In A Bite

Ever wondered when's the best time to prioritise your fertility health? The answer is simple: it's now. Certified dietitian Claire Pettitt, with 13 years of expertise in women's health, breaks down why fertility concerns everyone, regardless of age.

Learn about why fertility is not just a ‘women’s issue’, how to overcome the challenges of fitting Western advice into our Asian context and the key nutrients for pre-pregnancy health.

Discover simple dietary strategies to optimise your egg and sperm health —it's not just about conception; it's about your overall well-being, whether or not you plan to have kids! As fertility rates hit an all-time low, investing in your reproductive health yields benefits beyond family planning.

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Fertility Nutrition Screening tool - Find out what key nutrients you may be missing for your reproductive health!

Be friends with Charlotte Mei:

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For the complete show notes and transcript, visit thecharlottemei.com/podcast

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Do you feel at ease around food? 
What do you do when you overeat? 
Do you go into ‘punishment’ mode and skip meals? 
Do you feel like you’ve been at war with your body for years?

If you resonate with any of these, you’re not alone…

Our latest episode on #InABitePodcast features Evelyn Tribole as she welcomes us into a safe space with food and our bodies, and helps us work through our inner food police.

As a pioneer in the field of #IntuitiveEating, Evelyn shares tips on tuning into your body’s cues for hunger and fullness, enjoying treats without guilt (super apt with Lunar New Year approaching!), and healing your relationship with food.

One of my favourite lines from this episode is “making peace with your body = emotional healing”. So powerful! 

Plus, discover simple hacks for investing in healthy eating habits that will leave your senses satisfied after every meal! You’ll certainly have a number of tools to better deal with the food police at the dining table!

Be friends with Evelyn Tribole:

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For the complete show notes and transcript, visit thecharlottemei.com/podcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please help to contribute by rating the show!

Is that back ache still bothering you? Are you eating the right foods to optimise your bone health? In this episode, Dr Betsy Grunch — a neurosurgeon specialising in spinal health, answers our most dire questions and equips us with the knowledge to solve our own back problems.

Learn why bolsters are your best sleeping buddy, how nicotine can affect your spine negatively, and why wearing compression socks regularly can be good for health (it’s not just for the silver years )

We may not think about the health of our spine as often as we do our other organs, but our spine is our body’s lifeline and maintaining its health is vital for our overall wellbeing

Discover easy strategies for good posture and comfortable sleeping positions — it’s time to say goodbye to those neck and back aches! 

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Charlotte swears by this — the best pillow ever!

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For the complete show notes and transcript, visit thecharlottemei.com/podcast

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In this episode, I speak with Farzanah Nasser, an accredited nutritionist specialising in gut health & autoimmune conditions. She is based in London, and her mission is to educate and offer those impacted, with simple ways to alleviate their issues.

Get insights on how to support your gut health in practical ways, and check this out - Farzanah also reveals the connection between our dental health & gut (who knew)!!

Learn how you can benefit from letting your garlic hang out on your cutting board before cooking it, how to leverage the benefits of tea, and many other easy food hacks for health. 

We promise lots of actionable strategies in this one!

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Check out her recipe for some gut-loving stewed apple crumble!

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For the complete show notes and transcript, visit thecharlottemei.com/podcast

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We are back with yet another episode! This time we are joined with Amanda Chong —the multi-hyphenate lawyer, poet and playwright. She talks about how she battles sleep, balances her dynamic career life and recalls the days before she became the Amanda Chong we know today

Expect to Learn:

• The letter Amanda wrote to herself at 15
• What health looks like for someone as busy as Amanda
• Her top tips for optimising sleep
• Her secrets to squeezing exercise in whilst being perpetually on-the-go
• The beginnings of a quirky pastime —menstruation blogging to pad experimenting
• Using the enneagram as a tool in managing relationships
• And much much more!

Her bedside table essentials —that she swears by:

• Earplugs
• Eye mask

Her Favourite Teochew Mui: Joo Seng Teochew Porridge

Be friends with Amanda:

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For the complete show notes and transcript, visit thecharlottemei.com/podcast

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Join our conversation with Picky Eater Dietitian Thalia E. Prum who uses her online platforms to arm parents with unconventional and groundbreaking strategies to break the habits, emotions and beliefs of picky eaters.

Gain insights into practical strategies – at the dining table and beyond – to navigate picky eating confidently.

Learn why it may not be a good idea to ‘hide’ vegetables in your child’s food; why it’s important that your child eats more than 20 different foods, and how to navigate screen time. Discover actionable tips for expanding food preferences and creating a fun and stress-free eating environment.

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Use “inabite10” to get 10% off her courses at https://theplumpantry.com/mini-courses/. Redeemable from 7 - 10 December 2023 only!

Be friends with Charlotte Mei: 

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For the complete show notes and transcript, visit thecharlottemei.com/podcast

Tune into this episode with Jun Negoro, a TCM practitioner based in Singapore that specialises in women’s health and fertility. As the founder of her own wellness brand ‘Kanpobliss’, Jun aims to make TCM content more accessible to everyone.

Gain insights into the basic principles of TCM, and the connection between our organs and emotions (who knew!)

Learn how you can apply TCM's traditional methods to address modern-day challenges such as stress; why ‘heaty’ or ‘cooling’ foods have different effects on different people; and how to navigate period cramps with TCM.

And finally, find out your body constitution with Jun’s online assessment tool on her app (linked below).

Be friends with Jun:

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Check out her app here: App
Get the assessment of your body type under: "Body Type Check"

Be friends with Charlotte Mei: 

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For the complete show notes and transcript, visit thecharlottemei.com/podcast

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We. Are. Back.

The first episode of Season 2 In A Bite is here!

Where I have the absolute pleasure to interview brilliant, engaging and move-makers shaping the landscape of food, nutrition and living a balanced life.

We have none other than self-confessed food nerd, cook, content creator, food writer, and of course, my good friend Sarah Benjamin on the show for Episode 1.

We have the best of times together and this conversation is no different. You’ll be a wallflower to our wide-ranging chat which was genuinely such a joy.

Expect to learn:

• The origin story of how we first connected
• What a Kitchen Hoarder is
• Sarah’s food idols
• Our mixed heritage and it’s influence on our culinary identity
• How to overcome perfectionism, intentional eating
• Dealing with the social media spotlight
• The downsides of toxic positivity
• Go-to questions to practical tips for getting into meditation, journaling, practicing self-compassion
• and MUCH, MUCH, MORE!

Be friends with Sarah:

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Be friends with Charlotte Mei: 

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For the complete show notes and transcript, visit thecharlottemei.com/podcast.

Enjoy this podcast? Don’t forget to rate the show!

Now that we’ve established that it’s okay to eat fruits before or after a meal (because digestion happens no matter what order you’ve eaten your food), here’s something worth paying attention to…the sequence of your food intake and how it influences how your blood sugar levels react after you’ve had a meal.

A super simple action that can go a long way!

Get the complete show notes and transcript here.

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Special thanks:
Music: Dnl
Audio and Art: Farah Firzanah 

In the last episode of the season, I want to talk about a few things I often overhear as a nutritionist that kinda make me go ‘nooooo!’:

1. Eating fruits after a meal is not good for digestion
2. Pink himalayan salt is more nutritious than other salts
3. A fruit and vegetable wash is needed to ensure clean produce 
4. Juice detoxes help to reset the system
5. Eating several small meals throughout the day helps to boost metabolism and promote weight loss

Have you been told about any of these too? Listen on to find out why they may not be true!

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Special thanks:
Music: Dnl
Audio and Art: Farah Firzanah 

Questions received about last week’s episode: 

• Are ‘microwave-safe’ containers really safe?
• What are the ideal foods to microwave, and are there foods that shouldn't be microwaved?

Pro-microwave recipes:
Cheesy Tomato Rice (perfectly-cooked microwave basmati rice @ 4:23)
Microwave Dal

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Special thanks:
Music: Dnl
Audio and Art: Farah Firzanah 

For decades, microwave ovens have been the subject of debate in the culinary world. Some would say it’s a lifesaver (especially in the case of people who can’t cook!), and others would say it causes harm to health, zaps nutrients, and results in…radioactive food!?

After listening to this episode, you’ll be able to show off lots of interesting facts about the microwave to your friends, and confidently use this kitchen workhorse without any fears.

Here’s the recipe for Dave Chang’s 10-minute Microwave Chicken I spoke about.

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Special thanks:
Music: Dnl
Audio and Art: Farah Firzanah 

One of the questions received this week revolved around the idea of good vs bad foods, which prompted me to talk about the idea of moralising food - something that many of us do without even knowing it! Listen on to find out the possible consequences of this, and what you can do instead.

The 2 questions received on hawker food this week:
Is ____ (a hawker dish) healthy?
What are some nutritious pregnancy-friendly foods?

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Special thanks:
Music: Dnl
Audio and Art: Farah Firzanah 

Dishing up some tips to help you make your next hawker meal more nutritious.
Learn about the main components you need at each meal, and the amounts required. It’s not complicated, I promise! These tips can also be used in your meals beyond the hawker centre!

For visual representations of the dishes I mentioned at the end:

1. Popiah: a Chinese-style spring roll that contains stewed jicama, bamboo shoots, beancurd, topped with peanuts, beansprouts, and egg

2. Nasi Padang: originates from Indonesia; it’s a dish of rice served with a selection of vegetables and meats

3. Thunder tea rice: rice served with an assortment of vegetables/herbs/tofu/nuts, served with a bowl of liquid made out of pulverised herbs, tea leaves and nuts. It’s pretty much a Chinese style grain bowl!

4. Char siew rice: cantonese-style barbecued pork marinated with hints of honey and 5-spice, served with rice

5. Carrot cake: starchy cubes made from glutinous rice flour and white radish that are pan-fried till crispy, and cooked into an omelette

Bon appetit!

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Special thanks:
Music: Dnl
Audio and Art: Farah Firzanah 
Art: Amelia Loh

In this episode, I answer 3 questions received on intermittent fasting (IF):

• Are there any specific foods to eat or avoid during IF? 
• Will IF slow down my metabolism? How does the body tell the difference between being in fasting mode and starvation mode? 
• Is there a difference in the effects of IF on people of different genders?

These were great questions and I share a little more information that could come in useful for those of you that menstruate!

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Special thanks:
Music: Dnl 
Audio and Art: Farah Firzanah 
Art: Amelia Loh

Are you curious about whether intermittent fasting is worth the hype? What is the impact of intermittent fasting on your body, how does it differ from traditional weight loss methods, how does one go about it, and…is it for you? Listen on to find out!

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Special thanks:
Music: Dnl 
Audio and Art: Farah Firzanah 
Art: Amelia Loh

As promised, a Q&A segment will follow each episode (for as long as it’s relevant!), so here we are!

Listen on to find out the best time to use MSG - before/during/after cooking, and how to spot it on the list of ingredients…it’s not always that straightforward!

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Special thanks:
Music: Dnl 
Audio and Art: Farah Firzanah 
Art: Amelia Loh

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) - It’s the ingredient we’ve been often cautioned to avoid. But is it really that bad for us, and are there any positive uses for it at all? Turns out, it has quite a thrilling backstory, and I can’t wait for you to hear it!

Get complete show notes and transcript here.

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Special thanks:
Music: Dnl
Audio and Art: Farah Firzanah 
Art: Amelia Loh

In A Bite is a podcast hosted by nutritionist and presenter, Charlotte Mei. 

Most information on nutrition and health is widely accessible, but unfortunately they’re not always reliable. In this podcast, Charlotte uses the latest scientific research to debunk the nutrition myths and misconceptions that have left many of us confused in the world of food and health.
 
You’ll be able to have a deeper understanding of the food you eat, while picking up tools to make better and clearer decisions around food and health. Here’s to easier days around food!