Personal nutrition

I'm always curious as to the reason why one person can eat what they like without putting on weight whereas another person just has to look at a muffin and gain weight!

Until now there's a lack of scientific evidence to explain why the same foods can have different effects on individuals or on what might be causing these different responses.

🧬Some of these differences are down to genes which influence both our appetite and our weight. But research has shown that even identical twins have different waist lines despite having identical genes.

I discovered a trial called PREDICT 1 trial (or ZOE study) that really excited me as it has confirmed that individuals do respond differently to the same foods and discovered that although genes do play a role, it is a much smaller part than previously thought. They also identified some other modifiable factors. 💡This is exciting as it means that the majority of our response to food is modifiable and we should be focusing on these.

Lets look at these lifestyle factors that you can change to modify the way in which your body responds to food...

😴 🛏 Getting enough regular sleep..... Studies have shown that sleep is one of the key modifiable environmental factors that affect the way our bodies respond to food. The evidence shows that shift workers gain weight - sleeping less means you are more likely to consume sugary foods and therefore more likely to be obese. Getting enough sleep can proundly affect your hunger, appetite and metabolism.

🍽️ 🕒 Eating certain foods at the right time of the day..... Research has shown the body responses to high fat or high carbs better in the morning compared to the evening. This is being further researched in the ZOE study.

🏃‍♀️🤸 Being more active at the right time..... Research has shown that consuming a high carb meal and exercising immediately afterwards (or within 30 mins) there will be a large reduction in the size of the body's glucose peak. So go for that walk after dinner each night.

It really is about understanding your own personal nutrition response so you can make an informed choice to optimise your metabolism, manage your weight and therefore improve your long term health. Remember to try follow the healthy food guidelines as much as possible, consuming enough fibre and a wide variety of foods, fruits and vegetables. And avoiding highly processed foods.

Find out more about the PREDICT trials https://joinzoe.com/