracy of your fitness device also depends on the technology (heart rate, heat sensors, accelerometer etc) and the activity being carried out (steady state exercises are easier to capture compared to high intensity exercises).

To sum it up, fitness trackers are a good accountability tool and can help encourage healthy behaviours. But please do NOT factor them into your overall daily calorie intake.

I also don’t like to link exercise with the number of calories burned as exercise is MORE than just that. If you exercise just to burn off what you’ve eaten, you are undermining the importance of exercise and you will soon realise that over time, the math doesn’t add up.

Reference:

1. Shcherbina, A., Mattsson, C. M., Waggott, D., Salisbury, H., Christle, J. W., Hastie, T., … & Ashley, E. A. (2017). Accuracy in wrist-worn, sensor-based measurements of heart rate and energy expenditure in a diverse cohort. Journal of personalized medicine, 7(2), 3.

The post Fitness Trackers: Are they accurate? appeared first on Nutrition Track.

But do they actually work?

Before we look at how we can actually increase metabolism, we need to look at the components that make up our metabolism.

There are 4 major components of our metabolism:

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) – Your basal metabolic rate is the biggest component and makes up about 60% of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). It is the energy that your body uses while at rest to perform daily life sustaining functions such as breathing. Factors affecting BMR include age, gender, weight, body composition, genetics etc. Muscle mass seems to be the component that has the capacity to change BMR considerably. Muscles are metabolically active. This means that if the ratio of muscle loss to fat loss is higher, it can contribute to a drop in BMR (which is not what you want).

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) – NEAT is the energy that you use for all activity that is not formal exercise (it is a pretty big component!). This includes standing, talking, walking, typing, fidgeting etc. NEAT can account for up to 20-30% of TDEE and is actually one of the most adaptive components of metabolism, either increasing or decreasing in response to an energy surplus or deficit.

Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) – The energy that you expend during formal exercise. This will depend on the activity, intensity and duration of the exercise. This component makes up about 10-15% of TDEE.

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) – The energy needed to digest, absorb and process food. This will be different for different foods. The TEF for protein, carbohydrates and fats are 20-30%, 5-10% and 0-3% respectively. Foods that are higher in protein and fibre tend to have higher TEF. As a whole, TEF makes up about 10% of TDEE.

As you can see, if you want to boost your metabolism in ways that will actually bring about a considerable amount of change, then you need to work on gaining/preserving muscle mass, consume adequate protein (to maintain/gain muscle mass and increase TEF), move more and get enough sleep.

Research has shown that when it comes to fat loss, individuals who go on a higher protein diet with exercise, lose more overall fat mass and in some cases, gain muscle mass compared to those who go on a lower protein diet.

This is not surprising as muscle is more metabolically active and protein has the highest thermogenic effect – AKA BOOSTING metabolism.

Martens et al. looked at the effect of high protein vs high carbohydrate diets on energy expenditure in weight stable individuals. After 12 weeks, energy expenditure (AKA metabolism) decreased significantly in the high carb low protein diet group. This overall decrease was attributed to the decrease in basal metabolic rate (from a slight decrease in muscle mass) and the decrease in dietary induced thermogenesis (AKA thermic effect of food).

To sum it up, here are 4 ways to boost your metabolism:

1. Build and maintain muscle mass

The best way to achieve this is via strength training! If you are completely new to this, I highly suggest working with a qualified trainer to tailor the session to your needs, ensure each move is executed properly with good form and to help you make progress. Progressive overload is important as your muscles will adapt over time.

2. Consume adequate protein

Ensure that you are consuming a wide variety of protein. How much you need will depend on several factors including individual goals and preferences. In general, you can aim for between 1.4-1.6g of protein per kg of bodyweight.

Here are some great sources of protein:

3. Move often

Our desk bound jobs may mean that we are more sedentary throughout the day, even if we exercise regularly! Keep in mind that formal exercise is about 10-15% for most people (formal exercise is STILL IMPORTANT!). This is why I highly encourage keeping active outside of formal exercise. This will come under the NEAT component, which makes up about 20-30% of your total daily energy expenditure!

Set a reminder to get up every 35-45 mins for a quick stretch.

Here are some other ideas:

4. Get enough sleep

When it comes to fat loss and the metabolism, sleep is the most underrated tool! Why sleep?

One study found that in a calorie deficit, insufficient sleep led to a higher proportion of muscle loss vs fat loss. Knowing the importance of muscle mass, you definitely do not want to be losing muscle!

Insufficient sleep has also been associated with an overall increase in energy intake due to (but not limited to) the increase in the hunger hormone ghrelin and a decrease in leptin.

One study found that there was an overall increase in food reward, cravings, hunger and self-selected portion size with sleep curtailment. There was a 12.4% increase in total calories and portion size was significantly higher for rice and potato chips. Participants also selected snacks that were higher in fat. I like how this study used a modest reduction of sleep (33% from their habitual sleep hours) rather than setting a specific number of hours, which would reflect real world experiences.

In short, insufficient sleep can potentially affect muscle mass, appetite, portion sizes and food choice.

Also, when you don’t get enough sleep, your energy levels are affected. You may not have the energy to exercise or even think about nutrition!

And of course, in general, sleep is very much needed for our overall health and wellbeing. Make is a priority!

TLDR:

Forget about “metabolism boosting” products and focus on these 4 elements!

References:

1. Longland, T. M., Oikawa, S. Y., Mitchell, C. J., Devries, M. C., & Phillips, S. M. (2016). Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: a randomized trial. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 103(3), 738-746.
2. Martens, E. A., Gonnissen, H. K., Gatta-Cherifi, B., Janssens, P. L., & Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S. (2015). Maintenance of energy expenditure on high-protein vs. high-carbohydrate diets at a constant body weight may prevent a positive energys balance. Clinical Nutrition, 34(5), 968-975.
3. Nedeltcheva, A. V., Kilkus, J. M., Imperial, J., Schoeller, D. A., & Penev, P. D. (2010). Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity. Annals of internal medicine, 153(7), 435-441.
4. Yang, C. L., Schnepp, J., & Tucker, R. M. (2019). Increased hunger, food cravings, food reward, and portion size selection after sleep curtailment in women without obesity. Nutrients, 11(3), 663.

The post 4 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism appeared first on Nutrition Track.

Salt is an inorganic compound that is made up of 60% chloride and 40% sodium, which comes together to form those beautiful white crystals that you usually see in your salt shaker. It is commonly used as a preservative in food and to enhance flavour. Both chloride and sodium are important for our body to function normally. [1]

The focus of this article will be sodium. 

What is all the fuss about sodium and why do we need it?

Sodium is a mineral that is pivotal in maintaining regular muscle and nerve function, and also helps keep our body fluids in a normal balance. Without sodium, we would not be able to even move our muscles and our heart would not be able to pump blood throughout the body. [2,7]

Now coming back to our original question. How much salt is too much?

WHO has advised adults to consume not more than 1 teaspoon of salt per day, which is around 5 grams of salt or 2000 mg of sodium. According to the Recommended Nutrient Intakes for Malaysia 2017, Malaysian adults only require 1500mg of sodium each day. The WHO recommendation was based on evidence that states that consuming less than 2g of sodium a day would reduce blood pressure and thus also reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, stroke and heart attacks in adults. [4,9]

It is important to note that these recommendations also apply to healthy individuals. Studies have shown that excessive consumption of sodium (>5 grams per day) increased blood pressure, and has been linked to hypertension and many cardiovascular complications. Another study showed that a small reduction in salt intake for four or more weeks caused a significant fall in blood pressure for both healthy individuals and people with hypertension irrespective of age and gender.

Coming back to the Malaysian context, 1 in 3 Malaysians are hypertensive and studies show that most of us consume more than 1 teaspoon of salt a day! A study conducted amongst staff members from the Ministry of Health, Malaysia found that the average consumption of salt was 7.15 grams a day whereas it was even higher among young adults in Malaysian universities whereby they consumed an alarming 10.8 grams of salt per day!  Hence, even if you’re currently healthy with normal blood pressure, you ought to pay attention to your salt intake! [5,6]

Hidden Salts

Now let’s say that you cook most of your meals at home and you do not consume more than 1 teaspoon of salt from all the meals that you’ve prepared, you are still not out of the woods yet.

There is still a big food group that is the processed foods which we have to be weary about. The most effective method to reduce salt intake is to reduce the consumption of processed food.  A whooping 71% percent of our salt intake comes from processed food and food purchased outside while only 6% of our daily salt intake comes from the salt we add to cooking, with a further 5% from salt added after the food is served. [3]

What are the types of food that are packed with salt?

Processed food groups such as gravy and sauce contain the highest amount of salt that is 3.97g/100g followed closely by canned soup (2.95g/100g). Other types of high salt containing foods are processed meat, savoury snacks, instant noodles, salted biscuits and preserved food such as pickles, anchovies and dried prawns. [3]

Tips to reduce salt intake [3,6,9]

With all of that in mind, what can you actually do to lower your salt intake?

1. Use spices and fresh herbs to enhance the flavour of your food to replace salt.
2. Try to limit the usage of soy sauce, ketchup and gravies in your cooking.
3. Read and compare food labels to find foods with lower sodium content. Do note that there are other names for salt on  food labels such as sodium chloride, sodium nitrate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium benzoate, baking soda, disodium phosphate, sodium propionate and others.
4. Bring home cooked meals to work (you would have more control over your salt intake).
5. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables as snacks instead of processed food.

Do athletes need more salt? [10, 11, 12]

Do athletes or people who work out regularly actually need to take extra salt in their diet?

The answer is no, not necessarily.

On average, we consume sufficient sodium in our diet. However, it also depends on the individual. Individuals who have a high sweat rate (sweat a lot) and have a high sweat sodium concentration (sweat that contains a lot of salt) may be required to modify their refuelling strategies by consuming drinks that contain electrolytes and water at regular intervals.  

Will using other types of salt make a difference? [8]

I can imagine that some of you have already been thinking about this.

Using Himalayan salt is healthier, right?

Well, the answer is no, not exactly. There are many different types of salt in the market other than the conventional table salt such as Kosher salt, sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, Hawaiian salt, bamboo salt and others. All of these actually contain similar amounts of sodium, so it does not make much difference to your total sodium intake.

What about the minerals in these “healthier” salts? Well, to put things into perspective, you are only using a pinch in your cooking. Salt is not where you’re going to get most of your minerals from.

It is important that you stay in control and be mindful of your daily salt intake. At Nutrition Track, our advice is that it is ok to add salt to your food, but just don’t go overboard. It can make a huge difference that your future self will thank you for!  

Written by Nathaniel Keshan Rajah ~ an avid runner with a passion for nutrition and chronic disease management, student dietitan at IMU and intern at Nutrition Track

The post Salt: How much is too much? appeared first on Nutrition Track.