Mikki Williden, PhD

Mikki Williden, PhD Registered nutritionist, whole food, health, nutrition, sport nutrition, primal, podcast Mikkipedia
(4)

Collagen gets called a “low-quality protein” a lot, and technically, that is true if we are judging it by the same crite...
21/05/2026

Collagen gets called a “low-quality protein” a lot, and technically, that is true if we are judging it by the same criteria we use for building muscle.

If your goal is muscle protein synthesis, collagen is not what you use.

Not all proteins need to do the same job.
Collagen is rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, amino acids that are heavily represented in connective tissue. This makes collagen more relevant when we are talking about skin, nails, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bone matrix, rather than just “does this spike muscle protein synthesis?”

And this is why I recommend it.
The clinical research on skin is reasonably consistent. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials have found that oral collagen supplementation can improve skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkles, particularly when taken consistently over 8–12 weeks or longer. Is it going to reverse ageing? No. But can it modestly support skin structure and hydration? The evidence suggests yes.

For nails, there is research showing that specific bioactive collagen peptides can improve brittle nails, increasing nail growth and reducing broken nails. That may not sound earth-shattering, but for women dealing with splitting, peeling or weak nails, it may be useful.

Where collagen becomes especially interesting is in active people and midlife athletes. Research from the Ormsbee lab found that 10 g per day of collagen peptides over 6–9 months improved measures of activities of daily living, pain, and physical or mental health outcomes in middle-aged active adults. That matters because many people over 40 are not limited by motivation. They are limited by whether their knees, hips, Achilles, shoulders or tendons will let them keep doing the thing they love.

Professor Keith Baar’s work is also important here. His research has shown that gelatin or collagen combined with vitamin C before loading exercise can increase markers of collagen synthesis.

That is the key point: collagen is not magic. But it may be a useful targeted tool.

PMID 37432180, 33742704, 28786550, 37551682, 27852613, 34808597

The problem is rarely the Friday night dinner, the birthday cake, the extra glass of wine, or the meal out that didn’t q...
19/05/2026

The problem is rarely the Friday night dinner, the birthday cake, the extra glass of wine, or the meal out that didn’t quite match the plan. Those things are part of normal life, and they are not what usually derails progress.

What tends to cause the issue is what happens next. One off-plan meal can quickly become “I’ve blown it now,” and before you know it, the rest of the day, the weekend, or even the whole week has been written off. That all-or-nothing thinking does far more damage than the meal itself.

The research on dietary adherence is clear: long-term success is not predicted by never deviating. It is predicted by the ability to return to your usual pattern quickly after you do. In other words, the people who do well over time are not perfect. They are consistent, and consistency has room for real life.

This is SUCH an important skill to build, because life will always include dinners out, celebrations, travel, stress, and days where things don’t go exactly to plan. The goal is not to avoid every deviation. The goal is to stop turning a deviation into a decision to give up.

One meal is just one meal. It does not require punishment, compensation, or “starting again Monday.” It simply requires you to return to normal at the next meal.

That is the real skill.

PMID:32767708

There’s a common bit of dieting logic that sounds sensible on the surface:“I’ll just lose an extra kilo before I go away...
18/05/2026

There’s a common bit of dieting logic that sounds sensible on the surface:

“I’ll just lose an extra kilo before I go away, so I have room to gain a bit.”

But this doesn’t always work the way people think it does, especially if you are already lean, smaller framed, or close to your goal weight.

The leaner you get, the less “spare” body fat your body has to give up. At that point, pushing harder often means you are not just losing fat. You increase the risk of losing muscle, feeling flat, training poorly, sleeping worse, and becoming more food-focused than you need to be.

And for what? So the scale can be one kilogram lower for a few days?

For smaller people, that extra kilo can be a relatively big ask. It is not the same as someone with a much larger body losing a kilo. The calorie deficit required may be more aggressive, the margin for error is smaller, and the cost can be higher.

Then you go on holiday, eat a bit more, maybe have more carbs, salt, alcohol, meals out, different routines, less training or more walking. The scale jumps.

But that jump is often not fat.

A kilogram or so can easily be water, glycogen, food volume, inflammation from travel, poor sleep, salty meals, or a change in bowel habits.

Rather than trying to diet below your goal weight “just in case,” a better strategy is to go into the holiday well-fed, strong, and in control. Keep protein high, move daily, enjoy the food you genuinely want, and accept that the scale may temporarily increase.

Then when you get home, get back to your usual habits and let it settle.

You do not need to arrive at your holiday depleted to prove you are disciplined. You need a body that is resilient enough to enjoy life and return to baseline afterwards.

That is the goal. Not being smaller at all costs.

“Are supplements like Age Mate worth taking?”Great question. These products are often expensive, and people want to know...
17/05/2026

“Are supplements like Age Mate worth taking?”

Great question. These products are often expensive, and people want to know whether they’re actually worth the money.

My answer is usually this: before spending money on expensive supplements, check whether the basics are in place first.

That means:

Are you eating enough protein?

Are you strength training consistently?

Are you getting enough daily movement?

Are you sleeping well?

Are you managing stress as best you can?

Are you eating enough fibre and nutrient-dense food?

Are you hydrated?

Have you checked vitamin D, iron, B12, thyroid, glucose, insulin or other markers if relevant?

Because if those areas are not being addressed, then a supplement is unlikely to make a meaningful difference.

That does not mean supplements are useless. Some can be helpful in the right context. But they should be used to support a good foundation, not replace one.

With products marketed around ageing, metabolism, energy, inflammation or longevity, I would always ask:

What is the specific ingredient?

What is the dose?

What outcome are we expecting?

Is there human evidence?

Is it relevant to your situation?

Is it worth the cost compared to other things you could spend that money on?

In the current economy, I think this matters even more. If money is tight, I would prioritise food quality, protein, resistance training, sleep, movement, and targeted supplements only where there is a clear need.

Expensive supplements are not the first step. And I know this can be frustrating when looking for what appears to be an easy fix.

They may have a place later, but only once the basics are reasonably consistent.

For most people, the highest return still comes from the simple things done well.

Hollywood has always been thin. That’s not new.The pressure to be smaller, leaner, younger, more “camera ready” has been...
16/05/2026

Hollywood has always been thin. That’s not new.

The pressure to be smaller, leaner, younger, more “camera ready” has been baked into that world for decades. GLP-1 medications haven’t created Hollywood’s obsession with thinness, but they have given people a new thing to point at.

And I understand why people are concerned. When already-small bodies appear to shrink further, it brings up valid questions about body image, influence, access, and what we are normalising.

But I also think we need to be careful that the outrage doesn’t spill over onto people using these medications for legitimate health reasons.

For many people, GLP-1 medications are not about vanity. They are being used in the context of obesity, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic disease, cardiovascular risk, and years of feeling like their biology is working against them.

And when the whole conversation becomes judgement, it can make those people feel ashamed for accessing a tool that will actually improve their health. A lot of people I talk to almost apologise for using them or are afraid of what other people will think.

Feeling unsatisfied after eating? It might not be a protein problem.A 2026 critical review pressure-tested (amongst othe...
15/05/2026

Feeling unsatisfied after eating? It might not be a protein problem.

A 2026 critical review pressure-tested (amongst other claims) the idea that protein is the most satiating macronutrient and found the evidence surprisingly weak. Which got me thinking about what else actually moves the needle for clients.

Here’s a list below, and what the research says:
Fibre helps. It delays gastric emptying, stimulates satiety hormones and prolongs the window where your body is registering the meal. One review found that an extra 14g of fibre per day was associated with a 10% reduction in energy intake over time.

Eating speed matters more than most people realise. One study found that people eating at a slower rate consumed 25% less energy from snacks three hours later. Slower eating gives your gut hormones time to catch up to your brain.

Food texture is underrated. Research comparing hard vs soft textured meals found people consumed 21-26% less food by weight and energy from the harder options, and the difference between the least and most consumed meal in one study was around 300 kcal, just from texture alone.

Being present for the meal appears to reduce intake mainly by slowing eating rate. Your brain needs cues to register that food happened. Eating in front of a screen isn’t giving it those cues.

None of this means ignoring protein. If someone is eating low protein, yes, that’s the first thing I address. But if they’re already hitting reasonable targets and still feel unsatisfied, there’s more to work with here.

PMID: 36193993
PMID: 11396693
PMID: 30591684
PMID: 35285882
PMID: 40029280
PMID: 42101036

14/05/2026

Another great discussion with Prof Don Layman on the protein recommendations in the latest update of the US dietary guidelines. He, along with Heather Leidy gathered the evidence for the guidelines and we discuss the shift to 1.2-1.6g per kg body weight per day and why it’s in line with the research conducted.

Lots of good pearls in this one!

Link https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/mikkipedia/id1538311674?i=1000767434762 or in bio in link tree 🌳

So I almost never recommend magnesium oxide to clients unless it is for constipation, as it is a form of magnesium that ...
13/05/2026

So I almost never recommend magnesium oxide to clients unless it is for constipation, as it is a form of magnesium that is poorly absorbed.

I’m happy to report that after a false start with magnesium citrate, this has really been helpful for me when travelling, which is the only time I tend to have any real issues with motility and constipation.

Interestingly, looking across human clinical evidence for magnesium oxide shows clear benefits for chronic constipation, some restless leg syndrome (RLS) cases and postoperative anxiety/sleep, migraine in pregnancy.

Benefits are generally condition‑specific, and results differ across trials, doses, formulations, and baseline magnesium status.

So it’s not completely useless. Doses of 250mg - 1.5g Mg Oxide a day (highest dose linked to constipation relief, FYI). Outside of constipation, finding other forms of magnesium which are better absorbed (citrate, glycinate, amino acid chelate, malate, taurate, threonate) are more effective for the roles magnesium play in the body. Which are related to almost every pathway there is (nervous system, immune function, brain etc).

PMID: 36587225
PMID: 31587548
PMID: 34719399
PMID: 36495328

The headlines say we’re obsessed with protein.And to be fair, protein is everywhere right now. Protein yoghurt. Protein ...
13/05/2026

The headlines say we’re obsessed with protein.

And to be fair, protein is everywhere right now. Protein yoghurt. Protein bars. Protein cereal. Protein wraps. Protein coffee. Protein water, because apparently plain water wasn’t pulling its weight….

But reading about protein all day long doesn’t mean you’re eating enough of it.
And buying foods with “high protein” on the label doesn’t automatically mean your overall intake is where it needs to be, especially with quality protein sources (ie naturally high protein foods) that also bring with them micronutrients like iron, B12, zinc, other B vitamins etc.

For many women, especially over 35, protein still needs to be more intentional.

The problem is that a lot of people are protein aware, but not protein adequate.
You might have a protein yoghurt with 10g protein. Great. But if the rest of the day is toast (even with an egg), a salad with a few chickpeas, and a small piece of chicken at dinner, you may still be falling short.

This is why I always come back to meals first.

Look at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Is there a decent serve of protein at each one? Not a token amount. Not a sprinkle. Not “it has some protein in it”. Enough to actually contribute meaningfully to your daily target which (for most people) would be a minimum of 1.2g/kg but higher to 1.6g/kg and potentially higher still if you’re an athlete or have a fat loss goal.

Go a hand sized amount of a protein source food at these meals. That will get you there if you aren’t into counting.

Because media hot takes about protein makes a great headline, but for most people, the real issue isn’t obsession.
It’s still not getting enough.

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