Thinking Nutrition

In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the potential negative health effects of lectins. What are lectins? They’re a type of protein found in many plant foods such as legumes, wholegrains and some fruits and vegetables. If you take YouTube clips and popular diet books on their word, then these lectins are harmful to human health and are a major driver of inflammation, weight gain and many chronic diseases. Of course, to believe all this, you need to suspend the reality that humans have been eating these foods for thousands of years and it is only in modern times that we have been hit with all these major health problems. But hey, we need to blame it all on something I guess and lectins seem like a great way to sell books and get website clicks. In this podcast, I’ll explore the role of lectins in the diet, the alleged health risks, and counter that with the health benefits of eating lectin-containing foods. Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

It is something that all regular and not-so-regular exercisers have experienced: muscle pain and soreness in the days following a particularly hard training session. It is the price paid for the benefits exercise, especially resistance training, can have on growing muscle mass and strength, stability, glucose tolerance and bone density. The list of ways that people deal with exercise-induced muscle soreness is long, but in this podcast, I’ll explore one aspect. And that’s how protein helps with the recovery process and how it can be doing you good even if the aches and pains don’t feel any less. Links referred to in the podcast https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-022-01250-yhttps://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Olive oil is a core staple in a Mediterranean-style diet. And it is for good reasons that it takes a central place as a ‘go to’ salad and cooking oil in kitchens around the world. In this age where too many foods are dubiously anointed with the title of ‘superfood’, extra virgin olive oil may just be one food deserving of this name in the oil category. In this podcast, I’ll look at the unique properties of olive oil and delve into what the scientific evidence says about its health benefits. Links referred to in the podcast https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1041203/fullhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030221https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/74/4/267/1807413Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

If you’re active on social media in the health and nutrition space, it’s very likely you’ve seen health advice over the last few years warning you about the evils of seed oils. These seed oils are toxic don’t you know? And they’re blamed for a whole host of health ills such as inflammation, lowered immunity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and more. But the reality about seed oils is far less scary and there are few health concerns you need worry about. And likely quite a few health benefits to be gained by having them. In this podcast, I’ll look at what seed oils are, explain where all those health warnings have come from and put this all into context for what it means for your health and the foods you choose to eat. Links referred to in the podcast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30971107https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD011094.pub4/fullhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33084958Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Nightshades are a group of plants that belong to the Solanaceae family. They include some very commonly eaten foods such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and potatoes. These foods have been eaten for centuries by many cultures around the world and are considered a staple food in many traditional diets. Despite this, if you go digging into ‘health and wellness’ advice on the Internet, you’ll sometimes come across health warnings about nightshades. Digestive issues and inflammation feature prominently. In this podcast, I explore the evidence for any health harms arising from eating nightshades and put this into context for the many health benefits that they also provide. Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

From the common cold right through to the flu, it is something most people are faced with many times over in their life. And all of us could do with less coughing, sore throat, runny nose, body aches and fatigue in our lives. Our gut microbiota plays an important part in our immune system, so scientists for some years have looked at how changing our gut microbiota could influence respiratory tract infections. In this podcast, I’ll look at the current state of play for the role of supplemental probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics in tackling acute respiratory tract infections. Links referred to in the podcast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35948276Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

What we eat is increasingly recognised as an important element in influencing fertility. With almost one in six couples experiencing fertility problems, knowing more about lifestyle factors such as diet that can alter this has major consequences. Most research in this area has focused on specific nutrients or food groups. But we don’t eat foods or nutrients - we eat whole diets which are described as dietary patterns. In this podcast episode, I profile new research into the area of dietary patterns and fertility to see what clues it can give to an optimal ‘fertility diet’. Links referred to in the podcast https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/116/5/1441/6747661Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Food porn is all about posting and engaging with photos of desirable and stylised food on social media. And those digital images can do real things to our brains. Researchers are now digging below the surface level of social media trends and are exploring how the sharing of food porn images can influence the food choices we make. In this podcast, I look at how that influence can help nudge us in the direction of better food choices. Links referred to in the podcast https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-022-01139-whttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2630753Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term that describes chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the two most common forms of IBD. In recent years, research into the role of diet in the cause and treatment of IBD has been gaining traction. In this podcast episode, I look at some of that evolving research into potential dietary triggers linked to causing IBD as well as possible treatments for managing IBD with diet. Links referred to in the podcast https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-021-01051-9https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.574533/fullEpisode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

For decades, carbohydrates have been at the centre of sports nutrition guidelines to help maximise physical performance and maintain muscle glycogen levels. But interest in an alternative approach, that being very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets, has been growing for some time. With the dual aim of reducing body fat and enhancing the use of fat as a primary fuel source during exercise, there are plenty of glowing social media testimonials attesting to the benefits of this way of eating for athletes. But the research evidence for some years has been painting a very different, and often, opposing picture. And that’s what I explore in this podcast episode when I look at the findings of a recent systematic review on the topic of how the keto diet performs on exercise performance and body composition in athletes and trained individuals. Links referred to in the podcast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35757868Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 50. AMD is a progressive disease seen as damage to the retina, which can lead to permanent central vision loss and even blindness. Good nutrition is important for eye health. And for many years, a range of nutrients have been specifically promoted as having a role in helping to protect the eye from AMD progression. Much of the evidence to support the role of nutrition in AMD has come from observational research. But there have been some long-term clinical trials using specific nutritional supplements that give a clue to what may work. In this podcast episode, I profile the results from a follow-up study to one of the biggest intervention studies in this area. Links referred to in the podcast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35653117Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Eczema is a general term for rash-like skin conditions with atopic dermatitis being the most common form. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterised by itching and recurrent eczema patches. Up to 20 percent of children can be affected by atopic dermatitis, but even in adults, it is far from uncommon with prevalence rates of between 1 and 3 percent. One growing area of study in the cause and treatment of atopic dermatitis is the role of the gut and skin microbiome through its effects on our immune system. One area of interest is the role of probiotics in treating eczema. And while much of the research here has been on infants and children, there has been a growing evidence base for adults as well. And that’s what I’ll be exploring in this podcast. Links referred to in the podcast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35670101Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

It was my second ever podcast episode released way back in February of 2020, but it has proven to be the most popular. It was titled The User’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting. Now, it is time to revisit the topic of intermittent fasting with an update on the clinical evidence for how fasting stacks up for its effects on body weight and metabolic health compared to other ways of eating. And that’s what I’ll be exploring in this episode by profiling the results of a recent review on this topic. Links referred to in the podcast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35586738Episode transcript| To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Advice to ‘eat the rainbow’ has been circulating in the nutrition sphere for some time. And no, it is not a call to action to get more Skittles in your life. Instead, it is all about choosing a variety of fruits and vegetables primarily based on their colour. Red, blue, orange, purple, yellow and green are the important colours here. And those colours occur because of the presence of a family of different polyphenol and other phytonutrient and other phytonutrients naturally found in foods. It is those coloured pigments that could explain many of the health benefits from eating these foods on your longevity, body weight, blood lipids and risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In this podcast episode, I’ll explore the science behind ‘eating the rainbow’. Links referred to in the podcast https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/13/4061/htmEpisode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

If variety is the spice of life, then for some, a hot chilli dish is the ultimate way to add spice to life. But outside of the Mexican fiesta party happening inside your mouth and the waterworks from your sweat glands, could there be some benefits for your health? It's time to turn up the heat on chillies as I look at the science and health benefits linked to eating them. Links referred to in the podcast https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-77983-2https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/16/4/article-p464.xmlEpisode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are a popular sports supplement with bodybuilders and athletes. But you don’t need to look for them in a bottle as our diet naturally contains them as part of the amino acid building blocks of protein. With claims of increased muscle protein synthesis, decreased muscle protein breakdown, enhanced endurance and less muscle soreness, they seem to be an essential supplement that no athlete can do without. In this episode, I’ll look at those claims and explore the evidence. TL;DR – save your money on BCAA supplements and just eat a variety of high-protein foods which is what athletes pretty much do already. Links referred to in the podcast https://www.ais.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/1000417/36182_Supplements-fact-sheets_BCAA-v4.pdfEpisode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Counselling and medication gain most of the treatment attention for depression, but the promise of dietary changes to help to improve the outlook of people with depression and other common conditions such as anxiety is gaining traction. Welcome to the rapidly moving world of nutritional psychiatry which is uncovering key links between diet and mental health. And one such dietary pattern, the Mediterranean diet, is now building a research base behind it to support a change to the dietary themes this diet promotes to help improve mental health. And that’s what I’ll be exploring more about in this podcast episode. Links referred to in the podcast https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-yhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29215971https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35441666Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Nitrates are inorganic compounds found in many vegetables such as spinach, celery, radishes, and lettuce, but beetroot is one of the highest sources. Nitrate contributes to the production of nitric oxide, which has an important role to play in immune function as well as regulating the tone of blood vessels which impacts blood pressure. In this podcast, I look at the evidence for using nitrate-rich beetroot juice to treat high blood pressure as well as its role as a supplement to improve athletic performance. Links referred to in the podcast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35369064https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/7/439Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal complaints. With no one single identified trigger or treatment, IBS can be a minefield for a person to try and get on top of. Diet changes are one area that can have a positive impact on IBS and in this podcast, I’ll look at the current evidence for different approaches with a focus on the popular low-FODMAP diet as well as probiotic supplements. Links referred to in the podcast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30046155https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35355730Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition Twitter: CroweTim

Magnesium is a key mineral that is essential for muscle contractions and nerve transmission while also keeping your heart beating steadily and your immune system strong. Of the many health conditions linked to magnesium, it is poor sleep quality that often comes up as a reason to take magnesium supplements. In this podcast, I’ll look at the latest evidence for magnesium and sleep. And then I’ll profile the main food sources of magnesium and critique the merits of the many different supplemental forms of magnesium. Links referred to in the podcast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35184264Episode transcript To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com Connect with me Instagram: doctimcrowe Facebook: Thinking Nutrition