🎙️ In today’s episode, I’m joined by Professor Ailsa Welch, a leading expert in nutritional epidemiology at the University of East Anglia. We explore the silent yet powerful changes that begin in midlife how aging affects our muscles, bones, and metabolism, and why prevention in your 40s, 50s and 60s is key. From sarcopenia and osteoporosis to frailty and fracture risk, we unpack how these conditions interact with one another, and what the latest science says about maintaining strength and vitality as we age.

We discuss ..

How muscle and bone structure evolve with age

The role of skeletal muscle in metabolising carbs, fats, and protein

Key mechanisms of aging:

• Chronic low-grade inflammation
• Oxidative stress
• Mitochondrial decline
• 
  

The impact of diet on these processes, including nutrients like:

• Magnesium 🧂
• Vitamin C & E 🍊
• Carotenoids 🥕
• Protein 🥩
• Calcium, B12, Iron & Vitamin D

💡 Most importantly, we offer practical, evidence-based advice for people in midlife and beyond: what to eat, how to move, and what to look out for when it comes to micronutrient deficiencies and supplementation.

Professor Ailsa Welch led the development of dietary assessment methods for the EPIC-Study (European Prospective Investigations into Cancer and Nutrition) between 1993 & 2007. She has more than 23,000 citations!

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You may have heard of the liver king, but today we have the sprout king on the show. 

Doug Evans is the Founder and CEO of The Sprouting Company. He was a former paratrooper in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and an early pioneer in the natural food industry, he authored the national bestseller The Sprout Book, and he now lives in Wonder Valley Hot Springs in Southern California

Doug is on a mission to make sprouting mainstream. After learning about sprouts as the most nutritious food on the planet, he wants everyone to get as excited about sprouting as he is.

This is a fun episode where we break down a little bit about the science but also the joy around creating your own food on a counter top with the most potent ingredient we have access to. The seed.

Unlocking the benefits of seeds via sprouting has been a game changer for me and my health. I use lentil, mung bean, broccoli and sunflower sprouts weekly in my meals and whenever I share them online, I always get asked about where they come from. I spoke about how to sprout in my first cook book, but now you can sprout your own using handy tools like Doug's Sprouting jars (that you can see for yourself on YouTube). You can find them in health food stores, but they’re so easy to make yourself at home, giving you access to nature's true multivitamin!

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Longevity is exploding in popularity. On my recent trip to LA it’s very apparent that bio hacking has morphed into a genuine branch of medicine that legitimate medical researchers and doctors are practicing. One of those people at the forefront is Dr Darshan Shah, a board certified surgeon who has performed over 20,000 surgical operations, including trauma and complex reconstructive procedures. As a Longevity Medicine specialist, he has advised thousands of patients on how to optimize their well-being and extend their healthspan and lifespan.

Dr. Shah earned his medical degree at the age of 21, becoming one of the youngest doctors in the United States. He continued his training at the Mayo Clinic, has authored numerous papers and patented medical devices. Dr. Shah’s belief in continual education and self-improvement has earned him alumni status at Harvard Business School, Singularity University, and other prestigious institutions.

Today I sat down with Darshan at one of his Next Health Clinic branches in West Hollywood to discuss the 4 pillars of longevity, which are …

• Lifestyle Medicine - diet, sleep and exercise
• Functional Medicine - detoxification, emotional health, hormones, inflammation
• Preventative Medicine -  screening for heart health, brain health and cancer
• Longevity medicine - peptides, supplements, IVs and more

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Could modern life be a little too comfortable for our ancient bodies? This week, I’m exploring the idea that our 21st-century lifestyle might be mismatched with what our biology evolved for and how reintroducing a few ancient challenges could help you feel sharper, calmer, and more resilient.

Without going full caveman, there are a few mild and ‘natural’ stressors that may have benefits to our bodies and considering how comfortable our lives are today, would require us to purposely reintroduce.

I dive into:

🍽️ Why mild hunger and thirst may be benefit

(Not every craving needs a snack—your stress hormones might thank you.)

🌿 How plant “toxins” are misunderstood heroes

From broccoli to turmeric, these phytochemicals can trigger powerful cell protection pathways.

🔥❄️ Whether saunas & cold plunges are worth the hype

How short exposures to heat or cold, separately,  might boost metabolism, improve circulation, and even support brain health.

Today’s episode was influenced by the conversation I had with Dr Leo Pruimboom about the science of ‘intermittent living’. The benefit of these challenges isn’t in the challenge itself, it’s in the recovery. And fasting, movement, temperature, and more mirror the environments we evolved in.

To enjoy the benefits of these, I don’t think it requires a complete lifestyle overhaul, I see these as gentle nudges to remind your body what it was built for. The key is dose. Not too much, not too little. 

Remember, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula. It’s a curious invitation to explore how mild, short-term stressors can unlock long-term health. These aren’t replacements for healthy habits, just small extras that might make a big difference.

This area of research is still evolving. Not all ancient humans lived the same way. There wasn’t one perfect lifestyle. And while the theory behind intermittent living is fascinating, it’s not a prescription.

Think of it as adding a few evolutionary ingredients back into your modern life!

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Nutrition today is noisy. If you spend five minutes on Instagram or YouTube, you’ll see someone telling you that seed oils are poison, soy will mess up your hormones or butter in your coffee will make you live forever.

The truth is, fear sells really well. But real life is usually a bit more simple and a lot more nuanced.

So, how do we make sense of all this in our day-to-day lives? That’s what we’re tackling today. I’ve got Max Lugavere with me. He’s a health and science journalist and New York Times best-selling author on a crusade to help you live longer and feel better.

We don’t agree on everything, which is exactly why this will be a good one to listen to. We’re going to unpack some of the biggest myths that confuse people right now, where these ideas come from, what current research actually shows and what both of us think is a reasonable middle ground.

If you’ve ever stood in the oil aisle wondering if sunflower oil is going to kill you or if you should swap it for beef tallow, stick around. Let’s get into it.

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This episode is for anyone whose life doesn’t always follow a perfect routine. Shift workers, new parents, students, frequent flyers... basically, all of us at some point. 💤🌍✈️

If you’ve ever felt out of sync, foggy, tired at odd hours, or struggled with digestion or mood your circadian rhythm might be to blame. Today I dive into …

🧠 How your body clock governs everything

From digestion, hormones, and metabolism to brain performance, mood, and sleep quality, your circadian rhythm is your internal conductor.

💡 Why modern life throws us off

Artificial light at night, late-night meals, inconsistent sleep and screen time.

🌙 Simple, practical tips for shift workers

🕐 When to sleep

🍽️ What to eat (and when)

🌞 How to recover and realign when your schedule gets messy

🥦 Nutrition strategies to support your rhythm

Learn how to time meals, caffeine, and light exposure to protect your energy, digestion, and mental clarity even during chaotic weeks.

We can’t always control our schedule but we can work with our biology, not against it.

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“You can take a human out of being in nature, but you can’t take nature out of the human being” This is the statement I pose to Dr Leo right at the beginning of our chat today, and I think it encapsulates the essence of our conversation.

Today we’re going to discuss the comfort crisis and the importance of ‘ancient stressors’ to support modern health.

To give some context to this discussion, it seems like we’ve made life easier than ever. Meals on demand, warmth at the press of a button, and barely a reason to move. But this relentless convenience could be silently eroding our health. In this episode, we ask the provocative question: Has modern comfort become our newest disease? 

In other words, our biology still expects challenge. When we remove all friction from daily life, we also remove the very triggers that kept us metabolically flexible, mentally sharp, and emotionally resilient.

From fasting and thirst to cold plunges and plant toxins, we explore the science of intermittent living, the idea that reintroducing short bursts of ancient stressors might act like a vaccine against the chronic diseases of modern life.

We unpack:

• Why stress isn’t always the enemy but a tool, when used wisely
• How ancient triggers like hunger, cold, and heat can reboot resilience
• What it means to recover well, and how purpose, stillness, and nature complete the cycle
• Whether biomarkers like CRP or HRV really change with these practices
• How to start your own intermittent living journey safely and simply

Dr Leo Pruimboom is a physiologist, medical biochemist, who has dedicated his

life to the development of PNI as a clinical science converting a translational

medical science into a solution focused discipline in which the body is considered

a complete interconnected soma in which everything is everywhere at the same

time. 

In 1987 he established the European Academy of CPNI and collaborated with

multiple international Universities. Today, Pruimboom Institute holds 10 different

Campuses worldwide to provide specialised CPNI training to medical professionals

and other healthcare practitioners.

Throughout his career, Dr Pruimboom has helped thousands of patients from

around the world and has become an internationally recognised researcher and

lecturer.

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Let’s unpack the world of probiotics. What they are, how they work, and who might actually benefit from taking them.

Today you’ll learn about the science behind probiotic strains, explore whether fermented foods like kefir and kimchi are enough, and discuss when probiotics may help with issues like IBS, supporting our immune health, or even preventing antibiotic related side effects.

To help us with this complicated topic, we have Dr Megan Rossi on the show today. She’s the founder of The Gut Health Doctor®, and is one of the most influential gut health specialists internationally, and a leading Research Fellow at King’s College London. She’s a registered dietitian and nutritionist but Dr Megan has an award-winning PhD in Probiotics.

She is also the founder of the gut health food brand, Bio&Me, and she has launched a targeted range of clinically-proven live bacteria supplements, SMART STRAINS®.

Dr Megan also shares how to navigate the supplement aisle with confidence, what to look for on a label (such as the Genus, Species and Strain), and how probiotics compare to other foods with probiotic-like effects and other foundational gut health habits like fibre and plant diversity.

There is no financial affiliation of any kind with Doctor’s Kitchen and Dr Megan’s brand of probiotics.

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If you ordered a steak at a restaurant are you essentially ordering a heart attack or a nutrient-rich whole food?

Few foods spark more debate than red meat. It’s been blamed for heart disease, cancer and diabetes, but some people praise it for being high in iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and quality protein. So, if you add red meat to your plate is it helpful or harmful?

Whether you eat meat or avoid it, I think you’ll find today’s conversation cuts through the noise of social media and clears up a lot of confusion in the nutrition space. I wanted to disentangle the obvious issues surrounding environmental concerns of eating animal products from today's discussion, and simply talk through the data as we have it. It’s given me a lot to think about when it comes to recommendations for people, as well as how concerned I would be about red meat consumption overall.

Today we’re chatting with researcher and academic Dr. Kevin Maki, PhD, who specialises in clinical studies on nutrition, metabolism, and chronic disease risk factors. He's also an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University School of Public Health, a Master and Past President of the National Lipid Association, and a Fellow of the American Heart Association and The Obesity Society. Dr. Maki has participated in over 300 clinical trials and published more than 250 scientific papers, books and book chapters.

You’re going to learn about:

• Whether red meat is actually unhealthier than poultry
• What red meat really does to your cholesterol, your blood pressure and your long-term health risk
• Whether red meat is a source of unhealthy fats
• Types of red meat and which ones are less healthy than others
• How much red meat you can safely consume

We also talk about seed oils, plus high protein diets and their relationship to kidney disease, longevity and diabetes risk.

The 4 big takeaways I got from this episode were:

• Moderate amounts (50g per day) of unprocessed lean red meat in the diet is fine
• Diet quality and the addition of whole unprocessed foods is more important
• High Protein is very important in middle aged and older adults
• Beware of the 4 white poisons: Sugar, Salt, Saturated Fat and refined Starches

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Are you truly allergic to dairy or just intolerant? Can headaches, joint pain or fatigue be signs of hidden allergies? And what about those online food intolerance tests? Can you trust them?

In this episode, Dr Helen brings clarity and evidence to the confusing world of food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities.

We cover:

• 🧠 Whether allergies can show up as migraines, fatigue, gut issues or mood changes
• 🔬 Why allergy rates are rising
• 🧪 The truth about IgG testing and other common myths
• 🥜 Whether it’s safe to give babies peanut or egg before age one, and why early exposure matters
• 💬 How to approach elimination diets and reintroductions safely
• ❤️ The emotional toll on families and where to find support

We also explore rising allergy rates, the hygiene hypothesis, environmental triggers including plant-based proteins, and what is actually working in clinics today, such as immunotherapy and support networks.

If you or someone you love is navigating the food allergy maze, this episode is full of practical and science-based insights.

Dr Helen Evans Howells is a GP with a Master's in Allergy with distinction from the University of Southampton. She trained and worked with the hospital’s allergy team for over four years. She now runs a specialist allergy clinic offering food immunotherapy for children and lectures widely across the UK and internationally. Dr Helen is a trustee of Anaphylaxis UK, Chair of its Clinical and Scientific Panel and former Chair of the Primary Care Group at the British Society of Allergy.

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