Wellness Unfiltered Episode 5 Transcript

[00:00] Intro

Irene: Well, hello out there from in here, in the cabin. You're Lee?

Lee: And you're Irene.

Both: And this is Wellness Unfiltered. Yay!

Irene: We are back in the cabin, and honestly, while the view and atmosphere is so calm and relaxing in here, I'm feeling so ready to just shake things up, Lee.

Lee: For newbies, our little Wednesday pod is where we take the rubbish out from our world of beauty, health, and wellness and place them in the appropriate coloured bin for tomorrow morning's pickup.

Irene: This week's What's Popping topic is scorching our WhatsApp chat for weeks. Today in What's Popping, we're prying open one of the most nefarious, insidious, dubious — and all other "ous" words — filing cabinets: the UPF files, which stands for Ultra-Processed Foods.

[02:04] What's Popping: The "Low-archy" of Processing

Lee: UPFs are absolutely everywhere. Every time I open the news, there's a new study linking them to everything from mood swings to cancer. But what actually makes a food "ultra"? Think of it like a hierarchy — or in this case, a low-archy. Processed foods are things your grandmother would recognise as cooking: olive oil, traditional sourdough, pickled veggies — simple processing of simple ingredients not too far from nature. Ultra-processed foods are an industrial science. The food is broken down into chemical parts — isolated proteins, starches, fats — and reassembled with additives you don't have in your kitchen: maltodextrin, E475, soy lecithin. These are engineered to be hyper-palatable and have a shelf life that defies nature.

Irene: So ultra-processed food is really the "Frankenstein" of food?

Lee: Yeah. And it uses emulsifiers — what we personally call "gut detergents" — to keep oils and waters from separating. Mass-produced bread stays fresh for two weeks because of emulsifiers and preservatives. Plant-based milks contain gums like guar gum and xanthan gum. Even "healthy" breakfast cereals are often coated in vitamins and sugars to make them look like food again.

[13:26] The Hidden Science of the Supermarket

Lee: When I go to the supermarket, I always say: flip the pack over and look at the ingredients list. My top six to avoid: CMC (E466), Polysorbate 80 (E433), Carrageenan (E407), Mono- and diglycerides (E471), Xanthan gum (E415), and Soy lecithin (E322). They're in over 10,000 different foods in the supermarket.

Carrageenan is derived from red seaweed — it sounds natural, but when used industrially it gives low-fat and dairy-free products a creamy mouthfeel without actual fat. However, it can trigger inflammation in the gut, break down tight junctions in your gut lining, and lead to leaky gut. Coconut milk cans — even ones that say just "coconut and water" — often have carrageenan added to make them creamier.

Irene: That sounds like an ingredient for a laundry stain remover, Lee.

Lee: That's kind of what they do in your gut. They break down the surface tension of your protective mucus lining. When that layer thins out and becomes leaky, bacteria and toxins can slip through and trigger chronic inflammation. The gut can heal when you stop scrubbing it with these food chemicals.

Lee: On Health Star Ratings — take them with a massive grain of salt. A lot of sugary cereals can get four stars. Instead, look for Certified Organic (ACO or NASAA bud logo in Australia) or non-GMO certification — the hard work is done for you.

[34:38] Womansplain: The Primate Grooming Guide

Justin: I have a tube of that Weleda Salt Toothpaste my sister left behind. I tried it and it tasted just like the label said — if I wanted a saltwater rinse I'd go for a surf. But I persisted and I've begun to really like the taste and crave it, and the feel it leaves behind is amazing — really clean and smooth all day.

Lee: It's actually addictive. I actually look forward to brushing my teeth with that.

Justin: As a primate, I'm somewhat interested in grooming. Can you give me some basics?

Lee: Simple grooming will freshen up your look and how you feel. First up, treat yourself to a styled haircut — not a $15 buzz cut from the barber/tobacconist. And for goodness' sake, ask your barber to trim those rogue hairs — back of the neck, ears, nose. For skincare: wash your face in the shower with a two-in-one or three-in-one botanical wash. All you need after that is one simple serum or oil. The Kora Organics Noni Glow Oil is incredible — an instant glow, Certified Organic, pure cold-pressed oils. Just a couple of drops, let it dry, pop sunscreen on and you're good to go.

Irene: Hair, skin and nails — drinking more water is number one. Gamify your water bottle. And cutting back on alcohol will help with broken capillaries and skin dullness. Less "pruney," more "plumpy."

[44:32] You're On Speaker: Kate — Thrifting & Healthy Distrust

Kate: I was put onto your podcast particularly the one about sunscreen, because I've never really trusted sunscreens. I really liked it — good facts without the hype, and you both come from experience as well as study. My superpower is second-hand clothes — I don't think I've bought anything new in at least 10 years. I wait a day or two before revealing "Oh, Vinnies, two bucks," and watch their faces drop.

Kate: I've got diabetes and I've had it for over 30 years. We keep hearing there's a cure — particularly in stem cells — but we all scoff because we keep hearing it over the last 30 years and it never happens because of the money involved. Big Pharma — I don't like it.

Lee: That healthy distrust is actually your best asset. "Follow the money" — whenever you see a breakthrough, scroll to the bottom of the page and see who is funding it. Not all science is equal. Randomised controlled trials are the gold standard. I love PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov — they're quite transparent. And trust the boring bodies: the TGA and Food Standards Australia New Zealand are incredibly strict. They don't care about the vibe of a product's claim; they care about proving you can make approved claims.

Irene: The TGA hack: if a product has an AUST L number, only the active ingredients and allergens need to appear on the physical label. But if you type that AUST L number into the TGA website, you get the full ingredients list. It's a hidden step most people don't know about.

[54:51] Rant or Rave: The "Fake Natural" Takeover

Irene: My rant is on natural and clean beauty stores that sell products that are really not that natural or clean. When I sold Nourished Life, the new management wanted to increase revenue by adding new brands — including products with phenoxyethanol and silicones — just because they'd removed a paraben and called themselves "clean." I argued we should cut 20% of the range and be more specific — not add fake natural products for revenue. I ended up leaving over that. My biggest rant now: that same pattern is happening across the industry. As everything now claims to be "clean and natural," we actually need to tighten standards, not loosen them.

[~58:00] Closing

Lee: The unfiltered takeaway for the week: stop looking at the front of the pack. Flip it over. If there are more than five ingredients or a string of E-numbers that look like a chemistry final, put it back on the shelf.

Irene: Stick to those green flags — Certified Organic, non-GMO, real whole foods — and your gut will stop feeling like it's been through a dishwasher. It's not about being perfect, it's just about being aware. Don't let the Big Food or Big Beauty boys trick you. Bye! Mwah!