The Life Of Bryony - The Life of YOU: Davinia Taylor on Cravings, Brain Fog & Feeling Like Yourself Again

Episode Date: June 6, 2025

Welcome to The Life of YOU! The bonus series where we tackle your dilemmas and talk through life’s trickier bits. This week, I’m joined by Davinia Taylor—actress, author, biohacker and proud roast dinner lover. Her book Future Proof is packed with great tips for boosting energy, managing cravings and building resilience. Today: 🍷 Amanda gave up alcohol two years ago but the cravings are back—how can she remind herself what she really needs in moments of stress? 🧠 A listener in her early 40s asks if brain fog is just tiredness, or something more—could it be perimenopause? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU 🗣️ Got a question or a story to share? Text or send a voice note on 07796657512—just start your message with LOB 💬 Use the WhatsApp shortcut: https://wa.me/447796657512?text=LOB 📧 Prefer email? Drop us a line at [e-mail] If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it—it really helps! Bryony xx CREDITS 🎙️ Presenter: Bryony Gordon 🎙️ Guest: Davinia Taylor 🎧 Content Producer: Jonathan O’Sullivan 🎥 Audio & Video Editor: Luke Shelley 🛠️ Studio Manager: Sam Chisholm 📢 Executive Producer: Mike Wooller A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode of The Life of Briny is sponsored by Asda, celebrating 60 years of great family value. That's Asda Price. Welcome to The Life of You, where we answer your questions and talk through the trickier bits of life. I'm joined once again by Davinja Taylor, author, biohacker and roast dinner enthusiast. Her book Future Proof is out now and we're diving into your questions around energy, cravings and why wellness does not have to mean celery juice. Thank fuck for that. Save the carbohydrates for evening when you

it's appropriate to have a carb coma. Your questions coming up after this. If you like this episode we think you'll love this. I'm Sarah Vine and I am still Peter Hitchens and this is Alas Violet Hitchens asking all the big questions this week. To paraphrase Randy Newman you were a friend in me but for how long? We look at why some friendships last and some not. And as Poland lurches to the right in its latest elections, we ask if the EU can let democracy work. Listen to Alas, Vine and Hitchins wherever you get your podcast. The Wine Witch is back. This is from Amanda. She says, I gave up alcohol two years ago and honestly it changed my life. But lately the stress has crept back in. Work, kids, aging parents. And I keep thinking, wouldn't a glass of wine just take the edge off?

I don't want to undo everything but I miss the quick fix. How do I remind myself what I really need when the cravings hit? So I, at one o'clock I sit in my little pop-up infrared sauna and I believe stress sits in the liver like all toxins. It is a tangible ingredient that gets stuck there and makes you feel even more overwhelmed because you've got your brain and your liver are all connected it's not just the gut brain access it's your liver as well you all know what hangover feels like it affects your

brain too so for me at night I sit in a pop-up infrared sauna it's about 200 quid on Amazon mm-hmm I'm not affiliated with them, but I think if you ask them, if you DM a company called Firezone, they'll give you a discount code because I've pushed so many people that way anyway. So I'm just like literally saved my life and I will sit in there. So a pop-up infrared sauna, they're literally like blankets that you get in the sauna. Well no, I like the city up one because then I watch the TV at the same time. The thing I've got really obsessed with are compression boots. Oh, that's your lymphatic system.

Again, that's detoxing again. I sit there, I'm watching Grey's Anatomy with... I put Matthew in the leg ones and the arm ones and he goes, I've never felt so vulnerable in my entire life. There was nothing he could do about it. I swear. Literally like an ex. I swear, if I could get the infrared sauna over

the compression boots I'm sure I get my biological age down to three. A toddler. She is a toddler toddling around. No toddler toes. But the great thing about infrared actually and I think they are looking at doing that Normatech actually and because I know there's a running machine with infrared lights coming out which I'm gonna put in my office for everybody to use because I'm building a biohacking office in Lancashire in Clitheroe. It's gonna be the biohacking center of the world. So the infrared sauna but also saunas are just quite... They are brilliant. All cause mortality drops like 40% but the infrared for me and I think particularly for women but if they are going through the perimenopause

or in menopause because of the amount of stagnation we have in our liver due to environmental toxins, due to drinking water out of plastic, due to more stress, fucking emails, it all sits in the liver. So for me the great thing about an infrared sauna is it will target that liver, that organ, that is so, when it's clear, your mental health is tip top. Do not think, and by the way, this will happen in a day. So it's just as fast as having a glass of wine, because I need quick fixes faster than anyone.

You know, if you sit in there and you maybe have some activated charcoal or something you can do a proper detox at the same time, then have some electrolytes, then have a cool shower, tell everyone to shut up, go to bed, you'll wake up tip-top. That's what I do every single night. This is a paid advertisement from Asda. Confession time. I've never been what you'd call a natural in the kitchen. Cooking has always felt a bit overwhelming, especially on those busy, slightly chaotic weeknights. But thanks to Joe Wicks and Asda, I've gone from what's for dinner panic

to serving up something genuinely tasty in next to no time. Joe and Asda have teamed up to create quick, budget-friendly family recipes that make life so much easier. We're talking sizzled beef fajita pasta, sweet chili chicken stir-fry, and cheesy peasy fish cakes. Dishes packed with flavor that your family will love. It's no fuss, no faff, and definitely know what's for dinner debates around the kitchen table. Honestly, it's made even me feel like a kitchen hero, even if all I did was follow Joe's simple steps.

Just search Joe Wick's Meal Picks at asda.com and take your pick. That's Asda Price. price. This is a paid advertisement from Asda. Confession time. I've never been what you'd call a natural in the kitchen. Cooking has always felt a bit overwhelming, especially on those busy, slightly chaotic weeknights. But thanks to Joe Wicks and Asda, I've gone from what's for dinner panic to serving up something genuinely tasty in next to no time. Joe and Asda have teamed up to create quick, budget-friendly family recipes that make life

so much easier. We're talking sizzled beef fajita pasta, sweet chili chicken stir-fry, and cheesy peasy fish cakes. Dishes packed with flavour that your family will love. It's no fuss, no faff, and definitely know what's for dinner debates around the kitchen table. Honestly, it's made even me feel like a kitchen hero. Even if all I did was follow Joe's simple steps. Just search Joe Wick's Meal Picks at asda.com and take your pick. That's Asda Price. If you liked this episode, we think you'll love this.

I'm Sarah Vine. And I am still Peter Hitchens and this is Alas, Violin and Hitchens asking all the big questions this week. To paraphrase Randy Newman, you were a friend in me but for how long? We look at why some friendships last and some not and as Poland lurches to the right in its latest elections we ask if the EU can let democracy work. Listen to Alas, Violin and and Hitchins wherever you get your podcast. I'm in my early 40s and for the last year or so I've just felt off. I can't tell if I'm tired or if something else is going on. I'm sleeping okay but I get really groggy specifically when doing

admin tasks after lunch. I find myself zoning out mid-sentence, walking into rooms and forgetting why. This is so relatable. I keep saying I'm just a bit tired, but it's starting to feel more like a fog that's settled in and won't lift. So my question is, what's the difference between just feeling sleepy and actual brain fog? Well, can I ask you about brain fog and the difference between I'm tired and brain fog. Well, um... Can I ask you about brain fog and the difference between I'm tired and brain fog? Like is there a difference between them or are they actually kind of the same thing? Like when you're just tired it all just feels... Well I feel, I felt like when I was 35 before I started all this biohacking

stuff, I felt I was just like underwhelmed with everything because everything overwhelmed me. So even unloading the dishwasher, going for a walk, rubbish, can't be bothered. I was literally, because the kids were quite small then as well, you had to take them for the obligatory walk around the park and I'd huff and puff and I couldn't think of anything.

I could not be arsed with admin, by the way. That was like red letters all the time. And that was like my admin alert to pay something and if they turned up at the door, great, because I could pay them there and then. So yeah, my admin skills were shocking. It was really triggering for me because I felt like I was useless

and irresponsible and indulgent but I just couldn't kick my brain into gear and that's why I started using ketones and that changed everything. Don't get me wrong, I still frigging hate admin. It's my nemesis. And I've just changed my phone and everything's gone to shit. And I don't know how to do it, but I don't think that ever goes.

If you're not an admin person, you're not an admin person and we all need admin people in our lives, you know? However, brain fog could be, she could be literally perimenopausal. So the best thing to do would be get a Dutch test. Yeah. A Dutch test doesn't mean anything from Holland. It's dry urine test with hormone, a complete hormone panel. D-U-T-C-H, Dutch test. And that's what you you wee on it like loads of pregnancy tests and that'll give you an idea of

what your oestrogen is doing, what your progesterone is doing. Because when oestrogen drops, so does dopamine. Dopamine is your get up and go sharp hormone that gives you drive and determination. Okay. But it could be the perimenopause just pulling down dopamine because the lack of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone. And by the way testosterone is a female hormone as well as a male hormone. We actually produce more testosterone than estrogen but it's still deemed a male testosterone. I love a bit of testosterone. A bit of testosterone.

I take testosterone. It's great. People often say it's the missing link. And also, don't forget, you might be having some snacks or something at lunchtime at one o'clock that you're feeling the hangover of at three o'clock in the afternoon. So during admin time. So it might be better to have that meal deal, that sandwich post admin and just have a load

of MCT, a protein shake, maybe even scrambled eggs or something protein heavy with good fats at lunchtime and save the carbohydrates for evening. It's appropriate to have a carb coma. But I often hear people say oh I don't have carbs after 6pm. Oh rubbish but that's when you meant to. You meant to be cosy. I love this. That's when you have it. I just sit in bed with a cheese board. Chips for tea everybody. And by the way I've got a great chippy in Presswich that I drove 45 minutes to in North Manchester, queued for 45 minutes and then drove 45 minutes back because they fry in beef tallow. Will you share the name of this chippy? It's called

number one chip shop in Presswich and the queue was around the block. And this is the best piece of advice any guest on the Life of You has ever given us. Beef tallow chips. Number one chip shop. Yes, and there's loads of them popping up now, now frying in beef tallow because we don't want the veg oil, we want beef tallow like chips used to. I'm going to get chip pan. I'm going to get chip pan and beef tallow. Thank you so much, Divina Taylor. This is a paid advertisement from Asda. Jo, I'm not a natural in the kitchen.

I panic when it gets to dinner time. I don't know where to start. Can you tell me, have you always felt confident in the kitchen or did you have to learn to? Listen, you're not alone. Many people struggle with this and I also used to find it really difficult but I think the more you cook, the more experience you get, the more confidence you get and you can really learn to love cooking. But yeah, look, I've got four kids under six. It's stressful. Food has to be quick, simple and easy. And that's why, you know, I love sharing recipes on recipes and knowing that are going to do just that and get people actually cooking and doing

it often. Four kids under six, I have no excuse. You've teamed up with Asda for Joe Wick's Meal Picks. Can you explain what that is? So Joe Wick's Meal Picks are a series of recipes that I've created to make, you know, food simple and quick and easy to help families, you on a budget, that have lots of kids and that are stressed and time poor to put healthy food on the table and do it in a way that's enjoyable, that's sustainable and that's achievable. They're created with kids in mind, but the whole family can enjoy them. Is that right? Yeah. These are recipes I've designed for the whole family to

enjoy. They're simple. There's very few ingredients. You can get the kids involved as well, make it fun, like come together and enjoy cooking because it can change your life in so many ways. Which of Joe Wick's meal picks would you suggest someone like me cooks first to boost their confidence? I would give my sweet chilli chicken thigh stir fry go. It's really simple, ready in about 10 minutes and it tastes delicious. Tell me Joe, how do your recipes make people feel less intimidated? Is it their simplicity

and the kind of clear steps involved? One thing I try and achieve is that I try and keep people cooking and make it, you know, not daunting and intimidating, make it just fun and a bit kind of accessible because we don't have much time on our hands, we're stressed out, we're running around, we've got kids, we're looking after other people. So actually, if I can make it quick and simple with few ingredients, then it's achievable. And that is really the aim of the whole sort of as the meal picks ideas I've got. Okay. So what about making mistakes? Is there joy in making mistakes and can cooking be forgiving and fun?

Listen, I'm always burning things. I'm not a great chef, you know, I'm a cook, but I'm not the best of cooks. So I always say, look, it's okay, if there's a little bit of burn, if it's a little bit charred, it's more flavourous, it might not look the most presentable, but I think you've got to be kind to yourself. And if you're someone who hasn't cooked, you can really learn to love it. You just got to start building your repertoire up and try a few different things. And by the end of the month, you've got maybe three or four recipes you've learned, and that's going to give you more nutrients in your diet, you know, a varied diet, and it's going to be fun. You just got to give it a go and take the first step.

Thank you so much, Joe. To find out more, just search Joe Wick's Meal Picks on asda.com for simple, quick and tasty midweek meal inspiration from Asda and Joe Wick's. Thanks. Thank you, Divinia, for answering our questions with compassion, clarity and a good dash of cheek. If something she said struck a chord, send it to someone who might need to hear it too. You can grab her new book Future Proof now. It's full of practical tips to help you build resilience and feel more like yourself again. If you love this chat, send it to a friend who needs to hear it. But most of all, take care of yourself and see you next time. If you liked this episode, we think you'll love this.

I'm Sarah Vine. And I am still Peter Hitchens. And this is The Last Violent Hitchens and this is Alas, Violin and Hitchens asking all the big questions this week. To paraphrase Randy Newman, you were a friend in me, but for how long? We look at why some friendships last and some not and as Poland lurches to the right in its latest elections, we ask if the EU can let democracy work. Listen to Alas, Violin and Hitchens wherever you get your podcast. 25% of listeners do something after hearing one. That's a 60% higher ROI than any other media channel. If you're ready to reach an audience that truly listens, advertise with us.

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