ZOE Science & Nutrition

Latest Episodes:

Cooking oils: what to use and when Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

We use it to fry, roast, or dress a salad. Cooking oil is a kitchen staple. But it's hard to know which is healthiest for each scenario.

In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: what cooking oils should you use and when?

Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

Studies referenced in the episode:

‘Heated vegetable oils and cardiovascular disease risk factors’ from Vascular Pharmacology here
‘Does cooking with vegetable oils increase the risk of chronic diseases?: a systematic review’ from British Journal of Nutrition here
‘Culinary oils and their health effects’ from British Nutrition Foundation here

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Will fermented foods improve my gut health? Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Fermentation is a hot craze in fancy restaurants around the world. And fermented foods, like kombucha and kimchi, are even sold in corner stores.

Listeners of this show will have heard that fermented foods might benefit our gut health. But these foods make us uneasy. The idea of letting food rot, then eating it goes against everything our parents taught us. So, is fermentation scary and dangerous?

This episode will show you why it's not only safe but beneficial to eat fermented foods, and that fermenting foods is something you can try at home.

Jonathan speaks to Tim Spector and Sandor Katz — whom the food magazine CHOW calls a provocateur, trendsetter, and rabble-rouser — to better understand the fabulous world of fermentation.

Sandor Katz is a food activist who is widely credited with reintroducing fermentation to the US and the UK, calling himself a fermentation revivalist.
Tim Spector is a co-founder at ZOE and one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world.

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

Timecodes:

00:00 - Intro

00:13 - Topic introduction

02:21 - Quickfire questions

04:10 - Isn’t fermentation niche?

05:05 - What is fermentation?

07:36 - Why did our ancestors ferment their food?

08:54 - How is fermentation preserving food?

12:45 - What are the impacts on our health of eating fermented foods?

16:27 - How to make kimchi

19:00 - What is kefir?

20:25 - Why are fermented foods good for our health

24:19 - Why don’t we have to worry about bacteria in fermented foods?

29:36 - What are the best fermented foods to get started with?

34:16 - Can you purchase fermented foods at stores?

39:26 - 5 tips for people interested in trying fermented foods

42:42 - Summary

44:17 - Listener’s question: What’s the most unusual food that you’ve fermented?

45:16 - Goodbyes

45:24 - Outro

Episode transcripts are available here.

Follow Sandor: https://www.instagram.com/sandorkraut/

Learn Sandor’s sauerkraut recipe here.

Get Sandor’s book here.

Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

How fasting affects energy and mood - The Big IF Dailies Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever lost your temper because you were hungry? Feeling short-tempered when you’re overdue a bite to eat is an almost universal experience, with its own adjective - ‘hangry’. If missing just one meal turns you into a grump, you may think that fasting would turn you into the Incredible Hulk. However, new data suggests this might not be the case.

In this daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Dr Sarah Berry joins Jonathan to answer the question: how does fasting affect your energy and mood?

This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF Study: The world’s largest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger levels. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you?

Take part for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

3 meals a day VS little and often - The Big IF Dailies Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

Can you make it from lunch to dinner without a snack? Tradition tells us that three meals a day is the right way to eat, but times have changed, and many of us now choose to eat little and often. The debate continues as to which is better.

Today, we discuss new data that could settle this once and for all.

In this daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Dr Sarah Berry to answer the question: should we eat little and often or 3 meals a day?

This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF Study: The world’s biggest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger levels. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you?

Take part in the Big IF Study for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Gut bacteria & fasting: meet the night crew - The Big IF Dailies Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

Nowadays, food can be delivered to your door with just a few swipes of your smartphone. The result? Many of us eat more frequently, at any time of the day. And this may have some downsides. New research shows that for our gut bacteria to perform their helpful activities, we may have to embrace the dietary patterns of our ancestors.

In today’s daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Tim Spector to answer the question: How do gut bacteria repair your gut while fasting?

This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF study: The world’s biggest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you?

TAKE PART for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Does calorie counting work? - The Big IF Dailies Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

Food package labels can be complex. With so much information, many of us set a beeline for the calorie number, but there’s more going on in food than just the amount of energy. How much value is there in counting calories, and should you continue? The latest science could make you reconsider.

In today’s daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Dr Sarah Berry to answer the question: Does calorie counting work?

TAKE PART for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Should you avoid late-night snacks? - The Big IF Dailies Oct 22, 2022

Show notes

We’ve all been there at least once, hovering by the fridge and looking for something to graze on just before bed. What you eat after dark can disrupt your sleep and digestion. Yet new evidence suggests that when we snack is less important than what we snack on, so suddenly that midnight snack may not be a guilty pleasure after all.

In today’s daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Dr Sarah Berry to answer the question: should you avoid late-night snacks?

This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF Study: The world’s biggest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you?

TAKE PART for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

What breaks a fast? - The Big IF Dailies Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

Fasting has been shown to improve our metabolism, slow disease and potentially increase our life span. While world religions have practiced fasting for millennia, the trend of fasting has soared in popularity in the last decade.

Not all fasts are made equally and there are a lot of different rules to follow. Some purists argue that you’re only allowed water while fasting others believe there can be more flexibility during your period of abstinence.

In today’s daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Tim Spector to answer the question: what breaks a fast?

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

TAKE PART for FREE: joinzoe.com/thebigif

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

5 foods I got wrong - Tim Spector Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

Where were you in 2015? President Obama was in the White House, The UK was a member of the European Union, and you couldn’t escape Bruno Mars's global smash: Uptown Funk. More importantly, 2015 marked the release of Tim Spector’s first book: The Diet Myth.

If you think the world has felt different since 2015, wait until you hear about the advances in nutritional science. Since then, Tim has had a chance to rethink his position on dietary staples like bread, milk, ultra-processed foods and more.

He’s put everything he’s learnt into his new book Food for Life: The New Science of Eating Well.

In this episode, Tim speaks with Jonathan about what he got right, where he went wrong, and what the future holds for the world of nutrition.

Tim Spector is a co-founder at ZOE and one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists.

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

Timecodes:

00:00 - Intro

00:10 - Topic introduction

02:33 - Quickfire questions

03:19 - Has Tim changed his opinion on anything while writing his new book?

03:55 - Tim’s new book: Food for Life

05:41 - Today’s topic: 5 foods Tim got wrong

06:55 - #1: Bread

10:16 - What has Tim’s opinion changed about bread?

12:23 - #2: Personalization

15:15 - How has Tim’s breakfast changed?

22:05 - #3: Milk

25:04 - Skim milk vs whole milk

27:48 - What kind of milk does Tim have?

29:43 - #4: Mushrooms

32:37 - #5: Ultra-processed foods

40:30 - Summary

42:17 - Will Tim write another book?

42:49 - Goodbyes

42:53 - Outro

Pre-order Tim’s book here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Check the trial mentioned in today’s episode here.

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

What does science say about intermittent fasting? Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

It seems like every day, someone new mentions intermittent fasting. But what is it, exactly?

There are myriad options — from the 5:2 diet, with two days of extreme calorie restriction each week, to the warrior diet, which involves eating only raw fruit during the day and a mammoth feast at night.

Whatever the approach, intermittent fasting involves restricting the window of time when you eat.

Supporters evangelise the benefits, promising weight loss, disease prevention, and even life extension.

Currently, the scientific evidence is unclear, but it's an exciting area that may be full of potential.

Today, Jonathan speaks with Gin Stephens, who has had a powerful experience of intermittent fasting transforming her health and weight. He also talks to Tim Spector, who will share what science can tell us about intermittent fasting today — and, interestingly, how much it can’t, yet. Plus, an exciting announcement about how this is set to change.

Gin Stephens is a New York Times bestselling author and podcast host.
Tim Spector is a co-founder of ZOE and one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists.

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

Timecodes:

00:00 - Intro

00:15 - Topic introduction

02:44 - Quickfire questions

04:38 - ZOE’s intermittent fasting study

08:42 - What is intermittent fasting and how it impacted Gin’s life

11:50 - Demystifying intermittent fasting

14:19 - The science of intermittent fasting

23:29 - Starting intermittent fasting

25:29 - What am I allowed to have during intermittent fasting?

30:07 - The first 28 days of “clean” intermittent fasting