Powerful Connection Between Nutrition & Career Performance with Sukaina Abdulhussein

Tazmin: 00:00:06

Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining with us for another episode of the SEO Mindset podcast. Today you have myself, Tazmin Suleman, and my wonderful guest, Sukaina, who is a nutritionist and is going to talk to us about so many important things around our nutrition and creating career and productivity. So Sakayna is a registered nutritionist. She has a degree in human nutrition. She's worked with so many organisations, FTSE 100 companies, non government organisations, charities, and she has made it her purpose to support adult and children nutrition help. She has left her corporate role and has now gone on her own. She runs her own clinic and specialises in helping adults lead healthier lives by really deep diving into issues like emotional eating, our relationships with food, hormones, gut health, so much stuff. I'm really excited about hearing about all the stuff, all the knowledge that she has. And one thing I really love is that she has made it her aim not to focus on diets, but help us lead a good nutrition lifestyle without the needs of a fad diet or worrying about calories. Now, before I start talking to Sukaina, I just wanted to give you all a little reminder that if you're enjoying our podcast, you can support us by donating via Buy Me a Coffee. There is a link in the show notes. And also, if you want to connect with us, just to say hello, tell us about anything that you enjoyed, or give us a suggestion for another podcast we are reachable on Twitter. So if you go to theseomindset.co.uk/twitter, you'll be able to find us there. And there's also a link in the show notes. Sukaina, welcome. Thank you so much for coming here onto our podcast today.

Sukaina: 00:02:23

No worries. Thank you for having me.

Tazmin: 00:02:26

So, tell me, what led you to get into nutrition?

Sukaina: 00:02:32

So the reason why I got into nutrition is because I really wanted to be in a career, go into a career that I was helping people with their health. And there's so many different avenues to that. Right? So I looked into things like child nursing and then I went to do work experience with my own local nurse in my GP practise, and I absolutely hated it because it was just crying children, poking needles everywhere. When I knew that that's not what I wanted to do, I looked into things like speech and language therapy, physiotherapy. And when I sort of landed on nutrition, I found it very interesting how food and diet plays a huge role in preventing disease and with sort of general health, with both physical and mental health. And I know that I wanted to sort of dive, dive deeper into that, which is why I went on to study human nutrition as a degree.

Tazmin: 00:03:35

And now you've taken the step to forward your career yourself in your own business. How is that different from corporate world?

Sukaina: 00:03:47

It's so different. Obviously, you are more in charge of your own time, number one. Number two, from a nutritionist perspective, like, you have the ability to get into any sort of area that you want to get into in the corporate world. Although there is a lot of experience and I'm very grateful for that experience. I wanted to sort of broaden the horizon with the type of people I work with and the type of work that I do as well, and just opening up my own clinic and being able to meet so many different people with a very common desire to better their health, but in very different ways. It's quite fulfilling and it's quite interesting, and no day is the same.

Tazmin: 00:04:36

So what would you say were the main problems people are facing when it comes to working out their own nutrition?

Sukaina: 00:04:44

Yeah, number one is the education base and the knowledge base. I think there's a lot of conflicting messaging online. Everyone has an opinion about nutrition and of course, there's so many different avenues to nutrition that somebody can take as well. But that conflicting messaging confuses a lot of people and they don't know what's right or wrong anymore. And the thing with nutrition is like nothing. It's not black and white, it's very grey. The evidence is constantly changing and you need to do what's right by you as an individual, which is where a nutritionist support would be beneficial for you because they can sort of map out what works for you as an individual rather than following the crowd. So that's number one. That's the biggest challenge. Number two is probably the relationship with food that a lot of my clients have. Labelling food as good and bad is a huge, huge issue at the moment. We need to start seeing food as food is food, food is fuel. But we eat food to make us feel better as well. There's everyday foods that will fuel our body and then there's sort of the occasional foods that are not going to provide us any nutrition or fuel us in that way, but they taste good and they make us feel better and that's okay. And it's just understanding that all foods have a place in the diet, really, and not demonising one food over the other. And I think that's a huge issue that I see right now.

Tazmin: 00:06:25

Fats are bad, then sugar is bad, and this is bad and that is bad. Hopefully today we'll be able to dispel some of those myths.

Sukaina: 00:06:34

Yeah, absolutely.

Tazmin: 00:06:36

So for myself and for listeners out there, one big thing is how do you stay energised in your working day? So what would your advice be on that? How would I be able to increase my energy levels?

Sukaina: 00:06:52

Yeah. And this is a huge one that I see. So no matter whether you're working from home or in an office or whatever your environment looks like, it's really important to try to have somewhat of a structure to your meals. So having three meals per day is really important. Now, when we tend to skip meals, what will happen is our energy levels will naturally deplete. And sometimes some days are busier than others. And this is why sort of prepping in advance and telling yourself that, okay, Jasmine, I'm going to have a very busy day on Friday. I need to pre prepare my lunch or my breakfast in advance so it's ready to go. So pre organising your time and having those three meals per day is really, really important for your breakfast, lunch and dinner. I often get some people that I have as clients, they say that I don't like to eat first thing in the morning. And that's fine if you don't want to have a heavy breakfast. But sort of grabbing a fruit or something like that, something small that will give you that kickstart to your day is really important. Getting in your five a day is so, so important. We hear this so often as well, don't we? Make sure you get your fib a day in. But what does that actually mean? Why do we need to get our fibre day in? The promotion of fruits and vegetables is there because fruits and vegetables contain so many different vitamins and minerals and antioxidants and fibre that will fuel us, that will give us energy for longer. And what I'm not saying is sit there eating a raw carrot, for example, for breakfast, but it's being really what's the word? Being really, like, creative with it and seeing whether you can add some fruits into your porridge, for example, the extra bit of fruit. Or for example, if you're having a curry for dinner, can you add in a portion of spinach to it to bump up the fibre intake? To bump up your vegetable intake. So it's being really creative with how you can increase your fruits and vegetables and try to get five portions of fruits and vegetables in in a way that suits you and is easy for you. So that's another way of increasing your energy levels and then also thinking about the variety as well. So what I tell my clients is, when you're looking at your plate, look at the colour, look at how much colour is on your plate, right? Think about the rainbow. And the more colour that you have on your plate, the more polyphenols that we have. And polyphenols is basically the compound that gives the colour to the fruits and vegetables. And the more polyphenols that's the fruits and vegetables that you're consuming have, the better for your gut health. For example, the more fibres are getting in, the more vitamins and minerals you're getting in. So it's so important that you're looking at the colour and the variety and the diversity of fruits and vegetables as well to give you that boost of energy. And then things, like I said, gut health, right? Having a good gut is really important because it's like the ecosystem really is our powerhouse and it's an ecosystem for so many different bugs in our gut. And there's good bugs and there's bad bugs, and those good bugs basically help support health. Things like energy levels, mood, concentration, metabolism, skin health. So it's so important that we're feeding those good bugs, these polyphenols and the fibre, to basically enhance their capability and support health.

Tazmin: 00:10:33

So basically, just recap, have a structure, get your fibre day and trying to incorporate as many different types of foods into your plate. And a good way of gauging that would be the colours that are in your meals.

Sukaina: 00:10:52

Yeah, and absolutely another one as well is protein as well. So try to get as much protein as you can. Obviously, the recommendation is two to three portions per day, and usually a portion is half a handful of salmon or chicken or steak or 120 grammes of beans, for example. So trying to get in an adequate amount of protein will help you basically feel fuller for longer, which will mean that you'll feel energised for longer. And also, proteins contain amino acids that we need to regulate our emotions. So if, for example, you're feeling really sad and tired, those proteins can give you that lift that you need.

Tazmin: 00:11:37

What about water or any liquids?

Sukaina: 00:11:41

Yeah, it's really important that we're getting at least six to eight glasses of water per day, because we know that if we start to get dehydrated, our energy levels are going to start depleting. But sort of above that, it's so important that we are having water in our diet for things like, for example, fluid will help transport nutrients across the blood, and again, that will have a knock on effect on how we feel. For example, it helps with things like our skin, how we feel. So it's so important that we're getting that six day glasses per day. And it doesn't have to be just plain water. So some of my clients don't like plain water, so I say infuse it with lemon, for example, or some cucumber to give it that flavour. Or go for sort of flavoured water without the added sugar in it. So there's so many different ways that you can get fluid in. Tea and coffee also count without the extra sugar. There's different ways that you can get your fluid in and for you to feel more energised throughout the day.

Tazmin: 00:12:50

So eat regularly. If you know you're going to have a busy day, prep ahead. Make sure there's lots of fruit and vegetables. And it doesn't have to be just on its own. It can be part of a meal and hydrate, so that the benefits of you having a good nutrition can then be transported around your body.

Sukaina: 00:13:13

Exactly. And even like, hydrating fruits, for example, watermelon, oranges, as some examples. Think about how you can increase bump up your fluid intake. It doesn't just have to be oh, gosh, I just have to drink six day glasses of water by day. It doesn't have to be like that. You have to think outside the box a little bit.

Tazmin: 00:13:34

I'm a bit addicted to pomelo at the minute.

Sukaina: 00:13:37

Oh, really?

Tazmin: 00:13:39

It's bad. The other day, I said to my husband, don't even bother. Buy me flowers if you want to treat me, just buy me a pomelo. I mean, who says things? I chop it up and I keep it just on the counter and I'll go through the whole thing in one day. You mentioned protein as the importance of having protein. Could you go through the food groups and explain to us why they're important? Because in my very many years on this planet, I've heard of fad diets. Like, just have cabbage soup and live on cabbage soup for the whole of the day, or have protein and cut out the carb or cut out the fat and you think this is going to make sense and this is going to work, and they do work for a while, but it's not sustainable. I never found any of them sustainable.

Sukaina: 00:14:45

Yeah, absolutely. And this is where, with fad diets, if it's too realistic to be true or it promises you quick fixes, you know, it's a fad diet, right? The whole approach to healthy eating should be quite balanced. And we need all of our food groups in our diet to sort of sustain us and sustain our function and make us feel the best that we possibly want to feel. So the different food groups are your fruits and vegetables, carbohydrates, dairy, protein and fat. Now, obviously, people are like, oh, gosh, carbohydrates and fats are the enemy, right? We should completely stay away from that. But it's simply not true. We need a bit of fat in our diet to function, especially for things like heart health and brain health. And we need carbohydrates in our diet as well. So, like, let's, let's break it down a little bit and go through sort of the different types. So we have fruits and vegetables, we already spoke about that. We need at least five different portions of fruits and vegetables in per day. Usually a portion is around 80 grammes, or a handful counts as a portion. So, again, like I said, think about plant diversity, think about colour, you'll get your vitamins, your minerals, your antioxidants, all of which will fuel you. Then we have carbohydrates. So, carbohydrates, again, people think it's going to make me gain weight and we should completely remove it from our diet. But it's so important to have carbohydrates in our diet, and usually for the average person, a third of your diet should come from carbohydrates, and it's basically the body's main source of energy. Okay? And there's different types of carbohydrates as well, so we have refined carbohydrates, so things like your cakes, your biscuits, your pastries, all of that. And then we have complex carbohydrates things like your grains and your oats. Those complex carbohydrates is what we need to be aiming for and we need to be having, at least on average, three to four portions per day. And that's the average person. Obviously this differs depending on certain requirements, et cetera, but this is for the average person and a portion is two handfuls of dried rice or pasta or two slices of bread. So it's important that we're getting those refined carbohydrates in and opting for the whole grains to give us more fibre, which will keep us fuller for longer, which will give us more energy for longer and not shy away from it. It's very much part of our diet and we need to accept that, we need to embrace that. It's a good thing. It will give us the energy that we need. Then we have dairy. So dairy is things like cheese, semi skin milk, yoghurt, for example, and we need two to three portions of dairy in our diet per day. And it's important for things like our bones and our teeth, and it's important that we are mindful of portion sizes as well. So cheese obviously counts as a dairy source, but it's more saturated fats than unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are the ones that we have to be mindful of how much we're consuming, because too much of it can lead to increased risk of heart conditions. For example. So a portion of cheese is around 30 grammes or two. Some size amounts of hard cheese, for example, so we can absolutely enjoy it. And it will count as your dairy source because it will contain the calcium as well, which is great for you. But we have to be mindful of how much we're consuming. And then we have which ones have I missed out? Protein, again, like I said, will keep you fuller for longer when you add it into your meal. It's great for muscle growth and repair as well. It helps with sort of mood because of the different amino acids found in protein. And we need two to three portions of protein per day. And again, usually a portion is around half a handful of like, salmon or chicken or steak or 120 grammes of like, beans or lentils. And then we have fat. So, like I said, people again think fats before, just a few years ago, people were like, especially in the news, it was demonised right fat. So we can't have avocados, it's bad for you, it will raise cholesterol, et cetera, et cetera. But it's the type of fats that you're incorporating in your diet. You have the unsaturated and you have the saturated fats. The unsaturated fats are things like your avocado, your oily, fish, your nuts, your seeds. All of that will protect your heart, will protect your brain. Health is really, really good for you. And then we have to start stirring away or reducing how much saturated fats that we need or having in our diet. We need a little bit in our diet, but not at the levels that we're consuming. So things that are found in, like in the average chocolates or cakes and biscuits and things like that, contains high levels of saturated fats that we have to start reducing, reducing the amount that we have.

Tazmin: 00:20:16

So you talked about the demonization of fats. There's still is demonization of bread and the fact that you've said it's okay to have bread and especially if it's whole meal and it's got the added seeds, then that's good.

Sukaina: 00:20:32

Exactly. I think we just need to start again. It comes down to so much conflicting messaging online, right. And it comes down to even the debate of like gluten, whether we should have gluten in our diet. There are certain people with gut conditions or have intolerances to gluten or allergies to gluten or have celiac disease that can't have gluten in their diet. But majority of us, it's absolutely okay. And it's just removing that bad information online and sieving through that and understanding what's right and what's wrong. And it's really hard to do with so much information online.

Tazmin: 00:21:13

Absolutely. This has been fascinating. We're going to take a small break right now, and when we come back, we're going to talk about another hot topic on nutrition, which is sugar. So I look forward to hearing more about that just in a few minutes. So welcome back to the SEO Mindset podcast, where today we're talking to nutritionist, Sugana and Sugana, thinking about what we've been talking about before the break. What I've taken away from it is all of the food groups are really important in our diet, and we shouldn't be discarding any one of them. But it's more about what you're adding rather than what you're taking away from your plate. So adding the good stuff, adding the good vegetables, finding ways of eating more fruit, adding more water, rather than discarding any of the food groups. So I wanted to go on to the next part of our talk, which is sugar. Tell me more because there's so much on the news about what we should have, what we shouldn't have. And then there was a time when smoothies were good and our smoothies are bad.

Sukaina: 00:22:32

So there's different types of sugar, right? We have two we have two categories of sugar. So one is called free sugars or added sugar. And that's the first category. And the second category is your natural sugars. Now, free sugars in that category goes in the table sugar that you sort of add into food and drink. In that same category, you have syrups, fruit juice, and honey. And then you have natural sugars, which is the sugars found naturally within fruits and in milk. Now free sugars or added sugars, although honey, for example, people will say that it's natural and it should be. In the natural category, it's still classed as free sugars because all the sugars that are classed in that free sugar category in terms of blood sugar levels, it will rise your blood sugar levels and make it drop very quickly. Okay? Whereas natural sugars won't do that. And that up and down of your blood sugar levels. What will happen is that you'll feel full of energy and really alive for a short period of time, but when you start crashing, that's when you're going to start getting low energy, low mood, that's when you're going to start getting cravings. So we have to be mindful of how much free sugars that we're having and try to opt for the sugars found in whole fruits and in milk instead, because they don't do the same thing as in terms of blood sugar levels, like free sugars with wood. Now, people very much get confused about fruit juice and smoothies. Now, let's say we take an orange, for example. So a whole orange, the sugar is intact in the food matrix of that orange, in the cells of that orange. But as soon as you blend that orange, you're losing all the fibre, number one. But then the sugar crystals are basically released out of the cells and that they then get converted into free sugars. And that free sugar is what makes your blood sugar levels go up and down and up and down. Now, not to confuse you, but 150 mil of fruit juice, or smoothies, for example, which is around this much, you know, counts towards your five a day, but still contains vitamins and minerals that are good for you. But it is, it has been converted into free sugar. So we have to be mindful of how much we're consuming. So large amounts is not good for your health. And it's finding the balance between the two. You can absolutely have fruit juice, you can have honey, you can have syrups, but it's finding the balance with it. And often people think that, okay, I'm not going to have table sugar, but I'm going to have honey instead, because or maple syrup, for example, because it's healthier. But really, in terms of a blood sugar point of view, it's still going to make you go on peaks and troughs. So it's so important that we find the balance with it.

Tazmin: 00:25:44

So if I have a banana sliced up in a sandwich, because I am quite partial to peanut butter and banana sandwich, and if that same banana is in a smoothie, then I'm better off having it in the sandwich.

Sukaina: 00:26:02

Yes, exactly. And it doesn't necessarily mean you can't blend up a banana and have it in a smoothie, but if you are making smoothies, try to think about your food groups and incorporate other food groups into that smoothie as well to help balance out your blood sugar levels. Because if it's just purely fruit, because it's quite pure free sugars, it will make you go on that blood sugar roller coaster. So, for example, adding in some peanut butter, which will give you the healthy fats, or some nuts, for example, or some other vegetables, some spinach and carrots or whatever to balance out the food groups. Or some oats and that will help sustain those blood sugar levels rather than just concentrating on it as just a pure fruit smoothie or fruit juice.

Tazmin: 00:26:50

Okay, so again, it's not about taking out that thing. It's about what other things can you add to it to balance? I really like that.

Sukaina: 00:27:01

And this is a motive that I have with alliance. It's just about what can you add to make this dish healthier? It's not about what you can remove majority of the time.

Tazmin: 00:27:13

That's really good advice. Thank you. So what do you think are the challenges of looking after your nutrition, especially for an average working person? We've talked about the time constraints.

Sukaina: 00:27:26

Yeah, again, the time constraints is one of them, but a 3pm slum, like that 3pm feeling of, feeling really deenergized. And again, that comes down to are you having a solid breakfast, lunch and dinner and the balance of the different food booths? Are you getting adequate amount of water in? Again, think about what you can add rather than what you can remove. When you are having snacks, what type of snacks are you having? Are you having snacks that will fuel you or is it going to sort of enhance that 3pm deenergized feeling and how much movement you're getting in as well? So, sometimes when we're working from home or in the office, sometimes we sat on the computer for a few hours without moving. But actually getting up and moving is really, really important to help enhance your mood and help your energy levels. So what I do is I give myself a 20 minutes slots. So after 20 minutes, I get up and I move. If I can have a meeting whilst I'm talking, I'll have my AirPods in and I'm moving around in the house or I go for a walk. If it's more of a chilled out meeting, for example, it's one of the biggest challenges. But it's so important that you're getting that movement in and having that structure to your day. So making sure that you're having your three main meals and if you know that a busy day is coming up, is preparing that and bulk cooking, for example, to help with that.

Tazmin: 00:29:03

You mentioned in that last few sentences a big weakness of mine, which is snacks. I do like snacking. Could you give us quickly give us a few ideas of healthy snacks that we can have throughout the day?

Sukaina: 00:29:20

Yeah, absolutely. And again, we need to start thinking about food groups, right. Combining different food groups to help sustain your blood sugar levels. So things like carrots and cucumber sticks with hummus, that's your vegetables with your protein sauce. Peanut butter with apple, again, that's your fat source, your protein source with a fruit, fruit with yoghurt, your dairy source, with a portion of fruit, right? So when you're thinking about snacks, think about your food groups and how you can combine them. When you combine food groups, you will have more sustained energy because your blood sugar levels are going to sustain for longer. If, for example, you are feeling a cookie, for example, take that cookie, crumble it up on top of a yoghurt, so you're still feeling nourished, because if you have the cookie on its own, your blood sugar level is going to go up and down, up and down, up and down. But if you have it with the yoghurt or sustain it for longer, you get more energy for longer and you would have still satisfied that craving for that cookie. And sometimes it's okay to have that cookie on its own. I'm not saying that we can't have cookies on its own, but more often than not, try to combine it with something else to nourish you.

Tazmin: 00:30:36

That's a really good point. So again, I feel like we've only just touched the tip of this conversation, but sadly, it's coming to wrap up the podcast. If people want to learn more or to connect with you, where can they find you?

Sukaina: 00:30:52

They can find me on Instagram. My handle is sukaina_nutrition, so that's where I'm most active. Or you can email me as well at hello@sukainanutrition.com.

Tazmin: 00:31:06

And we'll put all of these links in the show notes. What one main takeaway would you like our listeners to leave with?

Sukaina: 00:31:15

It's all about balance. Don't restrict yourself so much where you have a bad relationship with food. It's about finding the balance. Every food can be incorporated in your diet, no matter what your goal is. And food is fuel. But we also eat because we enjoy food. So it's so important to remember that.

Tazmin: 00:31:39

That's really good advice. Thank you so much. And I've learnt so much today. I think for me, the snack advice you gave at the end, which was combining so you don't get that big high and big low, that's been super useful. So before we sign off and say goodbye, remember if you have enjoyed our podcast and you'd like to support, then there is always the Buy Me a Coffee link, which is in the show notes, and please connect through Twitter, anything, just drop by and say hello and you'll find us if you go to theseomindset/twitter, you'll find the link there and it's also in the show notes. So I think it's a university challenge goodbye. I seem to think this is what he said, so I'm going to have a go today. So until next time, it's goodbye from Sukaina.

Sukaina: 00:32:37

What do I say after that?

Tazmin: 00:32:38

You say goodbye and it's goodbye from me. Take care everyone.