#245 Ozempic. The truth about the side effects and risks of this Magic Pill with Johann Hari

I love chocolate. I eat it most days as a snack or as a dessert with some fresh berries, apples or simply on its own. It’s phenomenal and I’ve always loved it. But what about its health benefits?Today we are diving deep into the science behind why chocolate could improve your brain, your heart, your gut health and even help you live longer? And yes, it does need to be dark chocolate, but you’ll find out how dark you need to go for the benefits on todays podcast.The luxurious treat is pretty amazing, and we’ve already decided as a team that we’re going to do another episode where we talking about processing methods, sourcing, how to tell what is good vs bad quality chocolate and even do a live taste test on YouTube, where you can also watch this episode!🎬 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s snacksize Doctor’s Kitchen podcast is all about conflict aversion and how that permeates into our behaviours in adulthood. If you’re anything like me, I hate conflict and actively avoid it. But leaning into the uncomfortableness of what is a normal product of problem solving, is an important skill that we should all practice. Whether it’s at work, in friendships or in romantic relationships, resolving conflicts is a necessary exercise.This clip is taken from the full episode #107 about building exceptional relationships with David Bradford and Carole Robin, authors of the brilliant book ‘Connect’.🎬 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 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I have the Queen of Spice from Ren’s Kitchen on the show today talking about everything to do with sourcing and investing in the best spices for your food, not just from a nutritional standpoint, but a flavour perspective too. I’ve always been a fan of spices for their medicinal properties, but today I was blown away by how much Ren taught me about spices and I was shocked at how different spices can taste in their raw whole form.Ren has been in the spice business for years and has some of the best chefs and restaurants use her spices. Tom Kerridge, Bubala, Palomar, Raffles hotel, Ottolenghi to name a few.Remember, spices add diversity to your plate – they count as 1/4 point each and we’re aiming for 30 different plant points a week! Even used in small amounts, the addition of spices is suggested to improve gut microbiome composition and reduce markers of inflammation. Plus they have been part of the diet of human populations for thousands of years and add a ton of flavour.Today we talk what we’re doing WRONG when using spices, what Ren has taught people in her cooking classes and how to source correctly and how to spot the best spices in the market.You can find out more about Ren and Rens Pantry on her website renspantry.com. 🎬 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Karen O’Donoghue is a champion for not only better bread, but also better food quality, choices and better growing methods.You can hear the passion in Karens message and I love her commitment to the craft of sourcing, fermenting and baking. She’s a force, and I love her energy. I think you will too.Soaking and sprouting is clearly something Karen believes we should be doing more of. And if I think back to traditional methods of cooking in my families kitchen, these vital steps are things that we wouldn’t have skipped. Soaking peas, nuts and seeds. Combining specific spices and herbs with them. This is an artform that increases the nutritional value of our food, but is rapidly being lost as we move toward more convenience and speed. Something that I realise I’m guilty of myself in todays podcast.Karen and her company, Happy Tummy Co inform people about the need to spend more on health, invest in the soil and re-engage with the food supply. I love the message and the enthusiasm. As uncomfortable as it may be to hear the hard truths presented in an unforgiving way, I think sometimes it’s important to hear the message in it’s raw form.You can check out Karen’s bread, recipes and idyllic bakery in Ireland at www.thehappytummyco.com PLUS, we cooked up her scones and an incredible Teff porridge in the studio that you can find on YouTube. 🎬 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s snacksize Doctor’s Kitchen podcast is all about embracing the framework and mechanisms that drive both change and inaction. If you understand the drivers of both, then behaviour change becomes a lot easier.Understand the blockers and motivators for your desired outcome and intentionally design the perfect environment bit by bit. Journaling is a great practice for this and it’s something that I’ve been putting into practice more recently as I try and carve out time to write my next book.This clip is taken from the full episode #100 Four Lifestyle Equations Everyone needs to know, where I talk about a selection of formulas that I try and put into practice each day.🎬 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 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Johann Hari is back on the podcast today and he looks completely different to the last time I saw him. He’s lost an incredible amount of weight, his face looks completely different and it’s all because of a drug you’ve probably already heard of. Ozempic.Also known as GLP-1 agonists, these drugs were initially used by doctors like myself in General Practice for type 2 diabetics, but have now found a use case to treat obesity.For over a year, Johann has been self treating with the drugs and diving into the history of how these drugs were discovered and utilised. From the lab to the pharmaceutical companies & the doctors surgery to the popular pages of celebrity gossip columns; Johann tells the full story without shying away from the potentially dangerous reality of the sideffects and risks of these popular medications.We talk about:What Ozepmic and similar drugs do to your brain and gutHow it impacts addiction to food and other substancesWhat the potential risks are including cancer, pancreatitis and bowel obstructionWhy UPF and obesity are the main concernYou can purchase Johann’s newest book, ‘Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight Loss Drugs’, available on 2nd May 2024, here: https://amzn.to/3Ulz2UB Johann Hari is a New York Times best-selling author, his books include, ‘Chasing the Scream’, ‘Lost Connections’, and ‘Stolen Focus’. He has written for the world’s leading newspapers and magazines, and has twice been named ‘National Newspaper Journalist of the Year’ by Amnesty International.Content Correction Note:During this podcast with Johann Hari, discussing the new weight-loss drugs, (at circa 1m 44s) - Johann mentioned that the British food critic Jay Rayner took Ozempic and subsequently lost his pleasure in food. This comment was incorrect and it was, in fact, a different writer. We apologise for any confusion caused here.🎬 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s snacksize Doctor’s Kitchen podcast is all about foods for brain health from episode #98 A brain healthy diet.I speak with Dr Dean and Dr Ayesha Sherzai, the unique husband and wife team on the cutting edge of brain science, who are dedicated to educating people on the simple steps to long-term health and You can find out more about them and their online writing, videos, and books at teamsherzai.com🎬 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 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For most of medical history, in the West at least, the idea that there could be a relationship between the mind and the immune system was inconceivable. At medical school, I was taught that there is no relationship whatsoever between our mindset and our ability to stave off infections like viruses, colds and even reduce our susceptibility to cancer.But that is now thought to be completely incorrect. In fact there is a clear relationship between our emotions, our microbes and our immune systems.To talk about this with me today is Dr Monty Lyman. A medical doctor, researcher and author who specializes in the relationship between the mind and the immune system. He is an Academic Clinical Fellow at the University of Oxford and in todays podcast we talk about:How irritable bowel relates to an ‘irritable mind’Gut Rehabilitation and what that entailsThe relationship between the mind, body and microbesWhy psychological stress causes inflammation in the bodyHow an anti-inflammatory lifestyle can heal both the mind and body by recalibrating an unbalanced defence system🎬 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s snacksize Doctor’s Kitchen podcast is all about framing happiness so you can experience more positivity day to day.Taken from the full episode #100 Four Lifestyle Equations Everyone needs to know, where I talk about a selection of formulas that I try and put into practice each day.Mo Gawdat first talked to us about this equation back on episode #91 Solving Happiness, which is one of my favourite episodes to date.🎬 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 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A number of lifestyle related illnesses have uncontrolled inflammation at its core. Whether that’s obesity, heart disease or even dementia, inflammation appears to play a role.I’ve done a free mini-series on inflammation that you can find on my newsletter, where I talk about the big drivers of inflammation (namely gut health, exercise, sleep and mindset) and we’ve done a number of episodes on inflammation on the podcast to determine what it is and why we’d all be better reducing it. And on todays podcast I wanted to zoom in on spices in particular.These are by no means the only spices with inflammation reducing potential, but possibly the ones I used most commonly and are likely to have the biggest evidence base.Ginger, Turmeric and Cinnamon are my go to and I get at least one of these spices in my diet daily.🎬 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.