Happy New Year! I like to start the year answering some of you health vs. hype questions about different diet trends you’re seeing or thinking of trying. I wrote this post last year at this time with some good information in it that still holds true.
Here are the questions I got when I asked you on IG for diet trends/health questions you had going into the new year.
Q: How does caffeine impacts women’s hormones?
I’m not an expert in this field, but per my research and understanding caffeine can make the body produce extra cortisol which can have a cascade like effect impacting other mechanisms in the body (ie. inflammation, blood pressure, etc.). Cortisol is not all bad. It SHOULD rise in the morning naturally and decrease throughout the day. If you’re chronically stressed (chronic high cortisol levels) caffeine could increase these symptoms. Women also metabolize caffeine slower than men (like we do alcohol) so it’s in our body longer; therefore, drinking coffee on an empty stomach is not ideal.
Women with issues like PMS, PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, or difficulty becoming pregnant should likely avoid or reduce caffeine intake.
In regards to estrogen, this study is very interesting showing that a 200 mg(2 cups coffee) intake of caffeine women increases estrogen levels in Asian women, while it lowers estrogen in white women (no significant change in black women’s levels), so that is something to keep in mind based on your estrogen status.
Lastly, if you’re coffee is a sugar bomb that will raise blood sugar which we don’t want for our hormones and if caffeine is impacting your quality of sleep that is a problem that will impact your hormones. All things to think about when consuming caffeine 😉
Q: Can you give more information on emotional eating and intuitive eating?
Yes, I spent many year training and working with eating disorders/disordered eating so this is an area that I’m passionate about. Here is a post I wrote about intuitive eating and I wrote this one on emotional/mindless eating.
Q: Collagen: health vs. hype?
There is so much confusing information out there on collagen, right?! Let’s start with what is collagen…collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and is a key constituent of all connective tissues. While it’s not an essential amino acid, it is a protein our bodies produce naturally, but it’s production declines as we age. Therefore, consuming a high quality collagen is said to have many positive health benefits such as: support bone & joint health, help encourage muscle mass, boost gut health, strengthen immune function, strengthen hair & nails, promote skin elasticity.
Verdict: IMO I think consuming collagen is healthy and could have potential health benefits, but not the cure all it claims to be. You can also get collagen from food sources by eating a protein rich diet along with Vitamin C rich foods to help the collagen building process.
While I do take collagen almost daily in my coffee, it wouldn’t be the top supplement I spend my $$ on if I had to choose. Quality is key! There is chatter about heavy metals in collagen supplements, so check out this article and scroll to the last page to see where your supplement falls on the list. If nothing else you’re getting extra protein in your diet by consuming it which we all mostly fall short in getting enough throughout the day.
Q: Is green juice healthy?
We love a green juice, but not one loaded with a ton of fruit. This is because a juicing fruits and veggies strip the of their fiber content and drinking the sugar from fruit without the fiber will spike blood sugar which we don’t want. You’re still getting vitamins and minerals (and hydration) from juices but stick to just veggies (light fruit) if you can. Think celery, cucumber, lemon, ginger, parsley, beets, carrots, etc. Spinach and kale don’t yield a lot of juice, so I’ve stopped wasting my time trying to juice them…save for the blender 😉
Blending your veggies into a smoothie is > than juice because you retain the fiber! I like to have both in my diet though. I just got this mini juicer and love it and of course it’s on sale now!
Q: Is Intermittent fasting healthy and/or good for weight loss?
I was initially very against this eating style because of my background in treating eating disorder. While I stand firm that this eating style is not appropriate for someone with an active or recent history of an eating disorder/disordered eating behaviors I have recently thrown myself into the research and have a much better understanding of the health benefits related to this eating style. Andrew Huberman does a very nice review of IF and the studies to back up the health claims on this podcast episode.
Intermittent fasting is a style of eating in which you go without food for a certain amount of time each day. There are several different IF styles like time restricted eating, 12 hour fasting, alternate day fasting, 5:2 fasting, once a month fasting, and I’m sure their are more.
There are so many different styles or plans of IF (this article can be helpful in explaining), so if this is something you’re interested in trying I recommend doing your research first and don’t just jump into it a 16 hour fast 😉
Pros: For many people this way of eating can help simplify eating because there is a smaller window of time to have to make food decisions. Possible health benefits: weight loss, improve blood sugar balances and reduce insulin levels, reduced inflammation, heart health, autophagy (is the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells) and the list of potential benefits goes on.
Cons: Like I said, this is not an appropriate diet for anyone with an active or recent history of an eating disorder. This eating style can be a set up for binge eating episodes, obsessive thoughts about food, or other disordered eating behaviors. The research is mixed, but IMO prolonged fasting (>12 hours) is also not ideal for a women trying to conceive.
Q: What the deal with NSNG?
NSNG (no sugar no grains) isn’t really a formal diet per se, but guidelines to try and follow. It’s essentially a very low carb diet. While, I can appreciate trying to focus on protein, fresh vegetables and fruit and avoiding added sugars I think eliminating all grains is extreme and unnecessary for health. Grains like quinoa, whole wheat, oats, etc can have a healthy place in our diet.
While I agree, this doesn’t need to make up the majority of our diet we need carbs for energy. We could argue that you actually don’t need carbs and you’re body can produce energy from fat and protein- sure we can talk glyconeogensis if you’d like, but you’ll probably feel a lot better if you just have more some carbs in your diet 😉
When thinking of starting any new diet/eating plan- ask yourself this question: is this something I can do for at least 6 months? If the answer is no then this style of eating is likely not a sustainable or realistic way of eating and will continue to put you on a yo-yo eating rollercoaster which I’m trying to help you get off. Balance is key 😉
xx, A
