(Screenshot from The Big Sleep with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall) "What's that, you say? Shanibeer's made tremendous progress? Well, good for her. Tell her I'll see her in Rick's Bar."
Way back in September I joined Zoe, a personalised eating app. There was an initial questionnaire about lifestyle and what you ate, then a controlled test and analysis leading to a learning programme with logging daily what and when you ate.
I have a general interest in health and nutrition and a specific interest in understanding my own biology better:
One of the main motivators ... was the current recommendation from my GP to take statins to control cholesterol levels and my reluctance to do that. I wanted to know about what was going on - what my personal biology was - and look at ways I could make lifestyle changes to improve cholesterol levels without taking medication.
Here are my previous posts about this journey:
Half way through my Zoe Subscription - November 2023
Health and the Gut Microbiome - February 2022
About a fortnight ago I was called in for my annual health check where the practice nurse checks your weight and blood pressure and takes too much blood - four different vials! I told her I was interested in the results as I'd been trying a different regime. Here they are (conveniently, I'd had a set of blood tests not long before I started the programme):
| Category | NHS Ideal/Range | 31 Oct 25 | 21 Jul 25 | 28 Apr 25 | 13 Jan 25 | 26 Jan 24 | 06 Jun 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total cholesterol | 5.00 mmol/L | 5.8 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 6.0 |
| Triglycerides | <2.0 mmol/L | 1.94 | 1.92 | 1.06 | 0.7 | 0.95 | 1.56 |
| HDL cholesterol | 0.9-2.2 mmol/L | 1.47 | 1.17 | 1.38 | 1.5 | 1.83 | 1.62 |
| LDL cholesterol | <3.00 mmol/L | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 3.7 |
| Total cholesterol:HDL ratio | < 4.0 mmol/L | 3.9 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 3.7 |
nb 13 January 2025 = fasting blood tests
I didn't get any phone calls or letters advising me to take statins, so I guess I must be normal now. In fact, I didn't get any feedback at all, never mind a sticker or a well done. This is the lowest my cholesterol has been since they started measuring it and jumping around, although, to be fair, the previous result on 6 June 2023 was the highest it had ever been.
A Bit More About Zoe
The Zoe app is a very sophisticated bit of kit. Foodstuffs are given a score from 0 to 100 based on your personal biology. You log what you eat each day and get an aggregated total, aiming for an average 75 score across the week. Every Sunday at 0.01am you get a little summary showing how you've done for the week, with a breakdown across different categories:
- eating window (target: 8-12 hour eating window) - excellent
- amount of protein (72g-130g - varies according to age and sex) - good
- amount of fibre (>30g) - good
- plant diversity (>30) - good
- ultra-processed foods (<15% of energy intake) - excellent
- lower-quality fats (<15% of energy intake) - excellent
Checking over the past four weeks, I've given the usual scores that I get for each category, and the weekly aggregated score has been between 70-82. I'm pleased with that, especially as I've been pretty much camping since 14 January 2024, with no cooking facilities and very little refrigeration. There's been a lot of salad vegetables, fruit and eating out and, on the whole, I've managed to keep with the programme.
Zoe is not cheap, the initial test and monthly subscription are expensive (although I could make more use of the nutrition coaches). I've renewed my subscription for another four months because there is a lot to learn and it takes time. I completed the learning programme, this is much more about embedding what I've learned into every day and working on different aspects.
One of the things that I do like about it is that it is not restrictive - there is no calorie control and no forbidden foods. Foods that are less helpful for your biology tend to have a lower score (although I'm pretty certain that broccoli will score 100 and a pork sausage 3 for the majority of people). Foods have a little tagline - enjoy freely (broccoli again), enjoy regularly (sourdough bread) or in moderation (fish fingers) or once in a while (my friend the pork sausage).
Screenshot from the Zoe app Help Centre.
What I don't like about it is that it's become a business, it's talked about as the Zoe diet (defeating the object) and worst of all, a cult club for affluent middle-aged women. Focus is especially on the sugar monitor which is covered by a bright yellow adhesive patch, but which you only wear for a fortnight and is not the thing at all. I have already complained to Zoe about the ambassadors who are reinforcing the whole middle-class-this-is-the-latest-club thing - I reckon they should get Butlers Empire on the case.
But when all is said and done, my health indicators are better than they were six months ago.
What's Changed?
My love affair with butter has come to an end. I was struggling with that relationship, I couldn't let it go, but finally I've realised it was butter, not me, and we've parted company. I'm pleased about that because, although I'm not vegan, I've been reducing my consumption of meat and dairy and butter just would not take the hint. It's done now, though.
While we're talking about dairy, I'm eating a lot less cheese. In times past, a quick snack would have been a cheese and pickle sandwich, or cheese on toast, or my Friday night treat would have been crusty bread and some nice cheeses. The go-to food now is hummus, I slather it on sourdough bread topped with sliced tomatoes and cucumber and sunflower seeds.
I struggled a bit with finding quick and easy foods to make a snack or lunch, but I've settled into hummus or baked beans if I'm in a rush (I'm usually in a rush). Canned sardines, cannellini or black beans and chickpeas are on hand as the basis for a salad (any vegetable you can chop up and eat raw).
Nuts and fruit are great snacks for on the go.
I'm very boring about dinners - they've tended to be a variation on stir-fries (dry) or casserole/stews (wet) and nothing very imaginative. When it's cold, I'll make a lamb stew but with less meat and more vegetables than I used to. I'm becoming more interested in vegan cooking and I enjoy Derek Sarno - chef-style cooking in a domestic kitchen and Broccoli Mum - specially good on vegan chocolate pudding and ice-cream.
What I've got to say is that I haven't followed Zoe slavishly to achieve the changes I wanted nor am I fixated on the daily logging and any ideas about what I'm allowed to eat or feeling guilt or shame or being naughty - all totally of no interest to me and with no place in my life. I also don't want to be that boring person that says, "What's in it?" before turning up their nose and saying "I can't eat that." As much as I like Zoe, there's also the eat the cake approach to life - enjoy it!
I spent the whole of last Tuesday sitting next to a colleague who was poleaxed the following day with a dreadful cold and was off for the rest of the week. I've not had a sniffle and I was the queen of getting anything going whenever I visited that London, so I'm guessing my immunity has improved, too.
