I’m seeing “perfect” wellness routines everywhere! Red light masks, infrared saunas, ice baths, supplements lined up on the kitchen counter, breathwork, journaling, grounding mats… the list goes on.

And yes, my wife has been trying most of them.

So today, we’re doing something a bit different. We’re recreating those little “sofa consults” we have at home. We’ll be casually watching TV, and out of nowhere she pauses the show, turns to me dead seriously, and hits me with a question like…

“Babe… what are your thoughts on grounding mats?”

So the format is simple: she’s going to take us through her wellness routine from morning to night, and after each bit she’ll ask me what I think.

I’ll give it a verdict, the why behind it, and a quick takeaway you can actually use, so you can make a choice as to whether you want it in your routine or not.

If you liked this episode let me know by leaving a comment on Spotify, or shooting us a message on instagram. I’ll be watching out for them! 

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In 2025 we’ve had world experts come into the DK studio, meet the team, sit right here in this room and let me tease their brains, challenge their ideas and help us bring you the most up-to-date, practical advice out there.

These guests changed the way I personally eat, the way I move, the way I recover, the way I think and even the way I structure my day.

So in today’s episode, I want to share the 5 health habits I changed this year because of this very podcast you're listening to, because I’m on this journey with you.

I’ll talk about my changing perspectives on:

Red Meat and whether you can safely eat it regularly or not?

How to consume more variety of fibre

Why movement snacking is just as important as structured workouts

If sauna is worth it and what an evidence based protocol looks like

How to reduce screen time and improve your dopamine levels

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Constipation might not sound like the most glamorous topic, but it’s one of the most common and overlooked health issues in the UK. Around 1 in 7 adults and up to 1 in 3 children experience it, and it’s responsible for thousands of hospital admissions every year.

This week I’m joined by Dr Angad Dhillon, Consultant Gastroenterologist and accredited Bowel Cancer Screening endoscopist at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. With advanced training from St Mark’s Hospital, one of the world’s leading centres for intestinal disorders, Dr Dhillon specialises in complex endoscopy, bowel health, and digestive wellbeing. He also happens to be my best friend from medical school who I’ve literally known over 2 decades!

We talk about lesser known constipation strategies, what functional constipation means, how it can be related to other medical issues and what you should be optimising before you reach for a laxative, medications or supplements.

Today we explore:

💬 What “normal” bowel habits look like and whether the bristol stool chart is useful

🥦 How to approach constipation with a dietary approach

🧘‍♂️ Why pooping posture, breathing, and stress matter for gut health

🌙 The link between sleep, circadian rhythm, and digestion

⚠️ Red flags that mean it’s time to speak to your doctor

Dr Dhillon's research work can be found here and give him a follow on social media @the_gut_doctor

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If exercise were a pill, it would be the most powerful drug on the planet. It protects the brain, lowers the risk of heart disease and Alzheimer’s, reduces stress, boosts energy… and yet, most of us still struggle to fit it in.

Today, we’re putting together a practical, evidence-based guide to exercise for everyone. If you’re a busy parent or professional who struggles to find the time to move, we’ll show you the minimum that makes the biggest difference. If you’re older and thinking about healthy ageing, we’ll talk about protecting bone, muscle and independence as well as how to approach going to an intimidating weight section of a gym for the first time.

For teens and young people, we’ll cover how movement shapes brain health and sets you up for life. And if you’re already into fitness, we’ll dive into how to break plateaus, track progress, and optimise performance.  This episode will show you exactly how to move for a longer, healthier life.

Today I’m joined by Dr Andy Galpin, one of the world’s leading human performance scientists and the person I wish I’d had on speed dial when I first started trying to figure out how to train smart, not just hard.

Andy is a Professor at Parker University and Executive Director of the Human Performance Center. He holds a PhD in Human Bioenergetics, has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, and has worked with some of the most elite athletes on the planet — from Olympic gold medallists to world champions across the UFC, MLB, NBA, NFL, PGA, and military special forces.

He’s also the co-founder of several innovative companies, including Absolute Rest, Vitality Blueprint, and BioMolecular Athlete, all dedicated to improving human health, performance, and recovery.

Think of this episode like a session with Andy … but for all of us! By the end, you’ll have a clear, evidence-based understanding of how to use exercise to support your health at any stage of life. Whether you’re a busy parent, professional, or already fit and active, Andy helps us understand what most people are missing from their training and how to fill those gaps.

We cover:

💪 The exercise priorities for each stage of life, from teenagers to older adults

🧬 How to personalise training using intensity, timing, and recovery data

🦴 Why bone health matters more than you think and what to do about it

⚡ The key markers for long-term fitness and how to track real progress

My hope is that this is one of those conversations that reframes how you think about movement not just for performance, but for longevity, energy, and quality of life.

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Since writing about inflammation in Eat to Beat Illness and my last book Healthy High Protein, I’ve become fascinated by how this one process connects so many of the health issues I’ve seen in thousands of patients over my career.

On the one hand, inflammation is brilliant, it helps us fight infections, repair injuries, and clear out damaged or cancerous cells. But when it doesn’t switch off or is constantly triggered, it becomes a slow burn in the background, driving heart disease, cancer, dementia, and even daily struggles like joint pain, gut problems, poor sleep, skin issues, and fatigue.

The good news? Food gives us a direct way to influence it. Every time we sit down to eat, we can either fan the flames or gently cool them.

In this episode, we explore:

🧬 What inflammation actually is (and the early warning signs of too much)

🥗 The science and benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet

🥑 My top 10 anti-inflammatory foods you can start eating today

🥩 Controversial takes on meat, dairy, and foods to limit

📊 How we measure inflammation, including our new “inflammation score” on the app

This is your practical guide to cooling chronic inflammation and protecting your long-term health, starting with what’s on your plate.

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Coming into this podcast my opinion was that multivitamins are just not worth it. Whether that’s for general wellbeing, cardiovascular health, sleep and especially mental health, I just was not convinced that they did anything at all.

But I specifically wanted to speak with Professor Julia Rucklidge, clinical psychologist and Director of the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab at the University of Canterbury, because she has a very different opinion.

Julia’s groundbreaking research and viral TED Talk have transformed how psychiatrists and mental health practitioners think about nutrition and mental illness, especially the potential of broad-spectrum micronutrients to support mood, focus, and resilience.

We explore:

•  💊 Why “no single ingredient solutions” matter, and when multivitamins might actually help
•  🧬 How stress, inflammation, and modern farming have changed our nutrient needs
• 🧠 The mechanisms linking nutrients, mitochondria, and neurotransmitters to mood and cognition
• 👩‍🔬 The evidence for micronutrients in ADHD, PMS, Depression and Anxiety
• 🥗 How to choose quality supplements and avoid the hype

If you’ve ever wondered whether taking a daily multivitamin is worth it or how food and nutrients impact the brain, this episode will challenge your assumptions and expand your understanding of nutrition for mental wellbeing.

Julia has made me reconsider my personal perspectives on multivitamins, and I’m excited to dive deeper into this topic on future podcasts and with our internal research team.

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How much plastic are we actually absorbing and what’s it doing to our health?

In this eye-opening episode, I’m joined by Dr. Stephanie Wright, one of the UK’s leading scientists in microplastic research, to explore what happens when plastic pollution doesn’t just affect the environment, but our bodies too.

We dive into:

🧪 What are micro- and nanoplastics, and how are they getting into our lungs, gut, and even blood?

 🌍 The biggest sources of exposure in modern life from tires to tap water and food packaging to clothes as well as the city air I’m breathing in right now

 🧬 How plastic particles could be contributing to chronic inflammation, hormone disruption, and affecting fertility

 🧼 Whether we can actually detox or eliminate plastics from our body naturally and how the liver, fibre, and exercise may play a role

 🔍 What we know so far about plastics and brain health, cancer, immunity, dementia, and more

Plus, we cover simple, science-backed strategies to help reduce your exposure from filters and cooking swaps to smarter shopping and clothing choices.

Dr Stephanie Wright is an Associate Professor in Environmental Toxicology in the Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London. She received a Ph.D. in Biosciences at the University of Exeter (2015), then completed 2 fellowships at King's College London. She has 15 years’ experience in microplastic research and lead the Microplastics Team. She’s also participated in microplastic working groups for the World Health Organisation and the European Commission.

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When we think about brain health, most of us jump straight to memory, dementia, or even Alzheimer’s. But what if the real starting point is our metabolism?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Shahrukh Mallik, Consultant Neurologist, to explore how conditions like insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and chronic inflammation don’t just affect the body, they directly impact the brain.

We dive into:

⚡ Why people with type 2 diabetes have up to a 50% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s

🧬 Why the brain is more vulnerable than we think

🔗 How poor metabolic health links to dementia, stroke, migraines, depression, and more

🥗 Practical, evidence-based steps to protect your brain through food and movement

Dr. Shahrukh Mallik gained his primary medical qualification from the University of London.

He is a specialist in Neurology, having trained at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London.

He has an MSc in Clinical Neurology and a PhD in Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis, both from the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, UCL.

He also has a specialist interest in Public Health, Nutritional Physiology, and the science and practice of Longevity and Optimisation of Metabolic Health, one of the few Neurologists in the world with such an interest.

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Why is it so hard to put our phones down even when we know they’re making us anxious? Today we’re going to unpack the neurochemistry of why we get hooked on devices and games, and how to reclaim our mental wellbeing from somebody who’s helping millions of people do this everyday. 

This week I’m joined by Dr. Alok Kanojia, Harvard-trained psychiatrist and co-founder of Healthy Gamer, to discuss digital devices, the science behind dopamine loops and how to develop a healthy relationship with our phones and more.

We explore:

📲 The brain circuits behind digital addiction (dopamine, the hippocampus, nucleus accumbens + more)

⚠️ Signs your online use is tipping from healthy to harmful

👨‍👩‍👧 Parenting in the digital age how to set boundaries without battles

🧘 The surprising role of Vedic philosophy, meditation, and yoga in rewiring the brain

🔑 Dr. K’s top tools for building a healthy, long-term relationship with technology

If you’ve ever asked yourself “Am I addicted to my phone?” or struggled with screen time limits, this conversation blends science, psychiatry, and ancient wisdom to give you practical strategies for balance.

We also take a massive tangent at the end of this podcast to talk about his spiritual side, the vedic teaching around personality traits and how Alok balances his beliefs about other worlds with a purely science informed approach. This is something I’m personally very interested in and while it’s a slight departure from the rigorous evidence based medicine approach we usually maintain on the DK podcast, I wanted to share this personal perspective with you all.

Check out more from Dr.K https://www.healthygamer.gg/

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Back pain is one of the most common health issues worldwide yet it’s still surrounded by confusion, fear, and myths. In this episode, I sit down with Anthony Ghosh, Consultant Spinal Neurosurgeon, educator and founder of Spine MDT Clinic to separate fact from fiction and give you a practical toolkit for a healthier spine.

What I love about Anthony’s approach is that he created SpineMDT, a modern, multidisciplinary spine care service, that works alongside physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractitioners to deliver holistic care to his patients, many of whom he believes would NOT benefit from spinal surgery.

We cover:

💡 Myth-busting: running, lifting weights, posture, mattresses, and more

🧠 What’s really happening when you get back pain and when to seek help

🏋️ The most effective exercises (including the McGill Big 3) for strength and recovery

🛏️ Sleep positions, pillows, shoes and desk-friendly tips to protect your back

🔬 Why surgery often isn’t the quick fix people expect and when it truly changes lives

If you’ve ever wondered whether cracking your back is dangerous, if a herniated disc can heal, or what the best daily routine for back health looks like, this episode has the answers.

He’s also a strong advocate for educating patients and challenging outdated ideas about spine health, a message he regularly shares on his growing YouTube channel, Spine MDT and in clinical practice.

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