The Nutrition Couch

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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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