Can we boost our health with a beverage? In this week's nugget we ask whether the green powder that is matcha is worth our attention. Can it perhaps help with attention (and cognition, and energy levels)? Would productivity in the work place go up if we replaced the 'Bean to Cup' machine with ceremonial grade matcha powder and a bamboo whisk?

Disclaimer: this last question may not be fully answered.

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 if you liked this episode please consider leaving us a rating or a review, it helps more people discover the podcast and supports our mission to share evidence-based nutrition.Further reading:

Sławińska, P.; Raczkowska, E. Matcha as a Source of Bioactive Compounds: A Review of Health-Promoting Properties and Potential Applications. Nutrients 2026, 18, 1613. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18101613

White, H.M., Meyer, B.R., McCormack, J.D. et al. Comparison of culinary and ceremonial matcha green teas: relationship between phytochemical composition and antioxidant properties. Food Measure 19, 7070–7079 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-025-03448-7

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Ayesha Sherzai MD, neurologist, researcher, and co-author of The 30 Day Alzheimer’s Solution, to explore one of the most important questions in modern medicine: how much control do we really have over the future health of our brains?

For decades, cognitive decline and dementia were often viewed as an inevitable consequence of ageing or genetics. But emerging research is painting a far more hopeful picture. Dr Sherzai explains how lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, social connection, and cognitive engagement may significantly influence long-term brain health and dementia risk.

We also discuss why brain health needs to become a much earlier public health priority rather than something we only think about later in life.

To find out more about the Sherzais' work:

https://www.thebraindocs.com/

To buy the book:

https://www.thebraindocs.com/books/

Further reading:

https://www.thelancet.com/commissions-do/dementia-prevention-intervention-and-care

https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/diet-lifestyle-and-brain-health

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 if you liked this episode please consider leaving us a rating or a review, it helps more people discover the podcast and supports our mission to share evidence-based nutrition.

In this week's nugget we are back to evidence-based myth busting!

So, the American dietary guidelines favour olive oil, butter, and beef tallow. And urge caution on seed oils.

This isn't the first we've heard of it. Most of us have seen seed oils discussed in the context of ultra processed foods, leading us to wonder whether we should worry about cooking in a bit of sunflower or rapeseed oil. Thank goodness last month brought us a useful paper in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, with the title 'Concerns about the health effects of industrially produced seed oils are without scientific foundation'. Could there be more to say? Not really, but since the attacks on seed oils continue, it's good to unpack this one as a study of how things can get out of hand beyond social media.Full article: Concerns about the health effects of industrially produced seed oils are without scientific foundation: a scoping narrative review of the clinical and observational evidence

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.

In this episode, we sit down with Kate Strong - multiple record-breaking cyclist, age-group World Champion triathlete, climate-activist adventurer, motivational speaker, ex aerospace engineer and of course Plant-Based Health Professionals UK Ambassador.

Kate shares her journey from competitive sport and plant-based performance to becoming a leading voice in sustainability and systems thinking.

Amongst her many achievements, in 2023 she completed Climate Cycle, a 3,300 mile bike ride around mainland Britain on a hand-made bamboo bike. During these three months, she visited 50 communities, charities, companies, initiatives and projects that are working towards mitigating climate change.

Kate explains how lessons learned through endurance sport mirror the mindset needed to address climate challenges - and why collective action begins with individual awareness.

This conversation is both energising and practical, offering listeners a fresh perspective on how small steps can create meaningful change.

To find out more and connect with Kate:

https://katestrong.global/

https://katestrong.global/contact/

Study on hypertension:

https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2026/05/04/bmjnph-2025-001449

https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/plant-power-soy-and-legumes-connected-to-lower-hypertension-risk

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 if you liked this episode please consider leaving us a rating or a review, it helps more people discover the podcast and supports our mission to share evidence-based nutrition.

Oat milk has enjoyed growing popularity in recent years. Despite a flurry of questions around its healthfulness, this is a plant milk generally accepted for its taste, and which is widely available. It's also often calcium fortified to the same level as dairy. Nevertheless, concerns remain regarding the swap from cow's milk. Perhaps you've even been persuaded to wear a continuous glucose monitor whilst drinking your latte?
So, for those of you for whom no other plant milk will do, podcast hosts Daisy and Clare explore the good and bad of the nation's most popular plant milk.
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.

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 :

https://nutrisci.med.utoronto.ca/faculty/david-jenkins

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523293338

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40394599/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37877288/

Portfolio Diet app:

https://www.portfoliodiet.app/en

Portfolio Diet infographic:

https://practice365.co.uk/uploads/sites/601/2024/10/Portfolio-Infographic-EN-FINAL.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/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 if you liked this episode please consider leaving us a rating or a review, it helps more people discover the podcast and supports our mission to share evidence-based nutrition.

This week the hosts of In a Nutshell ask an important question. Can you get enough calcium on a plant-based diet without fortified foods? And even if you can, do you have to have a degree in nutrition to do the planning? Daisy and Clare provide a lively listen helping us to understand the role of calcium in the diet, and how to make sure you have a good intake as a plant-based eater without obsessing about which green vegetable comes with the mushroom pie.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/getting-calcium-on-a-plant-based-diet-everything-you-need-to-know

Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for FamiliesReshma Shah (author), Brenda Davis (author), David L. Katz (foreword)

Tong TYN, Appleby PN, Armstrong MEG, Fensom GK, Knuppel A, Papier K, Perez-Cornago A, Travis RC, Key TJ. Vegetarian and vegan diets and risks of total and site-specific fractures: results from the prospective EPIC-Oxford study. BMC Med. 2020 Nov 23;18(1):353. doi: 10.1186/s12916-020-01815-3. PMID: 33222682; PMCID: PMC7682057.

Dunneram, Y., Lee, J.Y., Watling, C.Z. et al. Vegetarian diets and cancer risk: pooled analysis of 1.8 million women and men in nine prospective studies on three continents. Br J Cancer 134, 1218–1229 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-025-03327-4

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