Zoe Science and Nutrition Experience

Written By Kim Allen

9/23 Day of Testing

I’ve been participating in an intense practice of paying attention on my diet and physiology. I’ve been doing the Zoe nutrition program.

The first day I did a bunch of tests. I ate two big cookies for breakfast and two big BLUE cookies for lunch. The cookies were designed to help test how the body processes sugar and fat.

So, I collected and sent in a blood sample to test the fats in my blood and a poop sample to analyze by gut microbiome. I started wearing a glucose monitor. Tracking everything I eat and drink for 14 days. (The food tracking system is pretty good, but entering in a homemade recipe is a time commitment.) I’m just finishing up the data collection portion of the plan.

Next I’ll get a report on how my body metabolizes food and how I can best manage my energy.

9/23-9/29 Food Experiments

Using my glucose monitor, I was challenged to try a bunch of different food experiments to see how my blood sugar responded. One morning I ate a high carb + sugar cereal (muesli; oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit with almond milk and coffee with coconut creamer). The next morning, I started with breakfast tacos. One experiment had me eat a bagel plain, then an hour later a bagel with peanut butter. I tried eating later then usual. I even had a charcuterie dinner one night with many cheeses, olives, smoked salmon, tomatoes, sourdough bread, and wine ;)

What I learned – 1) I do have control over my blood sugar depending on WHEN I eat 2) COMBINING foods like high protein nuts with my creamy coffee reduces blood sugar spikes 3) A 10min walk after I eat reduces spikes, even when I eat high sugar or carb foods.

10/17 Got my results!

The results scored me on Blood Sugar Control, Blood Fat Control, Microbiome Score, and Diet Assessment.

Blood Sugar Control: I scored POOR :( This means that my body is more prone to blood sugar spikes and dips. My metabolism is more sensitive to peaks and dips, especially after eating certain carb-rich or sugary foods. (Factors are listed in order of greatest impact to smallest.) Factors that contribute to this that are OUTSIDE my control; family history/genetics, menopause, gender, ethnicity, and age. Factors that I have SOME control over are my BMI. Factors that contribute to this that are WITHIN my control; diet quality, sleep, activity/exercise, stress levels, smoking, and gut microbiome.

Blood Fat Control: I scored POOR L My body is more prone to large rises in blood fat after eating fat-rich foods. This means that my body takes more time to clear out the fat in my bloodstream. (Factors are listed in order of greatest impact to smallest.) Factors that contribute to blood fat processing that are OUTSIDE my control; family history/genetics, menopause, gender, ethnicity, and age. Factors that I have SOME control over are my BMI. Factors that contribute to this that are WITHIN my control; diet quality, sleep, activity/exercise, stress levels, smoking, and gut microbiome.

Gut Microbiome Score: This test/result was extra exciting to me. The poop sample I sent in was tested to identify the good and bad gut bacteria unique to me (everyone has a different profile affected by many different things). I scored EXCELLENT! This means that my ratio of good bacteria vs. bad bacteria is excellent. (Factors are listed in order of greatest impact to smallest.) Factors OUTSIDE my control; antibiotics, age, how I was born (vaginally), and how I was fed as a baby. Factors that I have SOME control over are where I live (urban), pet ownership, level of interaction with others, and BMI. Factors WITHIN my control; diet quality, stress levels, sleep, activity/exercise, and smoking.

What I learned – 1) My diet is pretty good to start with 2) I need to be mindful about food timing 3) All the factors that I have some control over (diet quality, sleep, exercise, and stress management) affect everything!

10/19 What Happens when Traveling

So nothing like travel to screw up a good diet :D Our little trip to Florida required some extra planning. Luckily we drove and could pack lots of good food and drink choices. The good stuff: breakfast cookies, spiced almonds, Oatmeal peanut butter cookies (gluten free), peppers, hummus, carrots, apples, and fizzy water. The not so good stuff: Cheese and crackers, store bought trail mix, Buc-ees breakfast burritos and yogurt parfait, Waffle House. And so much sitting!

10/28 All the Food Logging

If you’ve ever attempted to log your food, you know it’s a big time suck. You can get really crazy, measuring everything.

Kim Allen
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