The Proof with Simon Hill

In Episode #196 I’m joined by Dr Nitu Bajekal to discuss PCOS and how to manage it. Hormonal health is an area that is often underdiagnosed, undertreated, and stigmatised. Dr Nitu Bajekal has dedicated her career to helping people manage their hormonal and reproductive health, and in this episode we deep dive into her wealth of knowledge on PCOS.Specifically, we cover: What PCOS is and its prevalence (7:15) Diagnosis criteria and symptoms (24:45) Defining and approaching insulin resistance (41:35) Concerns about low carb, animal-based diets (1:01:20) Lifestyle recommendations for symptom management and long term health (1:01:40) Supplement and food recommendations (1:32:30) And much more. To learn more or connect with Dr Nitu Bajekal, you can access her website and Instagram. Her book, Living PCOS Free, is now available for pre-order Book Depository and Booktopia. You can listen to her previous episode here, and check out the Plant Proof website for the full show notes.Enjoy, friends.Simon Want to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family.Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Download my complimentary two-week meal plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book

There are a myriad of defining factors linking the way we eat to the way we experience health. Regulating blood sugar and hunger hormones help form these, and Kelly LeVeque uses her platform to educate and inform people on how to eat to feel fuelled and grounded.Kelly is a holistic nutritionist, wellness expert, celebrity health coach, and bestselling author of Body Love and Body Love Every Day. With a background in cancer and genetics research, Kelly returned to study a postgraduate degree in nutrition. She places a particular focus on eating to optimise blood sugar balance, developing personalised plans for her clients that consider lifestyle sustainability and ensuring they feel their best.At the end of the day, Kelly’s focus is ensuring that her clients feel in control of and empowered by their food choices. Her philosophy revolves around the “Fab 4” structure, prioritising protein, fat, fibre, and leafy greens to promote blood sugar balance.In this episode, you’ll learn about blood glucose control and Kelly’s food choice recommendations. We discuss the benefits of elongating the blood sugar curve, with actionable steps to do so. We also cover the negative impacts of poor blood glucose control, with Kelly offering more information on hunger hormones and how to regulate them. She shares her lifestyle recommendations, tips for sticking to dietary changes, and explains how her Fab 4 framework helps people improve their health and how they feel day-to-day.I hope you learn something new from this episode and appreciate the importance of broadening our scope to explore differing ideologies around food and lifestyle changes. It is always eye-opening to bring alternative perspectives to the table.If you’d like to explore further, other resources mentioned in this episode include:- David Raubenheimer and Stephen Simpson’s book Eat Like the Animals- Episodes with Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro, MPH of Mastering Diabetes: Episode 74, Episode 94, Episode 168- Atomic Habits by James Clear- To connect with Kelly and discover more of her work, you can find her on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. She also hosts The Be Well By Kelly Podcast, and you can access her website here. Kelly has two books, Body Love and Body Love Every Day.Enjoy, friends.- SimonWant to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family.Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Download my complimentary two-week meal plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book

In Episode #194, I had the great pleasure of sitting down with Professors David Raubenheimer and Stephen J. Simpson. For over thirty years, David and Stephen, leading researchers from the University of Sydney, have been studying how nature can teach us about the science of healthy eating: how and why we eat, how appetites are fed and regulated, and how, in the end, it all comes back to five appetites. Topics covered include how Steve and David’s ‘Eat Like the Animals’ project came about, the findings from their study on the dietary patterns of locusts, the process by which signals are released that create an appetite for protein, the negative health outcomes of consuming ultra-processed foods and reducing protein intake, what happens when you overconsume protein, the importance of protein quality, and the changes in our protein requirements as we age.For more insights and reflections, visit The Proof website for the full show notes.  Enjoy, friends. SimonWant to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family.Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Download my complimentary two-week meal plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book

In Episode #193, I sat down with registered dietitian Taylor Wolfram to talk about diet culture, intuitive eating, and ways to build a healthier relationship with food. We discussed Taylor’s journey to discovering a passion for nutrition and plant-based eating, her approach for achieving the best health outcomes for her patients, and what it means to have a healthy relationship with food. Our conversation covered disordered eating, diet culture, intuitive eating, the perception of a plant-based diet as restrictive, plant-based diets and eating disorders, and much more.For more insights and reflections, visit The Proof website for the full show notes.  Enjoy, friends. SimonWant to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family.Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Download my complimentary two-week meal plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book

In Episode #192, I sat down with Carleigh Bodrug, author of the new plant-based cook book Plant You, to talk about simple ways to eat more plants for a healthier and happier life. Carleigh shared how she manages her busy life, her experience during the pandemic, why and how her family changed their diet, and her recommendations for transitioning to a plant-based diet. You’ll also find out about the toughest meal to turn plant-based, the cost of eating plant-based, how to cover nutritional needs on a plant-based diet, how to cook oil free, and much more.For more insights and reflections, visit The Proof website for the full show notes.  Enjoy, friends. SimonWant to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family.Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Download my complimentary two-week meal plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book

In Episode #191, I sat down with Stanford University Professors Dr Christopher Gardner and Dr Justin Sonnenburg to talk about fermented foods, fibre, gut health, and immunity. This conversation was organised following the results of their latest randomised controlled trial, ‘gut-microbiota-targeted diets modulate human immune status’, which was published in Cell Press in 2021. Listen to this episode to find out about what defines a healthy microbiome, what we can learn from studying the microbiomes of traditional populations such as the Hadza tribe, and so much more. Justin and Christopher also share the mission behind their study of fibre and fermented foods, what they found (including their findings regarding fibre intake and the effectiveness of probiotics), and the key takeaways. For more from Christopher Gardner, check out Episodes #145, #167, and #228. For more from Justin Sonnenburg, check out Episode #202.For more insights and reflections, visit The Proof website for the full show notes.Enjoy, friends. SimonWant to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family.Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Download my complimentary two-week meal plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book

In Episode #190, I sat down with Professor Stuart Phillips to discuss the importance of exercise, nutrition, and recovery in building muscle and improving strength: a pursuit that’s important not only to bodybuilders and athletes but to all of us wishing to maintain a high quality of life as we age. In this episode, we covered the importance of fitness and resistance training for healthy ageing, what happens at the cellular level during resistance training and muscle growth, and the key aspects of recovery. We also discussed the importance of protein for building muscle, how amino acids work, the optimal amount of protein we should be consuming, the risks of overconsumption, and the importance of protein source (animal versus plant). For more from Stuart, see Episode #210 and #228.For more insights and reflections, visit The Proof website for the full show notes.Enjoy, friends. SimonWant to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family.Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Download my complimentary two-week meal plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book

In Episode #189, I sat down with Gemma Newman, MD, to talk about all things menopause. This episode covers what menopause is, its stages, why it occurs, its common symptoms and associated symptoms (such as bone mineral density loss and cardiovascular disease), and lifestyle changes that can help with menopause symptoms. For example, we discussed how to reduce symptoms with diet; the importance of healthy fats, fibre, and protein; iron and iodine needs during menopause; supplement recommendations; skin and hair health; and much more.For more insights and reflections, visit The Proof website for the full show notes.  Enjoy, friends. SimonWant to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family.Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Download my complimentary two-week meal plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book

In Episode #188, a throwback to previous episodes, we hear from neurologists Dean and Ayesha Sherzai on building a lifestyle that promotes brain health. Topics covered include the optimal daily routine for brain health, nutrition for brain health, healthy fats and the ketogenic diet, depression and the importance of a lifestyle approach, and tips for reducing stress and creating clarity for your mind. To hear more from Drs Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, check out episodes #65, #78, #97, #117, #126, and #226.For more insights and reflections, visit The Proof website for the full show notes.  Enjoy, friends. SimonWant to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family.Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Download my complimentary two-week meal plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book

In this podcast, Megan Lee discusses the impact of diet on mental health, research on plant-based diets and depression, misrepresentation of study results by the media, and challenges in conducting accurate research. The conversation also touches on the importance of lifestyle approaches for mental health, cardiovascular biomarkers, and the ideal meat consumption for optimal mental well-being.