If you have switched to oat milk because you think it is healthier than dairy, this episode has some important information for you. And if you saw Miranda Kerr's diet advice doing the rounds in the media this week, Leanne and Susie have thoughts.

This week the team does a full ranking of every milk on the market, from full cream dairy to oat, soy, almond, coconut, and the new high-protein dairy milks, covering protein, calcium, fortification, what to check on the label, and who each one is actually best suited to. Then they respond to Miranda Kerr's widely covered restrictive diet recommendations with the specific nutritional corrections the media cycle did not bother to include.

In this episode:

• Every milk ranked by protein, calcium, and overall nutritional quality: dairy milk, soy, oat, almond, coconut, high-protein dairy blends, and why the answer to which is healthiest is not what most people assume
• Why oat milk is higher in carbohydrate, lower in protein, and often sweetened without people realising, and why the barista varieties from cafes are frequently not calcium-fortified at all
• Why soy milk is Leanne's personal choice and her preferred dairy alternative for clients, including the phytoestrogen angle for women in perimenopause and menopause
• The one thing to always check when buying any plant milk, why 300 milligrams of calcium per cup is the number to look for, and what most people are missing when they pick up almond milk thinking it is a nutritious swap
• Miranda Kerr's diet recommendations fact-checked: no eggs, no kale, no sushi, no salmon, no sourdough, venison for breakfast, and caviar as a protein source. What is actually wrong with this, why it is a concern when mainstream media amplifies it, and why the foods she is avoiding are among the most nutritionally valuable you can eat
• Why you can absolutely cook with extra virgin olive oil and always could, and the claim about salmon and mercury that is not supported by the evidence
• The new Philadelphia Protein Cream Cheese exposed: why the regular light Philadelphia and the protein version are nutritionally near-identical per 100 grams, and why the only meaningful difference is that the serving size has been increased
• How to find leaner and cheaper cuts of meat as beef prices continue to rise, why pork is underrated as a high-protein budget option, why slow cooker cuts are one of the best investments in your weekly food budget, and what to do if the supermarket sells you a fatty cut you cannot use

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If you watched the ABC Four Corners food fraud documentary and felt unsettled but were not quite sure what to do with the information, this episode is going to help. Leanne and Susie cut through the noise, share their honest dietitian response to what was actually alarming versus what was sensationalised, and give you the practical takeaways that matter.

Then they expose one of the most misleading supermarket product launches in recent memory, and explain something most women who exercise regularly do not want to hear: the workouts you are calling strength training probably are not.

In this episode:

• The ABC Four Corners documentary Duped: what Leanne and Susie actually think, what the investigation got right about tomato products and country of origin claims, why supermarkets and food regulators are equally responsible for the lack of accountability, and what you can practically do to reduce your exposure
• Why claims of Australian-made or Italian-grown do not always mean what you think they mean, and which food categories are most likely to be affected by supply chain substitution
• The xanthan gum research: a new study linking this common food additive to mild colon inflammation and changes to the gut microbiome in animal models, what a large French cohort study of over 100,000 adults found about emulsifier intake and cancer risk, and who specifically should be paying closer attention to this ingredient
• Primo's new High Protein Ham range exposed: how they appear to have increased the protein content without meaningfully changing the product, why the World Health Organization classifies processed red meat as a carcinogen, and the much cheaper and far better protein sources Leanne and Susie recommend instead
• Why going to the gym and lifting weights is not the same as strength training, what progressive overload actually means and why most women are not doing it, and why Pilates with one-kilo dumbbells is not building the bone density and muscle mass the guidelines are recommending

The bone health case for proper strength training: how mechanical load stimulates osteoblasts to lay down new bone, why this matters more from your 40s onward as estrogen declines, and the most practical way to get started if you genuinely do not know whether you are doing enough

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If you have already done the hard work, lost a decent amount of weight, and are now staring at the same two or three kilos that simply will not budge, this episode is going to make a lot of sense of what is happening and exactly what to do about it.

Leanne and Susie break down the real physiology behind why losing the last few kilos is significantly harder than losing the first ten, why the strategies that got you here are not the ones that will get you there, and the specific changes that actually move the needle when you are already doing most things right.

Then they do the research nobody wants to do themselves: wading through the menus at Eljana, Grilled, Nando's, A Perto, Guzman y Gomez, Subway, Betty's Burgers, Fishbowl, and more to find the lowest calorie, highest protein options you can actually order without sacrificing the whole meal.

In this episode:

• Why losing 30 kilos is genuinely easier than losing three, the physiology of why the human body resists leanness, and why everything that worked before will eventually stop working
• Why going to bed slightly hungry is actually a useful signal when you are trying to lose the last few kilos, and why the fear of hunger is one of the main things holding people back
• Why eating earlier rather than eating less can be one of the most powerful and sustainable strategies for shifting stubborn body fat, and how to apply it practically around a busy family schedule
• Why some people need to do less exercise, not more, to finally see the scale move, and how to tell which camp you are in
• The role of the weekend in undoing five days of good eating, why most people are maintaining rather than losing without realising it, and the one change that breaks the cycle
• The lowest calorie, highest protein options at Eljana, Grilled, Nando's, A Porto, Guzman y Gomez, Subway, Betty's Burgers, Fishbowl, and KFC. Specific menu items named, calorie counts given, and honest advice on what is actually worth ordering versus what just looks healthy
• Why Guzman y Gomez burritos and bowls are significantly higher in calories than most people assume, and the menu hack that most people would never consider
• Why a well-chosen burger from Grilled or Nando's is often a better nutritional choice than sushi, and what to ask for to drop the calorie count further without sacrificing the meal
• The Arnott's Quattro Caramel and Peanut Bar reviewed: 140 calories, five grams of protein, 33 ingredients, and the honest debate between Leanne and Susie about whether it is genuinely healthier than a chocolate bar or simply better marketing

The vitamin C question answered with the actual evidence: does it prevent colds, does it shorten them, and is there anything better to take in winter if that is your goal

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If you or someone you know is on a GLP-1 medication like Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro and the results have plateaued, or the weight is starting to creep back, this episode has the explanation you have been looking for and it is probably not what your doctor told you.

This week Susie breaks down exactly why these medications stop working for so many people, what is actually going wrong metabolically, and what to do about it instead of just increasing the dose. Then Leanne takes over for a genuinely useful segment on the Coles and Woolworths home brand products both dietitians buy every single week, which ones are just as good as the branded version, and which ones they would never swap out.

In this episode:

• Why GLP-1 medications like Mounjaro, Ozempic, and Wegovy stop working: the two metabolic patterns Susie sees most commonly in her clients, and why increasing the dose is often exactly the wrong response
• Why dramatically reducing calorie intake without addressing muscle mass and exercise will always lead to a plateau, and the counterintuitive reason why eating a little more and reducing the dose can actually restart results
• Why muscular, active women are particularly vulnerable to GLP-1 plateaus, and how being in carbohydrate no man's land sabotages fat burning even when the medication is working properly
• Why these medications should never be given without dietitian support, and what to actually focus on if you want to come off them eventually without regaining the weight
• The Coles and Woolworths home brand products Leanne and Susie buy every single week without hesitation: rolled oats, canned legumes, passata, frozen vegetables, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, chicken breast bites, marinated chicken, and more. Specific product names, aisle locations, and honest reasons why
• Why the Coles Kitchen frozen grilled vegetables and the Woolworths chicken breast bites are non-negotiables in both shopping trolleys, and the specific products in the Coles Perform and Coles Kitchen ranges that keep making it back onto the list
• The Aldi Gourmet Protein Bar reviewed: 10 grams of protein, 37% nuts and seeds, less than a dollar per bar, and a price-per-protein calculation that puts most supermarket bars to shame. What the ingredient list actually contains and who this bar is genuinely suited to
• Continuous glucose monitors: who actually needs one, why Leanne and Susie have both turned down paid partnerships with CGM companies, and the specific situations where they might genuinely be useful versus where they are more likely to create unnecessary food fear

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Most people have no idea what actually happens to body fat when they lose it. They assume it is sweated out, burned off somehow, or just disappears. The real answer is both surprising and genuinely fascinating, and it changes how you think about fat loss entirely.

This week Leanne and Susie open with the science behind what actually happens to fat cells when you lose weight, why fat cells shrink rather than disappear, and what that means for keeping weight off long term. Then they get into the practical stuff: their best tricks for avoiding that slow winter weight creep that catches so many people out between June and August.

In this episode:

• The surprising science of fat loss: where body fat actually goes when you lose it, why the answer involves your lungs and not your sweat glands, and what happens to fat cells after you lose weight that makes maintaining that loss genuinely harder than most people realise
• Why fat cells shrink rather than disappear, what that means for long-term weight management, and why working with a dietitian to maintain weight loss is often more important than working with one to lose it
• The winter weight gain conversation: why it happens, why exercise drops off before food quality does, and the three practical strategies Leanne and Susie use with clients every winter to come out the other side feeling good in their clothes
• Why a hot lunch makes more difference to afternoon cravings than most people expect, the slow cooker approach to packing in protein and vegetables without giving up comfort food, and the specific swaps that lighten up winter favourites without removing the enjoyment
• The new Moccona Protein Latte Coffee from Woolworths: 10 grams of protein, $10 for eight serves, bovine collagen as the first ingredient. What Leanne and Susie actually think, who it is and is not for, and the important protein quality point about collagen that most people buying this have not considered

Why making your coffee on dairy or soy milk at home gives you a comparable amount of protein with significantly less processing, and why the caffeine content of this product is lower than most people would expect

The oxalate question answered plainly: do oxalates in spinach and leafy greens actually block iron absorption, should you be avoiding them with iron-rich meals, and the only situation where oxalates genuinely warrant attention in your diet

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If you have taken iron supplements for months and your ferritin still is not coming up, there is a physiological reason for that. And it is not your fault.

A study published in The Lancet Haematology found that taking iron supplements on consecutive days actually blocks absorption due to a hormone called hepcidin, and that alternate-day dosing improved iron uptake by 40 to 50%. This is one of the most practically useful pieces of research the show has covered, and Leanne and Susie break it down clearly so you know exactly what to do differently.

This week also includes a straight-talking collagen segment, the fibre maxing trend assessed honestly, and a review of the new Woolworths high-protein meal range.

In this episode:

• The fibre maxing trend on TikTok and Instagram: why Leanne and Susie actually support the idea, what most people get wrong about increasing fibre too quickly, and why processed fibre from bars and wraps is not the same as fibre from whole foods
• Why consistency with fibre matters more than volume, what happens to your gut during travel and weekend eating, and the three things that need to work together for good digestive health
• The Lancet Haematology iron absorption study: what hepcidin is, why it blocks iron absorption for 24 hours after a high dose, and why taking iron every day may actually be preventing your levels from improving
• Why alternate-day iron supplementation improved absorption by 40 to 50% compared to daily dosing, and the practical implication for how much to take and when
• Whether an iron infusion is still preferable for people who struggle with oral supplements, why follow-up blood tests are essential, and the one mistake Leanne sees women make once they start feeling slightly better
• The new Woolworths Teriyaki Chicken Bowl reviewed: 35 grams of protein at $12, brown rice, edamame, and quinoa, what a client who tried it actually said, and whether frozen meals might genuinely be the better option in this category
• The collagen evidence honestly assessed: what the research actually shows for skin, joints, and wrinkle depth, why you need to take it daily for 8 to 12 weeks to see results, and the specific trademarked peptide called Verisol that has the most clinical research behind it
• Why marine collagen is not superior to bovine collagen despite what you have seen online, how much you need for skin versus joint health, and why some brands charging $80 to $90 are not giving you anything better than a well-formulated $37 option

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If you shop at Aldi regularly or have been thinking about adding it to your grocery rotation, this episode is going to save you time and money. Leanne and Susie share their personal Aldi favourites, the specific products they recommend to clients, and the ones that look good but do not stack up.

And if you have ever used AI to get nutrition advice, track your intake, or build a meal plan, there is a study published earlier this year that you genuinely need to hear about.

In this episode:

• The Aldi products Leanne and Susie actually buy and recommend, across fresh produce, protein, dairy, snacks, frozen meals, and a few honest indulgences. Specific product names included, no vague recommendations
• Why the leafy greens at Aldi outperform the major supermarkets for freshness and shelf life, and how to store them to make them last even longer
• The Aldi protein yogurt, low-carb protein bread, beetroot hummus, tuna bean cups, and almond butter that both dietitians put on their regular shopping list and why
• A new study from March this year published in Frontiers in Nutrition comparing AI-generated diet plans against dietitian-designed plans: AI underestimated calories by up to 600, protein by 20 grams, and carbohydrates by 100 grams. Not a small margin of error, a significant one
• Why the false confidence AI creates around calorie and nutrient counts is the real danger, and the specific situations where Leanne and Susie would and would not use it in a nutrition context
• The Mission Carb Balance wrap reviewed: 16 grams of fibre and four grams of carbohydrate per wrap, a five-star health rating, and Leanne's strong views on why this product is not what it appears to be
• Why ultra-processed, low-carb wraps with modified wheat starch, wheat gluten isolate, and 16 grams of added fibre are a problem for most women's digestive health, and what to eat instead
• The creatine and heat question answered properly: can you add creatine to porridge, baked oats, or warm drinks without losing its effectiveness? What temperatures and time frames matter, and the one mistake Leanne sees clients make all the time with their creatine drink bottle

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Six Australians have developed acute liver failure after purchasing counterfeit weight loss peptides online. The TGA and the Victorian Department of Health have both issued urgent warnings this week. And yet these products are still a Google search away from anyone who wants them.

If you have seen retatrutide or any weight loss peptide being promoted on TikTok or Instagram, or you know someone who has bought one through a gym contact, a beauty clinic, or an online supplier, this episode is essential listening.

Leanne and Susie cover the full picture this week: what these peptides actually are, why buying them outside of a prescription is genuinely life-threatening, and what you should do instead if weight loss medication is something you are considering.

In this episode:

• The breaking Australian story: six people in acute liver failure after purchasing counterfeit retatrutide, what happened, how they obtained it, and the urgent warning now issued by the TGA and the Victorian Department of Health
• What retatrutide actually is, where it is in the clinical trial process, and why it is not approved in Australia regardless of what you have seen promoted online
• Why buying weight loss peptides outside of a prescription is not a grey area: the comparison to buying illicit drugs off the street, what contaminants and counterfeit ingredients can do, and why there is no coming back from liver failure
• The right way to access weight loss medication in Australia if it is appropriate for you, what a proper prescription process looks like, and why doing it correctly is not as difficult or expensive as people assume
• New research from over 83,000 people published in the Journal of Nutrition: which of the five most well-regarded healthy eating patterns performs best for people with high blood pressure, and why the result confirms what dietitians have been saying for decades
• What the DASH diet actually requires in terms of fruit and vegetable intake, why most people who think they are following it are not eating anywhere near enough plant food, and the sodium-to-potassium ratio that makes the biggest difference to blood pressure
• The Campbell's Gut Goodness Bone Broth reviewed: 20 grams of protein per pack, Monash low FODMAP certified, acacia prebiotic fibre, less than 300 milligrams of sodium per serve, and a clean ingredient list that genuinely impressed both Leanne and Susie
• Thaumatin: what it is, where it comes from, why it sounds more alarming than it is, how it compares to stevia and monk fruit, and whether it is safe to consume

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Most women who are trying to eat well are getting carbohydrates wrong. Not because they are eating too many, which is what they usually assume. Often because they are eating too few of the right ones and too many of the wrong ones at the wrong times.

This week Leanne and Susie break down one of the most misunderstood topics in women's nutrition, what too little carbohydrate actually looks like in the body, what too much of the wrong kind does over time, and how to find the sweet spot that matches your actual activity level, hormones, and goals.

Plus, PCOS has a new name. Published in The Lancet in May this year, it is now being referred to as PMOS, and the reason behind the change tells you a lot about how the medical world is finally starting to understand this condition more accurately.

In this episode:

Why PCOS has been renamed PMOS in a landmark article published in The Lancet, what the name change actually reflects about the condition, and why it matters for the 8 to 13% of women living with it right now

The surprising truth about polycystic ovaries: why there are not actually more cysts, and what is really happening in the ovaries of women with this condition

Why an anti-inflammatory diet, inositol, and working with a dietitian long-term are central to managing PMOS, and why medication alone will not move the needle the way lifestyle can

The signs you are not eating enough carbohydrate: ongoing fatigue despite normal blood tests, poor exercise performance, constant cravings, difficulty concentrating, and never feeling full after meals

The signs you are eating too many of the wrong carbohydrates, why the combination of too few quality carbs and too many refined ones is the pattern Leanne and Susie see most consistently in their clinics

Why being in carbohydrate no man's land, not low enough for ketosis but not high enough to support metabolism, is one of the most common reasons women stall when trying to lose body fat

How carbohydrate needs are highly individual and change depending on body size, activity level, hormones, life stage, and whether you are breastfeeding, perimenopausal, or training intensively

The quality carbohydrates to focus on at each meal, and the refined ones that are quietly slipping in while women are avoiding rice at lunch and sweet potato at dinner

The new Uncle Tobys Protein Quick Oats reviewed: where the 8 to 9 grams of protein is actually coming from, whether it is enough for women with fat loss or body composition goals, and when Leanne would and would not recommend it

The best frozen fish in Australian supermarkets ranked: Sealord, Birdseye, Findus, the Coles wild caught fish fingers, and the steam fresh range reviewed by fish percentage, protein, and taste

Work with Leanne or Susie:

Winter is one of the best times to work with a dietitian, with fewer social events and more structure. Leanne is at leannewardnutrition.com.au and Susie is at susieburrell.com.au.

Shop Designed by Dietitians:

Support your protein, creatine, magnesium, and collagen needs with science-backed supplements at designedbydietitians.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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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.

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