A deep dive into the science of the menstrual cycle, nutrition, and exercise. Evidence-based chats on hormones, training, and fuelling your body right!

We cover:

• 3:00 Underrepresentation of females in the scientific literature
• 6:00 Why a narrative review on dietary energy intake across the menstrual cycle was completed
• 7:15 Description of the evidence-base on the effect of the menstrual cycle phase on energy intake
• 9:10 Phases of the menstrual cycle
• 11:05 The effect of the menstrual cycle phase on energy intake
• 14:00 The effect of certain foods and macronutrients across the menstrual cycle
• 17:00 Any other interesting pieces of research since the 2023 narrative review
• 18:35 What else could be driving the increase/decrease of energy across the menstrual cycle?
• 19:10 Effect of the menstrual cycle phase on exercise performance and physiology
• 22:00 Katherine’s key message for women
• 24:00 Katherine’s thoughts on some of Dr Stacy Sims messages
• 29:15 Does timing of post-workout snack/meal matter?
• 32:00 Training across the menstrual cycle
• 35:00 How will this field of research progress over the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years!

One-liners you don’t want to miss:

"That second half I guess you could say, of the menstrual cycle after ovulation, energy intake is higher and there seems to be a little bit more of a consistent pattern, that energy intakes higher in that luteal phase than in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.”

“Try and have the unprocessed foods - fruits and vegetables, so basically increasing your micronutrient intake (your minerals and vitamins) could help alleviate some of those symptoms that might get around menstruation.”

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Amy Williams from the Good Food Institute Europe joins us to explore the alternative proteins landscape across Europe.

We cover:

• How alternative proteins are viewed across Europe now and previously
• What alternative proteins are people buying?
• What is happening in alternative protein research and how is it evolving?
• Alternative protein research and effects on health
• Alternative protein and nutritional adequacy
• What about plant-based milks?
• "Next Gen" alternative proteins

References

Story in Europe

• Sales reports
• European retailer initiatives on price parity and report on advantages for helping retailers meet emissions targets.
• Scitech reports on European research funding and publishing landscape
• UK research centres
• Danish PB action plan

Fermentation

• Precision fermentation page
• State of the industry fermentation report (global)

PB meat literature

• CVD systematic review and meta analysis
• Overall systematic review looking at health impacts as well as environmental impacts
• Eat-Lancet commentary on adequacy and role of APs
• RCTs exploring muscle synthesis rates in protein matched whole food and protein matched pb containing pb meat in elderly cohorts compared to conventional meat control.

Milk

• Germany dietary guidelines & advice on PB milk
• UK’s Food Foundation summary of PB milk considerations
• Iodine pape

UPF

• UPF page
• UK and French govt findings on evidence quality on UPF
• ‘Plant-sourced’ stud

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It's Pulses Week and this year I’ve teamed up with The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council and we are keeping it easy!

We cover:

• 10 easiest ways to include legumes (beans/peas) in your diet
• FREE e-RECIPE BOOK

One-liners you don’t want to miss:

“Legumes support a healthy gut, help improve overall health, are full of key nutrients like protein and fibre and reduce risk of chronic disease.”

“1 cup of cooked peas provides 8g of protein and because it is a plant protein, also provides fibre, about 8g. In terms of micronutrients, just to name a few - peas contain iron, zinc, vitamin C and vitamin K. “

“Now it doesn’t get much easier than canned legumes. Crack the can, drain the liquid and you have your beans. One of the easiest ones for forming a dish is the four bean mix can. I mean, who doesn’t love a 2 for 1 let alone a 4 for 1.”

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Sushi is a quick, easy, better-for-you takeaway option that is popular by many. It’s time to dig into the nutrition alongside Jiwi chef and 4th place getter on NZ Masterchef, Hana Kirk.

We cover:

• Behind the scenes Masterchef
• What is sushi?
• Differences between sushi in NZ/Aus vs Japan
• Changing landscape of sushi and diet in Japan
• What is actually in sushi
• Sugar in sushi rice
• Black/brown rice vs white rice
• How to make sushi
• Homemade sushi and how long it lasts
• How much soy sauce to have with sushi

One-liners you don’t want to miss:

“Teriyaki chicken sushi is not a thing in Japan.”

“Do a temaki sushi (cone-shaped sushi) at parties. It’s so much fun and it’s way quicker and you get to choose your filling for each bite you have which makes it really fun and interactive.”

“Traditionally, when you have the traditional sashimi, you only use a little bit of the soy sauce. And you don’t put the soy sauce on the sushi, you are meant to dip your sushi in the soy sauce on a little plate. Even pouring it on in Japan is a bit like…what are you doing…”

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Fern Ho, CEO and Co-Founder of The Leaf Protein Co. joins us to talk about a protein source you may have not heard about yet!

We cover:

• What is leaf protein?
• The extraction process
• Global competitor landscape
• Other plants and their protein extraction
• Commercialising leaf protein
• What stage is Leaf Protein Co. currently at?
• How is your product performing once applied to different formats and food matrices?
• What the future holds for Leaf Protein Co
• The future of the protein industry

One-liners you don’t want to miss:

“Rubisco protein enzyme can be found in pretty much any leaf of any pant on earth and this is how it comes to be this most abundant protein on earth.”

“To date is hasn’t been commercially made available. That’s potentially the nut we are trying to crack is to bring to market this amazing plant protein.”

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Welcome to The Weekly Motivation by Steph Polson, your go-to podcast for quick bursts of inspiration, accountability, and support. Every week, I’ll share practical tips, uplifting messages, and the encouragement you need to go beyond your goals. It’s about more than just achieving a goal—it's about the ongoing journey, building emotional resilience, and staying accountable along the way.

There is a typical health trajectory that Kiwi's and Aussie's follow. Find out if you are on this trajectory and what you can do about it!

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Subscriber-only episode

Welcome to The Weekly Motivation by Steph Polson, your go-to podcast for quick bursts of inspiration, accountability, and support. Every week, I’ll share practical tips, uplifting messages, and the encouragement you need to go beyond your goals. It’s about more than just achieving a goal—it's about the ongoing journey, building emotional resilience, and staying accountable along the way.

Are you on your weight loss journey and not celebrating what you would consider to be minor weight loss progress? There are many health benefits that come with even modest amounts of weight loss and you need to know about them!

Sunny Nathu left Auckland weighing 108kg, landed in Singapore for a work secondment, and said to himself that this has to stop, “if I go further down this path there is no turning back”. 6-months later Sunny has lost 15kg, well on his way to his 80kg goal weight, and is feeling better than ever!

We cover:

• 02.50: Sunny’s weight gain and poor trajectory of health prior to transformation
• 06.50: Weight loss attempts
• 09.30: Lack of sleep and it’s impact on health
• 11:00: The burning desire to feel fitter and healthier
• 12.10: What Sunny started to do when he landed in Singapore
• 15.25: The #1 Key Factor To Sunny’s Health & Weight Transformation
• 18:00: Competing priorities of social life and health
• 19:00: Other aspects of health that come with weight loss - mental health
• 22:00: Sunny’s final piece of advice
• 24.15: Your realisation moment - you truely believe this is what you want

One-liners you don’t want to miss:

“It seems so clear now, but I guess back then you are pushing through. You know you aren’t making the right choices but you go okay it’s just one choice here and one choice there and you forget that it is all adding up.”

“I was 108kg and I went I’ve got to change the course of my life and the only way I can do is by becoming fit and healthy. So that old thing of when you really want something and you believe you want something you will start to do anything to achieve that. Prior to that I wanted to lose weight and be fit and healthy, but did I truely believe that I wanted it? Maybe, not sure. But when I landed in Singapore I truely understood that is what I wanted and needed.”

“It can be a virtuous cycle or it can be a vicious cycle.”

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