#196: Hazel Wallace, MD: Counting Macros VS Eating Real Food

About Hazel Wallace

Dr Hazel Wallace is the girl behind The Food Medic, a blog she set up in 2013 as a platform to show people that eating healthy and staying fit can be enjoyable, uncomplicated and easy to incorporate into an everyday busy lifestyle.

Hazel is a UK based health and fitness blogger, social media influencer, qualified personal trainer and Junior Doctor. She graduated in 2012 with a first class degree in Medical Sciences, going on to gain a graduate degree in Medicine (MBBCH) in 2016. She now works as a Junior Doctor in London and The Food Medic is her first book.

Connect with Hazel

wwww.thefoodmedic.co.uk

Focus on your own path It's so hard not to compare ourselves to others and use their success as a gauge for our own success, or failure. Social media gives us the illusion that the grass is always greener – "I wish I looked like she did", "I wish I had her job..", "I wish I had that nice car like he does", "I wish I travelled as much as they did" I will put my hand up now and say I've been guilty of it The reason we often feel a little insecure about our own life is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone's highlight reel. This is especially true in a social media-driven era where everyone photoshops the bad days, the hiccups, and the failures out of their lives, leaving a feed screaming #lifegoals It's important to acknowledge when you do compare, or feel jealous, because the time and energy you expend worrying about what others are doing could (and should) be put into chasing your own dreams, building your own career, and finding happiness in your life.. not theirs When you find yourself feeling envious of someone else’s successes, consider how your own successes might look to someone else and congratulate yourself on all your achievements. It’s easy to forget how much you’ve accomplished when you’re constantly working toward your next goal. You're smashing it! Wearing: @reebokwomenuk @jonpaynephoto

A post shared by Dr Hazel Wallace (@thefoodmedic) on Aug 9, 2017 at 1:03am PDT

Books Mentioned in this Episode

The Food Medic

The Compound Effect

Show Notes

02:00 Dr. Wallace’s Journey: While attaining her undergrad degree in medical sciences, she gained weight. At medical school she learned little about nutrition and diet. She did her own research and applied it to her life. She started cooking from scratch, being mindful of her food and going to the gym to lift weights. She used Instagram to hold herself accountable. This became a blog and now a book.

004:30 The Power of Food:  Lifestyle and nutrition not only impact our looks and how we feel, it has the potential to prevent diseases and sometimes reverse conditions. Her book includes clear information on nutrition and fitness and also includes recipes. She is also a personal trainer.

06:53 Social Media Accountability: Social media can be inspirational. It can also become an unhealthy obsession in some people. Have variety in your feed to keep you centered and balanced.

08:25 Tracking Calories and Macronutrients: For most of us, quality of life does not improve with tracking minutia. There is no quick fix. Give it time.

10:49 Dietary Advice for the Overweight Diabetic: It is difficult to educate patients in the short duration of an office visit or by the time they get to hospital. Dr. Wallace would like to see nutritionists working with general practitioners. She would like patients to know that they have the power to influence their health and their prognosis. Changing one small habit at a time builds success and health.

13:47 Changing View of Healthy Food: Get back in the kitchen and view food as a way to maximize health, not as restriction.  Dr. Wallace cooks each night and views it as her relaxing decompression time. Food is fuel, but enjoying it is an important part of life.

16:46 Workout Nutrition: Dr. Wallace believes that nutrient timing is not important unless you are a performance athlete. If you are working out to build muscle, you need carbohydrates and protein in your diet. She advises a protein shake or BCAs if working out fasted in the morning. This maximizes protein building. Have a good meal before or after your workout.

18:31 Carbs at Night: When you go to bed, digestion slows. Carbs you eat in the evening do not stick around and make you fat. Metabolism/calorie burn occurs all the time. Don’t time your carbs, just space them throughout the day. Eating later in the evening can keep you awake as your body processes food.

20:22 Gluten Myth: There is no evidence that going gluten free is healthier. Should you have a gluten intolerance or celiac, it is best to avoid gluten. A problem with bread may be a problem with the quality, processing and contents of the bread, and not a gluten intolerance.

23:14 Eating Multiple Meals Myth: Some foods, like protein, utilize more energy to process. The overall calorie amount matters more than how many meals it took to consume them. Eating multiple meals throughout the day does not ramp up your metabolism. Dr. Wallace eats 3 meals and a few snacks.

25:19 Exercise: Keep moving and do what you enjoy. Dr. Wallace enjoys weightlifting and now does CrossFit and HIIT sprints. She also does body weight workouts. Go back to basics. There is a movement now to utilize functional training and animal movements. Mix it up.

27:43 Dr. Wallace’s Favorite Exercise: Learn to squat. It will teach you posture. Squats are a compound movement, utilizing more than two joints and engaging multiple muscle groups. Nail it down using body weights and then add weights.

28:18 Dr. Wallace’s Elevator Speech: In the UK, we need to get nutritionists into general practitioner practices.