The Proof with Simon Hill

In Episode #126, I have pulled together the very best of Team Sherzai from our previous episodes together to create a masterclass on improving the health of what is arguably our most important organ – our brain!   In this episode, you will hear the Drs Dean and Ayesha Sherzai talk about stress and focus; multitasking; nutrition tips for a healthy brain; the importance of fats for brain health; fis...

In Episode #125, I sat down with New York Times bestselling author Darin Olien to chat about his view on human and planetary health, as well as his time spent producing the super popular Down to Earth Netflix show that he co-hosted with Zac Efron.   In this episode, we discussed ‘fatal conveniences’ – chemical and plastic exposure from modern conveniences that we all use (tea bags, tap water, spra...

In Episode #124, I sat down with bestselling author and podcast host Melissa Ambrosini to talk about comparison; or more specifically, how unhealthy comparison can send us into a downward spiral of negative self-talk and low self-esteem.   We covered what ‘comparisonitis’ is, why it’s important to be aware of it, its signs and symptoms, and unhealthy versus healthy comparison. Melissa also shares...

In Episode #123, I sat back down with Dr Alan Desmond to continue our conversation on all things gut health! Alan shared his path to gastroenterology and what his role as a gastroenterologist entails, as well as the common types of gut health problems he sees in his work and why he recommends a whole-food, plant-based diet to his patients.   You’ll also hear some learnings from COVID-19, a recap o...

In Episode #122, I sat down with Dr Gemma Newman to chat about her new book, The Plant Power Doctor, and the benefits of a plant-based approach. We covered Gemma’s understanding of nutrition as a young doctor, the advantages of a plant-based approach, and what Gemma sees in her medical clinic.   We also talked about nature versus nurture, plant-based versus vegan, antioxidants, food and hormones (...

In Episode #121, I sat down with Drew Harrisberg (again) to talk about my new book, The Proof is in the Plants, and why it’s important for us to consider how our lifestyle is serving us.   We discussed the inspiration for writing The Proof is in the Plants, the various parts of the book, and who it’s written for. We also go into exercise versus nutrition, body weight and disease risk, using the wo...

In Episode #120, I sat down with Dr Hannah Ritchie, geoscientist and senior researcher at Our World in Data, to dive deeper into our food system and the changes we need to make in the coming decades to meet climate goals.   In our conversation, Hannah shared her journey into the world of geoscience and environmental research. She explained why it’s important to zoom out and look at data over a lon...

In Episode #119, I sat down with Dr Jonathan Foley, one of the world’s most highly regarded climate and environmental scientists. Jonathan has published over 130 peer reviewed papers in the field of sustainability in highly prestigious journals such as Science and Nature. He is also an author, a highly sought-after guest speaker, and the executive director at Project Drawdown, a not-for-profit org...

In Episode #118, I sat down with James Stanton-Cooke, or Jimmy Halfcut as he goes by, to talk about the current climate conversation here in Australia and what his organisation, HalfCut, are doing to help mitigate climate change and protect our future.   We covered the Big Scrub rewilding project, the PSS (push-ups, sit-ups, squats) challenge, what divesting means and why it’s important, investing...

In Episode #117, I sat down with Drs Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, leading neurologists who specialise in cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s. Recently, Dean and Ayesha performed a thorough review of the literature to find out how important omega-3s are for brain function and whether or not we should be taking them. They ended up splitting this review into two parts: one covering pregnancy, infancy, c...

In Episode #116, I sat down with environmental researcher Nicholas Carter to talk more about grass-fed beef and planetary health. We started by discussing the results from a new, peer-reviewed study of White Oaks Pasture – a farm that for years has claimed their beef is carbon negative – before covering the importance of rewilding for cooling our planet. Find out how changing the foods we eat can...

In Episode #115, I sat down again with Thomas King, the founder and CEO of Food Frontier, a not-for-profit organisation that is helping build the future of protein in Australia. We discussed the findings from a new report by Food Frontier on the healthfulness of plant-based meats, and we also talked about cellular agriculture and how it works. Listen to find out why the growth of cellular agricult...

In Episode #114, I sat down with Emily Manoogian, PhD, from the Panda Lab at Salk Institute for Biological Studies, to learn about how we can improve our health by nurturing our circadian rhythms. Emily and her team are considered world leaders in the field of science known as ‘chronobiology’, and they have published several studies (with more currently underway) investigating how the timing of ou...

In Episode #113, I sat down with Dr Matthew Nagra to talk about how he uses evidence-based nutrition science to help his patients upgrade their health. If you are looking for an episode that consolidates several topics previously raised on the show, along with findings from new research, then I think you will really enjoy this episode.   We talked about the latest EPIC-Oxford study on bone health,...

In Episode #112, I sat down with Harvard-educated psychologist and bestselling author Melanie Joy to discuss how we form our beliefs about food and how people on plant-based diets can have healthier, more productive conversations with meat eaters. This is an episode that I believe will be highly enlightening regardless of which diet you follow.   In this episode, Melanie shared her personal journe...

In Episode #111, I sat down with environmental researcher Nicholas Carter to discuss the claims made in the Kiss the Ground documentary that was released on Netflix a few weeks ago. Together we talked about the solutions put forward by the documentary and what a shift to holistic grazing would mean for diets globally. We also discussed the evidence-based way for individuals to lower their food-bas...

In Episode #110, I sat down with Drew Harrisberg to talk about my book The Proof is in the Plants and how we should be using science to make public health recommendations. We also answered a bunch of questions sent in from the community.   Listen to hear about the evidence hierarchy in nutrition science and why fibre recommendations may in fact be lower than optimal. We also discussed the carnivor...

In Episode #109, I sat down with Bruce Friedrich, lawyer and co-founder of the Good Food Institute, to talk about two solutions to current problems with our food system: plant-based meat and cultivated or ‘cell-based’ meat.   Bruce and I discussed what exactly is wrong with the current food system and how it affects human health, planetary health, and animal welfare (including specifics on climate...

In Episode #108, I sat down with Dr David Katz, MD, who in my opinion is one of the clearest voices in an area of science littered with confusion, hidden agendas, and biases. This is a great episode that reinforces many of the key principles that I have been sharing with you via social media and on this show for the past two years. It also emphasises the three pillars that I base my personal food...

In Episode #107, I sat down with Doug Evans, author of The Sprout Book, to talk about the magical process of sprouting seeds and why we should all strive to include sprouts in our diet. Doug shares why he changed his own personal diet some twenty years ago and what the nutritional benefits of sprouts are. Listen to find out what sprouting is and how to do it, including the costs involved, the equi...

In Episode #106, I sat down with Dr Valter Longo, PhD, to talk about eating to beat disease, manage your body weight, and live a long, healthy life.   Specifically, we covered Roy Walford’s ‘Biosphere 2’ research; calorie restriction versus fasting; fasting and biomarkers of cancer, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease; findings from clinical trials on the ‘fasting-mimicking’ diet; and e...

In Episode #105, I sat down with Ryland Engelhart and Finian Makepeace from Kiss the Ground to continue the theme of how our food system and food choices are affecting the health of our planet.   In this episode, we covered regenerative agriculture and how it differs from sustainable, organic, and biodynamic farming practices, as well as the problem with industrial agriculture. We also discussed t...

In Episode #104, I sat down with environmental researcher Nicholas Carter to chat about how our current food system is affecting the environment. We discussed the changes needed to meet climate goals and create a system that results in better food security, less water pollution, less land use, less freshwater use, and greater production efficiency.   We covered some big questions in this episode,...

In Episode #103, I sat down with Dr Shivam Joshi to explore nephrology: the fascinating area of medicine dedicated to kidney health. Whether you have kidney disease, know someone with kidney disease, or simply want to learn about protein consumption and kidney health, I believe you will find this episode particularly informative.   In this episode, we covered the role of our kidneys, and what chro...

In Episode #102, Dr Will Bulsiewicz joined me for the fifth time to talk about his new book, Fiber Fueled, and to tackle a few areas of gut health that we haven’t yet explored on this show. If you are looking for more evidence-based knowledge bombs about gut health, then this is an episode you will want to digest.   In this episode, Dr B and I discussed whether it makes sense to ‘eat like our ance...