Judita Tkáčová is a nutritional specialist who has been professionally dedicated to nutrition and lifestyle for over 10 years. Her blog "Nutriholička's Notes" and Instagram profile with the same name are also popular. On it, the specialist regularly debunks myths about diet and various "miracle" superfoods.
In the interview, she explained not only how to "lose weight" correctly, but also what mistakes we most often make in our diet, and what substances it is appropriate to supplement the body with through suitable nutritional supplements.
In your Instagram bio, you write that you have zero tolerance for, to put it mildly, silly diets. 🙂 So, in your opinion, what should the diet of a woman trying to lose weight look like?
The basis of weight loss is calorie intake and expenditure – or rather, energy intake and expenditure. The basic rule that must always be followed is that we must expend more energy than we consume.
However, this does not mean that we will now diet and eat nothing. On the contrary, this can be counterproductive and even dangerous. Diets that set daily calorie intake at, say, 1100 to 1200, give the body much less energy than it needs to ensure even basic vital functions. The body thus enters a state of stress, tries to be in a saving mode, and instead of burning calories, it will save them, it will try to save energy, and thus it will be less inclined to lose weight.
Not to mention, after such diets, we often see the yo-yo effect, which is very demotivating. If a person strictly diets, eats very little, the results are amazing – often losing 5-6 kilos in a month, which is very encouraging. But then the second phase comes, when the person no longer wants to restrict themselves as much and can't even maintain it. So they start eating normally, not overeating, just not denying themselves as strictly. And suddenly, the kilos go straight back up, and then begins the cycle of diets that we often hear about today.
So, if diets don't work, is strict calorie counting the right approach?
I'm not strictly for calorie counting, because that too can be harmful. Very strict calorie counting can lead to a person constantly obsessing over their diet, always having it in their head, which can result in damaging their relationship with food. People start to fear various foods because a calorie chart shows them that certain foods have a high energy value. This leads to people eliminating many foods from their diet, which becomes restricted, and that's not right either.
When I start working with clients, I also initially recommend they record how many calories they eat daily. If they have no experience with it, it's good to get acquainted with it at first, but it's not good to function this way long-term and strictly.
Perhaps it's enough to get an idea of calorie intake. Many probably don't even know how many calories they consume daily. It's probably useful to gain this knowledge and start working with it by, for example, reducing your portion size, replacing part of a meal with something else, and so on.
Yes, it's a misconception to think that weight loss can be achieved completely without calorie knowledge, because the basic principle is that energy expenditure must be higher than intake. This doesn't mean I have to precisely count and record everything in a table, or constantly look at my watch and check how many calories I've burned by walking. It's enough to have a basic overview of how much I consume and burn.
Some people often think that if they go to the gym for an hour 2-3 times a week, they burn a huge amount of calories, but that's often not the case. Many function by sitting at a computer from morning to night, then driving to the gym for an hour, driving back, and then just sitting again. We cannot expect the energy expenditure to be astronomical, as many think, because in reality, it's not that much movement.
What is your opinion on intermittent fasting – does the time we eat influence weight loss?
I believe it's appropriate to adhere to some basic biological rhythms. On the other hand, it's not proven that a precise regimen and eating times are more advantageous than others. For example, that we can't eat after five because then our digestion and calorie burning will suddenly change completely. That's a misconception. But even with clients, I see that some prefer to eat only 3 times a day, some 5 times a day. Some also find intermittent fasting suitable. If people understand it and can plan it, it can be beneficial for them.
Because if we want to lose weight and achieve some goals, it must first and foremost suit us. We cannot do it by force and push ourselves. The main point of weight loss is not to lose weight terribly quickly, but slower, more gradually, and for a longer period – which means we must endure that longer period. Therefore, we must find something that truly suits and fits us.
The problem I always try to address is when a person doesn't eat regularly – for example, skips breakfast or has their first meal at lunchtime and compensates with a large dinner. If they are gaining weight, it's obviously not the right approach for them, and we try to change that.
Are there any major mistakes we make in our diet? What are the basic mistakes Slovak women make in their diet – perhaps, what are our biggest transgressions?
Women often jump from one trend to another, from one diet to another, and sometimes they turn themselves into "guinea pigs." It's not necessarily bad to try something out on yourself, but often many don't give themselves enough time for the body to process these changes and for people to even find out if it really helps. They immediately jump into something else because some other trend is popular again.
People also often start relying on various superfoods, attributing almost miraculous effects to them. The problem, however, is that we often neglect a simple, varied diet. People try various diets and unnecessarily eliminate dairy products, legumes; people often have an insufficient fiber intake... The desire for quick fixes is a general problem.
Read also the article: Probiotics vs. Prebiotics: Do you know what inulin is and how it helps digestion?
Indeed, online advice and diets often "forbid" gluten, milk, and dairy products. However, if one clicks on another page, they will read that we should not forbid any food and the correct approach is "everything in moderation." So, how is it really?
People who truly cannot eat certain food groups (due to confirmed intolerances, allergies, or other health problems) often say they would give anything to be able to eat them. It's a struggle for them, and they often say they don't understand how people can voluntarily eliminate certain foods. Such experimentation, in my opinion, is a bit of a gamble, not only physically but also mentally. A person then overthinks their diet too much, and that never bodes well.
Food is part of our daily life; it comes to the forefront when we cook, when we eat, but we shouldn't constantly obsess over it. We shouldn't always think about what I can eat, what's healthy, what's unhealthy, what I can and cannot buy. Such thoughts can be very harmful.
Do you see any positive changes among Slovak women in recent years with the rise of the "healthy lifestyle" trend? Is weight loss still the most common topic that bothers women in Slovakia, or are other new topics gaining prominence?
Sometimes I fear it's just my bubble, but I feel that people are indeed thinking more about nutrition, that we are no longer just thinking about weight loss, and we are truly considering that food fulfills many functions – it nourishes us and also uplifts us mentally. Food is a social experience, something we indulge in. The approach to dieting, to obesity, and how we treat people with obesity is also being addressed more and more. We are also dedicating much more attention to eating disorders, which used to be a big taboo.
We also see trends towards individualized eating patterns – e.g., eating for women in menopause, or eating considering women's cycles. However, I again think that these trends also open the door to various new myths and charlatans. Even these topics are being exploited. It is certainly important to address them, but along with that, various half-truths arise again. For example, various hormonal diets are now trending, which are supposed to affect a woman's hormonal cycle, but this is not how it works. Hormones in the body, of course, function and affect how food is processed and stored. But again, this opens up space for various conjectures and misconceptions about the functioning of the female body.
At the same time, a large part of people still deal with existential problems just to be able to buy basic foodstuffs. They cannot afford to shop at organic stores. There is no need to demonize classic foods, to make a fuss about shopping in a supermarket and make it seem inappropriate and unhealthy.
I agree, for example, on social media recently, there was a trend claiming that almost every one of us has a problem with elevated cortisol levels. But allegedly, it helps if we eat grated carrots with olive oil for a month straight.
I can't even imagine how or why that would help. 🙂 However, people listen to such simple solutions. Olive oil and carrots are great, but I can't imagine what fundamental impact they would have on hormones by themselves. This doesn't mean it's not important to address hormonal health, but certainly not in this way.
What is your opinion on nutritional supplements and supplementation? For example, on your Instagram, I saw a video where you explained that taking hair growth supplements after childbirth is unnecessary, because the desired effect, which appears 2-3 months after supplementation, is a natural phenomenon that would have come anyway over time - with or without supplementation.
Yes, those are clever marketing ploys. If something promises you results in 3 months and they naturally do appear, then of course you're happy and you believe in that product, even though the results would have occurred without it.
However, this does not mean that food and nutritional supplements are not good. On the contrary, they can help us greatly in many situations. I think that especially people who have a temporarily increased need for vitamins and minerals or their increased losses should consider supplementation. For example, pregnant and breastfeeding women. Many women stop supplementation after pregnancy, but it is good to continue supplementation during breastfeeding. It is a demanding and hectic period when even the diet may not be completely varied, so it is appropriate and good to supplement the body with certain vitamins and minerals.
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From your practice – can you say what substance Slovak women generally lack most often? It is known that Slovaks have a problem, for example, with fiber intake – is that really so?
Yes, fiber is one of these substances. But we still very often see low vitamin D levels in patients. This is a general problem that is perhaps more pronounced during the winter months. Vitamin D should definitely be supplemented at least seasonally; it is related to bone health and immunity, and low vitamin D levels are also observed in cancer patients. We do not yet know all the connections, but low vitamin D levels do not bode well, so it is good to supplement it.
In Slovakia, there is also a problem with omega-3 fatty acids, because we eat little fish, not often enough. We should eat fish at least twice a week. However, many cannot afford it financially, or they do not know how to prepare fish, and so on.
Vitamin C is also a question mark. It is said that a runny nose lasts 7 days with medication and a week without it, but there are some studies that have shown that vitamin C can speed up the recovery time, for example, during the flu. Therefore, it may be appropriate to also take vitamin C during illnesses or in more demanding situations.
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And finally, what is your opinion on collagen supplements?
I think it didn't help them that they once again became a huge trend and a kind of elixir of youth. It is true that collagen stores are depleted at a very early age and the amount of collagen in the body decreases, which causes aging. But we cannot take collagen and know exactly what part of it will go into our skin, what into our hair, and what into our bones. Or it will be used for completely different functions.
The constituent parts of collagen (amino acids) are used in various ways – if collagen stores in the skin are depleted, they will go there; if collagen is depleted elsewhere, it will go there. It has an effect. Some studies have shown that collagen intake indeed has a positive impact on skin quality, wrinkle reduction, firming, and similar effects. I believe there’s no smoke without fire; almost all studies have shown some positive effect of collagen, so it can certainly help, but it should not be seen as a panacea or something that can completely stop aging, because unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.
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