Most of us are familiar with the unpleasant feeling of being bloated. It can happen after eating specific foods or when you experience slower bowel movements. Sometimes, it can be a symptom of an underlying health condition. To take a closer look at issues related to gas and bloating, we’ve invited a special guest this week: superstar gastroenterologist and Zoe’s US Medical Director Will Bulsiewicz.In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Will ask: what are the main causes of gas bloating and how do we stop it?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: Burden of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in the United States: Results of a Nationally Representative Survey of Over 71,000 Americans + Am J Gastroenterol + here  Abdominal bloating is the most bothersome symptom in irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C): a large population-based Internet survey in Japan + Biopsychosoc Med. + here  Sensation of bloating and visible abdominal distension in patients with irritable bowel syndrome + Am J Gastroenterol + here   This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Our planet is overheating. Human society is creating too much carbon dioxide, stopping the sun’s warmth from escaping back into space. As earth gets hotter, its ice caps are melting, causing sea levels to rise, and submerging entire communities. Floods, droughts, and wildfires are already becoming much more common.Some effects of climate change are now irreversible, but there is still hope, and adjusting what we eat might play a bigger part than you’d imagine.In this episode, Jonathan speaks with a pioneer in science who will help you understand how your eating habits affect the planet, so you can make informed decisions about the foods you eat and how you prepare them. Sarah Bridle is a professor of food climate and society at the University of York in the United Kingdom. She is on the vanguard of a new field, and her research carefully measures the exact effects of the foods we eat on climate change. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes:00:00 - Intro00:10 - Topic introduction01:34 - Quickfire questions03:14 - Why does climate change matter?05:40 - Why does food matter for reducing climate change?07:44 - Understanding how different foods affect the climate11:32 - Do I have to go vegan to help stop climate change?13:14 - Are all meats equal in terms of their climate impact?16:20 - How do by-products of animals impact climate?17:22 - Carbon footprint of milk alternatives19:51 - Is a baked potato good for the planet?21:42 - Other things that impact climate change to consider23:33 - Food miles vs air miles?26:48 - Are avocados killing the planet?28:05 - Avocados’ water consumption28:44 - Packaging34:34 - Food waste35:20 - Can a sustainable diet be affordable?36:39 - 3 things to do to reduce your impact on climate change38:58 - Summary40:22 - Goodbyes40:49 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Follow Sarah: https://twitter.com/sarahbridleGet Sarah’s book here.Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Cholesterol in our food has a bad reputation. Many of us think of it as something to try to cut it out of our diet completely.  Yet new research could redeem eggs and other cholesterol-rich foods. In today’s short episode of ZOE Science and Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: what happens when you eat high cholesterol foods? 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: Hyperlipidemia as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease + Prim Care. + here Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations + Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care + here The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Reverse Cholesterol Transport: A Review + Nutrients + here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

In today’s world, we increasingly live our lives late into the night. Whether it's work obligations, socializing, or being glued to a screen, we ignore the sun's rise and fall. But most of us are unaware that a clock is ticking away inside us. It uses light to keep time and tells us when to sleep and eat. Should we listen? Or is this biological clock simply a relic from a past time?In today’s episode, Jonathan speaks to a leading authority to unravel the latest science that reveals that this body clock, or circadian rhythm, has a dramatic impact on our health, weight, and mental wellbeing: Russell Foster is an Oxford University scientist who has dedicated his life to studying circadian rhythms. He’s a world leader in the field and the author of Lifetime: the new science of the body clock. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes:00:00 - Intro00:12 - Topic introduction01:23 - Quickfire questions02:30 - What is the biggest myth about our body clock that drives Russell crazy?03:19 - What are circadian rhythms?06:41 - Why do they matter to us?10:32 - How does your body sync its clock?14:07 - How does the circadian rhythm influence sleep?15:18 - What happens if we don’t live alongside our circadian rhythms?21:26 - What should night workers do?26:45 - Does your circadian rhythm change when going through menopause?29:42 -Is there a circadian rhythm for our gut?33:12 - Will it damage our long-term health to continuously be awake by our small children?35:15 - Summary36:14 - Goodbyes36:36 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Get Russell’s book here.Follow Russell: https://twitter.com/oxscniFollow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Artificial sweeteners are everywhere. Not only in diet soft drinks but in many foods that you wouldn’t expect. You’ve probably eaten some today without realising.Sweeteners have been around for over a hundred years yet remain the subject of much debate. It's hard to know how they stack up next to the alternatives.In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: are artificial sweeteners worse than sugar?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: Stevia Leaf to Stevia Sweetener: Exploring Its Science, Benefits, and Future Potential from The Journal of Nutrition here Chronic Intake of Commercial Sweeteners Induces Changes in Feeding Behavior and Signaling Pathways Related to the Control of Appetite in BALB/c Mice from Biomed Res Int  here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Kanchan Koya grew up in a house filled with wonderful fragrances from the spices simmering on her grandmother’s stove. In India, it was a common belief that spices were more than just pleasant tastes. Ancient wisdom said they had medicinal properties, and it was common for household medicine cabinets to store dried spices, not pills.Kanchan grew up to become a molecular biologist, studying in the US at Harvard Medical School. When her lab began to investigate turmeric’s healing properties, the ancient wisdom from her childhood met the scientific inquiry of her adult life - beginning a lifelong obsession with the health benefits of spice.  In today’s episode, Kanchan and regular guest Tim Spector help us understand whether there is any scientific evidence to support the health benefits of spices, the easiest way to add spice to our diet, and which ones to choose. Kanchan Koya is the founder of SpiceSpiceBaby and The Radical Vitality Podcast with a Ph.D. in Biomedicine from Harvard University and training from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. 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 - Intro00:10 - Topic introduction01:19 - Quickfire questions02:17 - What is a spice04:23 - How did Kanchan’s passion for spices begin?06:56 - What do we know about how spices affect our health?12:16 - The latest science on spices17:07 - Which spices are best?24:46 - How to start using spices?27:56 - Hacks to start using spices for the best health benefits possible30:55 - Quality of spices 35:45 - Storage of spices36:53 - Summary37:53 - Goodbyes38:47 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Read ZOE’s PREDICT Studies here.Know more about the 5 spices you should embrace here.Follow Kanchan: https://www.instagram.com/chiefspicemamaFollow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Vegan diets are increasingly popular. As more of us reduce our animal product consumption, countless new meat and dairy alternatives appear on our supermarket shelves. Manufacturers market these products as healthy options (unsurprisingly), but perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to trust them… In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: are meat and dairy alternatives healthier than their animal-based counterparts?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 today's episode: How well do plant based alternatives fare nutritionally compared to cow’s milk? here Risks of ischaemic heart disease and stroke in meat eaters, fish eaters, and vegetarians over 18 years of follow-up here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions

We’ve all felt the effects of food on our mood, so it would stand to reason that dietary intervention for mental health would be well studied and a regularly deployed treatment. But this is far from reality, as historically, psychiatry was only concerned with what happened from the neck up.In today’s episode, Jonathan is joined by Felice Jacka, Professor of Nutritional Psychiatry and Director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University. Felice was the driving force behind the landmark study to determine if dietary intervention could help treat the symptoms of moderate to severe depression. With her help, we dive into what the science suggests regarding the relationship between food and our mental health and what foods we can eat to improve it. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes:00:00 - Intro00:09 - Jonathan’s introduction01:28 - Quick-fire questions02:08 - What do we mean when we talk about 'mood'?03:40 - Is it true that we're much more focused on mental health? 05:11 - How do we think about the relationship between our bodies and our mind today?07:01 - Felice’s journey into psychiatry 08:24 - PHD looking into the relationship between diet and mental health11:44 - The SMILEs Trial13:22 - How much did diet affect the participants in the study?15:40 - How long does it take to see results?16:40 - What role does body weight have in this debate?17:22 - How important is it that we focus on the quality of our diet over calories? 18:20 - What is the gut-brain axis and the microbiota gut-brain axis?19:12 - Gut disorders and mental health issues closely related21:25 - The effects of gut bacteria on the brain21:58 - What is orthorexia and how is that linked to anxiety?23:16 - Is there a risk with using diet to treat mental illness?24:20 - What do healthy diets from across the world have in common?25:52 - Foods to eat more of or less of to improve mood27:24 - Diversity in diet29:12 - Effects of diet on the menopause32:10 - How does our mental health affect how we eat?33:20 - What part does the industrialized food system have to play on a social level?34:14 - How ultra-processed foods impact us37:06 - SummaryEpisode transcripts are available here.Visit The Food and Mood Centre’s website for more information on Deakin University’s world-leading, multi-disciplinary research: https://foodandmoodcentre.com.au/Read Felice’s SMILEs Trail here.Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

A recent study claims that eating a hotdog reduces life expectancy by 38 minutes, and eating salmon could extend it by 70 minutes. At face value, this data implies you can eat your way to immortality. Taken with a pinch of salt, it suggests you can offset the harm from poor dietary choices. But does food really work this way?In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: can you reverse the effects of a bad diet?  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 today's episode: Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: A modelling study available here Small targeted dietary changes can yield substantial gains for human health and the environment available here This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions

Biochemist Jessie Inchauspe heads into work one morning at a genetics lab in California. During the morning meeting, management offer staff the chance to self-test a new medical device. Jessie accepts. She couldn’t have known this device would take her on a journey of discovery to reshape her health and help countless others do the same.  The device was a continuous blood sugar monitor, and it was this, combined with her academic background, and a remarkable willingness to use herself as a lab rat, that began a journey of discovery into how blood sugar affects our health. In today’s episode, Jonathan is joined by two leading experts on the topic: Jessie Inchauspe is a biochemist, bestselling author, and founder of the Glucose Goddess movement who’s helped hundreds of thousands of people improve their health by making cutting-edge science accessible. Dr. Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition, who has personally run over 20 randomized clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes:00:00 - Intro00:10 - Topic introduction01:28 - Quickfire questions02:39 - What is blood sugar?03:29 - Why do we have blood sugar?05:25 - Blood sugar monitoring07:30 - How does blood sugar affect our health?09:12 - Do we want a flat blood sugar?14:03 - Blood sugar responses and menopause19:20 - Personalization in blood glucose responses23:17 - Actionable advice to better control your blood sugar23:55 - Food ordering28:30 - Vinegar and blood sugar34:15 - What foods should I eat to control blood glucose spikes?37:39 - Blood glucose & exercise40:02 - Summary41:45 - Listener question43:03 - Goodbyes43:17 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Buy Jessie’s book here.Read ZOE’s PREDICT Studies here.Follow Jessie: https://www.instagram.com/glucosegoddessFollow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.