Are you ready for personalized dietary advice? Here's Zoe!
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We are all different when it comes to how our bodies respond to foods. Understanding this is THRILLING, because when you understand your body, you can work with it.
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If you remember my discussion of personalized nutrition from Feast Without Fear (2017), Fast Feast Repeat (2020), and Clean(ish)(2022), much of the most-up-to-date information available to us today comes from the PREDICT studies. (Turn to chapter 14 of FFR to read about the PREDICT study and about the concept of Bio-individuality. I sound like a teacher, don't I? Guilty as charged. Apparently you can take the teacher out of the classroom, but...) The video that got me started down the rabbit hole of personalized nutrition can be viewed HERE. I first saw that video in 2017 and the concept changed EVERYTHING for me. If you have never watched it, it's definitely worth a watch.
Now YOU can discover how your unique body responds to food through ZOE. ZOE is built on the PREDICT studies with scientists from Harvard University, Mass General Hospital, Stanford University and King's College London. This is ongoing and cutting-edge scientific research, and you can be part of it.
What happens when you join ZOE? First, you get a shipment with all you need for the brief test period: they will test your gut microbiome (you send in a poop sample, which is...fun...), you have the option to wear a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and to add to the PREDICT data (if you are eligible based on certain criteria), and you should plan to log all of your foods (including a few challenge meals that they send you) within their app during the test period. Other than the challenge meals, on the other days you can follow your typical eating pattern. For me, that meant I was able to follow my preferred intermittent fasting approach every day except for when I ate the challenge meals (which are special muffins).
The test period is about a week, though you can opt to use the CGM for up to another week (understanding that if you do want to use the CGM for another week, it will delay your results). Then, you wait. (Fun fact: I checked my email EVERY DAY waiting to see if my results were ready. Patience is a virtue, but I was excited and couldn't wait to see it.) Once your data has been analyzed, (approximately 6 weeks later, though you may need to be patient...it takes as long as it takes) you'll get a comprehensive report telling you what foods work best for your body based on their analysis of your gut microbiome and how your body handled the challenge meals.
It’s fascinating and I’m so glad I participated. I learned a LOT about my body. For one thing, I learned that my body doesn't clear fat well, and therefore, too much fat in a short period of time is inflammatory for my body. That explains why I felt terrible when I tried Keto back in 2014. I felt inflamed the whole time, which makes sense for a body that doesn't clear fat well. I also don't clear blood glucose as well as I had hoped, so ultra processed carbs are not the best for my body. (And really, are ultra processed foods of any type "best" for any body? That's a no.)
Once you get your results back you are equipped to use the ZOE app, which will teach you how to create meals that fit your unique biology. Foods in the database are scored just for YOU based data collected during the test period. As an example, I created a recipe in their app for a homemade vegetarian chili that had two kinds of bell peppers, onions, garlic, 5 kinds of beans, corn, and crushed tomatoes that was not only delicious and satisfying, but scored a 100 for my body (the highest score you can get.) Roasted Brussels sprouts tossed in a little olive oil also scored a 100 for my body, while a meal containing a whole baked potato with butter and a side of black beans topped with one avocado only scored an 89. To get a high daily score, I also had to be careful with my overall fat consumption, since I clear fat slowly. What's fascinating is that MY meal scores are not the same as those of my friends who also went through the ZOE testing. We all have personalized numbers based on our individual results.
I followed the ZOE app's personalized recommendations for one week. I had planned to do it for a whole month, but I have to be honest with you...after the first few days, I didn't enjoy tracking my meals. Since I am healthy and already at my goal weight, I don't have a huge motivation to track what I am eating.
HOWEVER! If I was struggling with weight loss or had persistent health issues, I would absolutely continue to follow the ZOE recommendations, using the app for support as long as possible.
Overall, understand this: you are not expected to track using an app forever. The app teaches you how to combine foods in a way that will work for your body, and then you go live your life.
Now YOU can discover how your unique body responds to food through ZOE. ZOE is built on the PREDICT studies with scientists from Harvard University, Mass General Hospital, Stanford University and King's College London. This is ongoing and cutting-edge scientific research, and you can be part of it.
What happens when you join ZOE? First, you get a shipment with all you need for the brief test period: they will test your gut microbiome (you send in a poop sample, which is...fun...), you have the option to wear a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and to add to the PREDICT data (if you are eligible based on certain criteria), and you should plan to log all of your foods (including a few challenge meals that they send you) within their app during the test period. Other than the challenge meals, on the other days you can follow your typical eating pattern. For me, that meant I was able to follow my preferred intermittent fasting approach every day except for when I ate the challenge meals (which are special muffins).
The test period is about a week, though you can opt to use the CGM for up to another week (understanding that if you do want to use the CGM for another week, it will delay your results). Then, you wait. (Fun fact: I checked my email EVERY DAY waiting to see if my results were ready. Patience is a virtue, but I was excited and couldn't wait to see it.) Once your data has been analyzed, (approximately 6 weeks later, though you may need to be patient...it takes as long as it takes) you'll get a comprehensive report telling you what foods work best for your body based on their analysis of your gut microbiome and how your body handled the challenge meals.
It’s fascinating and I’m so glad I participated. I learned a LOT about my body. For one thing, I learned that my body doesn't clear fat well, and therefore, too much fat in a short period of time is inflammatory for my body. That explains why I felt terrible when I tried Keto back in 2014. I felt inflamed the whole time, which makes sense for a body that doesn't clear fat well. I also don't clear blood glucose as well as I had hoped, so ultra processed carbs are not the best for my body. (And really, are ultra processed foods of any type "best" for any body? That's a no.)
Once you get your results back you are equipped to use the ZOE app, which will teach you how to create meals that fit your unique biology. Foods in the database are scored just for YOU based data collected during the test period. As an example, I created a recipe in their app for a homemade vegetarian chili that had two kinds of bell peppers, onions, garlic, 5 kinds of beans, corn, and crushed tomatoes that was not only delicious and satisfying, but scored a 100 for my body (the highest score you can get.) Roasted Brussels sprouts tossed in a little olive oil also scored a 100 for my body, while a meal containing a whole baked potato with butter and a side of black beans topped with one avocado only scored an 89. To get a high daily score, I also had to be careful with my overall fat consumption, since I clear fat slowly. What's fascinating is that MY meal scores are not the same as those of my friends who also went through the ZOE testing. We all have personalized numbers based on our individual results.
I followed the ZOE app's personalized recommendations for one week. I had planned to do it for a whole month, but I have to be honest with you...after the first few days, I didn't enjoy tracking my meals. Since I am healthy and already at my goal weight, I don't have a huge motivation to track what I am eating.
HOWEVER! If I was struggling with weight loss or had persistent health issues, I would absolutely continue to follow the ZOE recommendations, using the app for support as long as possible.
Overall, understand this: you are not expected to track using an app forever. The app teaches you how to combine foods in a way that will work for your body, and then you go live your life.