PHF Nutrition Consultancy

23/01/2026

Collagen is having a moment.

Again.

So, is it all what it's cracked up to be?

Collagen isn’t magic, but it’s not automatically a scam either.

It depends what you’re buying it for and how honest you are about the size of the effect.

What the evidence is strongest for...

👉🏻 Skin

Meta-analyses of randomised trials show hydrolysed collagen can improve skin hydration and elasticity (and sometimes wrinkles)

But it’s not a slam dunk across the board.

A 2025 meta-analysis reported that results were driven more by industry-funded trials, with little/no effect in the non-industry-funded subgroup analyses.

That doesn’t mean it never works.

It means the marketing is louder than the certainty.

Where it can be useful for some people...

👉🏻 Knee osteoarthritis.

Meta-analyses suggest collagen peptides/derivatives can modestly improve pain and function in OA populations.

But for context, that’s not “everyone needs collagen”...

That’s “some people with OA may benefit”.

Where the evidence is limited...

👉🏻 Hair

The data is thin and mixed.

If someone says collagen is “proven” to regrow hair, they’re overselling it.

👉🏻 Nails

There are small studies showing improvements in brittle nails, but it’s not miracle territory.

👉🏻 Tendons/ligaments.

Interesting mechanistic work exists (collagen synthesis markers), but “collagen prevents injuries” isn’t proven.

👉🏻 Bone

One notable RCT in postmenopausal women with low BMD showed improved BMD with specific collagen peptides, but it needs replication and it doesn’t replace the basics.

So, should we buy it?

If your diet is low in protein, fix that first.

Collagen can be an optional add-on for specific goals.

But it is not a substitute for strength training, overall diet quality, sleep, and consistency like many claims out there 🫠

Drop me a DM if you have any questions 🙂

22/01/2026

21/01/2026

I had a DM over the weekend from a lady saying her coach had told her that fasted cardio burns more belly fat.

And that she should do it to help her “spot-reduce”.

So let’s clear this up properly, because this stuff refuses to die.

Does fasted cardio work better for burning belly fat?

In a word…

No, it doesn’t.

Yes, training fasted can increase fat oxidation during the session.

That means your body may use a slightly higher percentage of fat as fuel in that moment.

But that’s a fuel-use snapshot, not evidence that you’ll lose more body fat over time.

And this is where a lot of coaches get it wrong 🙄

When we actually look at human outcome data (not theory, not gym myths, not cherry-picked graphs), the answer is very boring...

Fat loss is essentially the same whether cardio is done fasted or fed.

As long as total calories and the training programme are matched.

There's no magic advantage.

And no special belly-fat switch.

That “belly fat” claim?

That’s another hard no.

You cannot spot-reduce fat.

A systematic review and meta-analysis found no meaningful localised fat loss from training a specific area, whether that’s abs, arms, thighs, or belly.

So anyone selling “fasted cardio for belly fat” is selling you crap, not science.

Now, to be clear, this isn’t me saying fasted cardio is “bad”.

If you enjoy it, feel good doing it, and perform well with it...

Then crack on.

But if fasted cardio wrecks your performance, makes sessions feel grim, and increases rebound eating later...

Then eat first.

Fat loss doesn’t care when you ate.

It cares about energy balance over time, consistency, and adherence.

The best method is always the one you can repeat week after week.

Not the one that sounds the most hardcore on Instagram.

If you’ve been told something similar by a coach and it’s left you confused, frustrated, or second-guessing yourself...

Drop me a DM, I’ll help to give you some clarity 🙂

20/01/2026

Most people believe sugar is addictive.

As in: one bite and it’s game over, your brain is “hijacked”, and fat loss is doomed.

That story sells.

But it isn’t great science.

When you actually look at the literature, direct evidence for “sugar addiction” in humans is limited.

A lot of the headline-grabbing “addiction-like” findings come from animal models.

Often using intermittent access and restriction-style feeding patterns.

That doesn’t map neatly onto normal adult eating.

And when people cite “food addiction” research, it’s usually based on the Yale Food Addiction Scale.

But this is the part influencers and dumb coaches skip...

Higher scores frequently overlap with binge-type eating and eating disorder psychopathology.

That’s a very different conversation from “sugar is the devil”.

So if you feel “out of control” around sweet foods, it’s usually not because sugar has magical addictive powers.

It’s more often a mix of...

👉🏻 Over-restriction

👉🏻 Stress and poor sleep

👉🏻 Ultra-processed, hyper-palatable foods

👉🏻 A plan that’s too tight to live with

👉🏻 Keeping trigger foods in “grab and inhale” form

Fat loss is still the same...

You need a consistent energy deficit, protein, fibre, steps, and strength training.

Sugar is optional.

But it’s not poisonous.

And it’s not a personality flaw.

If you want the practical fix, start here...

✅ Build meals around protein and fibre

✅ Plan treats on purpose (not as a “slip”)

✅ Portion what you overdo

✅ Protect sleep and routine like it’s part of the programme

Drop me a message if you've got any questions about sugar in your own diet.

I'd be happy to talk it through with you 🍰

16/01/2026

“Anti-inflammatory diet” has turned into code for...

Cut a random list of foods, buy my plan, fix your hormones.

And I’m not saying diet can’t influence inflammation.

It can.

I’m saying the way it’s being sold is often massively overconfident.

Here’s what the evidence supports in humans...

Diet patterns like Mediterranean-style eating are associated with reductions in inflammatory markers such as hs-CRP and IL-6 in meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials.

DASH-style eating also shows improvements in markers like hs-CRP.

And one of the biggest levers is painfully boring...

Weight loss (where needed) reduces CRP in meta-analyses of calorie restriction trials.

What the evidence does not support?

The idea that one “inflammatory food” is quietly wrecking your body and blocking progress, and you just need to eliminate gluten, dairy, seed oils, nightshades and joy 🫠

Unless you have a specific medical condition (coeliac, allergy, IBD, etc.), that approach is usually restriction dressed up as science.

Don't fall for it.

Most of these coaches spouting rubbish about anti-inflammatory diets have been watching far too much YouTube.

And not reading enough science 😬

Drop me a message if you have any questions.

I'm more than happy to give you some more information on this...

And even happier to send the dumb coaches peddling this rubbish and ripping people off, the evidence to support what I'm saying 🤓

15/01/2026

There’s a trend at the moment in the industry where you’ll see lots of coaches banging on that seed oils are “toxic” and “inflammatory”…

Seed oils are not a magical health food.

But the idea they’re uniquely harmful is mostly internet bullsh*t dressed up as science.

Here’s what the actual human evidence shows...

Increasing polyunsaturated fat in place of saturated fat reduces coronary heart disease events in randomised trials.

Big evidence reviews support the idea that replacement matters.

And the “omega-6 causes inflammation” claim?

RCT reviews and meta-analyses don’t show meaningful increases in common inflammatory markers when linoleic acid intake is higher.

So why do people feel better when they cut seed oils?

Because most people don’t just cut “oil”.

They cut ultra-processed food.

That’s a win.

So keep that part.

For fat loss...

Oils are calorie-dense.

If you’re free-pouring, it’s very easy to wipe out your deficit with “healthy fats”.

That’s not hormones.

That’s portion size.

Stop demonising single ingredients, reduce the ultra-processed stuff, measure your oils, and nail the boring basics.

And ignore all of the dumb coaches who get their nutrition knowledge from YouTube and Chat GPT 🙄

I’ve got links to the studies if anyone is as boring as me and wants them 🤓

Comment the word “Quiz” and I’ll also send you my free 2-minute Diet Cycle Breaker ♻️❌

14/01/2026

If you’ve been told menopause “broke your metabolism”, this one's for you...

It’s not that simple.

And for most women, it’s not true.

Energy expenditure across adulthood is far more stable than the internet makes out.

And it doesn’t just collapse the second you hit perimenopause.

What does change for a lot of women in midlife is real life...

You move less, sit more, sleep gets messy, symptoms can kick your routine in the teeth, and if you’re not lifting, muscle can quietly drift down.

That combo makes fat loss feel harder because it makes the deficit harder to maintain, not because your body has become immune to physics.

If your “coach” blames hormones for every plateau but can’t help you nail the basics (intake, steps, lifting, sleep), they’re either clueless…

Or they’re selling you something.

Normally, something that they say can "hack your hormones" 🙄

Don’t be misled by idiots.

DM me if you have any questions ❤️

13/01/2026

Most people believe cortisol is stopping their fat loss…

But it’s actually the opposite.

Cortisol is a normal hormone.

You need it to wake up, respond to stress, and mobilise energy.

It is not a magical fat-loss off switch.

What stress does mess with is the stuff that actually drives results…

Cravings, sleep, routine, patience, and the scale.

That’s why it feels like “cortisol is blocking my fat loss” when really adherence has been quietly bullied for months.

When people are stressed...

Eating behaviour tends to shift towards more “unhelpful” choices (the effect isn’t huge, but it’s real).

Poor sleep pushes appetite and intake in the wrong direction.

In trials, sleep extension reduced energy intake, and sleep restriction increased calorie intake.

Stress can also bump up water retention and digestion changes...

Which makes the scale look like nothing’s happening even when fat loss is ticking along.

If some idiot coach is blaming cortisol for every plateau instead of fixing intake, protein, steps, lifting and sleep, they’re either confused…

Or they’re selling you a marketing story.

True cortisol excess (Cushing’s) and long-term steroid medication are different conversations.

That’s medical territory.

If you genuinely suspect that, it’s a GP conversation, not an Instagram coach conversation.

If you have any questions, drop me a DM.

Or comment the word "Quiz" and I’ll send you my free 2-minute Diet Cycle Breaker ♻️❌

09/01/2026

If fat loss suddenly feels harder in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause...

It’s not because you’ve “lost discipline”.

And it’s definitely not because you’ve stopped trying hard enough.

What’s actually happening is that the old playbook has stopped working.

And the biggest mistake I see at this stage of life?

Doubling down on “eat less, do more.”

That approach worked once.

Now it usually backfires.

Not because anything is “wrong” with you...

But because the real barriers in midlife are quieter and far less obvious:

• Sleep becomes broken

• Stress sits higher, even when life looks “normal”

• Daily movement drops without you realising

• Recovery takes longer, so training becomes inconsistent

So instead of piling on more restriction, the answer is to simplify.

Here are the anchors I use with my clients when weeks get messy...

Anchor 1:

Build meals, not food rules.

Every meal gets a clear protein source plus fibre from plants.

This alone improves appetite control without turning food into a constant mental battle.

Anchor 2:

Strength first, cardio second.

Two to three strength sessions per week will do more for body composition than endlessly adding cardio.

Keep a daily step floor, and use cardio because it feels good...

Not as punishment.

Anchor 3:

Treat sleep like a fat-loss tool.

When sleep improves, hunger and cravings usually calm down.

Don’t chase perfection.

Protect a realistic bedtime and a consistent wind-down instead.

Pick one anchor for the next 7 days.

Make it measurable.

And review it honestly.

This stage of life rewards consistency, not intensity.

If you had to choose one focus this week...

Meals, strength, or sleep...

Which one needs tightening up first?

I see so much rubbish spoken about menopause nutrition.

Mostly by coaches who guess and Google their way through their clients’ journey.

I help clients cut through the bullsh*t.

DM me if you have any questions.

🔬The science (for those who like receipts):

Khalafi M et al., 2023, Frontiers in Endocrinology.
doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1183765

Tasali E et al., 2022, JAMA Internal Medicine.
doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.8098

08/01/2026

06/01/2026

As I sit here in Portugal with a coffee, post check-ins, I always find myself doing the same thing...

Stepping back and looking at the industry from the outside.

And sometimes it’s grim.

We’re in a weird place right now.

The combination of AI, influencers, and zero barriers to entry has probably put the fitness and nutrition industry in one of the worst positions it’s ever been in.

As a consultancy, I don’t say this from a place of ego...

It’s just honesty.

The standard of coaching, actual coaching, is painfully low.

Especially when it comes to nutrition.

I’ve been in this industry since I was 17.

I’m nearly 41 now.

I was here long before online coaching, before social media, before “content” was a job.

Back when being a coach meant… coaching 🤨

Now?

An iPhone, a pair of tight leggings, or an oiled-up bicep, and a badly written AI post seem to qualify you to hand out nutrition advice.

Most of it borrowed from another influencer who also doesn’t understand nutrition.

It makes me cringe.

Coaches don’t coach anymore.

They talk about themselves.

They gyrate half-naked.

They post “educational” content that hasn’t been researched and would get dismantled in seconds by anyone who actually understands the science.

And somehow this has become normal.

At PHF, the standards are different.

Unapologetically so.

I’m not saying we’re the holy grail...

But when it comes to nutrition, and long-term outcomes…

We’re damn close.

And we will not be beaten by flashy nonsense and recycled misinformation.

I'll be honest...

If you go elsewhere solely for nutrition, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with us eventually.

Usually, after realising your coach is a jack of all trades and a master of none.

Anyway...

That’s my musing for tonight.

I'm sure I've upset the right people again.

I hope so anyway.

I’ll go and put my PJs on now...

It’s 9pm, and I’m absolutely that guy 👴🏻

06/01/2026