Plant-Based Health Professionals in action

In this week’s episode of the Nutshell, Professor Andrew Knight discusses his motivation to work to protect animals, people, and the planet by ensuring that the evidence for the health benefits of plant-based diets for cats and dogs is developed and shared. We learn how switching your companion to a plant-based diet is not just healthy, but can even be considered absolutely necessary to reduce the huge impact of animal agriculture on planetary health.Professor Knight is an internationally-accredited Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare, a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and a Principal Fellow of Advance HE.Links supporting the discussion:Environmental benefits:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/comments?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0291791Vegan cat health:https://phys.org/news/2026-10-cats-vegan-diets-professor-andrew.htmlhttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/comments?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0284132Vegan dog health:https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S240584402411609X-ga1_lrg.jpgKey research in this area is also at:https://sustainablepetfood.infohttp://aknight.info/articles/pet-foodhttps://www.andrewknight.infoDiscussed in the introduction to the episode:UK Parliament could save £216,000 with switch to plant proteins, report finds | Humane World for Animals 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 the second part of  'Coming home to roost: what we get wrong about chicken', we widen the lens to focus on the food system that produces billions of chickens each year.We’re joined by Maya Pardo, Legal Strategy Coordinator at Communities Against Factory Farming (CAFF), a grassroots organisation supporting communities across the UK to challenge the expansion of intensive poultry farming.We discuss the impact on animal welfare, air and water pollution, local communities and ecosystems, including the growing concerns around poultry farming in the River Wye catchment. We also explore a bigger question: if we know that intensive farming can create risks for animals, people and the environment, what would it take to change the system?To find out more and to connect with Maya :https://www.caff.org.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-pardo-07032992/?isSelfProfile=falseIf 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.

Chicken has a reputation for being a healthy meat. But is that reputation deserved?  And what are we missing when we look at chicken purely through the lens of nutrition?In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Matthew Nagra, who specialises in evidence based nutrition, and Oakem Kyne, a researcher investigating the links between intensive poultry production, pathogen evolution and antimicrobial resistance.Matthew discusses his recently published substitution analysis, suggesting that while replacing red or processed meat with poultry may offer some benefits, replacing meat with plant foods such as legumes and whole grains may offer greater cardiovascular and metabolic benefits.We then widen the lens with Oakem Kyne, investigating how intensive poultry farming is influencing the evolution and spread of Campylobacter jejuni. The research provides striking evidence of how the expansion of industrial chicken production has reshaped the ecology of this human pathogen, with implications for antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases.So, is chicken really the healthy choice we’ve been led to believe? And what happens when billions of birds are raised in intensive systems?Join us as we ask what we get wrong about chicken, and whether the way we produce it could come home to roost.Studies Discussed: https://www.academia.edu/3067-1345/3/3/10.20935/AcadNutr8436https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2609969123https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-07-24-study-finds-that-industrial-chicken-farms-are-accelerating-the-spread-of-a-majorIf 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 week's nugget we are talking about weight loss injections, otherwise known as GLP-1s. Should you find yourself using these medications as a weight loss aid, we can report that a plant-based diet will complement this decision perfectly.  And if you won't take our word for it, there's also a guide from our friends at Proveg which sets out how you can be sure you are getting enough protein and fibre, and all the other important nutrients.https://proveg.org/glp-1-therapy/Other references for this episode:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41366-026-02088-1https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12325-026-03750-whttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41366-026-02118-y As a member of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK you are supporting our work and are part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future. If you haven't yet, please do join us 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 episode 4 of season 7, we’re joined by Dr. Christopher Gardner, Professor of Medicine and Director of Nutrition Studies at Stanford University. Dr Gardner has spent decades researching nutrition, including leading clinical trials exploring some of the most controversial and confusing questions in nutrition science. He shares his perspective on some of the biggest questions in nutrition today, including protein, ultra-processed foods, seed oils, dietary patterns and what makes healthy eating sustainable in the real world.The conversation also explores an important question for anyone working in nutrition and healthcare: how do we communicate the evidence clearly and effectively in an environment increasingly crowded with misinformation and conflicting nutrition messages?In his new book, Food Sense: What to Eat and Why, Dr Gardner draws on his experience of nutrition research to offer an accessible guide to understanding the evidence, with practical advice and recipes along the way. You can order your copy here:https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/food-sense-what-to-eat-and-why-christopher-gardner/a5544ee91d56052bIf 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 is a whistlestop tour of all the work that Plant-Based Health Professionals UK do. As a member you are supporting our work and are part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future. If you haven't yet, please do 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.The 21 day plant-based challenge:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/21-day-challenge.

High blood pressure is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke. On this episode of In A Nutshell, we’re joined by Dr Emma Copsey, Consultant Cardiologist, to discuss what role nutrition and other non-pharmacological lifestyle approaches can play in preventing and managing hypertension.We discuss what causes high blood pressure and how factors including diet, physical activity, weight, sleep and stress can influence risk.Whether you’re a healthcare professional or simply interested in cardiovascular prevention and lifestyle medicine, this episode explores ways to broaden our approach to preventing and managing blood pressure for better health outcomes.Blood pressure monitors discussed:https://bihs.org.uk/blood_pressure_technology/find_a_professional_bp_monitor.aspxStudies discussed:https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1511939https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01028-6/abstracthttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40592949/https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2026/05/04/bmjnph-2025-001449https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/nut-consumption-and-the-risk-of-hypertension-a-systematic-review-and-dose-response-metaanalysis-of-prospective-studies/F598AFD9FD35B00A41A428C9D65F2C14Previous nugget episode on whole grains:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-grains-no-gains-the-whole-story-on-cutting/id1694154034?i=1000728175430PBHP Resources:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Hypertension-FS-240703.pdfhttps://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/plant-based-diets-for-the-prevention-and-treatment-of-cardiovascular-diseaseshttps://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/plant-power-soy-and-legumes-connected-to-lower-hypertension-riskTo buy tickets for NLMC Live:https://nlmc.org.uk/nlmc-2026/nlmc26-live/Marry me chickpeas!https://www.noracooks.com/marry-me-chickpeas/

In this week's nugget two of our PBHP members, LJ Smith and Amy Roach, reflect on the highs and lows of trekking up Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp, and importantly, on how to optimise your enjoyment with plant-based fuelling.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’re joined by Emily Angus R.D. to explore the science behind bone health and plant-based diets. Emily has a background in NHS clinical and renal dietetics and joined The Vegan Society in 2024, where she focuses on providing evidence-based nutrition information about plant based diets.We discuss the nutrients that matter for maintaining healthy bones, as well as the important role of physical activity among other lifestyle factors.We also tackle one of the biggest questions surrounding dietary patterns and bone health: could eating a vegan diet alter your fracture risk? We discuss the findings from the EPIC-Oxford study, why they attracted attention, and why interpreting the evidence requires a degree of nuance.Finally, Emily shares some practical advice on what a bone-friendly plant-based diet actually looks like, and what she likes to eat for lunch!So have a listen today - we are available on all the usual podcast platforms, and don't forget to share the episode with a friend.Resources :https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/plant-based-diets-and-bone-healthhttps://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/is-dairy-necessary-for-good-healthhttps://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/getting-calcium-on-a-plant-based-diet-everything-you-need-to-knowhttps://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/a-guide-to-plant-based-milks-alternative-milkshttps://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/bone-healthhttps://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/nutrients/calciumTo 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.

In this week's nugget, Daisy and Clare highlight that it is possible to eat a low carb diet as a plant-based eater. That is, should you want to.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:Jenkins DJ, Wong JM, Kendall CW, Esfahani A, Ng VW, Leong TC, Faulkner DA, Vidgen E, Greaves KA, Paul G, Singer W. The effect of a plant-based low-carbohydrate ("Eco-Atkins") diet on body weight and blood lipid concentrations in hyperlipidemic subjects. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Jun 8;169(11):1046-54. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.115. Erratum in: Arch Intern Med. 2009 Sep 14;169(16):1490. PMID: 19506174.https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/low-carb-plant-based-diet-what-to-eat