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:

https://adfreecities.org.uk/

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:

https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership

You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health; with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

And please consider leaving a review, it helps more people discover the podcast and supports our mission to share evidence-based nutrition.

References:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd0080238e863d04911b51/t/5fbfcb1408845d09248d4e6e/1606404891491/Advertising%E2%80%99s+role+in+climate+and+ecological+degradation.pdf

https://cdn.bitebackmedia.com/media/documents/Bite_Back_Report_Fuel_Us_Dont_Fool_Us_Advertising.pdf

https://adfreecities.org.uk/

https://changingmarkets.org/report/the-new-merchants-of-doubt-how-big-meat-and-dairy-avoid-climate-action/

https://adfreecities.org.uk/explore-harmful-advertising/end-meat-advertising/

https://adfreecities.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/The-cows-arent-laughing_Adfree-Cities_Oct-2023_Final.pdf

https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/assured-food-standards-a23-1199608-assured-food-standards.html

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!)

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:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership

You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health; with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

References:

https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IronFactsheet201123.pdf

https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/iron-rich-foods-iron-deficiency.html

Pires SMG, Reis RS, Cardoso SM, Pezzani R, Paredes-Osses E, Seilkhan A, Ydyrys A, Martorell M, Sönmez Gürer E, Setzer WN, Abdull Razis AF, Modu B, Calina D, Sharifi-Rad J. Phytates as a natural source for health promotion: A critical evaluation of clinical trials. Front Chem. 2023 Apr 14;11:1174109. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1174109. PMID: 37123871; PMCID: PMC10140425.

Piskin E, Cianciosi D, Gulec S, Tomas M, Capanoglu E. Iron Absorption: Factors, Limitations, and Improvement Methods. ACS Omega. 2022 Jun 10;7(24):20441-20456. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c01833. PMID: 35755397; PMCID: PMC9219084.

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:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/soraya-pineda/

https://linktr.ee/plantnutritionwithsoraya

To read the Plant-Based Health Professionals weight loss fact sheet:

https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FS-EnergyDensity-260310.pdf

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:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membershipYou don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health; with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.And please consider leaving a review, it helps more people discover the podcast and supports our mission to share evidence-based nutrition.

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.

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:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership

You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health; with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37968687/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54249-9

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39940383/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40395689/

https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/should-you-be-worried-about-creatine-on-a-plant-based-diet

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/cjdjrvr4dk5o

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:

https://proveg.org/uk/https://proveg.org/fsd-article/ultra-processed-foods/To join us at this years Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Conference and for early bird tickets:https://nlmc.org.uk/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:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membershipYou don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health; with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

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.

https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/oil-or-no-oil-a-viewpoint

https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/seed-oils-bad-pressed-myth-busting-misinformation

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2831265

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.124.035034

https://www.dresselstyn.com/site/

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:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membershipYou don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health; with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

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:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amir-Kassam

https://fable.co/author/prof-amir-kassam

https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/sustainable-farming

https://www.thelancet.com/commissions-do/EAT-2025

Rockström J, Kassam A, Friedrich T, et al. Conservation agriculture: helping to return to within planetary boundaries. Global Sustainability. 2026;9:e11. doi:10.1017/sus.2025.10045

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/global-sustainability/article/conservation-agriculture-helping-to-return-to-within-planetary-boundaries/3641F08ABCEF6438590242B968C8FAD1

To get NLMC tickets:

https://nlmc.org.uk/

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:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membershipYou don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health; with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

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.

https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4357

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

https://www.pan-europe.info/

https://www.pan-uk.org/

https://hodmedods.co.uk/

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:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membershipYou don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health; with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.