ZOE NUTRITION NEW THREAD- anyone want to join in?

[LisaLovedUp]

I've started a new thread as my previous one was titled for techie stuff.
If anyone is fairly new to this please join in and we can share!

I am now on Day 4. All tests done and now recording my food each day. It takes me ages as my phone is slow (needs replacing) and some things I eat aren't listed (it relies a lot on packaged foods.)

eg yesterday I made a veggie curry and the only options were branded readymade ones so I just had to pick one I felt was close enough, rather than itemise every veggie in the one I made.

I noticed this as some 'negative' feedback on another platform.

Has everyone/anyone done the advanced health questionnaire? I started it but gave up. I felt it was more for their data gathering (which is fine to an extent) but also very intrusive and I didn't want to give my personal medical history when it may not be 100% safe from hackers.

I'm going to feedback on this to them.

My blood sugar readings so far are in the 4 - 5.4 range mainly although on a couple of mornings it was below 4. The highest was 7.3 after a sweet dessert ( a one-off for me - out with friends) plus ice cream.

Any tips from more experienced users welcome!

I'm also really enjoying the BH monitoring. Today the jacket potato was also worse than the mince pie. In fact it was the worst glucose spike since I started testing and took ages to go back down. Plus it was almost a fiver from the work canteen and was generally rubbish. Note to self, remember to take lunch. I've had a cracking headache all day but can't see how this is related as I haven't been doing anything different yet.

My risotto with grilled veg barely registered.

The bread challenge starts tomorrow! Interested to see the results. How long did it take for your test results to come back?

@Wazzzzzuuuuuuup Shame about the spuds! Same for me but rice was the same- even brown basmati.

I've had a message on the app from Zoe that they are working on my results and the gut health one is still in progress. Estimated date for my results is mid December - that would be 4 weeks after sending off the kit.

That’s true. I don’t think I’ll bother to be honest, I’ve had my results now and am trying to eat in line with them and feeling good so far. Stuff like rice and pasta scores quite low for me but if I eat it with lots of veg it bumps up easily.

Hi, I've been using Zoe for 4 months and I'm a total convert. I've got a referral link if you need it, it won't be any cheaper for you but I think it provides quicker access.

Has anyone gotten to the end of the program and canceled their membership?

I joined in August, and paid for 4 mths membership which is due to expire. I don't really need to remain a member as I feel I've learned enough from the experience to have completely changed the way I eat and let's face it, who can afford to pay membership fees every month for eternity - but I wondered if they offered any cheaper rates or 'come back to us' incentives to people who have finished the program and canceled?

Thanks,

JellyBelly

I cancelled just yesterday.

When I first heard about this programme, I was very starry eyed about it. It seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.

I spent the time between first hearing about it and finally joining, informing myself about these matters.

As a result, I felt that the programme far from teaching me anything simply confirmed what I had already worked out from first principles. I'm glad I did it, to have my own research confirmed. I would not have signed up for anymore than the minimum amount of coaching and would have saved money by just paying for the tests without the programme.

Having put all that effort in, I was a tad disappointed by the level at which coaching in the app was pitched, including the way questions were pleased.

Did anyone every answer anything other than 'all of the above' when reviewing the benefits? Perhaps if I had been trying to follow the programme when distracted by other demands on my time, rather than prioritising it absolutely, I might have been more in tune with it.

Overall it's been interesting and I'm not sorry I did the programme. However, I didn't need to sign up for twelve months to learn what there was to learn which is essentially (through gritted teeth) everything my mother told me about nutrition turned out to be absolutely spot on and that my much more rigorous all-or-nothing approach will not be successful long term. Sigh.

Oh and yes, jacket potato with beans and cheese was my absolute worst meal during the BG testing by a mile!

ditto. SOB! 😭

@FinallyHere and @MrJellyBelly
Interesting posts.

I looked into the cost of individual tests for gut health, blood tests and the Libre BGM. In total, they seemed to come to roughly £250 or more ( a gut health test is around £180, Libre is £50 a month, blood tests- who knows?)

I felt the Zoe plan was worth it but I've just signed for 1 month's coaching.

So far it's confirmed my instincts on refined carbs, but I need to know my scores in relation to other people, to know if mine are good or bad. I don't know if any individual tests would have done that.

I also have a few food intolerances, giving me some IBS symptoms, so I want to know my gut health , and if missing out some foods is making my symptoms better or worse.

I'll be disappointed if the results don't tell me as much as I hope, but I can't judge until they come through.

Well I'm finding it absolutely fascinating so far tbh. I've just finished the 5 days of carbs plus fats testing, I had no idea that exercise, even just a walk, after a meal, helped keep the blood sugar low.

In a fit of enthusiasm I signed up for the year - so I hope it'll be worth it!

I have also just finished the 5 days of glucose challenges. I have learnt that eating plain carbs does me no favours, and whilst I am unlikely to be munching on three slices of dry bread, there are times when I eat a couple of plain oatcakes or crackers, and I've been eating a plain mid morning banana for the last 25 years or so as my 'healthy snack'.

I will definitely be more aware of the combination of foods I eat. As a non meat eater I am very carb heavy, but have been surprised to see the risotto and curry with basmati rice have not spiked my glucose too high ( presumably because of the foods I'm combining with), but the pasta and potatoes were worse.

I'm already making small changes. Rather than a sandwich for my lunch yesterday, I had a salad with balsamic vinaigrette and had a slice of tiger bread with hummus after I'd eaten the salad. My glucose barely registered a notch, so that was interesting, and really no hardship as I was eating the same foods but in different quantities and in a different order.

I had a pint and a half of lager watching the football last night. An hour afterwards was the first time by glucose has dipped ( showing 3.4 on my bgm). I'm guessing this is what drives the snacking I feel compelled to do after a couple of drinks!

I found similar things @Wazzzzzuuuuuuup but also that combining foods with carbs made little difference. I was amazed that I got spikes with 'healthy' brown basmati and wonder if brown long grain might be different? I didn't have any in or have the chance to try it. I found the same with a banana, but also that after a quick 20 min walk, my score fell by 3 points and back to its resting level of around 4.

Interestingly, oat cakes seemed ok for me, so swapping gluten free bread for oat cakes (with boiled/ scrambled eggs) hardly changed my BG.

High quality chocolate (75%) with hardly any sugar made little difference - one square - only raised it by 1 point.

I'm expecting my full results in just over a week.
Am really interested in my gut health as I have a bit of IBS and wonder if putting back some foods might help.

@Wazzzzzuuuuuuup

salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Balsamic vinegar was one of the things that spiked my BG alot 😃

I’ve had my results! The app is now so much better and I can check personalised scores for foods now and enter recipes. It asked me to choose a start date for my ‘plan’ so I chose Sunday as I’m busy at work this week, but I’m still entering my food. It’s already making me more aware of what I’m eating and how I can improve my scores. Loving it so far 😃

How long did it take @madame for your results to come back?

My day 1 was 22 Oct and I got my results 17 Nov.

We will draw a veil over yesterday's beige buffet at work. It didn't even feel like a treat, and two hours later my stomach was audibly growling "WTF, this isn't lentils!" at me. I've had kefir, apple and nuts for breakfast.

@msrinky ugh, beige buffets are still in my future. It's like a hell of eating where you never really feel full and you can't actually quantify what you've actually eaten.

I've been off work for a few days this week and had a couple of meals out, which I've found so much more difficult than my normal eating routine. I am trying hard to plan what I may have in what order whilst still being aware that I am really in the testing phase. Even if my glucose spikes (I'm looking at you, Bailey's!) that is all learning

@Wazzzzzuuuuuuup test day was 9th November and I got my results on Monday.

My kit has just arrived. I was thinking of starting on Sunday so I should freeze the muffins is that correct? (They look most unappetising!)

Check the use by date @Norachance they might not need to be frozen.

I've signed up for January and am waiting for my kit / further instructions. Very interesting to hear all your discoveries. Do they tell you that a high sugar score is something to avoid? Why is it such a big deal?

YES - That's exactly what they are like! And squeaky . . . Lunch ones much better. I recommend taking muffins out of the paper cupcake wrappers before zapping them for 30 seconds in microwave.I didn't on breakfast but did on the lunch ones . . . Seemed to help!

If all food tasted like the three muffins I wouldn't have spent my life dieting

The instructions are not clear- my blood test is showing as overdue whereas my yo do list shows it should be done after lunch. Anyone know the answer as the help desk is not replying?

Sorry @Norachance might be too late now, but hopefully you followed the instructions and did your blood test in the afternoon (something like 3 hours after eating the lunch muffins I think from memory). That’s the worst bit done for you now 👏