One Health Tweak a Week Podcast

This week on the One Health Tweak a Week podcast, we’re wading into the high-protein craze. Everywhere you look there’s another “protein” label – bars, cereals, puddings, even water. You’re told more protein will help you build muscle, burn fat, and age well. At the same time, you may have heard whispers that too much could be harmful. So are high-protein foods actually helping your health – or ju...

This week on One Health Tweak a Week , we’re talking about belly fat that isn’t just cosmetic - the visceral kind packed around your organs. You can have a “healthy” weight on paper and still be quietly accumulating fat in the wrong place. Visceral fat sits deep in the abdomen and chest, wrapped around organs like the liver, intestines, pancreas and even the heart - and it’s strongly linked with i...

This week’s episode is a New Year check-in - a little different from the usual “here’s one tweak” format. Over the past year, One Health Tweak a Week has grown into a lively, health-literate community: curious, sceptical of fads, and far more interested in what actually moves the dial than what’s merely trendy. Looking back at comments and polls, a few patterns stood out. You loved the calm, pract...

After eleven months of sending out weekly “health tweaks”, I did the slightly uncomfortable thing: I looked back and asked what actually changed in my own life. This is a Christmas special, and it’s not a lecture. It’s a behind-the-scenes, mildly embarrassing report card on what happened when evidence-backed ideas met real life: deadlines, preferences, and the strange power of the bakery section i...

Most of us know we “sit too much”, but how much is too much - and can a daily walk or gym session really cancel it out? In this episode, I dig into what the research actually says about long days spent sitting and your risk of early death, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. We’ll look at where the risk curve really starts to bend upwards (spoiler: it’s lower than you might think), and why...

Is all this effort to “eat healthier” actually worth it - in years of life, not just in vague virtue points? In this episode of One Health Tweak a Week , we dig into two big pieces of research that try to answer exactly that. Using data from hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and six other countries, researchers modelled what happens to life expectancy when you move from a typical Western d...

Some people can fall asleep anywhere, any time. For everyone else, there are two main weak spots that make nights miserable: getting to sleep in the first place, and waking at 3–4 am and not getting back off . In this episode, we’ll walk you through a joined-up, practical plan for both. We’ll start with the quiet culprits that wire you up during the day - social jetlag, naps, caffeine, alcohol, la...

You probably know the feeling: you’re exhausted, you’ve tried all the usual sleep tips… and yet your brain refuses to get the memo. In this episode, we’re not adding more “sleep hacks” to the pile. We’re asking a different question: what if your problem isn’t sleep, it’s timing? I’ll walk you through the two systems that quietly run your nights - sleep drive (how long you’ve been awake) and your c...

If you’re not sleeping well, chances are you’ve already tried the basics - less caffeine, fewer screens, maybe even a magnesium supplement or two. But what if the problem isn’t your bedtime routine… but something deeper you haven’t yet spotted? In this episode, we walk through a 7-step self-audit to help you figure out what’s really going wrong with your sleep - and why. You’ll learn how to: * Ide...

Can your diet really change how acidic your body is? And if so… should you care? This week, we’re diving into the alkaline diet - the wellness trend that claims eating “alkaline-forming” foods (like leafy greens and lemons) and avoiding “acid-forming” ones (like meat, cheese, and eggs) can lower your cancer risk, improve your bones, balance your hormones, and even cure reflux. But how much of that...

Naps can be magic - or a mistake. In this episode of One Health Tweak a Week , we dive into the science behind daytime naps: when they help, when they harm, and how to get them right. You’ll hear why short naps (under 30 minutes) can sharpen your focus, mood, and memory - even if you already sleep well at night. But you’ll also learn about the darker side of daytime dozing: longer naps, especially...

Ever feel bloated or uncomfortable after what should have been a perfectly healthy meal? It might not be your imagination - and it might not be gluten, dairy, or stress, either. In this episode, we’re talking about FODMAPs : a group of fermentable carbohydrates found in everyday foods like fruit, legumes, dairy, wheat, and vegetables like onions and garlic. For most people, these carbs are benefic...

Do you really need 10,000 steps a day? The science just got sharper. This episode breaks down the largest device-based analysis to date - hundreds of thousands of people across 88 studies - and the results might surprise you. Turns out, the biggest drop in early death risk happens not at 10,000 steps, but much earlier. We’re talking steep gains by 6,000 steps, especially for heart disease, cancer...

Is eight hours of sleep really the ideal for adults - or just a widely accepted myth? In this episode of One Health Tweak a Week , we examine what decades of high-quality research reveal about the relationship between sleep duration and long-term health. Drawing on meta-analyses and cohort studies involving millions of participants, we explore why seven hours of sleep per night may be more consist...

Most of have heard for years that carbs are the enemy. But what if cutting carbs wasn’t the key to ageing well - and might even work against us? In this week’s episode of One Health Tweak a Week , we take a fresh look at the carbohydrate question through the lens of a massive new analysis from the legendary Nurses’ Health Study. This isn’t about fad diets or weight loss tricks - it’s about what he...

Most supermarket bread is marketed as wholesome - but a closer look tells a different story. In this episode we dig into the additives hiding in everyday loaves, from gluten boosters to “natural flavours,” and explain why one common preservative, calcium propionate , stands out. You’ll learn: * Why even wholemeal bread qualifies as ultra-processed food * How calcium propionate can disrupt blood-su...

Monounsaturated fats don’t get much airtime. Health advice tends to focus on cutting saturated fats or getting enough omega-3s - but hardly anyone talks about the fat we might need the most. In this episode, we shine a light on monounsaturates: the overlooked fats found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados that could have a profound impact on your long-term health. Drawing from large population...

“Eat the rainbow.” “Thirty plants a week.” These mantras are everywhere, from wellness blogs to Instagram reels. The idea sounds simple: the more variety on your plate, the healthier you’ll be. But does the science actually back that up? In this week’s episode of One Health Tweak a Week , we dig into the research on dietary diversity - and what we find isn’t as neat and colourful as the slogans su...

Tomatoes are one of the world’s favourite foods. From summer salads to steaming bowls of pasta, they show up everywhere. But here’s the surprising part: that juicy raw tomato you slice onto your plate might actually deliver less of its most powerful nutrient than a spoonful of ketchup or a ladle of pasta sauce. In this episode, we dig into the science of tomatoes, lycopene, and longevity. You’ll h...

We joke about forgetting where we put the keys or why we walked into a room - but dementia is no laughing matter. It’s already the leading cause of death in the UK and climbing fast in most Western countries. The common belief? Dementia is down to fate - age, genes, bad luck. The reality? Almost half of your dementia risk is within your control. In this episode, we unpack the latest findings from...

This week, we’re diving into one of the most comprehensive pieces of nutrition research - Harvard’s 30-year study following more than 105,000 Americans to see how different eating patterns affect healthy ageing. And here’s what I think is most important: while the Alternative Healthy Eating Index topped the charts, the real gold is in the details - a ranked list of individual foods linked to stayi...

Not all carbs are created equal - and one type might just feed your gut, steady your blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and reduce your risk of cancer. This week, we dive into resistant starch : what it is, where to find it, and why it’s a nutritional sleeper hit. You’ll learn: * Why some starches act more like fibre (and why that matters) * What happens when you cook, chill and reheat your carbs * W...

🎙️ This Week on One Health Tweak a Week: Is Your Healthy Bread Really That Healthy? You’ve switched to wholegrain. You buy seeded. You skip the white fluff. So your bread’s healthy… right? Maybe not. In this episode, we lift the lid on supermarket loaves - from those labelled “wholemeal” to your favourite organic sandwich bread - and ask: what’s really inside? Turns out, even the brown, rustic-loo...

Are you running low on magnesium - without even knowing it? Half of all adults in developed countries don’t get enough magnesium, and the consequences are anything but minor. In this episode, we unpack what’s quietly become one of the most overlooked health risks of our time. Magnesium is essential for over 300 cellular processes - from keeping your heart beating steadily to regulating blood sugar...

We all know tea is good for us… don’t we? But which one - green or black - actually delivers the most health benefits? And could your daily cuppa be doing less than you think (or even undoing the good entirely)? In this episode, we dig into the science behind the world’s favourite drink. We’ll look at how green and black tea compare on everything from heart health and brain ageing to cancer risk a...