ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

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simonineaston
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ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by simonineaston »

Considering we’re a group that takes health in general seriously and so too nutrition, probably, I’d be surprised if there weren't any users of the Zoe blood sugar monitoring / dietary advice product. Any experience of same, anybody?
screenshot of web page…
screenshot of web page…
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Pendodave
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Joined: 3 Jun 2020, 8:27am

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by Pendodave »

I listen to the pod every now and then, but have no intention of paying for their services!
I'm not convinced of the benefit (to me) when I generally follow the advice given, eat well and consider myself to be fairly fit and healthy.
I wonder if there is a specific demographic that would benefit more than others for their services?
Aikon
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Joined: 4 Jan 2011, 11:00pm

ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by Aikon »

I ponied up for a year, six months would have been enough, learned a lot about food, nutrition & my response to it, I’m lighter, leaner & sleep significantly better. The microbiome score was very high, I guess due to a reasonable diet, having pets, exercising outdoors a lot, and not taking antibiotics in nearly twenty years now.
The Path Racer
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Joined: 13 Aug 2023, 10:18am

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by The Path Racer »

Pendodave wrote: 29 Dec 2024, 7:10pm I listen to the pod every now and then, but have no intention of paying for their services!
I'm not convinced of the benefit (to me) when I generally follow the advice given, eat well and consider myself to be fairly fit and healthy.
I wonder if there is a specific demographic that would benefit more than others for their services?
I've watched many of their videos. It all seems pretty sound advice to me. Essentially they advocate a diet based on a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts. Throw in a few fermented foods such as natural yogurt, kefir and cheese because they don't have the same effect as unfermented dairy on cholesterol. No ultra processed food allowed.
I don't really see much point in paying for the kit. Just follow the advice, it's free. It's essentially the Med diet or at least very close to it.
PT1029
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Joined: 16 Apr 2012, 9:20pm

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by PT1029 »

Some people in our club use Zoe, I have heard them moaning about it on rides, I asked what they thought, this is what I got: -
"Three have signed up and paid.
The diet is good. The difficulties have been with the company not fulfilling the contract. Though two have resolved this recently
"
LittleGreyCat
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Joined: 7 Aug 2013, 8:31pm

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by LittleGreyCat »

As a T2 diabetic I already have my health monitored, including regular blood glucose testing.
I can't see any extra value in paying for this, and I suspect that the advice about a balanced diet does not cater for diabetics who need a low carbohydrate diet.
anniefuruk
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Joined: 11 Jun 2012, 7:05pm

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by anniefuruk »

I've just done the Zoe plan, I've been veggie/vegan almost all my life and didn't think I needed anything like Zoe as a lifelong cyclist/gym goer/swimmer/you name it, I've done it. Then out of the blue, I was told by the GP that I was prediabetic.

I have learned a hell of a lot in the last couple of months. It isn't just the Mediterranean diet though it's like it. It's an entire new way of thinking about how your body handles food (carbs, fat, fibre and protein), even NHS dieticians support it, I'm told. Yes, it does cost but it's based on research and science, why do people always want something for nothing?

You get to wear a glucose sensor for two weeks, I knew carbs put weight on my middle but I was shocked seeing the spikes every time I ate carbs and constant glucose spikes are a sign that your body isn't sensitive to insulin anymore and ultimately, ignoring what's happening can lead to diabetes type 2 and a failing pancreas. You get a lot of help with learning how to smooth out those spikes and the dips that follow, this comes from coaches and from a large number of support groups all set up in an easily accessible app.

I now recommend it to everyone, I've lost weight, my waist and hip measurement has shrunk and I've got loads of energy. Some people always complain, I do my share but Zoe is worth it.
anniefuruk
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Joined: 11 Jun 2012, 7:05pm

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by anniefuruk »

Oh and it's not just about carbs, apparently some people's bodies struggle to digest fat, who knew that the digestive system of some is slow clearing fats!
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simonineaston
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Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by simonineaston »

Thanks for the useful comment, annie, which has been helpful to read.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
The Path Racer
Posts: 57
Joined: 13 Aug 2023, 10:18am

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by The Path Racer »

anniefuruk wrote: 7 Feb 2025, 8:31pm I've just done the Zoe plan, I've been veggie/vegan almost all my life and didn't think I needed anything like Zoe as a lifelong cyclist/gym goer/swimmer/you name it, I've done it. Then out of the blue, I was told by the GP that I was prediabetic.

I have learned a hell of a lot in the last couple of months. It isn't just the Mediterranean diet though it's like it. It's an entire new way of thinking about how your body handles food (carbs, fat, fibre and protein), even NHS dieticians support it, I'm told. Yes, it does cost but it's based on research and science, why do people always want something for nothing?

You get to wear a glucose sensor for two weeks, I knew carbs put weight on my middle but I was shocked seeing the spikes every time I ate carbs and constant glucose spikes are a sign that your body isn't sensitive to insulin anymore and ultimately, ignoring what's happening can lead to diabetes type 2 and a failing pancreas. You get a lot of help with learning how to smooth out those spikes and the dips that follow, this comes from coaches and from a large number of support groups all set up in an easily accessible app.

I now recommend it to everyone, I've lost weight, my waist and hip measurement has shrunk and I've got loads of energy. Some people always complain, I do my share but Zoe is worth it.
It's not always about wanting something for nothing, some people simply can't afford it.
I tried the blood sugar test although I did not have a continuous blood sugar monitor. I was having to do a prick test at set times after eating various carbs. I must be one of the lucky ones because I didn't read any significant spikes.
Jezrant
Posts: 999
Joined: 14 Dec 2007, 8:11pm

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by Jezrant »

My wife and I did it when it first became available in the UK mainly out of curiosity. Neither of us had any significant health issues nor any need to lose weight (we'd previously tried Michael Moseley's, RIP, 5:2 diet to see what intermittent fasting was all about, also mainly out of curiosity). I signed up for 3 months, she 6. Annie rightly highlights that you can closely monitor blood sugar spikes in the initial period and see how long it takes for you to clear fats. During that initial phase while wearing the blood glucose monitor, you are also encouraged to experiment with how the sequence of foods you eat can affect your blood sugar spikes. You also get some general but fascinating data about the composition your own gut bacteria. It would be better if they tested you again at the end of the subscription to show what's changed. My main gripe with Zoe was you lose your data after your subscription ends, or at least that's how it was when we did it. I am also not 100% convinced by a few of Spector's more controversial ideas. Overall, however, there's a lot of good advice and info, and if you follow it, you can make some real improvements in your diet and your health that hopefully last. It is a bit like the Mediterranean diet, but Zoe gives you a personalised understanding of how and why it works. That better understanding of how and why it works for you personally seems to increase the chances of you sticking with it longer. In our cases, my wife and I tweaked our already pretty good diets thanks to Zoe and have stuck to many of those little changes. You can incorporate many of these things from simply watching the Zoe podcasts, but my gut feeling, ha ha, is that the new habits become more deeply ingrained when you do the programme.
axel_knutt
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Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 12:20pm

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by axel_knutt »

I've been quite tempted by this just out of interest, but the main things that put me off are:

I assume you need a smart phone, and I don't have one.
Following the advice re number of different plants is nigh on impossible when supermarkets don't sell them in the quantities you need.
If there's any exercise prescribed, I won't be able to do it.

I'd be interested to find out about gut bacteria, and sugar spikes though.
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
Jezrant
Posts: 999
Joined: 14 Dec 2007, 8:11pm

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by Jezrant »

as far as I remember, you need some sort of device with a camera to scan and enter food products at the start.* one of the attractions of Zoe is the tracking of everything you eat. it’s also one of the downsides as it’s tedious and time-consuming. they may have improved/simplified this aspect since then.
*just checked; thought you could run the app on any mobile device like an ipad, but that’s wrong. only works on an iphone or android smartphone. we did it on our iphones. the app worked fine. support was patchy however, but again they may have sorted those early teething problems. you also use your phone with the blood glucose sensor (Abbott Freestyle Libre).

you don’t need large quantities of different plant-based foods, but it encourages you to diversify your diet, which in turn should diversify your gut flora. you can eat whatever you want, and as little or as much as you want, but you may quickly discover that replacing some of your usual foods with, say, more veg, legumes, nuts and seeds, etc will be very beneficial. the more open you are to trying out new foods and recipes, the more you’ll get out of zoe.

there are no prescribed exercises.

hth
Pendodave
Posts: 720
Joined: 3 Jun 2020, 8:27am

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by Pendodave »

axel_knutt wrote: Following the advice re number of different plants is nigh on impossible when supermarkets don't sell them in the quantities you need.
I think plants is easier than you think. As an example, I had over 20 just today...

Breakfast - weatabix, sprinkled with a mixture of 4 different seeds (flax,chia, sunflowe,pumpkin) and some mixed nuts (Brazil, almond, hazelnut)
Lunch - humous (chickpea) and coleslaw (red&white onion, cabbage) on toast.
Dinner - monkfish with caponate (toms, aubergine, celery, red onion, olive, capers), steamed broccoli, warmed mixed bean salad in vinaigrette (4 different beans).
Everything available in my nearest emporium...
The Path Racer
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Joined: 13 Aug 2023, 10:18am

Re: ZOE, nutrition and a new year…

Post by The Path Racer »

At first I had terrible trouble reaching the 30 per week, now I've reached around 40. It's taken me a couple of years to get to that number. Unfortunately I was very poor with vegetables, still are to a certain extent. However things like nuts, seeds, beans, pulses and fruit I'm perfectly fine with. Bell peppers helped me somewhat, the different colours count as 4. Spinach , which I would never eat, now gets 'hidden' in a curry. I'm positively addicted to my snack of 5 different nuts, high cocoa chocolate followed by coffee, what a combination!
It can all be had from virtually any supermarket. Just try to stay away from processed foods with the additives and read the labels carefully. I'm not entirely free from them but I must have reduced my consumption of them by 95%.
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