Wholemeal rye bread is healthier than baguette and juice better than soda? Not necessarily - because every person ticks differently. Intestines, genes, and metabolism all play a part in determining which food suits us. Our editors Daniela Stohn and Andrea Hacke took the test.
I want more energy!
Nutrition editor Daniela Stohn used the app "Millionfriends" to test her gut bacteria and metabolic reactions.
What it's all about: The app "Millionfriends" was developed by doctors at the Institute for Nutritional Medicine at the University of Lübeck. The idea behind it is to find out how the body reacts to which foods and what keeps energy levels constant by analyzing intestinal bacteria and measuring blood sugar levels. The promise: to identify the meals that aren't doing me any good, and then to eat healthier or lose weight, depending on my goal. My goal is clear: I want more energy, without lunchtime slumps and lows in concentration. On the website www.millionfriends.de, I buy the test kit for 349 euros and am sent a package with food scales, blood glucose sensor plus measuring device and tubes for the stool sample. The sample goes directly to a lab for microbiome analysis. So it's been: a pretty exhausting two weeks!
I have to pay close attention to the breaks of at least two hours between meals, but also between exercise and eating, so that the results are not falsified. Great: I can eat whatever I want. What's annoying: I weigh every meal and enter it into the app, and I have to hold the measuring device up to the sensor again and again. In addition, there are various extra challenges that I have to complete, such as eating potatoes or bread plain or drinking a dextrose solution - which almost makes me throw up. After the two weeks of testing, I send in the sensor and receive my evaluation four weeks later directly in the app. My top and flop meals are listed there - it's great that my favorite breakfast of bircher muesli and yogurt appears on the top list! Also good: my blood sugar likes chocolate better than gummy bears, pasta better than potatoes - just like me. Not so great: drinking Hefeweizen and eating whole-grain rolls in the morning. Hmmm.
The diversity of my intestinal bacteria is great, but I could do with a little more fiber. A week later, I called Annabelle, my nutritionist, for a final consultation. She advises me to always combine carbohydrates with fats and proteins, i.e. muesli with nuts and yogurt or bread with butter and cheese. After all, I'm a fat-protein mix type. And in the morning, a baguette is actually better for me than a whole-grain roll. Really? At least from my blood sugar response, Annabelle explains. That means I stay full longer. However, I then have to get fiber from other sources. And now? I pay more attention to what I combine my carbohydrates with and sometimes eat a ciabatta roll for breakfast. I now regularly feed my intestinal bacteria with yogurt, nuts and legumes so that they multiply. And crazy: I feel like I know my body better than before. Feels kind of good.
Here's what it's all about: "Nutrilite MyBody.ID" is a personalized program for losing weight or promoting a healthy lifestyle. It is based on a DNA memory test. According to the manufacturer, this shows which nutrients I can metabolize best and how many proteins, carbohydrates, sugars, fats and fiber I should eat per day. The program was developed by the U.S. company Amway. Here's how it was: In the test kit for 590 euros is the tube for the saliva sample, which I immediately send to the laboratory for analysis. Via a questionnaire on the online portal https://nutrilitemybodyid.de/start-today, I have to provide information about my weight, my preferences, my exercise behavior, and my sleep. After about two weeks, the DNA analysis is sent to me by e-mail, and I can finally start.
The first thing I enter is my goal, namely to eat healthier. The first surprise: I am allowed to eat much more than before! Instead of my usual two meals in the form of breakfast and dinner, I'm now supposed to eat three meals, plus snacks. Heavens, what will the scales say after three weeks? The app tells me how many nutrients I still need for the day. So, in order to stick to that, I start weighing and entering every crumb of butter - as well as everything else. The eternal typing is annoying, but brings surprising insights. Even after three slices of whole-grain bread in the morning, fruit salad for lunch and pasta later, I still have carbohydrates left over for the day. So what's the problem? According to the app, I would need significantly more protein and fiber to boost my metabolism. So I'm looking for protein-rich recipes, and I'm getting extra fiber in the form of legumes and nuts.
Then: abdominal pain! Irritated, I call the consultant in charge, who explains that I'm not suddenly suffering from a protein allergy, but that my intestines are finally working properly and my body needs to get used to it. I stay on the ball, eating until my app shows a green light every day. In itself, the program should boost my energy, but in week three I'm always tired at ten o'clock in the evening instead of at midnight. On the other hand, sleep is healthy. And the scales? It actually shows three kilos less. And now? My learning: For a healthier lifestyle, I don't have to reduce the amount of food I eat, but simply eat differently. I continue to do so, which means I'm never hungry and feel better in my body. Would I have needed a genetic test to do this? Yes, because I only now know exactly how my diet should be composed. I'll keep at it.