In a Nutshell: The Plant-Based Health Professionals UK Podcast

In this episode we are joined by Dr. David Jenkins, MD, PhD, DSc, a globally recognised leader in nutrition science, research and metabolic health.

Dr Jenkins is best known for developing both the Portfolio diet and the Gycaemic Index. His work has shaped how we understand the relationship between carbohydrates and blood sugar, lipids and heart health, and continues to influence how clinicians and researchers approach nutrition science.

In this episode we explore the cholesterol-lowering foods which make up the Portfolio diet, a dietary pattern that can have a powerful effect on lowering LDL cholesterol and reducing cardiovascular risk.

We break down the science behind the diet, how it works in real life, and why it’s gaining attention as a practical dietary strategy for improving heart health.

To read more :

In episode 8 of this season we discuss the food industry's role in green washing, health washing, and welfare washing.  

Nicola Wilks from Adfree Cities describes how advertising seeks to influence our eating habits and planetary health choices, and why we'd probably be better off making choices without adverts. 

We also hear how cities in the Netherlands want to promote plant-based diets, and on this basis have recently taken steps to level the food industry playing field with a ban on outdoor advertisements for meat.

To find out more about Adfree Cities and their campaigns:

This week a listener question has prompted us to discuss iron absorption and the effect of anti-nutrients. In particular, do phytates and oxalates in plant foods put us at risk of iron deficiency? Daisy and Clare conclude the answer as ever may be to focus on eating a diverse range of plant foods and not to go too much into the weeds (unless of course they are dandelions- an important source of iron we forgot to mention!)

In this episode we’re joined by registered dietitian Soraya Pineda, to explore the science of weight loss, satiety, and appetite regulation.

Soraya has extensive experience supporting individuals with weight management, metabolic health, and behaviour change. Her work focuses on helping people move away from restrictive dieting towards sustainable, evidence-based approaches that prioritise long-term health. 

As interest in GLP-1 medications continues to grow, this episode explores how a high-fibre, plant-based diet may naturally support appetite regulation, offering a practical and sustainable alternative or complement to pharmacological approaches.

We also discuss why traditional weight loss approaches often fail, and why so many of us regain weight and enter a yo-yo dieting pattern, so join us today to hear more about effective approaches rather than relying on restriction alone.

To connect with Soraya and learn more about her work:

Ever found yourself drawn to a supplement and don't know why? With brand names like Bulk, Impact, and Warrior, it's no wonder you may have asked yourself more than once whether you should be taking a daily dose. In this week's Nutshell nugget you will find our attempt to cut through the advertising to take a look at the science to date on the pros and cons of supplementing. We hope it helps you decide, as you may be surprised to learn both omnivores AND vegans alike will not be getting anywhere near the standard daily amount recommended as a supplement through diet alone.

What children eat at school has the potential to shape their health for decades to come.

In this episode, we speak with Sophia Millar from ProVeg UK about the School Plates initiative- a programme working with schools and local authorities to support more plant-rich, nutritious, and sustainable meals for children across the UK.

For healthcare professionals concerned with prevention, childhood nutrition, and the growing burden of diet-related disease, school food represents a powerful but often overlooked lever for improving population health.

We discuss why schools are such a critical setting for shaping lifelong dietary patterns and how initiatives like School Plates are helping schools make healthier food the default.

To find out more:

This week's nugget discusses the evidence around including oil in our diets, showcasing a special interview with expert patient Sue Brewer who in recent years has been managing the cardiovascular consequences of 40 years on dialysis with an oil-free plant-based diet.

In this episode we explore how agricultural systems shape human and planetary health.

We are joined by Professor Amir Kassam, a globally recognised expert in conservation agriculture (CA), whose work has helped advance sustainable farming systems worldwide. Professor Kassam explains the scientific foundations of CA and how it differs from the increasingly popular concept of regenerative agriculture.

Drawing on his contributions to global food systems discussions, including work aligned with the EAT-Lancet Commission, we examine how agriculture must operate within planetary boundaries to safeguard soil, water, biodiversity, climate stability, and ultimately public health.

For healthcare professionals, this episode reframes prevention at a systems level, highlighting agriculture as an upstream determinant of health. If we are serious about sustainable diets and long-term wellbeing, we must also consider how food is grown.

To find out more: 

This week on the Nutshell , Daisy and Clare discuss whether paying more for organic produce pays off in terms of health benefits. There are lots of things to think about from pesticide burden to the nutrient values in the foods themselves. But with ever rising food bills,  should you prioritise organic, or can we afford not to? 

Smith-Spangler C, Bravata DM, Hunter-Goren A, et al.

“Are organic foods safer or healthier than conventional alternatives? A systematic review.”

Annals of Internal Medicine, 2012; 157(5):348–366.

DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-157-5-201209040-00007

Baranski M, Średnicka-Tober D, Volakakis N, et al.Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses.British Journal of Nutrition. 2014;111(5):794–811.doi: 10.1017/S000711451300284X

Baudry, J., Assmann, K. E., Touvier, M., Allès, B., Seconda, L., Latino-Martel, P., Hercberg, S. (2018). Association of frequency of organic food consumption with cancer risk: Findings from the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study.mJAMA Internal Medicine, 178(12), 1597–1606.

From fears around hormone disruption, thyroid health, breast cancer, fertility, and even feminising effects in men, soy has been surrounded by controversy for many years.

Yet at the same time, populations consuming soy regularly tend to have lower rates of chronic disease and longer life expectancy. So what does the totality of the scientific evidence actually say?

To answer that question we’re joined by Dr Mark Messina, one of the world’s leading researchers on soya foods and health. 

Dr Messina is Director of Nutrition Science and Research at the Soy Nutrition Institute (SNI) Global. He has dedicated his career to studying the health effects of soya foods and has published over 125 articles and book chapters over his three decades of work in the field.

In this deep dive we will distinguish the scientific evidence from pervasive online misconceptions and examine what the current research indicates about soya's effects on cardiovascular health, cancer risk, endocrine function, and well being.

To contact Dr Messina:

In this week's nugget, Plant-Based Health Professionals' founder, Dr Shireen Kassam takes us through two recently published papers exploring what oncologists may and may not know about diet and cancer, the reasons for this, and what they tell their patients.

This week on the podcast we speak with nutritionist, author, and retired ITU nurse, Karen Lee. Karen shares her journey of following a whole-food plant-based diet to help manage her symptoms of the autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis. We cover the research showing how whole-food, plant-based dietary patterns may help reduce systemic inflammation, improve gut microbiome diversity, and improve symptoms relevant to many autoimmune diseases.

In this week's nugget, we explore some of the knowns and  unknowns when it comes to eating farmed animals who may carry bacteria known to cause disease in humans. The spotlight is on  helicobacter pylori, campylobacter jejuni, and e.coli. You might think twice about what you store in the freezer or throw on a barbeque. 

The Ingest podcast:

https://www.pcsg.org.uk/podcast/h-pylori/

Almagro-Martínez, C., Alenda-Botella, A. & Botella-Juan, L. Systematic review on the zoonotic potential of Helicobacter pylori. Discov Public Health 22, 432 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00834-w

Quaglia NC, Dambrosio A. Helicobacter pylori: A foodborne pathogen? World J Gastroenterol. 2018 Aug 21;24(31):3472-3487. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i31.3472. PMID: 30131654; PMCID: PMC6102504.Aziz M, Park DE, Quinlivan V, Dimopoulos EA, Wang Y, Sung EH, Roberts ALS, Nyaboe A, Davis MF, Casey JA, Caballero JD, Nachman KE, Takhar HS, Aanensen DM, Parkhill J, Tartof SY, Liu CM, Price LB, .2025.Zoonotic Escherichia coli and urinary tract infections in Southern California. mBio16:e01428-25.https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01428-25

https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/report-into-the-sources-of-human-campylobacter-infection-published-0

Harmful impacts of microplastic pollution on poultry and biodegradation techniques using microorganisms for consumer health protection: A review

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579124010344?via%3Dihub

And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today.

If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below:

This week we are thrilled to be speaking with Dr Michael Klaper, M.D.

Dr Klaper is an experienced physician, educator, and author who has spent decades advocating for a preventive approach to healthcare grounded in healthy, whole-food, plant-based diets.

Through the non-profit organisation Moving Medicine Forward, Dr Klaper’s current work centres on integrating nutrition and lifestyle education into medical training, empowering future doctors to use diet to prevent and reverse chronic diseases, aiming for a more holistic healthcare system.

If you’re interested in the future of medicine, climate and health, preventive healthcare, or medical education reform, this episode offers a powerful and thought-provoking perspective on how clinicians can help build a healthier, more sustainable world.

To find out more and connect with Dr Klaper: 

This week's bonus episode completes our two-parter on psoriasis, as we hear from PBHP member, Kate Dunbar, who prior to the adoption of a whole food plant-based diet was significantly affected by the disease. She has gone on to run marathons, and is the creative master behind many of PBHP's factsheets.Her story is an inspiration to anyone suffering from an autoimmune disease who may have been told diet and lifestyle don't matter. Her experience has even been written up as a case study. 

We are so excited to be back In The Nutshell as we kick off season six with dual qualified NHS Consultant Dermatologist and nutritionist Dr Thivi Maruthappu.

We cover the inflammatory condition, psoriasis, and find out why it is considered a systemic condition, and how it links to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic health. Dr Thivi outlines the potential mechanisms through which diet and lifestyle influence systemic inflammation, immune pathways, and the gut microbiome.

We take a closer look at the APPLE study (Asking People with Psoriasis about Lifestyle and Eating), co-led by Dr Thivi and researchers at King’s College London, exploring how overall diet quality relates to psoriasis severity, and how dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods are associated with better outcomes, providing important data that lifestyle and dietary assessments have a key role to play alongside standard clinical care.

To access the study:

Vanessa Sturman, food coach, is back to guide us on a flexible approach to Christmas plant-based food. She discusses how to enjoy food and celebrate Christmas without feeling like you've lost touch with healthy whole food plant-based eating for the coming year.

Those tempeh stuffing balls...

https://theveganlarder.com/vegan-christmas-tempeh-sausage-stuffing-balls/#recipe

Contact Vanessa:

https://www.vanessasturman.com/

Instagram:

@vanessaforhealth

And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today.

If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below:

In episode 8 of season 5, we speak with lifestyle medicine expert, and Plant-Based Health Professionals Ambassador, Dr. Chidi Ngwaba.

Dr Chidi breaks down how type 2 diabetes, one of the most common chronic diseases, can be prevented, treated, and even reversed through evidence-based lifestyle changes, particularly a whole-food plant-based diet.

By explaining the underlying mechanisms of insulin resistance in a way that is accessible, we understand how and why the answer goes beyond just  refined sugar.

He highlights why plant-based nutrition is so effective at restoring insulin sensitivity and improving metabolic health, sharing clinical insights from his work helping thousands of patients reverse chronic conditions.

We also address common myths surrounding carbohydrates, fruit and diabetes, offering clarity for anyone confused by conflicting nutrition advice.

This episode is both inspiring and informative so make sure to listen to the end to find out what Dr Chidi's favourite plant-based meal is!

It will come as no surprise to our regular listeners that kidney disease is another area in which a healthy plant-based diet supports better health. We are therefore delighted to bring you this week's bonus episode: our discussion with Cade Morant about his experience of nephrotic syndrome and a diagnosis of focal segmental glomerulonephritis. Cade has experienced a kidney transplant and ongoing dialysis, but despite these challenges has discovered plant-based diets are not just good for planetary health! 

In episode 7 of the season we dive deep into the world of seaweed. Seaweed is considered one of the most nutrient-dense, sustainable, and surprisingly versatile foods, yet so many of us haven't considered adding it to our plates. So we were delighted to hear from Plant-Based Health Professionals member, Jenny Griffiths, who is currently completing a PhD in U.K. Sustainable Food Systems, about the health benefits of seaweed and why she thinks the U.K. population should consider adding more seaweed to their diets.Listen today to find out about the key nutrients found in seaweed, the differences between major varieties, safety considerations, the potential environmental benefits, and of course practical ways to incorporate seaweed into your diet for both taste and health.

Links discussed in this episode:

In this week's nugget we revisit our interview with Carlijn Wagenaar from the Plants for Joints study, as they launch their 'Plants for Health' programme to help those suffering from a range of chronic conditions  - not just joint problems.

Order the e-or printed book and sign up for the programme:

This week on The Nutshell, we are joined by Dr. Urvi A. Shah, MD, MS, a board-certified haematologist-oncologist, and physician scientist with expertise in diagnosing and treating plasma cell disorders.

At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Shah not only cares for patients but also leads research exploring nutrition and other modifiable lifestyle factors in cancer, mainly blood disorders.

After her own experience with cancer, Dr. Shah launched the first 'NUTRIVENTION' trial which has since expanded to five additional dietary trials that will collectively enroll over 600 participants. excitin

To find out more about Dr Shah's work:

Veganuary could be the excuse you need to light some fires, or just send smoke signals on a healthy plant-based diet into the work or community space. So, in this week's nugget, Daisy and Clare talk to PBHP-UK member, Vanessa Sturman - a Multi-Award-Winning Speaker and Transformational Health Coach - to get her ideas on how to bring people with you on sustainable healthy eating. Regularly featured on Sky News, BBC Radio and other media outlets, Vanessa is experienced in bringing healthy, enjoyable, flavour-filled food ideas to the wider public. Educated at Cambridge University in Social and Biological Anthropology, Vanessa is also a published recipe developer and respected 1:1 coach.

This week on the Nutshell we hear from Dr Shireen Kassam, founder and director of Plant-Based Health Professionals U.K. alongside research dietitian Michael Metoudi, and research assistant Isabelle Sadler speaking on the landmark scientific research, 'Eat Lancet'.

Last month saw the release of the updated version, Eat Lancet 2.0 and our guests today will be telling us more about what the report says, how it’s built on the 2019 version, and what it could mean for diet change going forwards.

And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and consider a share of this episode with one other person today.

Links discussed:

This week we welcome Plant-Based Health Professionals U.K. campaign manager Sarah Bentley to the Nutshell.

On the eve of World Food Day, Sarah gives us an update on the exciting progress made with the Plants First Healthcare initiative, working to prioritise plant-based meals in healthcare settings. 

Follow the links below to read more about the initiative, download the toolkit, and buy Sarah's new book 'We Cook Plants'. 

This week on the podcast we speak to Dr Matthew Nagra.

This week we cover the topic of omega 3 fatty acids with Dr Tim Radak.

Dr. Radak has a masters and doctorate in Public Health Nutrition from The Loma Linda University, the leading university for vegetarian science and nutrition.

He is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and has worked in the nonprofit sector and academia for over 20 years, authored or co-authored articles related to plant-based diets in peer-reviewed scientific journals, written several plant-based and vegetarian textbook chapters, and is passionate about helping the public discover the link between good health and plant-based diets via evidence-based nutrition.

To connect with Tim: 

Last month there were positive headlines on how opting for a plant-based diet could significantly reduce cancer risk. This was following the latest study using data from the Adventist 2 Health cohort. Daisy and Clare discuss the study's exciting conclusions.

Welcome back to Season 5 of In A Nutshell

We are so excited to be back and we have a fantastic season lined up for you, full of inspiring guests and science backed, evidence based conversations on nutrition and lifestyle medicine. 

We kick off season five with Blue Zones founder, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author, Dan Buettner. 

In this episode we explore the various reasons why people in the Blue Zones live the longest and healthiest lives;  from plant-based diets, regular movement and meaningful social connections, as well as hearing all about Dan's own favourite meals and that famous minestrone for breakfast!

To find out more about Dan Buettner's work and to buy his new book follow the links below:

For our season finale we speak with the octogenarian vegan athlete Paul Youd, who discovered a new lease of life after choosing veganism at the age of 66. 

He now raises money for charities with his ultra-marathon and press-up challenges, and is well on his way to complete 100 ultra marathons before his 100th birthday.

We're sure you will be inspired by this conversation where we dive into how shifting to a plant-based diet cured Paul's arthritis pains, to his favourite meals and his biggest challenges, and of course the documentary showcasing his incredible achievements called ' More Like Paul'.

To find out more:

For episode 15 we are joined by Plant-Based Health Professionals U.K. member, Ailsa McHardy, registered paediatric dietitian, and founder of Little Nutrition, to get her advice on food with a focus on children. 

Ailsa has over 14 years experience as a dietitian. We discuss trends in children's diets, healthfully bringing up children plant-based, fussy eaters, growth concerns, and, in seasonality discussions, the joys of salad and watercress.

In episode 14 of this season we are joined by Cóilín Nunan, to discuss the growing global threat of antibiotic resistance and how the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture is contributing to this silent pandemic.

Cóilín is the Policy and Science Manager of the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics, an alliance of seventy-one member organisations campaigning against the overuse of antibiotics in animal farming.

Cóilín breaks down how antibiotics are used not only to treat infections but also prevent disease in crowded, unsanitary conditions. This results in a breeding ground for drug-resistant bacteria that can affect both animals and humans.

This discussion highlights why we view the shift to plant-based diets as one of the key ways to drive down this overuse, and protect antibiotics for when we actually need them within healthcare.

Please share this episode widely to help raise awareness and be part of the change towards a better future for all.

In episode 13 of this season we are joined by the Food Foundation's Rebecca Tobi, and Plant-Based Health Professionals UK's founder, Dr Shireen Kassam to discuss the latest Food Foundation report 'Meat Facts'.  

Rebecca is a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr), has a masters in Nutrition for Global Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and is the Food Foundation's Senior Business and Investor Engagement manager.

Rebecca's in-depth knowledge of the report, combined with Shireen's expertise on the health implications of eating red, processed, and other meats, ensure this is a really rich discussion. 

The UK may continue to ignore the health warnings that are associated with meat consumption but hopefully anyone who is listening to this episode will take action to curb their own consumption for individual and planetary health.

This week we are delighted to welcome Professor Paul Behrens to the Nutshell.

Paul is a British Academy Global Professor based at the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford where his research focuses on the impacts of food system transformations. 

His research and writing on food and energy systems, land use and climate change has appeared in scientific journals and media outlets and he is the editor and author of the textbook  ‘Food and Sustainability’.

As an academic with a background in Physics, Professor Behrens is an environmental expert, and he combines this expertise with a communication style that is accessible to all in his book ‘The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: Futures from the Frontiers of Climate Science’ which we discuss in this episode.

To buy the book:

This week we are pleased to be welcoming Dr Neal Barnard, M.D. to the Nutshell.

Dr Barnard has an incredible plant-based health CV including founding the Barnard Medical Center in Washington DC, which aims to make nutrition part of routine medical care, as well as working as adjunct Professor of Medicine at George Washington University.

He is however perhaps most well known for his role as Founder and President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine ( PCRM) - an organisation advocating for preventative medicine, good nutrition and higher ethical standards in research.

He himself has led research studies focusing on the role of diet in problems such as diabetes, weight management, and chronic pain and as a result has produced a number of  fantastic studies, and books, and we had the opportunity to talk with him about his latest book 'The Power Foods Diet'.

Link to find out more about PCRM:

This week, in episode 10, we are talking about chronic kidney disease and diet, and so are excited to be joined by Angeline Taylor, a registered dietitian of over 15 years who has worked within the kidney specialty for most of those years. 

Angeline is extremely passionate and committed to supporting those with kidney conditions to live a healthy lifestyle. 

She holds the positions of Renal Dietitian in the NHS, Chair of the British Dietetic Association Kidney Specialist Group, and Renal Dietitian for Kidney Care UK's Kidney Kitchen.  She also sits on the UK Kidney Association Sustainability Committee and advocates a plant-based approach to managing kidney disease.  

Angeline sees patients with a variety of kidney conditions at various stages of the disease, from early to advanced stages of chronic kidney disease, dialysis, kidney transplantation, as well as acute illness on a busy NHS ward. 

In collaboration with the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, she has developed a range of factsheets on plant-based diets for people with kidney disease.

In line with the recent World Day for Laboratory Animals on 24th April, we spoke with Savita Nutan, founder of Medicine Without Cruelty.

In this episode Savita highlights the suffering of laboratory animals, how unreliable animal experiments are, and how poorly they translate to human health outcomes. 

As such Savita is committed to ending animal testing in science, medicine and dentistry.

Her organisation’s mission is to educate, advocate, and innovate, ensuring that scientific progress is achieved through humane and effective animal-free alternatives.

And it seems that innovative technologies are revolutionising research and testing offering accurate, ethical and sustainable solutions without needing to use animals, so tune in to find out more about this important topic.

To connect with Savita:

This week we welcome nutritionist and founding member of Greencuisine Trust, Daphne Lambert, to the Nutshell.Daphne has cooked, studied, taught and written about food all her adult life. She has run a nutritional consultancy practice for over 25 years working with schools, colleges and organisations looking at ways to nourish well being. Through inspiring projects, courses and events, Greencuisine Trust works to improve the knowledge and understanding of the inter-relationship between food, culture, biodiversity, agriculture and the environment. 

To connect with Daphne: