The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast

A common question I get is whether the sugar in fruit could be as dangerous and toxic as the sugar we find in canned drinks, sweets and other sources of added sugars found mostly in processed foods.And sugar has been a hot topic of discussion in the past few years particularly as people become more aware of the importance of regulating blood sugar levels and avoiding large & frequent spikes. In addition, we hear regularly from health organisations and experts that we should eat less sugar because of its deleterious effects on the body. But we’re also told we should eat more fruit, which naturally contains sugar. So is sugar in fruit bad or is there more to it?Today we talk aboutThe science behind the sweetness: why plants produce sugars, the types of sugars and amounts found in different fruitHow sugar in fruit is handled by the bodyWhether fructose is better than glucoseSome tips to enjoy fruit while being aware of blood glucose levels🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for freeYou can download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free to get access to all of our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs and new recipes added every month. We’ve had some amazing feedback so far and we have new features being added all the time - check it out with a 14 day free trial too.Do check out this week’s “Eat, Listen, Read” newsletter, that you can subscribe to on our website - where I send you a recipe to cook as well as some mindfully curated media to help you have a healthier, happier week.🥗 Join the newsletter and 7 day meal plan📷 Follow on Instagram🐦 Tweet meWe would love to get your feedback on the subject matter of these episodes - please do let me know on our social media pages (Instagram, Facebook & Twitter) what you think, and give us a 5* rating on your podcast player if you enjoyed today’s episode.

Why do women struggle with weight during and after the menopause? This is the key question I’m putting to Dr Louise Newson on todays podcast as it’s the most commonly asked question that I get from Doctor’s Kitchen followers as well as from patients during my medical career.She is the perfect person to be discussing this topic as Dr Louise Newson is one of the UK's leading medical experts on the menopause and has championed women's health for years. I also discuss with Dr Louise the 3 key things that all women should understand about the menopause.Having worked as a GP as well as opening the Newson Health menopause clinic, she has built a wealth of knowledge from first-hand experience of treating perimenopausal and menopausal women. And she’s also written “The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause” which lays out everything women need to know to understand and reclaim their power during this stage. Her book covers:- The key facts about hormones- An essential guide to HRT- Navigating an early menopause- Exercising and Eating during the menopause- Taking care of your mental healthWe also discuss the unlikely way in which Louise found out about her own menopause, which just goes to show how unaware we could all be about these symptoms!🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for freeYou can download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free to get access to all of our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs and new recipes added every month. We’ve had some amazing feedback so far and we have new features being added all the time - check it out with a 14 day free trial too.Do check out this week’s “Eat, Listen, Read” newsletter, that you can subscribe to on our website - where I send you a recipe to cook as well as some mindfully curated media to help you have a healthier, happier week.🥗 Join the newsletter and 7 day meal plan📷 Follow on Instagram🐦 Tweet meWe would love to get your feedback on the subject matter of these episodes - please do let me know on our social media pages (Instagram, Facebook & Twitter) what you think,and give us a 5* rating on your podcast player if you enjoyed today’s episode.

You might’ve heard the terms nitrates, nitrites or nitric oxide in different contexts. There have been headlines about the “dangers” of nitrites in food, especially in processed meats like ham or bacon. But there’s also a lot of talk about the benefits of nitric oxide? It’s a very confusing topic, but hopefully after listening to todays podcast you’ll understand everything you need to know about these compounds!In this podcast, I’ll go through:What nitrates actually are, as well as the terms you might have heard - nitrates, nitrites, nitric oxide and nitrosaminesThe controversy around these compoundsHow the body handles them and their impact on healthWhich foods are the highest in nitrates and why you want to eat them every day🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for freeYou can download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free to get access to all of our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs and new recipes added every month. We’ve had some amazing feedback so far and we have new features being added all the time - check it out with a 14 day free trial too.Do check out this week’s “Eat, Listen, Read” newsletter, that you can subscribe to on our website - where I send you a recipe to cook as well as some mindfully curated media to help you have a healthier, happier week.🥗 Join the newsletter and 7 day meal plan📷 Follow on Instagram🐦 Tweet meWe would love to get your feedback on the subject matter of these episodes - please do let me know on our social media pages (Instagram, Facebook & Twitter) what you think,and give us a 5* rating on your podcast player if you enjoyed today’s episode.

Can you eat to improve symptoms of ADHD? That is the subject of conversation today with the wonderful Dr Miguel, who is a clinical neuroscientist and applied microbiologist with a longstanding background in human nutrition. He has a BSc (Hons) Nutritional Medicine, a MSc Clinical Neuroscience and a DProf (PhD) Gut Microbiome & Mental Health.According to Dr Miguel, the top healthy habits for a fulfilling life include eating fermented foods daily, getting a diversity of plants to support your brain-gut superhighway as well as connecting with people who bring you joy and ditching those who are toxic. As part of his giving back, Dr Miguel is the Neurodiversity Lead of the Primary Care & Community Neurology Society (also known as the Person-Centered Neurosciences Society), and he supports youth mental health programmes at the London-based Body & Soul charity. He also holds an honorary research fellow position at the School of Psychology, Cardiff University.As we do a deep dive into the science of food and neurodiversity (spanning a spectrum of disorders) we also talk about Miguel's personal experience.In 2020, Dr Miguel burned out and in the middle of a terrifying nervous system meltdown, he had the most wonderful “a-ha!” moment. As a scientist, he was able to match what the literature says about stored trauma with his own personal experience, realising the far-reaching consequences of adverse childhood events on and beyond the gut. This time in Dr Miguel’s life - leading to his late diagnosis with ADHD and autism - provided him with the opportunity to layer a trauma- and lived-experience-informed approach over the evidence-based practice approach that he’d been used to for years. He will discuss why he firmly believes science should now be focusing on the “brain to gut” downstream communication branch of the gut-brain axis, rather than on the “gut microbes to brain” branch.He has a course on ADHD and diet that is due to launch in November 2023 and you can find his free newsletter at thecreativescientist.substack.com as well as on social media @drmiguelmateasIf you head over to YT, you can not only watch the podcast in the new podcast studio at Doctor’s Kitchen HQ, but also catch a diversity bowl that me and Miguel made which is perfect for those living with ADHD.🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for freeYou can download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free to get access to all of our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs and new recipes added every month. We’ve had some amazing feedback so far and we have new features being added all the time - check it out with a 14 day free trial too.Do check out this week’s “Eat, Listen, Read” newsletter, that you can subscribe to on our website - where I send you a recipe to cook as well as some mindfully curated media to help you have a healthier, happier week.

Chef Romy Gill MBE, who is a dear friend, is on the podcast today sharing her culinary wisdom, her energy and passion for food as well as her voice for women of colour and the stigma that still surrounds the menopause.Romy is a celebrity Indian chef, food and travel writer and broadcaster. She was the owner and head chef at Romy’s Kitchen and in 2016 she was appointed an MBE in the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours list. Today we talk about her lived experience of the menopause, how changing her training from mostly running based to include strength training completely shifted her weight. We also talk about women from SA backgrounds and why it’s still an uphill battle to break down the taboo of women's health in general, plus the spices with medicinal properties, how to combine flavourful ingredients for health and why the backbone of Indian cooking is healthier than most people think.You’ll find her on BBC1's Ready Steady Cook, Sunday Brunch, The One Show, Country Life, Celebrity MasterChef, The Hairy Bikers’ Comfort Food, James Martin’s Saturday Morning and she is also a regular on BBC Radio 4's Food Programme. Her second book, On The Himalayan Trail, is a beautifully shot book which has a prime place on my studio bookshelf and Romy is writing her next book which is out next year in Autumn 2024. You can watch this on YouTube, and you’ll also see what Romy was able to cook up with a squash, some tofu and the Doctor’s kitchen pantry of spices in under 20 minutes. Trust me, you’ll want to see that recipe!🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for freeYou can download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free to get access to all of our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs and new recipes added every month. We’ve had some amazing feedback so far and we have new features being added all the time - check it out with a 14 day free trial too.Do check out this week’s “Eat, Listen, Read” newsletter, that you can subscribe to on our website - where I send you a recipe to cook as well as some mindfully curated media to help you have a healthier, happier week.🥗 Join the newsletter and 7 day meal plan📷 Follow on Instagram🐦 Tweet meWe would love to get your feedback on the subject matter of these episodes - please do let me know on our social media pages (Instagram, Facebook & Twitter) what you think,and give us a 5* rating on your podcast player if you enjoyed today’s episode.

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 inflammatory comments.Today we talk about …What aluminium actually isHow it’s handled by the bodyWhether foil leeches aluminium into foodHow much the human body can tolerateAnd finally, what practical steps we can take to reduce our exposure if you choose to do so🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for freeYou can download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free to get access to all of our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs and new recipes added every month. We’ve had some amazing feedback so far and we have new features being added all the time - check it out with a 14 day free trial too.Do check out this week’s “Eat, Listen, Read” newsletter, that you can subscribe to on our website - where I send you a recipe to cook as well as some mindfully curated media to help you have a healthier, happier week.🥗 Join the newsletter and 7 day meal plan📷 Follow on Instagram🐦 Tweet meWe would love to get your feedback on the subject matter of these episodes - please do let me know on our social media pages (Instagram, Facebook & Twitter) what you think,and give us a 5* rating on your podcast player if you enjoyed today’s episode.