Today’s episode is a little bit different to usual, it's a special compilation episode, all about how to look after our brains. The brain is our most vital and complex organ and it controls and coordinates all of our actions, thoughts and interactions with the world around us. It’s the source of our personality, our sense of self, and it shapes every aspect of our human experience. Yet most of us don't actually know or think that much about how our brains really work, and what we can do to improve its performance. So, this special episode aims to bring you some of the highlights from previous episodes of my podcast, all themed around the brain. You're going to hear about growing new nerve cells, how learning a new language can impact your brain, the powerful effects of music, as well as the importance of movement and human touch and so much more. My hope is that by the end of this podcast, you will have learned some new fascinating information about the brain, as well as some practical brain boosting strategies that you can adopt immediately. I really hope you enjoy listening.

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/161

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Walking can slow and even reverse functional ageing in the brain, improve our cognition, our creativity and our mental health but yet it is such an underrated activity.

Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

Today’s clip is from episode 84 of the podcast with neuroscientist Shane O’Mara, a professor of experimental brain research at Trinity College Dublin.

Shane believes walking can be our superpower. In this clip he explains how the many benefits of walking go beyond the physical – it’s important for our mood, our happiness and our wellbeing.

Shane reveals the results of a study that showed that walking improved memory and attention and reversed functional ageing of the brain, and that if we walk before doing a task, we perform it more creatively.

The benefits of walking are retained throughout life and it’s never too late to start. As Shane says, ‘you only get old when you stop walking, you don’t stop walking because you’re old’.

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/84

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. 

Today’s conversation is all about food and my guest is world-renowned medical doctor, Dr Mark Hyman. Mark has spent decades in clinical practice and we share a real passion for empowering our patients with practical information that they can use to improve their health. As well as his clinical work, Mark is an educator, author and campaigner and is committed to changing policy for the betterment of public health. Last time I spoke to Mark back on episode 98 of the podcast, we spoke about how the food choices we make can impact our health, the environment and climate change. We continue that conversation in today’s episode by talking about the content of his brand-new book, The Pegan Diet. Despite the title, this is not a diet book – it outlines the core principles of nutrition that underpin good health and can be followed by anyone, whatever your dietary or cultural preference.

In our conversation, we take a deep dive into concepts like food is medicine, personalised nutrition and the unnecessary conflict between many diet ‘tribes’ – who Mark and I believe actually have more in common than you might think. Mark explains that scientists have identified upwards of 25,000 different phytonutrients, not just in plant foods but also in grazing animals, which our bodies can process and use in complex ways. He explains how our ultra-processed Western diets are contributing to the chronic disease epidemic and that our current food system isn’t just driving poor health, it’s one of the biggest causes of climate change. We also discuss the importance of reducing our food waste, the need for regenerative agriculture and the harm caused by factory farming.

Mark’s simple, back-to-basics approach is within all our reach. It’s a myth, he insists, that eating well takes time, money and effort. He argues that the food industry has hijacked our kitchens and convinced us we need to outsource our meals, and it’s time to take back control.

I always get a lot from my conversations with Mark and this one is no exception. I love his message that we can all be part of the solution – for our own health, that of society and of the planet. I hope you enjoy listening.

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/159

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

When we think about running, we often think of it as a way to lose weight or stay healthy - but running can be so much more than that.

Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

Today’s clip is from episode 79 of the podcast with Sanjay Rawal - a documentary maker who directed the brilliant film ‘3100: Run and Become’.

Sanjay believes that if you approach running with the right mindset it can become a tool to transform your life. He describes how his experience of running with the Navajo tribe changed his perspective and made him realise that running could be transformative. 

The benefits to be gained from mindful running, walking and movement are available to us all and Sanjay explains how to run more mindfully for a totally different experience. If you’ve never tried running, or you feel discouraged, Sanjay also gives some great tips on how to get started and find joy in mindful movement.

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/79

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. 

My guest today is Priyanka Chopra Jonas – arguably one of the most famous people on the planet. She’s a household name in India, a country fast approaching a population of 1.5 billion and not only has she climbed to the submits of the Indian film industry, she is now doing the same in Hollywood. She became Miss World, all the way back in 2000 and since then has developed a bit of a reputation for continually breaking through glass ceilings. She has become the first South Asian lead on a major US TV network show and she’s also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Her resume is long and varied – not only is she an actor, she is also a singer, an entrepreneur, a producer, an activist and now, she is also an author.

During the downtime afforded to her because of the global pandemic and travel restrictions, she decided to write her very first book, Unfinished: A Memoir. I spoke to her right in the middle of her launching this book in four different time zones and despite the exhausting schedule, she remained resolutely upbeat. 

Priyanka and I really connected during this conversation and we went deep into many different areas. We talk about where her drive and positivity comes from, how she defines success and the powerful effect her childhood has had on the choices she makes and the way she interacts with the world.  

From a young age, Priyanka was taught to walk her own path and that her opinions were valid and important – something she encourages all parents to foster in their own children. She was also taught that finding the good in any situation takes away the power of the bad. This came into question when, like myself, Priyanka suffered the loss of her father in 2013. We talk through how that grief manifested in her and how she managed to emerge from that deep pain. She found that making small changes – tiny shifts to her usual pattern or environment – were key to rediscovering her true self. I think this is a really powerful perspective that we can all apply into our own lives.

We talk about our shared Indian heritage and our own experiences growing up, especially in relation to the clash that we both felt between Eastern and Western cultures. For Priyanka, it was only when she started working in the entertainment industry and realised the lack of representation that she understood why she’d always felt ‘different’. It became her aim to push boundaries and ‘make the table larger’ for the next generation.

Success, says Priyanka, is not about career or fame or money. It’s about waking up excited for the day ahead and going to bed with contentment in your heart. I think this a powerful conversation and the life lessons that Priyanka shares are relevant to us all. 

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/157

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Relationships are integral to our lives – they can bring us joy and happiness but navigating them can sometimes be hard.

Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

Today’s clip is from episode 119 of the podcast with Esther Perel. Esther is arguably one of the world’s leading and most original thinkers on modern relationships.

She explains why relationships shape every aspect of our lives and why we often feel under pressure to have the perfect relationship.

Esther talks us through how much the concept of marriage has changed over the past century and how our modern-day relationships are so different from the relationships of the past. Where once we would have had support from extended families and communities, increasingly we look to just one person to meet all our needs.

Esther believes it is the quality of our relationships that determines the quality of our lives and she offers some relationship tips we can all start implementing today.

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/119

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. 

This week I’m delighted to welcome friend and fellow GP, Dr Gemma Newman to the podcast. Gemma is someone who I really respect, not only is she incredibly knowledgeable, she always leads with kindness and compassion – values that I aspire to myself. Gemma has recently released her first book, The Plant Power Doctor: A Simple Prescription for a Healthier You. Having been a doctor for 17 years, Gemma has learned a lot by interacting with her patients but like for so many of us, she has also learned powerful life lessons through her own life experience.

Gemma has a strong family history of heart disease and in her early days as a junior doctor, she found herself to be carrying excess weight and was exhausted. This led to her making some changes to what she ate and how she moved, which helped her lose weight. In fact, she dropped from a size 18 to a size 8 but when she checked her blood levels, she found some concerning results. Initially, Gemma put these results down to her genes and did nothing more about it until she started researching a whole-food plant based diet. Following this research, she decided to give this way of eating a go and she shares the transformative effect it had on her and some of her patients.

This is a wide-ranging conversation. We discuss how many of the chronic illnesses we face - including heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, hormonal dysfunction and obesity - can be helped with changes to our lifestyle. We also talk about Gemma’s own near-death experience and the topic of spirituality. Finally, Gemma shares her brilliant top tips, which you can put into practice immediately to change the way that you feel. At the heart of all Gemma’s advice is compassion and kindness and I’m sure you’ll enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/155

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

To live our most authentic life we need to figure out our own identity and true values.

Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

Today’s clip is from episode 122 of the podcast with former monk turned social media superstar, Jay Shetty.

So many of us these days are living lives that are not truly ours. In this clip, Jay explains why finding out what our true values are is so important. He talks us through his value audit exercise along with other tips which will help us all on our way to living the life we really want.

After having spent three years living as a monk in India, Jay believes that you don’t have to live like a monk to think like one. He transforms the ancient wisdom he has learned into practical tips and fun exercises that will help us all live more meaningful and purposeful lives.

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/122

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website

CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains mild swearing.

Today I’m welcoming back my good friend and fellow podcaster, Rich Roll, for the third time. Rich has recently gone back through his 500 plus podcasts and collected words of wisdom from 50 of his podcast guests in his new, self-published book Voicing Change which is, quite simply, a thing of beauty. Rich was a huge influence on my own decision to start a podcast – and to evolve it into long form conversations. So, we kick off our chat talking about the craft and what we have learned from it.

He explains that he likes to prepare well and research his guests but ultimately trusts in the process and his instincts. That’s advice that translates to all walks of life, from a sporting event to a job interview. We discuss how leading with your own vulnerability can be the key to putting other people at ease and helping them to open up.

Rich reveals how every success in his life has been very hard fought and has been a process of work undertaken consistently, aggressively and anonymously. He believes that many of us overestimate what we can do in a short period of time and wildly underestimate what we're capable of accomplishing over a decade or a number of years. Above all, he is a believer in process over outcome, the journey not the destination. Growth is all about stepping outside your comfort zone.

Over the past year, of course, that journey has been difficult for all of us. But even in the face of global calamity, Rich has some great practical advice on how best to survive and even thrive. We discuss parenting through the pandemic, Covid’s effect on the world’s mental health and our worries about its impact on our kids. But ultimately, Rich believes we can navigate through the fear and emerge from this era with more resilience, better able to handle difficulties. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/153

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

We know that poor diet can affect our physical health, but it can negatively affect our mental health too.

Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

This week’s guest is world-leading expert in the field of nutritional psychiatry, Professor Felice Jacka.

We discuss the fascinating findings of her ground-breaking research into the link between food and our mental health.

Felice explains the important role our gut microbiome plays in our health and wellbeing, and how a diet rich in diversity is key to good physical and mental health.

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/74

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.