The Nutrition Couch

Should You Trust AI for Diet Advice? What Dietitians Actually Think, Plus the Best Gluten-Free Products in Australian Supermarkets Right Now

Everyone is asking AI about their diet. Recipes, meal plans, protein targets, what to eat for weight loss. And some of what it spits out is genuinely useful. Some of it is wrong. And some of it, as one American celebrity found out the hard way after buying a fake celebrity-endorsed Jell-O diet, can actually make you unwell. This week Leanne and Susie give their honest take on exactly what AI can and cannot do when it comes to nutrition, where it is actually worth using, and the specific reasons why it will never replace the kind of personalised advice that accounts for who you actually are. Then they go deep on one of the most-requested topics the show has ever had: a comprehensive guide to the best gluten-free products in Australian supermarkets right now. In this episode: The Jell-O diet scandal that kicked off this conversation, why fake celebrity diet endorsements generated by AI are now a genuine public health concern, and how to spot them Where AI genuinely helps with nutrition, including getting recipe ideas from pantry leftovers, converting a meal plan into a shopping list, and even making your food photography look better The critical limitations of AI diet advice: why it defaults to population averages, cannot account for your individual nutrient needs, does not know the Australian supermarket, and will simply agree with whatever you tell it rather than pushing back when you are wrong Why accountability is the single biggest thing AI cannot replicate, and why that matters more than most people realise when it comes to actually getting results The gluten-free product guide for Australian supermarkets in 2025: Leanne and Susie's current recommendations across bread, crackers, cereals, frozen meals, sauces, snacks, and more, including the specific brands and products they actually recommend to their celiac and gluten-intolerant clients Why newly diagnosed celiac clients make one consistent mistake with gluten-free eating, and the simple shift that saves money and dramatically improves nutrition at the same time The Health Lab Pistachio and Rose Protein Super Treat reviewed: beautiful packaging, white chocolate as the first ingredient, and 12% saturated fat. Is it a protein bar or a chocolate bar with good PR? How to eat well after leaving home on a tight budget: the smartest protein sources for young people who have zero cooking experience, very little money, and a toaster Shop Designed by Dietitians: If your diet needs a boost of protein, creatine, magnesium, or collagen, explore the evidence-based range formulated by two Australian dietitians at designedbydietitians.com Keep sharing The Nutrition Couch with the people in your life who need it. Over 5.5 million downloads and counting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What to Eat to Optimise Fertility, and the Blood Tests Every Woman in Her 20s and 30s Should Actually Be Getting

If you are thinking about having a baby in the next year or two, or you have been trying for a while and wondering if your nutrition could be doing more, this episode is a genuinely useful place to start. And if you are in your 20s or 30s and have not had a blood test recently because you feel fine and assume everything is probably okay, Leanne and Susie have something to say about that too. This week on The Nutrition Couch, they dig into the nutrition and lifestyle strategies that actually move the needle on fertility outcomes, what the research says about diet patterns, key nutrients, and male fertility, and the common mistakes that quietly work against conception that most women have never been told about. In this episode: The Australian longitudinal study of over 5,000 women linking anti-inflammatory dietary patterns to better fertility outcomes, and what that actually looks like on a plate day to day The key nutrients that appear time and time again in fertility research: omega-3s, vitamin D, vitamin E, and natural folate, why food sources beat supplements in almost every case, and the one supplement Susie did take during pregnancy The MTHFR gene mutation: what it is, how common it is, why women with this mutation should not be taking synthetic folate in standard prenatal supplements, and how to find out if you have it Why male fertility contributes to 40 to 50% of fertility challenges and is chronically overlooked, and what partners should actually be doing differently The under-eating and overtraining pattern that silently disrupts ovulation and hormonal health even in women who appear to be doing everything right The truth about caffeine and fertility: the research does not say what most people assume, and Susie explains exactly how much is genuinely safe if you are trying to conceive The blood tests Leanne recommends for every woman in her 20s and 30s, including the ones most GPs do not automatically order, and the vague symptoms that are easy to dismiss but might actually signal something easily fixed Why low ferritin is one of the most underdiagnosed and undertreated issues in young Australian women, and Susie's case study of a client whose iron had been dangerously low for two decades without anyone properly addressing it The Harvest Pantry Protein Smoothie reviewed: clean ingredients, impressive packaging, and a protein claim on the front of the pack that requires an asterisk the size of a footnote to actually be true The nine-month-old baby and solids question: how much milk is too much, why iron should be the focus of every meal at this age, and the feeding order that makes a bigger difference than most parents realise Shop Designed by Dietitians: Looking to support your protein, creatine, magnesium, or collagen intake with evidence-based supplements made in Australia? Visit designedbydietitians.com Keep sharing The Nutrition Couch with the women in your life. This is exactly the kind of episode worth passing on.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every Supermarket Chicken Schnitzel Ranked: The Winners, the Duds, and What the Label Is Not Telling You

Most Australians eat chicken schnitzel regularly. Most are unknowingly buying one where barely a third of the product is actually chicken. This week Leanne and Susie went through every pre-crumbed and frozen chicken schnitzel option across Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi, checked the labels, compared the protein and chicken percentages, and came back with a definitive ranking of which ones are genuinely worth buying and which ones are quietly ripping you off. Spoiler: the best option in the whole supermarket is not what most people expect. In this episode: A full ranking of supermarket chicken schnitzels by chicken percentage and protein content, including the specific products from Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, Lilydale, Steggles, and Cleavers Organic that Leanne and Susie actually recommend Why some schnitzels are as low as 28% chicken, what is filling the rest of the product, and the one word to look for on the label that almost always signals a better option Why a chicken schnitzel from the supermarket has roughly half the protein and double the calories of a plain chicken breast, and how to build it into a meal without undoing your nutrition goals How to make a significantly better version at home in under 10 minutes using ingredients you probably already have, including an air fryer method Susie swears by New research from a 25-year longitudinal study at the University of Manchester on breakfast timing, cognitive ageing, and why the timing of your meals in older age is a more important health marker than most people realise Why your parents eating dinner at 5pm might actually be a sign they are ageing well, and the subtle shift in meal habits that can signal early cognitive decline worth paying attention to Flavoured Medjool dates: the True Dates range reviewed, why dates have a significant health halo that the numbers do not fully support, and when Leanne actually recommends them to clients The high-protein yogurt question answered: is it actually worth paying more for Chobani, YoPro, or Coles Perform over standard Greek yogurt, and when does the extra protein genuinely matter Shop Designed by Dietitians: If your protein, creatine, magnesium, or hydration needs a bit of a boost, explore the full evidence-based range at designedbydietitians.com Keep telling your friends about The Nutrition Couch so this show can keep reaching the people who need it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Magnesium Protects Your Brain as You Age, Plus How to Eat Well When Fresh Food Prices Keep Rising

If you have a family history of dementia or Alzheimer's and you have been wondering what you can actually do about it now, this episode has something important for you. New Australian research from the Australian National University has found that people consuming higher amounts of magnesium daily had measurably better brain health as they aged, with brains appearing roughly a year younger at midlife compared to those eating the recommended daily amount. The problem is that most Australians are not even hitting the baseline, let alone the levels associated with brain protection. Leanne and Susie break down what the research actually means, where magnesium is found in food, why so few people are getting enough, and what to look for if a supplement is the right option for you. Plus, with apples hitting $8 a kilo and oranges at $10, they share their honest, practical strategies for eating enough fruit without the supermarket bill becoming genuinely painful. In this episode: The Australian National University study on magnesium and brain health: what 550mg per day actually does to your brain at midlife, why the standard recommended intake is not enough, and why women with a family history of dementia or Alzheimer's should be paying close attention right now The best dietary sources of magnesium, why most busy women are falling well short of even the basic target, and the specific forms to look for if you are considering a supplement Why cheap magnesium supplements are largely a waste of money, what magnesium oxide actually does in the body, and the forms that are genuinely well absorbed Fresh fruit prices in Australia right now: why apples and oranges have become a budget item worth thinking carefully about, and the smartest ways to keep fruit in your diet without overspending The case for frozen berries, tinned fruit in natural juice, baby-sized fruit portions, and a Saturday morning market trip that Susie says changes the weekly grocery bill significantly The Heart and Soul Mexican chicken and bean soup: a different flavour, a whole food base, and $4.50 a pouch. Leanne and Susie give their honest verdict including the one number on the nutrition panel that gives them pause The post-workout dinner question answered properly: can you skip dinner after an evening workout, what to eat instead, and why the timing of your meals matters more than most people realise Why Leanne says the answer to "can I skip dinner" is almost always no, and what a balanced post-workout snack actually looks like if a full meal is not realistic Shop Designed by Dietitians: The Designed by Dietitians RESTORE triple magnesium blend uses three clinical forms of magnesium chosen specifically for absorption, sleep support, and muscle recovery. If you are not hitting your magnesium through food, it is worth a look. Find it at designedbydietitians.com Join the private Designed by Dietitians Facebook community for exclusive content, upcoming webinars, and giveaways. DM Leanne or Susie on Instagram for the link.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The "Healthy" Foods That Are Not as Light as You Think: Toasties, Sushi, Rice Crackers and More

You picked the toastie instead of the burger. You got sushi instead of a sandwich. You grabbed rice crackers instead of chips. You are making the healthy choice, right? Not always. And this week Leanne and Susie are talking about exactly that, the foods that feel like the lighter option but are quietly adding a lot more to your day than you realise. No guilt, just the information you actually need to make better calls when you are busy, hungry, and eating on the run. In this episode: The cafe and bakery foods that seem like a sensible choice but regularly clock in at 500 to 700 calories, including the toasted sandwich that is closer to a croissant than you think Why sushi is not the light lunch most women believe it is, and what is actually happening when you compact that rice into three or four rolls The rice cracker trap: why 10 rice crackers are nutritionally equivalent to two slices of bread, and which crackers are genuinely worth buying Why hummus should not be counted as a protein source, and what to eat instead if protein is actually your goal at lunch The new research linking ADHD and perimenopause: women with ADHD were twice as likely to experience perimenopausal symptoms in a recent European study, and what that means for how this group should be eating through the day Susie's practical nutrition strategies for women managing both ADHD and perimenopausal symptoms, including why savoury, bulky meals and structured eating windows make a bigger difference than any supplement A full breakdown of the types of ADHD most commonly seen in adult women, and why the hyperactive young boy stereotype has nothing to do with how it typically presents in women in their 30s, 40s and 50s The Coles Kitchen Chicken and Corn Soup: 21 grams of protein, under 200 calories, $4.50. Leanne and Susie revisit one of their all-time favourite supermarket finds and explain how to build it into a genuinely complete lunch Matcha versus coffee versus chai: is matcha actually better for you, or is it just more photogenic? Leanne breaks down the caffeine, L-theanine, and antioxidant research, and gives her honest verdict on the Starbucks matcha latte trend Shop Designed by Dietitians: Looking for evidence-based supplements made in Australia by two busy dietitian mums? Visit designedbydietitians.com to explore the full range. Keep telling your friends about The Nutrition Couch so this show keeps reaching the women who need it most.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.