The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast

Today we’re diving deep into the wonderful world of coffee with my good friend Alex Higham. In this episode we talk about the attributes of coffee and why it seems to have benefits for brain and heart health. We also talk through the healthiest brewing methods for coffee from espresso, to aeropress, to cafetiere and Alex’s experiments looking at the caffeine content of different brewing styles.We talk about how sourcing and roasting methods can affect the polyphenol concentration of the coffee beans and hence the health benefits and how you can choose the best tasting coffee with these in mind. I also ask Alex the questions that I get asked all the time such as how often should I change the beans, when should I drink coffee and what if I can’t tolerate caffeine?Alex is co-founder of Exhale Healthy Coffee, the UK’s first coffee crafted for health. After 8 years grappling with auto-immunity, Alex is now on a mission to help others regain control of their health starting with the thing most people consume vast quantities of, their coffee.As a disclaimer, I must mention that I am an advisor to Exhale coffee the company, and I sincerely love everything that Exhale is about. From rigorous sourcing and independently lab testing their beans to ensure no contaminants, it’s how food products should be made, and it’s a privilege to be part of their incredible journey.🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free*🌐 View full show notes, including guest details, on our website*The Doctor's Kitchen App gives you 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

This podcast is a deeply personal one for me. Not just because I resonate so much with Jassa and his experience of not having a true sense of identity, but because I’m expecting a child with my wife late this year who will be of mixed heritage. My wife is Italian and I’m Indian so our child will be both Indian and Italian, rather than half Indian and half Italian. I never really thought of being half something and half something else as ever really something to pay attention to, but recording this podcast with Jassa and reading his story has made a real impact on me.In the same way John Agard educated us all with his wildly popular poem “half caste”, about the impact of words on people's sense of worth, I feel Jassa has educated me on the use of my words and thoughts, regardless of whether there is ill intent or malice behind them. Words mean so much and I’d never want anyone, let alone my unborn child, to feel anything other than a whole person.Jassa Ahluwalia is a British actor, writer, filmmaker and trade unionist. Born in Coventry to a white English mum and a brown Punjabi dad in 1990, he attended school in Leicester and was raised in an extended family environment. He spoke English in the playground, Punjabi with his grandparents, and spent various summer holidays in India. He came to prominence as Rocky in the hit BBC Three series Some Girls, followed by starring roles in Unforgotten, Ripper Street, and Peaky Blinders. He’s also one of the funniest comedians I’ve ever come across on social media. Please watch some of his sketches online!Jassa created the hashtag #BothNotHalf to explore mixed identity in light of his own British-Indian heritage. His TEDx talk on 'How Language Shapes Identity' has clocked up over 170k views and his BBC One documentary Am I English? won an Asian Media Award in 2022.🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free*🌐 View full show notes, including guest details, on our website*The Doctor's Kitchen App gives you 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 me

If you’ve suffered heartburn, reflux, bloating, indigestion, stomach pain or nausea, this is the episode for you. Today we’re giving you an integrative approach to help with gastritis – combining pharmaceuticals with lifestyle and alternative tools.I’ll be talking thoughCauses, symptoms and medications for gastritis and when to see a doctorWhat specific lifestyle factors can influence gastritisFoods to eat and avoidProtective eating habitsHerbal/alternative therapiesAnd my gastritis routine i.e. what I would do every day if I had symptoms and wanted to control themA special thanks to our research team at Doctor’s Kitchen, our science writer Sakina Okoko and GP and CEO of Culinary Medicine, Dr Sumi Baruah helped out hugely with this episode. My sincere thanks to them both for helping review multiple sources of information including patient information websites, NHS clinical summaries and academic papers reviewing lifestyle and herbal remedies.🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free*🌐 View full show notes, including guest details, on our website*The Doctor's Kitchen App gives you 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

Vinegar shots, gummies and acetic acid based drinks are everywhere. But what’s the evidence behind them and can they live up to the claims of improving blood sugar regulation, prevent type 2 diabetes and even lowering cholesterol.Well the team and I decided to deep dive into this subject and we found some surprising results. Is it worth a shot, listen on to find out our take on vinegar for health benefits and how to source and prepare your vinegar if you’re interested in giving it a go yourself!🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free*🌐 View full show notes, including guest details, on our website*The Doctor's Kitchen App gives you 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

Today’s snacksize Doctor’s Kitchen podcast is about how Dr Louise Newson figured out she was menopausal.Why women struggle with weight during and after the menopause,  is the key question I’m put to Dr Louise Newson on #223 What Women need to know about the Menopause.But during this episode, Louise told me the story of how she figured out that she was menopausal, and despite being a specialist, an experienced GP she still missed the key obvious signs.🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube hereYou can download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free to get access to our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs and new recipes added every month. Start your 14-day free trial here.🥗 Join the newsletter and 7 day meal plan📷 Follow on Instagram🐦 Tweet me

Dr. Uma Naidoo has spent her life exploring the unique connection between food and brain health. Her first book, 2020’s groundbreaking This Is Your Brain on Food, offered readers around the world a better understanding of the many ways our diets impact our mental, emotional, and cognitive wellbeing, and provided a useful blueprint for working through conditions like depression, OCD, PTSD, dementia, and more.Her next book “Calm your mind with food” is a deeper exploration of this. Today we talk about:• How inflammation affects everything from anxiety and depression to Alzheimer’s disease• How the trillions of bacteria living in your gut are key to controlling anxiety• The six pillars for calming the mind• What to eat to balance the appetite hormone leptin, a key link between the central nervous system and metabolic processes• How to incorporate anxiety-busting foods into your diet, from ashwagandha to vitamin C🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free*🌐 View full show notes, including guest details, on our website*The Doctor's Kitchen App gives you 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

For this week’s bonus podcast we have Dominique Woolf on the show - I’m super excited to host her. We also cooked a beautiful dish in the Doctor’s Kitchen studio, a Salmon Curry, which we made Doctor’s Kitchen friendly with more veg and fibre. If you don’t know Dominique, she won the “great cookbook challenge with Jamie Oliver” with her simple accessible Asian recipes. Her books became Sunday times best sellers and she has a wealth of knowledge and knack of fusing multiple different cuisines.Dominique is passionate about sharing her love of big, bold flavours and Asian cuisine and her second book, The Asian Pantry, is out now in all good bookstores.We have a conversation about food, flavour and how Dominique copes with a busy family life as well as running her own business and becoming an entrepreneur.🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free*🌐 View full show notes, including guest details, on our website*The Doctor's Kitchen App gives you 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

Today’s snacksize Doctor’s Kitchen podcast is about whether people on plant based diets are getting enough protein and the benefits of eggs.Max Lugavere is an online educator, podcaster and somewhat of a controversial figure in the nutrition world, however I quite like his no nonsense approach to food and wellbeing. Eating whole, nutrient dense ingredients is the biggest hurdle for many of us, and his whole thesis for health is to focus on the simple things that we should be doing everyday.  Check out the full episode on #203 Look after your brain with Max Lugavere.🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube hereYou can download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free to get access to our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs and new recipes added every month. Start your 14-day free trial here.🥗 Join the newsletter and 7 day meal plan📷 Follow on Instagram🐦 Tweet me

We have the pleasure of hosting Kirsten Shockey in the kitchen studio and on the podcast today, author of the best-selling Fermented Vegetables that was re-released for it’s 10 year anniversary in April 2024 Kirsten and her partner got into fermenting foods over twenty-four years ago on 40 acres of wooded hillside which grew into their organic food company. Kirsten realised that her passion lay in the desire to both teach people how to ferment and push this culinary art to new flavours. She now leads experiential workshops worldwide and online helping people to make, enjoy and connect with their food through fermentation at The Fermentation School a women-owned and women-led benefits corporation supporting the voices of independent educators to empower learning and build culture. She can also be found musing at fermentingchange.substack.com.We talk about the simplest way to ferment foods, the benefits to our health, how it saves food waste as well as how easy it is. I’ve never been a confident fermenter by Kirsten really did make it easy for the team and I.We also talk about some unusual fermented foods like natto and tempeh and why those have incredible benefits.🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free*🌐 View full show notes, including guest details, on our website*The Doctor's Kitchen App gives you 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