ZOE Science & Nutrition

We often hear people talk about metabolism - whether it’s fast, slow, strong, or sluggish. It’s one of those health buzzwords that’s often said, but rarely understood.

Yet understanding metabolism is essential. It influences how we process food, how much energy we have, and our risk of developing health conditions like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

In this episode, Shawn Stevenson and Tim Spector cut through the confusion. Together, they’ll explain what metabolism actually is, and empower you to take control of yours.

🌱 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 by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

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

What if small changes to how you eat in 2026 could help you feel more energetic, less hungry, and more in control of your health? In this episode, we ask Professor Tim Spector and Professor Sarah Berry a simple question: which everyday food habits make the biggest difference to how we feel?

Tim and Sarah outline the eight key principles that inform their approach to eating well and share clear, practical science in a way that’s easy to follow.

You’ll hear simple tips you can try at home, like how to build a balanced breakfast, add more plants to your meals, and choose small habits that are easier to stick to over time.

What is one easy change you could try in 2026 to feel a little better?

Unwrap the truth about your food 👉 ⁠Get the ZOE app 

🌱 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 Intro

04:20 How changing your diet at 40 adds a decade of health

07:25 Why mindful eating isn’t a wellness fad

12:40 Why ‘30 plants’ beats five a day

14:10 Feeding your gut like a living ecosystem

16:35 Can adding plants cancel out an unhealthy meal?

17:40 Why 30 plants is the sweet spot

19:30 What makes processed food high risk?

21:40 How processing tricks your brain into overeating

23:45 Why ultra-processed foods make you eat 25% more

25:05 Why diet drinks aren’t as harmless as they seem

26:50 How ZOE measures processed food risk

29:35 How to spot risky processed foods without the app

30:20 Simple food swaps that make a big difference

31:40 Why calorie counting fails long term

33:40 How adding calories can reduce hunger

35:00 Can you lose weight without counting calories?

38:40 What is an eating window?

41:10 Why a 12-hour overnight fast works

42:30 Why consistency matters more than perfection

44:15 What ‘eat the rainbow’ actually means

47:00 How food diversity shapes your gut microbes

52:00 Why protein quality matters more than quantity

59:00 Why fermented foods are so powerful

01:06:20 The eight principles that tie everything together

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

ZOE’s Holiday Hosting Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

ZOE’s protein guide

Reducing Calorie Intake May Not Help You Lose Body Weight, Perspectives on Psychological Science (2017)

The ZOE BIG IF Study, MDPI (2024)

Fermented Food Consumption Is Associated With Improvements in Bloating, Hunger, Energy and Mood in the General Population, CDN (2025)

Association between ultraprocessed foods consumption, eating disorders, food addiction and body image: a systematic review, BMJ (2024)

ZOE ferment study

New microbiome breakthrough from ZOE, thanks to community science

Butter vs. seed oils: New evidence

Are all heavily processed foods bad? What you need to know

ZOE’s gut bug clusters

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

Episode transcripts are available here.

Calories. They’ve been at the heart of dieting advice for decades. Eat fewer, burn more, lose weight. simple, right?

Except it’s not that simple. Calories only tell us a fraction of the story. To really understand what's going on, we need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Helping us take this step is biologist Giles Yeo. He’ll explain why obsessing over the numbers doesn’t work, and how we can change the way we approach weight loss.

🌱 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 by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

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

Listen to the full episode here 

Welcome to part two of our Best of 2025 series - the moments that changed how our listeners think about their health and what they do on a day-to-day basis.

In this episode, we delve into simple questions with profound impact. Is it safe to experiment with your own health? Does cheese really cause bad dreams? Why do some breakfasts leave you tired and hungry, while others don’t? 

If you’re looking for practical, science-led ideas you can take into the year ahead, this episode brings together the insights listeners found most useful, surprising, and worth returning to.

Unwrap the truth about your food 👉 ⁠Get the ZOE app 

🌱 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 Intro

01:00 How much should we experiment with our own health?

03:48 Can a 47-year-old really be healthier than a teenager?

07:35 Why poor sleep makes everything feel like a threat

10:07 Why sleep is not optional for better health

10:33 The simple morning habit that improves sleep at night

11:19 The surprising exercise that may help you sleep better

12:45 Why your phone shouldn’t be in your bedroom

13:40 Why sleep rules shouldn’t become another source of stress

14:26 Does cheese before bed really cause nightmares?

15:40 Are oats actually good for you?

16:25 The large study linking oats to lower disease risk

18:40 What happened when Jonathan tested his blood sugar after oats

19:55 Why instant oats caused a huge blood sugar spike

22:20 How adding fat and protein changes your blood sugar response

24:37 Why not all oats are created equal

27:14 What arthritis pain actually feels like day to day

28:00 The trial that showed lifestyle changes can improve arthritis

31:55 Some patients improved enough to stop medication

32:45 The simple plate method for joint-friendly eating

36:05 Why muscle is critical for blood sugar and inflammation

39:05 The shocking truth about weight loss and muscle loss

41:53 What a realistic muscle-protecting workout looks like

44:50 The key ideas to take into a healthier 2026

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

ZOE’s Holiday Hosting Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

Oatmeal particle size alters glycemic index but not as a function of gastric emptying rate, 2017, Nutrient Sensing, Nutrition, and Metabolism

Urinary pesticide concentrations in French adults with low and high organic food consumption: results from the general population-based NutriNet-Santé, 2019, Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology 

Oat Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, 2021, Nutrients

The effect of oat β-glucan on LDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol and apoB for CVD risk reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials, 2016, British Journal of Nutrition

A multidisciplinary lifestyle program for rheumatoid arthritis: the 'Plants for Joints' randomized controlled trial, 2023, published in Rheumatology

A multidisciplinary lifestyle program for metabolic syndrome-associated osteoarthritis: the "Plants for Joints" randomized controlled trial, 2023, published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

Gut-microbiota-targeted diets modulate human immune status, 2021, published in Cell

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

Episode transcripts are available here.

Medical advances over the past century mean our bodies are living longer than ever. But our brains aren’t always keeping pace. Rates of Alzheimer’s are rising, and the big question is, why?

Emerging science suggests that our brain health in later life is shaped decades earlier, through everyday choices around food, lifestyle, and stress.

Today, I’m joined by neurologists Drs. Ayesha and Dean Sherzai, who will share their NEURO plan; a practical guide that you can use today to keep your brain strong tomorrow.

🌱 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 by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

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

This special episode brings together the moments from 2025 that listeners told us had the biggest impact on how they eat, think, and feel. It’s been a year full of surprising insights, practical shifts, and ideas that made healthy eating feel a little more doable.

From gut health breakthroughs to simple food habits that spark real change, this episode highlights the advice that resonated most - that people returned to, shared, and said genuinely helped them feel better.

Whether you’re pausing to take stock of the year or simply looking for small ideas to weave into everyday life, this episode offers some science-backed inspiration you can carry forward in your own way.

Unwrap the truth about your food 👉 ⁠Get the ZOE app 

🌱 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 Intro

02:20 A wake-up call for change

04:20 The mindset shift that saved a life

08:30 Why your body is silently inflamed

12:20 The chemical that cools inflammation

14:40 The simple trick that unlocks broccoli’s benefits

17:00 The fermented food discovery that shocked researchers

19:20 The truth about autophagy everyone gets wrong

21:30 How to get fasting benefits without starving yourself

23:40 Can fasting really reverse biological age?

25:50 Dementia starts decades before symptoms

28:10 One diet’s astonishing impact on Alzheimer’s risk

30:20 The nutrient your brain literally can’t function without

32:40 The biggest drink trend of 2025 - and why it matters

34:50 The 900-year secret behind matcha’s power

36:40 Why matcha feels different from coffee in your brain

38:30 The nutritional showdown: matcha vs coffee

40:10 The bedtime twist nobody expects about matcha

41:10 The perfect first-time matcha recipe

41:55 How to get matcha’s full benefits (and avoid a common mistake)

42:20 Final takeaway for 2026

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

ZOE’s Holiday Hosting Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

MIND diet slows cognitive decline with aging, A&D (2015)

Effects of a personalized nutrition program on cardiometabolic health: a randomized controlled trial, Nature Medicine (2024)

Fasting-mimicking diet causes hepatic and blood markers changes indicating reduced biological age and disease risk, Nature Communications (2024)

Fasting in diabetes treatment (FIT) trial: study protocol for a randomised, controlled, assessor-blinded intervention trial on the effects of intermittent use of a fasting-mimicking diet in patients with type 2 diabetes, BMC Endocrine Disorders (2024)

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

Episode transcripts are available here.

Most of us have heard about the health benefits of fasting; from lowering disease risk to even slowing down ageing. The catch? Going without food is tough. Really tough.

However, according to Dr. Valter Longo, it doesn’t have to be so hard. His pioneering research, including the development of the ‘fast-mimicking diet’, is making fasting more practical and accessible for everyone.

Today, Valter joins Tim Spector and I to explain how a pause from food transforms the way our cells behave, and how you can make fasting part of your life.

🌱 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 by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

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

Christmas is a time of celebration, when friends and family gather to enjoy meals together. However, many of us overindulge, which leaves us feeling tired, bloated, and guilty.

What actually happens to our bodies when we overeat, drink more, and swap fibre for sugar? And is there a way to enjoy the season’s pleasures without starting January full of regret?

In this episode, ZOE’s Head Nutritionist, Dr Federica Amati, joins Jonathan to explore how festive food traditions shape our health and how to navigate them without guilt or restriction.

Dr Federica shares practical suggestions for gut-friendly food swaps, festive traditions worth reviving, and the one ingredient she always includes on her own Christmas table.

This episode is full of helpful advice on how to care for your body in a season that often asks us to do the opposite.

Unwrap the truth about your food 👉 ⁠Get the ZOE app 

🌱 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.

Recipes mentioned:

Timecodes

00:00 Intro

01:13 Do we really need a detox?

02:19 Quick-fire myths: What’s truly bad at Christmas?

10:27 Can one indulgent day really damage your gut?

11:46 The foods that harm your gut most

13:20 What actually happens to your gut when you overeat for weeks?

15:13 Can you still eat mince pies guilt-free?

16:57 Does sugar really make kids hyperactive?

18:54 Why sugary drinks cause a post-Christmas health crash

21:14 Is eggnog the worst festive drink?

23:05 The truth about detox products

25:02 The evidence-based reset after Christmas

27:55 Why Zoe focuses on gut health first

29:52 Should you restrict food after Christmas?

31:39 The easiest way to eat better without trying

33:24 Healthy swaps that still feel festive

36:48 The global festive foods that support your gut

39:10 The surprising link between houses and gut health

41:55 Christmas stress, family arguments & the gut

44:55 Should you feel guilty about Christmas indulgence?

46:12 How bad is Christmas for your health?

46:25 Are we being manipulated by Christmas food marketing?

46:38 Coca-Cola changed Christmas?!

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

ZOE’s Holiday Hosting Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

The effect of sugar on behavior or cognition in children. A meta-analysis, JAMA (1995)

Effects of sugar ingestion expectancies on mother-child interactions, Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology (1994)

The ZOE BIG IF Study, MDPI (2024)

Snack quality and snack timing are associated with cardiometabolic blood markers: the ZOE PREDICT study, European Journal of Nutrition (2024)

Exploring the relationship between social jetlag with gut microbial composition, diet and cardiometabolic health, in the ZOE PREDICT 1 cohort, European Journal of Nutrition (2023)

Effects of a personalized nutrition program on cardiometabolic health: a randomized controlled trial, Nature Medicine (2024)

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

Episode transcripts are available here.

Today we’re diving into the world of artificial sweeteners.

Back in July 1982, Coca-Cola launched a groundbreaking new product: Diet Coke. A healthier alternative for those Coke fans looking to cut back on sugar and manage their weight. Sounds great, right? Well, maybe not.

You see Diet Coke, and many other low sugar drinks, rely on artificial sweeteners. And while they were once seen as a smart swap, emerging research is raising serious concerns about their long-term effect on our health.

In this episode, I’m joined by Professor Eran Elinav and Professor Tim Spector to break down the latest science and explore how these sweeteners impact our gut microbiome.

🌱 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 by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

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

Can science really help us live longer - and feel better while we age? In this episode, longevity expert Kayla Barnes-Lentz joins Jonathan and Dr Federica Amati to explore how daily behaviours, emerging science, and personalised data may shape our health span. Many people believe longevity requires extreme routines or expensive treatments, but new evidence suggests simple habits may have a powerful impact. This conversation asks one central question: how can we age well while still enjoying life?

Together, Kayla, Jonathan and Federica explore what longevity science currently understands… and what it still doesn’t. Kayla shares her personal journey from chronic fatigue and brain fog to measurable improvements after changing her diet, sleep routine and lifestyle. The discussion covers nutrition, sleep, oral health, fasting, environmental toxins, supplements, wearable tracking, personalised lab testing, and why women may need different guidance based on physiology and life stage.

For listeners wanting practical steps, this episode includes guidance on five foundational habits such as consistent sleep timing, reducing late-evening eating, flossing and dental check-ins, supporting your gut and oral microbiome, and increasing plant diversity in meals. 

As science continues to uncover how and why we age, what small behaviour could you change today that your future self may thank you for? And if you could meaningfully extend your healthy years, how differently might you live now?

Unwrap the truth about your food 👉 ⁠Get the ZOE app 

🌱 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 Intro

01:47 Biohacking, longevity - or something else?

03:50 The moment food changed Kayla’s health

11:02 Why women need personalised longevity science

14:03 Is longevity worth the lifestyle cost?

16:56 Why women were excluded from research

19:30 How alcohol affects sleep (and the shocking tracking data)

21:44 The history of extreme self-experimentation

23:58 What’s worth testing?

26:41 The wildfire moment that changed everything

28:52 Plasma filtering and toxin removal

31:22 Forever chemicals and microplastics

33:06 30 supplements a day - smart or risky?

36:19 Supplement stacking dangers

38:59 Why oral health matters for ageing

40:44 The sleep routine that rewires biology

42:51 Why women may need more sleep

44:56 Why exercise may be the closest thing to a longevity pill

46:39 The mistake women make with exercise timing

48:52 Bone density, pelvic floor and overlooked essentials

50:19 Kayla’s full diet - and why she eats 50 plants a week

52:41 Fermented foods, fibre and mindful meals

54:26 If you do one thing - start here

56:16 The goal: Longevity with quality of life

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

ZOE’s Holiday Hosting Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

Validating Benefits of Rapamycin for Reproductive Aging Treatment (VIBRANT), Columbia University (2025)

Menstrual cycle phase does not influence muscle protein synthesis or whole-body myofibrillar proteolysis in response to resistance exercise, The Journal of Physiology (2024)

Tracking Sleep, Temperature, Heart Rate, and Daily Symptoms Across the Menstrual Cycle with the Oura Ring in Healthy Women, International Journal of Women's Health (2022)

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