ZOE Science & Nutrition

Today we’re discussing why muscle strength is so important to our health.

Our guest tells us how it's possible to harness the power of your muscles to enhance your quality of life. Professor Karyn Esser is from the Department of Physiology and Aging at the University of Florida. 

We kick off with a surprising quirk of human anatomy. Did you know that there’s one time of day when we’re all at our strongest?

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 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:

The Food For Life Cookbook by Prof. Tim Spector

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 on Apple or Spotify

As adults, food shopping can be a minefield. But when it comes to feeding your kids, the stakes are even higher. Our food environment is rife with misinformation. Brightly coloured labels on packaged, often ultra-processed foods promise high protein, high fibre and low calories. The additives, emulsifiers and mountains of added sugar are hidden in the small print. 

So how can parents navigate this confusing landscape? Today, we hear from two of the UK’s most-trusted nutritionists (and both parents of small children) on how to keep your kids eating well. 

Rhiannon Lambert has authored four books, including recent Sunday Times bestseller The Science of Plant-Based Nutrition. Half a million people follow her for nutrition advice on Instagram. ZOE’s Head Nutritionist, Imperial College London lecturer and bestselling author of Every Body Should Know This, Dr. Federica Amati, joins Rhiannon for today’s conversation.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 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 Food shopping is a struggle

01:53 Quickfire questions

04:10 What’s the problem with children’s food?

10:05 Why more kids are at the dentist than ever before

12:32 Can you trust food labels?

19:35 How to improve your child’s lunchbox

23:55 Stress-free ways to keep your kids healthy

25:48 Healthy kids food on a budget

29:05 Make your home a healthy food environment

36:23 Healthy breakfast ideas for kids

39:52 Should you give your kids cereal?

Rhiannon's latest books:

The Science of Plant-based Nutrition

The Science of Nutrition

Books from our ZOE Scientists:

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Mentioned in today’s episode:

Bite Back 2030 Report 'Are food giants rigging the system against child health?'

ZOE’s famous pancake recipe

Our episode on emulsifiers with Dr Federica Amati | Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Today we're discussing how to build a healthy habit. Making changes to our lifestyle can be hard. Our behaviours are often hardwired, ingrained into a regular routine that is reluctant to budge. So, what can we do to make a new habit stick?

Author of Atomic Habits James Clear is here to tackle this question. He has four simple steps that will significantly increase your chance of success.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 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:

The Food For Life Cookbook by Prof. Tim Spector

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Free ZOE resources to try:

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 on Apple or Spotify

Menopause can disrupt sleep, emotions, and intimacy. Yet much of this remains taboo. Whilst every woman will go through menopause, these highly personal questions are hard to confront. Questions like: Does lack of sleep lead to problematic weight gain? And why does intimacy feel so hard to rekindle?

In this episode, Dr. Kameelah Phillips joins us to bring clarity and compassion to these sensitive questions. She debunks the biggest myths around sleep, intimacy and emotional wellbeing in menopause. Her energy and positivity will empower you to thrive in this stage of life. Kameelah is joined by ZOE’S Chief Scientist Professor Sarah Berry who shares details of ZOE’s groundbreaking new menopause research.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 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 The silent consequences of menopause

01:40 Quickfire questions

04:06 When does menopause start?

05:08 What causes hormonal chaos?

10:20 Biggest menopause myths

12:30 ZOE’s new menopause research

19:52 Does menopause lower libido?

24:16 Sex myths in menopause

25:14 Does testosterone increase libido?

29:15 How menopause affects sleep

38:59 Does exercise impact sleep and sex?

42:08 Weight loss during menopause

43:19 Does HRT affect sleep and intimacy?

Books by our ZOE Scientists:

Mentioned in today's episode:

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Vitamin D is the world’s favorite supplement. Governments around the world recommend people take the supplement for at least six months out of the year. But do we really need these pills? Do they even work? And could they actually be harming us?

In this episode, two ZOE scientists - Professor Tim Spector and Dr Federica Amati reveal the truth about vitamin D.

Tim is scientific co-founder of ZOE and professor of epidemiology at King’s College London. Federica is head nutritionist at ZOE and author of the Sunday Times bestseller ‘Every Body Should Know This’.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 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 The sunshine vitamin

01:50 Quickfire questions

04:05 What is vitamin D?

07:12 Is sunlight the best source of vitamin D?

09:40 Does vitamin D keep my bones strong?

15:34 Are vitamin D levels a marker of good health?

20:00 What counts as normal levels of vitamin D? 

24:42 Supplement controversy

29:10 Do calcium supplements help bones?

31:29 Can I take too much vitamin D?

37:50 Could vitamin D prevent these health conditions?

42:54 Tim’s sunscreen controversy

46:46 Vitamin D and immunity

Books by our ZOE Scientists:

Mentioned in today’s episode:

Other ZOE Science & Nutrition episodes to try:

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Today we’re discussing mushrooms. Neither animal nor plant, mushrooms are entirely unique. Their novel chemistry provides us with powerful - and often surprising - health benefits.

So, how can we take advantage of this mushroom magic?

Tim Spector and fungi expert Merlin Sheldrake explain how and why you should invite more mushrooms into your diet.

🥑 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

Free resources from ZOE:

📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here

Listen to the full episode here

Protein-rich diets have been popular for some time. Everything from chocolate bars to ice cream promises to be ‘high protein’. Influencers and media outlets seem to rave about the weight loss and muscle building potential of eating a lot of protein.

But when it’s added as an extra ingredient - sometimes with emulsifiers and sugar - is it really helping our muscles grow?

Today, ZOE's Head Nutritionist Dr. Federica Amati reveals the truth about protein bars and shakes, cutting through the marketing noise to find out how useful these products really are.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 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 Are protein shakes worth it?

01:30 What is protein?

02:59 The liver's surprising role

03:32 Why do we need protein?

05:01 You probably don’t need more protein

07:30 Can I get enough protein from plants?

09:15 The protein supplement explosion

11:20 Are protein bars ultra processed?

15:30 Does extra protein promote weight loss?

17:33 Should I drink protein shakes?

Books by our ZOE Scientists

Mentioned in today's episode

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Today we’re discussing ultra processed food.

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are everywhere. Many of us eat them over and over again without really understanding the detrimental impact they’re having on our health. 

But why are these foods so addictive?

Here to help us identify the ultra-processed parts of our diet are Professor Tim Spector and Dr. Chris van Tulleken.

🥑 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

Free resources from ZOE:

📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here

Listen to the full episode here

Your body has two brains. And your second brain is your gut. Many think the “gut” is only the stomach - but it’s a network of organs, working together to regulate many different areas of health. When almost half of us suffer with gastrointestinal issues, learning how these organs interact is vital to improving symptoms.

On this episode, we’re joined by Dr Karan Rajan. When Karan’s not teaching his 10 million social media followers about common medical myths, he’s an NHS surgeon, operating on people’s bowels. Karan will reveal how our GI issues impact way more than just our poo.

Today, we explore how the gut and brain are connected, the lifestyle factors causing gut health issues and why it’s so hard for doctors to understand IBS.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 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 Your second brain is in your gut

01:39 Quickfire questions

03:50 Why your gut is more than your stomach

05:41 Why is digestion so important?

08:23 How your nervous system impacts gut health

12:17 Common ways we irritate our gut microbiome

17:11 Antibiotics and gut health

23:30 Why gut health starts at birth

27:25 The mystery of IBS

30:19 IBS vs IBD

35:07 Why is bowel cancer on the rise?

37:19 How to keep your gut happy

41:32 Do probiotic supplements work?

45:48 Why fermented foods are so powerful

48:01 Can good gut health improve mental health?

49:30 How often should you go to the toilet?

54:50 Should we hold in farts?

Get Karan's book 'This Book Could Save Your Life' here

Mentioned in this episode:

Other ZOE Science & Nutrition episodes you might like:

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Today, we’re discussing sugar. It's well known that too much sugar is bad news. But for those of us with a sweet tooth, could swapping in natural sugar alternatives like honey be a healthier way to satisfy our cravings?

Or are we jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire?

Professor Sarah Berry is here to explain the science of sugar.

🥑 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:

Free resources from ZOE:

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here

Listen to the full episode here