The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast

In todays episode we’re going to be addressing aluminium in cookware. Every time I use foil on social media I always get comments about how toxic foil is to the brain and how I shouldn’t be promoting it,  given my position as a doctor. So I decided to review the evidence for these claims with the team and do a thorough dive into this topic and find out if there’s any evidence for these inflam...

This is a question I’m asked all the time as a GP! In todays episode we’ll go into cranberries in a bit more detail, the chemicals in cranberries that exert benefits and what the mechanism of action could be. I go into the controversies around these recent Cochrane findings, what we know and what we don’t know as well as the type of product that I recommend people try if they are interested in UTI...

“Hidden inflammation presents a unique dilemma. The idea that it may be a shared biological mechanism between diseases as distinct as obesity and aging, or depression and heart disease, fosters a new understanding of human health. It pushes us to consider preventing or treating these diseases in concert rather than in parts, taking into account the totality of a patient's body and mind, including...

Fasting is one of the hottest topics at the moment and I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dr Mindy Pelz to dive into this fascinating area.  Like I always say to people, fasting is potentially a phenomenal, multifunctional tool that we can use to improve our immune system and our metabolic health. But the dose of fasting, the method of fasting and whether fasting is at all appropriate if...

Today I’m talking about the supplements that I think are not as useful as the claims make out, as well as the ones that I think may have use. Supplements are a tricky subject but I think it warrants a bit more attention on the podcast considering I get asked about them so much and I’m a user of supplements myself! In summary those that I think are not worth it or require caution include: Multivita...

Today we’re diving into the world of tomatoes, one of the most consumed ‘fruits’ globally with a rich heritage and mixed opinions on whether it’s healthful or harmful?  I’m always asked whether patients should be eating nightshade family ingredients, whether it can excerbate athritis symptoms, cause stomach acid and even IBS. So today we’re going into the benefits of tomatoes, the compounds w...

Should we be reaching for the dinner plate before the pill bottle when treating mental illness? Well my next guests certainly think so. Dr Michael Dixon and Uma Naidoo are back on the podcast talking about the Food for Mood campaign, an idea that literally started around the King’s dining table last year! This idea of food as medicine is truly taking shape in the UK, but without strategies to ensu...

Today we’re discussing the connection between oral health and general health and diving into topics like flossing, Alzeihmers, the oral microbiome and supplements for your teeth. And I’m also revealing my own oral microbiome test results live on the podcast which reveal some shocking truths about my diet … you won’t want to miss it! Dr Victoria Sampson is known for being one of the leaders in prev...

I learnt so much on todays podcast about one of my favourite ingredients, Tempeh. I know you probably have preconceptions about it, but trust me, when you begin to understand the history and variety of tempeh you will soon recognise that it’s comparable to that of cheese, wine and other artisanal foods we cherish. Joining me to dive into the world of this beautiful health promoting ingredient is D...

Today I’m thrilled to have Professor David Nutt on the podcast, an expert on drugs, and how they work on the brain.  He trained as a psychiatrist, and for almost 50 years his research has focused on new drug treatments for anxiety, depression and addiction. Today we’re going to be diving into the world of psychedelics such as LSD, Psilocybin and Ketamine. We discuss the history of psychedelic...

That’s the topic of conversation on todays podcast and I’ll be talking about: What pesticides are designed to do and why we should be aiming to reduce our exposure Shopping tips The most pesticide sprayed foods Which foods in different categories that I tend to buy organic How to reduce our chemical exposure 🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here 📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free You can...

Do we eat too much sugar? This is a question I pose myself, as I like to trick myself into thinking that because I eat so well the majority of the time it makes up for my sweet tooth. But actually when I review my eating habits, I always choose dessert, I tend to snack a lot during the day and I eat way too much ‘healthy’ chocolate. And perhaps after hearing Dr. Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatr...

There is growing recognition that many mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, poor cognition and memory (as well as physical issues), are the results of the high prevalence of trauma, post-traumatic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and that only by addressing trauma and rebalancing the nervous system can we address these mental and physical health issues succes...

Can an algorithm help us eat better?  That’s the question I’ll be discussing with my guest today, Professor Eran Segal, a professor at the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS), heading a lab with computational biologists and experimental scientists who have extensive experience in machine learning and computational biology allowing...

Merlin Willcox, may have the answer to. Today, we’re diving into the world of therapeutic herbs and spices. Travelling across generations and cultures from around the world to discuss traditional medicine practices, whether they hold up to scientific scrutiny and if these herbs and spices have a place in our drug cabinets as well as our kitchens. Dr Willcox has worked as a GP in the NHS since 2003...

Today Simon Mills is back on the podcast, he’s a complementary health pioneer from the inception of the term in 1979, and later in the fields of integrated health, selfcare and social prescription. Today we talk about specific spices to start getting into your diet and why. We talk about turmeric and the potential mechanism of action in the gut, cayenne pepper, rosemary, sage, ginger and many more...

Dr Sheri Dewan is on the show today, a full-time, board-certified neurosurgeon practicing in Chicago, who is one of roughly 200 board-certified women neurosurgeons in the United States. And today we’re talking about her journey into neurosurgery, that’s she’s penned in a fantastic book “Cutting a Path”. And despite the very specific experience of her journey to becoming a specialist surgeon in a m...

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 ma...

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 chole...

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. An...

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’...

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...

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, p...

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 in...

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 ingredie...