So in today's episode, we're welcoming on Priya Tu,

who is a specialist dietitian and nutritionist, and helps

people to heal their relationship with food. Now, you might

have seen Priya on TV shows such as how to eat well

for less. And she's also the author of 2 books,

the DASH diet and the Complete Low FODMAP

Diet Plan. So welcome, Priya. Thank you so much

for having me. You. Welcome and it's nice to meet you as well, so

it's, a bit exciting. Yeah. I've been talking about this for ages

and we're so grateful or to you for giving up some time

for us today because we know how busy you've been. It's taken a

little while for us to get to this recording. So, yeah, you.

Great. Thank you. You're so welcome. I mean, I did have a quick honeymoon in

the middle of it all as well, which didn't help. You did. And it looked

amazing ZYN on your social media stories. So I hope you

hope you came fully refreshed and ready because you've been busy ever since you

got back, haven't you? I have I have thoroughly recommend Italy

though. It's brilliant. Yeah. It's on It's on our to do list. Our list. Yeah.

We'd love to go. So let's start it

with a little bit of context just for everybody listening. The

whole idea why we wanted to talk to you was

we've had several episodes where we've been looking at the topic of

mystery driving anxiety. What we mean by

that is we often will have people come to us who've

been driving for years and then suddenly, out of the blue

is the way they describe it. They're driving and they're

hit by anxiety. And then that

with turns into an anxiety around driving. So

we started to explore some of the potential

reasons why people might be experiencing anxiety. And so in the

past, we've spoken to people about sleep and about

hormones and emotions and

general life stress. And we were really keen to speak to

somebody that we trusted about nutrition so that we could find

out a little bit more about the possible links between the things that

you're eating and drinking and

anxiety. Amazing. Sounds good. So, my

first question is, is there any research that's been

done that says If you drink this or if

you eat this, this could potentially cause you

problems while you're driving. Mythbusters almost. Is there anything

that says, If you do this, this will happen.

I haven't seen anything that's specifically related to driving,

but we do know that there are certain things that are going with to

increase your heart rate and potentially put you more on edge. For

example, caffeine is the obvious one, isn't it? If you have too much caffeine.

It's going to give you the jitters. You're gonna potentially actually feel more

anxious and more stressed. Alcohol can have the same effect, although,

hopefully, nobody is drinking and driving. That's not the best thing,

but also energy drinks. So sometimes people might give themselves an energy

drink in order to have a boost. And then we can have that same

impact. We've got the caffeine in there that also could make people

fall, them. More on edge and have more anxiety and actually feel a bit

more nervous after they've had the energy drink. And then I think

the other big link would be sugar. So some people

may be into the habit of, oh, well, just have a quick snack

to give me a boost. With We all want that boost in our energy

levels, don't we? And we can sometimes get caught in that trap

of having a bit more sugar That causes our blood

sugar levels to rise up. We sometimes call this spike

if you think of a sharp peak on a mountain, And then they come

crashing back down again because we haven't got the

balance of nutrition with the protein, the fat, and the

fiber to help stabilize things, and you end up on

this sugar roller coaster. And so, you know, if you

imagine you've the sugar in order to give you the energy boost

before you get into the car. Maybe that gives you a bit of

energy order to get going. And then 20

minutes later, the impact of that sugar is going to wear off,

and potentially then you're gonna get that crash.

You might then happen to have a cereal bar in your pocket or, you know,

have your car snacks with you, dive into those, and that roller

coaster could go on. So I think that's one thing

to be really aware of that. Your nutrition is quite complex, but also

we can make it fairly simple that if we stick to a

fairly regular eating schedule, and we're having a balanced

meal and balanced snack. And by that, I mean, them. Just rely

on your snack being a banana, but add some nuts into it.

So we've got that lovely fruit there. We've also got the protein

coming in, them, which is gonna help stabilize our blood sugars. When you're having your

meals, you know, make sure you've got your balance of your preferably whole

grain carbohydrates. You've got with your your protein. You've got

your fruit and vegetables. You've got your fats in there, your healthy fats as well.

And that's gonna help you in terms of your energy levels, your mood,

your concentration and also that sense of overall wellness.

So, hopefully, those are some tips that might help there. There's loads

of tips there. Why does he start me talking? I don't stop.

That's the problem. No. That's brilliant. That's what we want. That's what

we want. It strikes me that with the way

we're set up for driving on journeys is that you

go in the garage Bridge and what's in front of you is all of those

things that you've just said. So you've got energy drinks, you've now got

your coffee on the go, full of chocolate bars and

cereal bars. This is the way things are set up, isn't it? At service

stations, at garages, these are the things we tend to go

for when we're driving. It's so true, isn't it? It's

it that's what's on offer when you walk into there. And even if there's a

flap Jack Bar. It's usually one that's laden with sugar. You

can now get some other options. So there are some lower

sugar kind of nut bars out there. There's a certain range that

can be quite good. And, for example, you get the little packs of

mixed nuts and seeds or the flavored nuts, bags of

popcorn. Popcorn popcorn's actually a whole grain, so that's

pretty good as well. So I think it's being a little bit Aware

and trying to eyeball and kind of pick out actually,

right, out of all of this chaos in front of me, what are the things

that I can have? Or do I need to make sure that stocked up beforehand,

and I've got my bag of dried fruit and mixed nuts that I

keep in the side door of the car. You know, being prepared with Isn't

always an option, but sometimes you could plan that into your shopping

ahead of time. And I think one of the things I didn't mention earlier was

to the impact of fasting. So if you actually

don't eat, then that could be a problem in terms of your

concentration, your anxiety levels as well, and your tiredness.

So whilst I'm saying be careful what you're snacking on, the other message

is also do keep snacking Not every half an

hour, but, you know, when you're getting that

energy dive down thinking, Okay. I'm

driving. I I need my concentration. I need my wits about me. It is a

good idea to make sure I'm having a snack as well. See, that's re that's

really interesting because with I'm the driving instructor, so

I'm sitting in the car for a certain amount of time all day

long. But what I tend to do, and I've changed

probably recently is have regular breaks, and try not to

snack during those breaks. But we all know that's

not possible sometimes. So children. Just being

prepared and having something that you could do. Most

people will go for the coffee. That is the big

thing that I notice with people is they drink coffee all day

long. And it it seems like, well, I have a coffee because it

makes me more aware, but it could be having the the

reverse of that, couldn't it, really, if you're having too much coffee?

Yeah. You could be over caffeinating, which actually then is going to make you

feel anxious because of the impact of the caffeine on your body. So

that is also something to be really conscious about. So it can be good to

alternate. I've had a coffee. Now let's make sure I have some water.

With some people will do the trick of switching over at lunchtime

to decaf. So they've had the caffeine in the morning, them. And then they

switch over and they have the decaf options,

herbal teas. Sometimes it's actually almost a psychological impact

of them. Having that warm drink can be the thing that is

helpful. I know when I'm sat at my desk, I'm always looking for a warm

drink, so I them. I switched myself over to having, you know, a peppermint tea

or a chamomile tea instead, and I'm still getting that lovely, cozy

feeling, zinc, that I think helps me

feel more awake and alive, but I haven't got the caffeine in

that. And the caffeine would give you the spike, and then it

would bring you back down again. Is that It's not a spike in the sugar

levels. It's it's you. The impact of the caffeine in your body. So if you

think about the impact of alcohol in your body, it's it's fairly similar. And

with alcohol, we get we get that. People. Whatever it is for you, you get

that kind of alcohol rush, that boost, and then that's going to wear

off. And it's the same with the caffeine. It people. Definitely increase

your alertness and your concentration and all of those things and

your energy levels as well. But if you have too much of it, you're gonna

get too much of the surge, and then we can almost you can

almost end up jittery from having too much caffeine. And then what's

happening then is depending on what food and drink you're having, your

body is then sending messages to your brain,

and then it's all about how you interpret those messages.

So I think sometimes for somebody with that mystery

driving anxiety, their body sent them a message potentially

because They're wired from caffeine or they're having a sugar

dip, but they don't know how to interpret it and they

interpret it as, oh, 'I don't feel right, I'm anxious',

and so they attribute it to the driving as opposed to thinking, oh

hang on a minute, I didn't eat breakfast or

I had too much caffeine or I've eaten too many sweets or

something. Yeah. I just it's a really good thing

for people to be conscious of and

aware of. Mhmm. I think so. And I think

we can't underestimate the impact of nutrition, but

also of our entire lifestyle. So

I sometimes talk to people about our stress and anxiety levels

being like a water butt. And throughout the day, the The water butt

fills up with everything that's going on around life. It might be that you

got stressed with the children at breakfast time,

And then a deadline's come in, and then you've had an argument with

somebody, you know, and the the levels of stress just keep going up and up

and up. And at some point, they're going to overflow. Now

if we've got strategies built into place where throughout our day,

throughout our week, we're letting a little bit of that stress out,

We're undoing the valve at the bottom of the water butt and a little

bit is just coming out, then we're not going to wait for flow is the

idea. And the way we do that is by having these lifestyle

factors in play where we might be taking time to sit

and read a book. We might be doing some meditation. I'm

rubbish at meditation, so that one always irritates me slightly. I'm the kind of

person who makes sure I get outside every day and I walk

away from my phone, and I observe what's going on. So I do the

same walk, and I look at, right, what's that garden like today? What do the

trees look like? And that has a really calming

impacts on me personally. It could be doing a jigsaw puzzle or

crafting, but all of those things help us us in terms of bringing

down our overall levels of stress and anxiety, which then

if you're about to do something, like, stressful that, you know, go for a driving

lesson, I remember how Stressful, I found that.

You're going to feel calmer, aren't you, if you've just had

those lifestyle factors in play overall? Them. Yeah.

Definitely. And it really is about looking at all the different

factors. Because they're all linked, aren't they? They're all linked. Like, you you've

mentioned the food, the drink, and it's we've talked about sleep

before and how that affects us. So, again, this is like a lifestyle, isn't

it? Yes. Absolutely. Lifestyle.

It is a lifestyle. And, obviously, I focus more on the nutrition because

that's what I do. But when I work with someone, We will bring all of

those factors into play. We'll look at not just their nutrition,

but, you know, what their hydration is like, what their sleep is

like, And what is the impact on their nervous system?

So how wired are they? How jittery are they? And is that

an impact of the stress on their life for what they're going through, or is

that an impact of what they're eating and drinking? And how are we gonna work

on bringing that down overall using some

practical strategies? Walking loads. I'm sorry. That's

it. But is it sort of like a trial and error

then? So maybe we we try coffee in the mornings, but then stop, and

then, them. At the end of the day, just reflect on how we felt

through the day? Or is it something you can you

have to write down? Or people. Best way of doing this? Is it trial and

error, or is there a different way of doing this?

It's a bit of both, I would say. It's a really good idea

To write down what you have to eat and drink for a few days.

Now you don't want to get pulled into the obsessiveness of tracking this all the

time. This all the time. It's literally write it

down for 3 days just so you that you can look it

over. Because quite often, we have things and we forget about them.

Then we they say that when you ask somebody to write a food a

diary like this. They tend to under

report what they have by about a factor of 10%.

Okay. So you might even do that yourself when you're writing it down just for

you to look at. But writing it down gives us a really good global overview

them. Actually, how many cups of coffee do I have?

Where is the sugar in my diet? And by any means, I'm not

saying that sugar is bad. I've actually had a piece of cake before coming

on doing this. So, you know, sugar is still a vital part of our diet.

We want foods that bring that bring us pleasure. Us. What did I have

with it? When I had those biscuits, what did I have with them?

Okay. Maybe I could have balanced that a little bit

more. So when we're thinking about snacks, I always think if you're having something

sweet, then we want to have something that is either whole grain or

something that the high fiber or something that has got the protein

to help bring the balance in there so you don't get this

mountain and then crash effects going on. So

definitely writing everything down, seeing if you can have a look, and then

thinking, right. Okay. What can I do to

improve this? That's where the trial and error then comes in. If you're thinking, oh,

I'm not sure. Have I got too much caffeine? I've Got

5 cups of coffee a day. Is that too many?

Let's just try cutting it down to 4. Do I

feel any different? What's the impact? If you're

working with somebody on a one to 1 basis like me, then It's not

so much trial and error because we'll be able to give you a little bit

of guidance and advice. That's the point, isn't it? Got the experience there.

But if you're doing yourself. Yes, there will be some trial and error in

that. So from a driving instructor's point of view,

we get people that have driving tests obviously,

And one of the things that I recommend and we recommend from

confident drivers is to have a banana. What's is what

happens when you have a banana? Is it Something that will help you feel less

nervous. I think this is probably an old wives' tale, to be

honest. Bananas just seem to have something around

them. Like, doctors quite often used to tell my patients to have a

banana. So, I mean, bananas are great. Don't get

me wrong. But I think there's plenty of other things that you could have.

Bananas that maybe get used because, you know, we see tennis players used to have

bananas, didn't they? They are gonna give you some energy. Them. They're going to give

you some magnesium. They're gonna give you some potassium. They've got

some fiber in them. So it's not bad advice on banana

Unless you don't like bananas or you can't get ahold of 1, I guess.

So I think it's really good advice to say, people. Have a snack.

Have something to eat, that is quite

balanced. It could be that you have an apple and some

almonds or you have, some cheese and

crackers. It it doesn't have to be That is specifically

the banana, but I love the advice of actually have a

snack. Make sure that your tummy is full and settled, and you're not thinking

about that. That. Because when we're hungry, we instantly think about food that's gonna take

your mind off what you're doing. Yeah. Definitely. And it takes the mind off

The task that you're trying to do, but it's like, my stomach's rumbling. And

that's what you hear, isn't it? That's what you and it's like, oh, wonder what

wonder what with And all of us lunch.

Yeah. The thoughts go off, don't they? And it's like, oh, okay.

And that is one that we get asked all of the time. And and I

often say, as long as you like bananas, because I do think if

somebody's trying to eat bananas, us. And we do hear of people

before driving tests eating several bananas, so not

just 1 banana, they're they're eating bananas to try and

avoid the anxiety, and I just always think that's gonna make you feel nauseous and

that's gonna make you more anxious. So,

food. Yeah. A nice tip might be to to eat your banana,

but to really focus on it And

to eat it very mindfully. So that means, you know,

slowing your breathing down, really focusing on the task that's

in front of you, Chewing each mouthful well, noticing

the taste, the flavor, the smell, and all of

that can really help ground you So that you feel

more in your body, less in your nervous thoughts,

and then you go into that driving test a little bit calmer.

Yeah, I think that was brilliant advice. It's good. Yep. It's

good. And I'm sure there's, again, even people that are not

going driving tests, but other areas of driving as well. So

Yeah. And then another one is what would

be a good thing to eat the night before a driving

test. So what would be a good meal in

order to get a good night's sleep? This is quite a

personal one, I think, because we do all work differently.

For most people, I would suggest don't eat too close to

bedtime because the digestive process

can keep you awake. If your stomach is still digesting and food's still

moving through your system, then potentially that could stop you from

going to sleep. Other people just go to sleep straight after meal, and they're

fine. So I think really thinking about you and

how you respond to food, them. I would go from something that is

tried and tested, that you know you like, that you know you tend to

get a good night's sleep after it, that. You feel good in the

morning. You don't want to be trying out a new curry recipe

the night before, do you? So, you. Potentially, it

could be that you have a meal of pasta with some

vegetables, a nice tomato sauce, and some cheese on top.

So something that feels Nourishing and comforting, but it's going to

have that balance again of your protein, your

carbohydrate, your fruit, and your vegetables in there. With And it's also

going to be filling enough so that you're not then half an hour

before you go to bed going, don't think I quite had enough. What shall I

have now? Yeah. I think if you do get to that point,

then a bowl of cereal is always quite a good option before you go to

bed. Having a little bit of cereal or in our house, it's always

yogurt. Have some have some yogurt if you're still hungry just before

bedtime. Yeah. Mhmm. Well, you've answered

loads of my questions, and I know some of my students are gonna be saying,

I really enjoyed that, look what I'm doing now. But I think it's about the

lifestyle, isn't it? This is what I'm getting from from the sleep and

the food that you've mentioned. It's it's about looking at the lifestyle

first, really, rather than waiting till the last minute. Yeah. And

that, yes, definitely, food, the things that you eat and the things

you drink, could be a cause or a, a

contributing factor to anxiety, so it's well

worth bearing that in mind. So Priya, you

mentioned your own driving lessons and we'd like to ask our

guests. What did they find most

difficult when it came to learning to drive? So

moving away from the food now, cast Send Your Mind Back.

What did you find most difficult when learning to drive? Well,

my driving instructor was very patient. His name was Kevin.

And He actually had to stick stickers in the car that

said right and left because I really struggled

with knowing which way. And he would tell me to take the next turning on

the me. And I would panic because I mean, I I don't know which way

is right. So I think for me, that was a a really big thing.

And then I remember,

Reversing round corners as being quite a big one in

parallel parking as well and just getting the

confidence. The fact I was fine at it. But when you're first

learning, it feels really scary to have to do

that. And then, you know, all all these years later, she's absolutely fine.

Don't even really think about it. You just pull into a parking space,

don't you? Job done. Them. I know it's

amazing, isn't it? It's how are we learning any new

skill? Makes you feel nervous until you

master it and get it under your belt. Lovely.

Priya, when we first asked you to come on and we We've asked

this, you know, seemingly random question about, can you come and talk

about driving anxiety? And you were probably thinking,

drinking anxiety. I do need nutrition. Was

there anything that you thought, oh, I hope they ask me this,

or I'd really like to mention something. Is there

anything that we haven't covered? I don't think so. I think

we've done a really you? Go over the area.

I think I would summarize and say one of

my top tips to everyone is always to try and plan.

The more planning you can get into your nutrition, sometimes the best. Although, we can

overplan. But, you know, if you can at least meal plan

and have Your shopping list sorted and knowing what snacks you're

going to have. Like, I can tell you in my family

diary, I write out still the meals for the weekend

there. It's for nobody else's benefit other than mine so that

I know it's taken the stress out of my planning. And my husband has

an idea, he tends to do the shopping, of what I want. And I

do the same with Things for packed lunches. I plan a few days in

advance so that we've got everything we need in the house just to bring the

stress and the anxiety down around that. And if you're struggling with the

idea of what does a balanced meal look like, how do I meal plan, I

have a free downloadable resource on my website that actually talks you

through how to meal plan. So that might be of interest people

because, again, just having somebody walk you through it can be quite

useful, I think. Yep. Perfect. Brilliant. Thank

you. Thank you so much for sparing us the time,

and, them. It's been lovely to meet you. Yeah. Thank you so much,

Priya. Thank you.