ZOE Science & Nutrition – Details, episodes & analysis

Bread has been a staple of our diet for literally thousands of years. Around the world, millions of us start the day with a slice of toast, enjoy a sandwich for lunch, or tuck into a burger bun for dinner.  But all bread is not baked equal. Professor Tim Spector and Vanessa Kimbell are here to help you choose the right type for your health. 🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com for 10% off with code PODCAST 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30+ *Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system 📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists: Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati Free resources from ZOE: Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition  Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks MenoScale Calculator - learn about your symptoms Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here Listen to the full episode here

Thirty plants this week, think you could do it? It might sound a lot, but it’s easier than you think. Fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, even coffee all count as plants. Legendary chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall joins us to share tips on eating more plants. Hugh’s new book ‘How to Eat 30 Plants a Week’ explores the wild world of legumes, grains, herbs and beyond. He explains that getting your thirty plants each week can be simple, fun and delicious. Joining Hugh is Tim Spector - professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and ZOE’s scientific co-founder. Tim explains why our gut microbiome loves plants, highlighting the importance of polyphenols, healthy fats and fiber. You’ll finish this episode inspired, empowered and likely... hungry. 🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com for 10% off with code PODCAST 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30 *Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes 00:00 Thirty plants every week? 01:57 Quickfire questions 05:04 What happens when we digest plants? 08:43 Why are plants so different? 11:28 Why eating the rainbow is important  18:42 Why 30 plants? 22:13 How much fiber should you eat a day? 25:53 The science that proves the power of plants 32:00 How to get more plants in your diet 34:45 How to get more plants on-the-go 38:36 Plant-based cooking made simple 46:45 Are dried and frozen plants just as nutritious? 47:51 How does cooking affect plants 48:56 What to do with your leftovers 49:44 Do mushrooms count as plants? 51:06 How important is organic food?  55:40 Hugh’s showstopper dish 57:16 Surprise taste-test from Hugh’s garden   Books Hugh’s book How To Eat 30 Plants a Week Tim’s book Food For Life Free resources from ZOE: Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition  Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks MenoScale Calculator - learn about your symptoms Mentioned in today's episode American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research (2018), published in mSystems from American Society of Microbiology Could you eat 30 plant-based foods a week? (2021), published by World Cancer Research Fund Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations — United States (2019), published by Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Why 5 A Day? (2022), published by NHS Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases (2023), published by WHO Fruit and vegetable consumption and incident breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies (2021) published by British Journal of Cancer Consumption of Plant Seeds and Cardiovascular Health: Epidemiological and Clinical Trial Evidence (2013), published by Circulation Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

While researching for his bestselling book, Food for Life, Tim dug deep into the new science around UPFs. We used to think they were unhealthy because of their high salt, fat and sugar levels. But there’s much more to the story.  Tim helps us navigate our UPF-filled grocery stores to eat healthier, and explains what he got wrong about a food group he'd previously overlooked... the humble mushroom. Learn how your body responds to food with ZOE 👉 start here 📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists: Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati Free resources from ZOE: Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition  Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here Listen to the full episode here

Our gut helps fight disease. It processes energy for us and boosts our mood. So, having a healthy gut is extremely important – but there’s still a lot we don’t know. Gut biome tests are a new, exciting technology, but are they the be-all and end-all for dietary decision-making? And are there simpler ways — and tastier ways, perhaps — to tell what’s happening inside our bodies? In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Dr. Will ask: What are the signs of an unhealthy gut? And how can we improve our gut health? Referenced in today’s episode:  The Bristol Stool Scale. https://www.bladderandbowel.org/bowel/bowel-resources/bristol-stool-form-scale/  ZOE’s Blue Poop Challenge: https://www.joinzoe.com/bluepoop Blue poo: Impact of gut transit time on the gut microbiome using a novel marker published in Gut https://gut.bmj.com/content/70/9/1665 Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Blood sugar is one of the rare nutrition topics where everyone agrees: We should avoid big peaks and dips and aim for a steady curve.  Spikes cause inflammation, accelerate aging, and lead to type 2 diabetes. Crashes make us feel moody and tired, and crave foods we don’t need.  We can control our blood sugar through what and how we eat. But something else affects our blood sugar — physical activity. Exercise has a profound effect on your blood sugar response. Together with your food choices, being physically active helps you keep your blood sugar level even. In this episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan speaks with Javier Gonzalez and Sarah Berry to find out how exercise affects our blood sugar response — even when we’re fasting — and how much exercise we need to do to benefit. Javier Gonzalez is an associate professor of human physiology at the University of Bath whose research focuses on the interaction between diet and exercise. Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition. She has personally run over 20 randomized clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Introduction 00:12 - Topic introduction 01:39 - Quickfire questions 02:55 - Is a 30-minute walk as good as 30-minute cardio? 03:39 - What is blood sugar and why should we care about it? 05:10 - Blood sugar control throughout the day 07:43 - Why is it important to know about blood sugar? 09:01 - Blood sugar control 12:25 - How exercise affects blood sugar 14:17 - The power of fidgeting 16:12 - Effects of higher intensity exercise 17:00 - Lower intensity exercise vs higher intensity exercise 18:41 - Intermittent fasting and blood sugar 24:43 - Personalization 26:35 - What types of exercises can you do to control blood sugar? 29:12 - Cardio vs resistance training 34:21 - Blood fats & exercise 42:15 - 3 tips on leveraging exercise to control blood sugar and blood fats 43:14 - Summary 44:25 - Goodbyes 44:37 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Follow Javier on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gonzalez_jt Follow Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsarahberry/  Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Have an idea for a podcast? Contact Fascinate Productions to bring it to life.

More than half of us have high cholesterol — and new research suggests that having even slightly raised levels in our 30s could significantly increase our chances of developing heart disease. Medication is a common fix, but it comes with side effects. So, today we’re looking at how much changing our diets can help.  In this short (ish) episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: Can we lower our cholesterol by changing our diets?  Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Studies referenced in the episode: ‘Association between Carbohydrate Intake and Serum Lipids’ from the Journal of the American Nutrition Association here ‘The Mediterranean Diet And Cardioprotection: Historical Overview And Current Research from the Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare here ‘Direct comparison of dietary portfolio vs statin on C-reactive protein’ from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

This year, cases of an invasive bacterial infection are rising earlier than usual in the US, the UK and other countries across Europe.  The group A Streptococcus bacteria - commonly known as Strep A - usually only causes mild illness. However, things have become severe in some cases, with several children dying in recent weeks. So, should we be worried? And what symptoms should we look out for to help us identify this illness in ourselves and our families? In today’s episode, Jonathan is joined by world-leading expert on the subject: Shiranee Sriskandan is a professor of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London whose scientific research focuses specifically on Strep A bacteria. Regular guest and ZOE co-founder Tim Spector also joins, and as one of the world’s top 100 most cited scientists, Tim has been closely following infectious diseases in the community through the ZOE Health Study.  Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00   Introduction 00:10   Topic Introduction 01:40 Quickfire Questions 03:15 What is Strep? 04:04 How common is Strep? 05:02 Seasonality of Strep and symptoms in different climates 05:30 What makes this year different? 06:31 Can Strep make other illnesses worse? 07:07 We've already seen signs of Strep rising over time, is this due to lockdown? 09:36 How worried should we be about Strep infections? 10:10 Group A Strep will often get better on its own 11:07 The risk of rarer invasive infections is greater as the pool of cases increases 11:59 Immune response to Strep A can increase chances of Rheumatic Fever 13:35 What is Rheumatic Fever? 14:59 What are the symptoms of Strep A 16:53 How to treat Strep Throat 18:12 What is the relationship between Strep A and Scarlet Fever 18:53 Who gets Scarlet Fever and what are the symptoms? 19:34 What are the distinguishing features between covid and other sore throats 20:53 Do children get more fevers if they are younger? 22:54 What to do if you think your child has strep throat 24:01 Can you get rapid tests for Strep A? 24:25 Why has Strep throat been seemingly more prominent in the US than the UK 25:41 Different health services around the world and their respective responses to Strep 27:36 Should we be testing and treating? 30:15 What role does differing attitudes to healthcare play in this? 32:02 Should we be cautious about using antibiotics for Strep A? 33:51 What potential problems are there around antibiotics? 36:00 Would a vaccine be the answer to stopping Strep in its tracks? 38:41 Tim's top tips to boost your immunity this winter 41:06 Summary Episode transcripts are available here Read about Tim Spector’s ZOE Health Study here Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Have an idea for a podcast? Contact Fascinate Productions to bring it to life. 

Welcome to 2023! Whether you partied last night or went to bed early, we’re all in the same boat: a new year means thinking about new year’s resolutions.  This tradition dates back 4000 years, so it’s certainly stood the test of time. But are new year’s resolutions a good idea? Or simply a get way to set yourself up to fail?  Perhaps science has something to say about this. In this episode, Jonathan speaks with Tara Swart and Sarah Berry, who share techniques that will give you the best chance of sticking to your New Year’s resolutions. They also discuss whether these promises are a good idea in the first place.  Tara Swart is a medical doctor, a neuroscientist, and the author of The Source: Open Your Mind, Change Your Life. She also has her own podcast, called Reinvent Yourself. Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition. She has personally run more than 20 randomized clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Introduction 00:10 - Topic introduction 01:54 - Quickfire questions 02:32 - Making good choices for the New Year without it being hard work 04:28 - Why do we do New Year resolutions and is it a good idea? 07:07 - How to achieve New Year’s resolution goals? 09:18 - Scientific evidence about how to achieve goals 09:53 - What is neuroplasticity 16:02 - 4-step process to change your brain 18:36 - How to approach weight loss resolutions 23:07 - Avoiding dieting as a New Year’s resolution 25:49 - The science of habits 33:07 - Tips & actionable advice 40:02 - Quitting alcohol 43:26 - Summary 44:00 - Goodbyes 44:11 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Get Tara’s book here. Follow Tara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtaraswart Follow Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsarahberry/  Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Have an idea for a podcast? Contact Fascinate Productions to bring it to life. 

You might think what you eat and when are the only factors that play into the health of your diet. But recent research has shown that who you eat with can also play a role. And it could even make your food taste better! In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: Can eating with other people really improve your food?  Studies referenced in today’s episode:  Associations of family feeding and mealtime practices with children's overall diet quality, published in Appetite here ‘Diet and Health Benefits Associated with In-Home Eating and Sharing Meals at Home’ from International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health here ‘The Protective Role of Family Meals for Youth Obesity: 10-year Longitudinal Associations’ from the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services here Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Follow Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsarahberry/  This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

What should I have for dinner? A question you no doubt ask yourself daily. But I bet you don't spend too long coming up with an answer. ZOE's scientific co-founder, Tim Spector, has been trying to answer this question for a decade. If you're a regular listener, you probably know him well. Five years ago, he published the best-selling book, The Diet Myth, and just last month, he released the follow-up, Food for Life, the New Science of Eating Well.  In this episode, you'll hear a chapter from the book titled “So Now What Should I Have for Dinner?” Tim Spector is a co-founder of ZOE and one of the world's top 100 most-cited scientists. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Get Tim’s book here. Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 01:44 - Chapter 11. So now what should I have for dinner?  14:00 - Personalizing my diet 26:15 - Five final tips 27:00 - Outro -- Follow Tim on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tim.spector Episode transcripts are available here. This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.