The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#203 Look after your brain and live longer with Max Lugavere Jul 05, 2023

Show notes

Max Lugavere is on the podcast today, somebody I’ve listened to and watched for many years on social media and whilst our opinions don’t converge on everything to do with nutrition, I think these sorts of discussions with influential personalities online are really useful and productive.

I think Max is doing a great job of pushing the agenda on what could be described as the silent epidemic. As many of you know, Max’s mother was given a diagnosis of dementia around 10 years ago, and he devoted his life to her care thereafter.

He has since gone on to write multiple books on the subject of nutrition and health as a journalist and more recently has launched a documentary, the trailer for which you can see at www.littleemptyboxes.com and I challenge you to watch it and not get emotional. It will be gripping viewing that painfully documents the slow decline of his mother, but honestly depicts what millions of people and their families have to experience around the world.

And if there’s ever been a time to wake up to the impact of prevention, particularly in the UK as alzheimer's is our number 1 cause of death, it’s certainly now.

We talk about foods to avoid and why, the egg debate, plus exercise benefits and how to start looking after your brain today.

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Do check out this week’s “Eat, Listen, Read” newsletter, that you can subscribe to on our website - where I send you a recipe to cook as well as some mindfully curated media to help you have a healthier, happier week.

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#202 Dietary changes to lower your Cholesterol Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

On todays podcast we’re going to be talking about cholesterol, heart health and cholesterol lowering diet measures that you can start using today to improve your overall health and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

As a doctor, I wish I had an hour to talk to all patients about these things, so this is going to be a nice resource that I’ll use myself!

Today you’ll learn:

What cholesterol is and why it’s important for the body

How we measure cholesterol and what blood markers are associated with an increase risk of cardiovascular disease

The dietary patterns, ingredients and functional foods to choose from, to build a heart healthy lifestyle around

I’ll do a couple of hot takes on eggs, red yeast rice and probotics too

Wider considerations including alcohol, sugar and inflammation, drugs, plus supplements and imaging to consider I’ll do on another pod!

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#201 The most impactful conversations from 200 episodes of Doctor’s Kitchen Jun 21, 2023

Show notes

I’ve been regularly podcasting now since 2019 and it’s been a whirlwind. Whilst this podcast was initially focused on nutrition and medicine, the conversations have spanned a wide range of topics including happiness, motivation, purpose and finding joy and meaning during life's struggles.

I’m obsessed with food, flavour and how we connect with each other through the shared experience of eating. And it’s because of this appreciation for connection as to why it’s felt quite natural for me to cast the net wider when it comes to the conversations I’ve had on the podcast.

This pod isn’t just about nutritional medicine, although that is the foundation of what started it. It’s become just as much about finding meaning and sparking joy, and it just so happens that we use food as the metaphor for this.

Whilst we’ll always have food to focus on, I hope you will allow me to expand the conversations beyond the science of food to explore other elements of lifestyle that are as important from both a scientific lens and an emotional one.

#124 Fix Your Pain with Deepak Ravindran

#104 How To Live with Professor Robert Thomas

#91 Solving Happiness with Mo Gawdat

#49 Overcoming the odds with Alexandra Adams

#26: Eating for Mental Health with Professor Felice Jacka

#27 Life Lessons From A Brain Surgeon - Dr Rahul Jandial

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#200 Why Culinary Medicine is the future of medical nutrition education with Dr Sumi Baruah, Elaine Macaninch & Chef Vince Kelly Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

Today I’m chatting with the directors of the non-profit Culinary Medicine UK who have been with me from the very start when I had the aspiration to bring this method of teaching to the UK.

We talk about the origins of CM and how it’s changed

What the evolution of CM has been and how we survived the pandemic

Where CM is currently taught as well as the aspirations of where we want to take it

If you’ve never heard of Culinary Medicine before, it’s a method of teaching health and social care professionals, nutrition science with hands on cooking and culinary skills.

Essentially we deliver evidence based, practical and appropriate teaching to healthcare professionals on how to adapt nutrition advice for individuals with varying medical conditions, cultures, skills, resources and personal preferences. Something that is not taught well, or at all, in universities today.

Vince is a culinary lecturer at UK’s number one Hospitality School, Westminster Kingsway

College (WKC). With over 25 years of experience within the hospitality industry and is an

executive committee member of Master Chef’s of Great Britain.

Elaineis an experienced nutrition educator and registered dietician, who leads on the development of CMUK nutrition modules. She is a researcher working towards a PhD, and writer with an interest in improving access to healthy food for people facing nutrition insecurity, and has postgraduate qualifications in clinical education, diabetes, research, critical appraisal, behaviour change and communication.

Dr Sumi Baruah is the CEO of CMUK and is currently a portfolio GP, who holds diplomas in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sexual Health and a Postgraduate Certificate in Primary Care Education as well as being a certified health coach.

You can sign up to the Nutritional Psychiatry Workshop event here with Professor Felice Jacka - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/summer-school-nutritional-psychiatry-culinary-medicine-2-day-intensive-tickets-619975532507

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#199 Are Glucose Hacks Worth It? Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

On today’s podcast we’ll be talking more specifically about practices, tactics/‘hacks’ to reduce blood glucose spikes and crashes, strategies to keep us insulin sensitive and ultimately improve our metabolic health, so we can prevent things like T2DM, certain cancers, dementia, obesity, CVD. Potentially even improving the management of conditions like PCOS, headaches and vague symptoms like brain fog, fatigue and more.

Specifically I’m talking through popular hacks to maintain a normal glucose

Vinegar before meals

The order of foods (nutrient sequence manipulation)

Fibre before meals

Exercise after eating

Plus supplements including psyllium, green tea, berberine and salacia oblonga

I’m diving into the studies that many people use to recommed these practices, the doses and I’ll ultimately let you know whether I think they’re worth trying!

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#198 Beat Burnout and become more resilient with Dr Dani Gordon May 31, 2023

Show notes

Burnout. It’s a massive topic, not fully understood and the mechanisms that drive stress, fatigue, brain fog and all the symptoms suggestive of poor resilience, are multifactorial and complex which is why it’s so lovely to speak with a double board certified medical and integrative medicine doctor who’s treated 1000s of patients about this subject.

It can often be frustrating for people as well, particularly when you feel like you’re doing the right things. You eat the right foods, you exercise, you take supplements, you meditate, you do yoga. You do all the ‘correct things’ yet you still have symptoms that make you feel that you’re constantly treading water without any resolve.

Dr Dani Gordon is back on the podcast today, she’s an integrative medicine physician and leading expert in integrative and cannabinoid medicine, and resilience. She has treated thousands of patients with medical cannabis, is vice chair of the UK Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society and is author of ‘The CBD Bible’ and the new book 'The Resilience Blueprint.'

We talk about:

What we mean by burnout?
What symptoms are suggestive of burnout
How resilience starts in the brain
The HPA axis
Psychoneuroimmunology
Endocannibinoid system and the gut
Supplements for sleep
General supplements for health
Mind Body Interventions
Concepts to lean into for resilience such as compassion, optimism, gratitude, self awareness and judgment

Dr Dani’s medical practice, Resilience Medicine Clinics, treats patients across the UK with cannabinoids and integrative medicine with a focus on mental health, chronic fatigue and complex chronic disease.

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#197 Improving metabolic health and insulin resistance May 24, 2023

Show notes

In today’s solo episode and I’ll be talking about insulin resistance, how this impacts your risk of disease and why insulin resistance could drive many chronic conditions and why certain lifestyle measures work for improving metabolic health.

By the end of the episode you will understand:

The relationship between IR and disease

The importance of sugar balance in the body

What insulin is and how insulin works

What happens when we become resistant to insulin

What are the causes of IR

What we can do to become more insulin sensitive and ultimately prevent disease

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References:

4 grams of glucose - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2636990/

IR Overview - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507839/

Insulin resistance Mechanisms - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8831809/

Insulin resistance, genes and mitochondria - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7341556/

Obesity Insulin and cancer - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7214048/

Insulin resistance from euglycaemic clamps - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3379600/

Sleep debt and Insulin resistance - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10543671/

Increased snacking with poor sleep - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19056602/

Impact of sleep disorders on endocrine systems - https://dmsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13098-015-0018-3

Shorterm sleep restruction reduces insulin sensitivity in young healthy adults - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5557027/

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#196 Eat well on a Budget! May 17, 2023

Show notes

Today we’re talking all about eating well on a budget and we’re covering a selection of topics including:

The cost of living and average costs of food shops in the UK
What healthy means and how we can achieve that on a budget
Quick wins and general rules of thumb for eating well for less
What I do before the shop, at the shop and during the week
Some of my favourite budget-friendly ingredients and also what not to cut corners on
Plus I dive into proteins, frozen vs fresh and how you could potentially save £1000s per year on your food bill

Try this budget meal plan and tips

BBC iPlayer show: ‘Thrifty Cooking in The Doctor’s Kitchen’

Search: ‘Budget meals’ on the app

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References:

Factors influencing our food choices

https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/nutr1100/chapter/lifestyles-and-nutrition/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/282371/factors-influencing-consumer-food-product-choice-in-the-uk/

Average household spend:

https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-uk-household-cost-food#inc

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#195 Fix your PCOS with Dr Nitu Bajekal May 10, 2023

Show notes

We have a packed episode today discussing what my guest describes as, the epidemic of PCOS. Dr Nitu Bajekal is a Senior Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Author and Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician in the UK with over 35 years of clinical experience in women’s health.

And today we’re talking about:

how you can spot the signs of PCOS

Why PCOS costs billions in healthcare costs annually

Why women from ethnic minorities are at worse risk

We also discuss how 3 in 4 of those with PCOS remain undiagnosed, because of how complex a condition it is

We talk about Insulin Resistance

Oestrogen Dominance, and whether that’s a thing or not

The Oestrobolome

And how to avoid bloating when inching toward a more whole food plant based diet

As you can tell this episode is going to be packed with information, but you can also check out Nitu’s book, Living PCOS Free that she co-authored of with her daughter and nutritionist, Rohini Bajekal.

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Stop ageing and reverse disease with Sue Armstrong May 03, 2023

Show notes

Why should we stop ageing? Today we talk about everything to with ageing, why it occurs, why there’s renewed interest in it and what we can do about it. Sue beautifully lays out the history of longevity research, the origins of this fascinating scientific discipline and what the latest research means for you.

We’re taking a short break on the podcast this week so we’re diving into the rich archives of The Doctor’s Kitchen Podcast to resurface one of my favourite conversations from 2 years ago.

Sue Armstrong is a writer and broadcaster specialising in science, health and development issues and author of one of my favourite books on longevity, “Borrowed Time – The science of how and why we age”.

Today we discuss how Sue's career got started as well as her experience reporting on Nelson Mandela’s release from prison as well as her time spent researching HIV.

We talk about:

The origins of ageing research

The different theories of why we age

Cellular senescence

The ageing immune system

Calorie restriction and its pros and cons

And lots more

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