The Wellness Scoop - How to Live Longer with Champagne, Mushrooms… and Raw Testicles?

Episode Date: May 26, 2025

In this week’s episode, we’re diving into four surprising headlines that touch on everything from daily habits to big lifestyle shifts. First up, new research reveals that just two weeks without mobile internet can reverse ten years of cognitive ageing and significantly boost mental health. We break down what happened in the study, and whether a digital detox could work in real life. Then, we explore the idea of nondoing — a powerful wellness concept from Deepak Chopra that isn’t meditation or rest, but a deeper kind of stillness that reconnects you with yourself. We also look at a bold claim from The Telegraph — that poor posture could shorten your life — and share practical steps to improve it, starting today. And finally, a fun one: champagne might actually be good for your heart. But before you pop a bottle, we unpack what the science says (and what it doesn’t). In today’s trend check, we explore the booming world of mushroom-based wellness drinks, from lion’s mane lattes to adaptogenic teas — are they worth the hype? Recommendations: The Irrational Ape - Dr David Robert Grimes Apple TV's 'Your Friends and Neighbours' Ella's chimichurri recipe: - ½ shallot/small red onion, 1 clove garlic, a large handful (25g) of fresh parsley, finely chopped, a small handful of fresh coriander (15g), finely chopped, 1 red chilli, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar,  5 tablespoons olive oil, pinch of salt Live Show Tickets - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/the-wellness-scoop-with-ella-mills-and-rhiannon-lambert/⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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From reviving old memories with AI upscaling to seamless hands-free control with universal gestures. The next vision in television is here. Learn more about Samsung Vision AI televisions at samsung.com. Okay, so just a quick moment before we dive into today's episode, we have got something very exciting to share with you guys. We do, we are down to the final tickets, everyone,

for our first ever live show. I still can't believe this is happening. And it's going to be at Cadogan Hall in London on June the 14th. We literally can't wait. I know. I'm so looking forward to it. We'll be bringing the full podcast live, big headline deep dives on everything

from body image to the broken food system, health anxiety, plus an interactive audience Q&A so you can bring all your burning questions and a proper deep dive into the years worth of research that Rhee has done into ultra processed foods will be the first to hear everything she's learned putting together her new book. It is very exciting, I really hope you love it. There'll be a chance as well to include you all so you can vote, you can ask questions, even win prizes. They're going to be great in our final quiz. And we'd love for you to be a part of this day with us. So if you fancy a night of big conversation, connection and a few surprises, just head

to cadouganhall.com or Google Wellness Scoop Live to grab one of the last tickets and we cannot wait to see you there. Welcome to the Wellness Scoop, your weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration. And as always, we are your hosts. I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Rhiannon Lambert. And after a decade in the wellness industry, we know how overwhelming and confusing health advice can be.

That's why we created this podcast to cut through the noise and make healthier living simple, fun and personal. So welcome guys. Thank you for being here as always every week. It is the highlight of the week. And I would say this is probably one of my favorite titles we've had so much so far. I was just reading it before we get into it.

How to live longer with champagne, mushrooms and raw testicles. We've got it all. I put a little lol emoji in our brief today. I saw it on the train this morning coming in. I was like, Ella, you're a title genius. Oh my gosh. Okay, Rhee, what have we got coming up for everyone well let's do it we have two weeks offline does that equate to better mental health

the surprising new study that will explore why Deepak Chopra says stillness is more powerful than self optimization poor posture and it's unexpected linked to long-term health I love this one coming up. Can champagne really protect your heart? And then we're on to raw testicles, anyone. We're unpacking Netflix's new wellness documentary on The Liver King. And finally, mushrooms are the new wellness obsession,

but do they work? I mean, Ella, what a show. What a show. Ha ha ha. But do they work? I mean, Ella, what a show. What a show. Rhee, how are you? What have you been up to? Do you know it's actually been a really, really busy time for us both. I think we're both in the same boat where I am behind on my inbox and core of my business

because I've been out doing an activation every day. Like the talk at Parliament went really well. It was wonderful to talk about children's breakfasts in the UK. I learned about British berry growers. You know, I didn't know 95% of berries are actually grown in the UK. So it was really interesting to hear we should be supporting these items that can be quite costly and the government should step in here and then make them more available to more people.

There was a huge conversation to be had. And of course, I discussed ultra processed foods. And then I tried in between the chaos of the multiple media activations and podcasts to spend more time with the kids. Do you know in one podcast actually I had my first ever hay fever attack. Did you? It was on Grace Beverly's podcast. Never happened to be before but I think the heat in London. So when I come into town I'm just not used to it and I didn't bring any antihistamines luckily

Grace has a stash of antihistamines in her bag I literally couldn't speak my eyes were swelling never had that before have you? I have I started getting hay fever the first time three years ago and it's brutal I carry had antihistamines around with me for this time of year but interesting so many people I speak to you maybe our listeners in the same developed it at some point around their 30s. Same yeah I never used to get it that badly and then it was something recently but I had to literally stop recording and drink some water and take an antihistamine and wait for it to go down but then there's been mundane stuff, you know, I can't complain.

That was the dad's football match we went to watch in the sun and I cooked some orzo with little tea and yeah, it was great. How about you Ella? I love orzo. That is a great recommendation for people. Since you got me stuck on it when we were in Delicious Yellow HQ and you made that dish, every week I make a orzo of some description with whatever veg I've got and butter beans and I love it.

It is an amazing, amazing ingredient to cook with and I would say if you don't cook with orzo a lot, 10 out of 10 recommend it because for batch cooking pasta, pasta is not very nice when you reheat it to be honest. And then it goes all hard. Exactly. And then rice, obviously people get a little bit nervous about reheating rice. It's probably, if we're frank, a bit of an overblown concern, but I do completely understand it. You have to heat it all the way through and so many people don't and that's where you get the score.

Exactly. And so there's a nervousness around it. Whereas also reheats perfectly. It cooks in 10 minutes or so and it is so good for those big batch cooking. You can kind of saute any veg you've got. Shallots, onions, garlic, butter beans as you said. Yeah, and add in the stock as well. Exactly. It's genius the flavour that you get and it takes no time to cook. Yeah and then you can cook the orzo in the stock, maybe coconut milk, all together stir through some basil and it will see you through many weeks.

So yeah, it is absolutely 10 out of 10 I'm with you on orzo. That was not meant to be my recommendation. But you've been doing cookbook as well, so you are on a cooking spree. Oh my gosh yes we started shooting it the last two days so with 20 photos in which is pretty fun. Well done. Still finishing writing the rest of the recipes. I know. But yeah no it's good we don't have a title yet we don't have a publication date yet but it will come we will finish this project. Gone are those days where things are done in advance it seems like everybody's building car while we're driving it I am definitely building all cars while driving Me too

At the moment we're like trying to move the kids school for September trying to move house live show finish book work as usual Yes and you're coming to my book launch I know can't wait Thanks for making the time for that one Wouldn't miss it for the world Apart from also have you got any recommendations for us this week? Do you know, I did. But before I go in, my friend sent me this text. I was literally on the train when it came through this morning. And it just kind of sums up our podcast. She said, Rhee, kombucha, is this a new trend or am I late to the party?

Just caught up with the episode. I love it. That's my friend Dinnie and she also makes the most amazing cake she did Saki's birthday cake. But doesn't that just sum up the fact that we may think that something is really obvious, you know, because some of us have seen Matcha for years or Kombucha for years, but it's still just coming into the peripheral for some people. And that's why I just love this show so much. Me too. We chat through it all. We'll bring Kombucha to you guys to the trends. We will. In a couple of weeks time. We have to do that. But my rec today was actually a book by Dr.

David Robert Grimes, who were definitely having on an extra scoop here discussing all things tech. So his book, The Irrational Ape, I think is really compelling because it explores why humans often fall prey to flawed reasoning, misinformation, you know, why online we are so vulnerable, I think, and subject to all these cognitive biases. So embracing critical thinking can safeguard us from these pitfalls. And basically his book goes through all of these things from the Dunning-Kruger effect, confirmation bias, so many different elements. Ultimately, it serves as both a diagnosis of our collective reasoning, you know, our failures and a call for action to cultivate a more rational and evidence based approach

to understanding the world around us. And I think delving into that book, you just find yourself going, yep, yep, this is me, yep, I've fallen victim to that. Yes. And it's a good read. I think that's such a great recommendation. We obviously talk quite a lot in the show about misinformation and how hard it is to navigate what people are saying and what to listen to

and what to skip and how to tune out that noise. And so it sounds like if you're struggling with that, that's an amazing recommendation. How about you, Ella? Way less highbrow. Okay, no, no, but normally you have the books. Go on, share with me. We have watched the new show on Apple TV that I've also seen on every London bus over the last few weeks called Your

Friends and Neighbours with Jon Hamm, who was the lead in Mad Men. I love TV shows. When you get a good TV show, it's the best way to kind of switch off your mind. Is it really gripping? It's really gripping. It's quite fun, funny, quite unexpected, darker than you're imagining, but not in a scary way. Very satirical, very funny. He's brilliant in it. And just if you're tough. Yeah, I find it really hard to as we're saying, there's lots of moving ships at the moment. I don't think that's the expression actually. Moving pieces of the puzzle, whatever it is. Basicallyips going around. Basically, lots happening.

And I find it really hard to then get into bed and your to-do list starts going brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr also this is such a niche recommendation other than also as a food one. Chimichurri. I've never made it. Oh my gosh. First of all it's so easy to make and second of all I know we were talking about 30 plants. Guys did you play my game? Did you? It did refresh my memory to get the chart on the wall for the king. Did you tally up? How's the game going? Let us know if you're counting your 30 plants. But it's so easy to make and I literally am putting on everything at the moment, like roast veggies, salads, dressings, on toast, which makes avocado toast way more interesting, etc. It's so easy. You just blitz up kind of a very small red onion or half a shallot, garlic, lots and lots of parsley. I normally don't like parsley, but I love it.

Do you know what my husband does with parsley? So it's just really random. I think it's because he's Maltese. I don't know scrambled eggs and parsley. That's what he does. It's always been a thing and it drives me insane because I don't want parsley in my scrambled eggs but this is obviously something he's grown up with. It's not my favorite. I don't particularly like it actually. I don't think yeah in that kind of it's not my like. It's like coriander people love or hate it but in Jimmy Churi yeah phenomenal and then you add coriander and the chili cider vinegar or red wine vinegar olive oil salt and you literally just blitz it all up and it's just one of those like people call them what they flavor bombs you know you just add it to everything

and it's like a zing amazing super easy do you know what I want to do in another episode it's reminded me is go through olive oil in more depth as in like watch to look for in an olive oil. Also, I had, and this is totally off subject again, but the wire put on the back of my teeth. Oh yeah. And it's like learning to speak again. I don't know, I feel like I'm really conscious of it.

I feel like I've been the tip of my tongue. You know, you keep touching it because it's new in your mouth and I'm finding it really hard. I'm like, oh, oh. Oh, I think you sound absolutely fantastic. I need some chimichurri to loosen. Some chimichurri with also obviously. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

OK, so we've got kombucha. We've still got saunas running and olive oil of things to pick up for you guys coming up. But for now, Rhi, where are we starting with the Health Headlines That Matter? OK, today's Health Headline That Matter. OK, today's Health Headline That Matters, we are starting with two weeks without internet, reversed a decade of aging.

So we came across this. It's so thought provoking. It's a study from the University of Texas at Austin. And the results are remarkable, Ella. It found that just two weeks of blocking mobile internet access from smartphones can significantly improve mental health, attention span and overall well-being. Makes sense. It's absolutely extraordinary. This is complete tangent, but that is why our dog is called

Austin because my husband went to University of Texas. Really? No way. Yeah, he wanted to call him Texas. Oh, I just thought Austin was a nice name. That's so nice. That's a homage to the dog this morning.. In actual news, as you said, it's absolutely huge. And I think, I mean, I find it whenever I get stressed or overwhelmed, I caught myself with it last night, I become it's almost like you start overstimulating yourself because you're already so stimulated and it becomes so hard to put down your phone

and stop scrolling. And obviously, so many of us feel glued to our phones. The data is all coming out of the US obviously, because that's where the University of Texas is and the research is there. What they were looking at was that 58% of American smartphone users, including 80% of those under 30, worry that they're using their devices too much. So essentially if anyone listening worries that they are glued to their phone too much, I do. We are completely normal. That's basically what everybody's thinking at the moment. And this was a proper controlled experiment. It was a four week randomized control trial and it had 467 participants, all aged 32.

That's the gold standard of research guys around an RCT we call it randomized control trial. So this is good stuff. I actually find when I become really obsessed or I can't get off my phone I start forgetting everything else that I'm meant to be doing and my mind kind of becomes like mush So everyone in this study installed an app on their phone that blocked the internet access So I'm really interested in this so no browsers no social media calls and texts though still work because obviously people you know need to use their internet home for work or, you know, kids go into school. So it wasn't about disconnecting entirely, but it was just the constant bit, Ella, that constant connectivity.

Exactly. So people could still, they weren't banning them from using the internet at home, work, school, where they needed it. But all they could use their phone for was calls and texts. So back to the olden days, essentially phones. And after just two weeks of the digital reset, 91% of the participants improved on at least one of three key outcomes when it came to mental health, subjective wellbeing and attention span. 71% reported better mental health with improvement in depression symptoms that was actually larger than what's been

seen in multiple studies of antidepressants and attention spans improved by the amount equivalent to reversing 10 years of age related cognitive decline, which is obviously where our headline that two weeks for that internet reverse a decade of ageing comes from. So it's pretty mind boggling. It just doesn't surprise me though because I think we all know it's a horrible feeling. You don't feel happy when you're hooked on technology for so long or I'd love to hear if you do. You know if anyone listening does actually enjoy a long period of time on their phone perhaps we're jumping the gun here but I just think we need to be more connected like

we discussed before with social interaction but what's more interesting as well is that these people spent more time outside in nature. They slept better, they spoke to people face to face and enjoyed the slower pace. And their benefits grow over time, which I think is the other bit that's interesting. So people reported feeling progressively better day by day, the more connected they were to the offline world, the less reactive, the more in control of their life. And as you said, spending more time outside, more face-to-face, and start to actually enjoy the slower pace. Because it is interesting, isn't it? I imagine lots of you listening might not long to what I said, but since the episode we did with

TJ Power on phones and social media, I've been thinking about it more and more. And I really notice myself when you're standing in the queue for something, for example, like I was in the post office the other day, It was probably a five or six minute queue. This is not a long period of time. But the temptation is just to get out your phone and scroll or look at something. I work. Yeah, do your emails. Exactly. I don't know how to stand and be still. In that queue, I would probably do an email or a text or get a task done. And I think that's the point that's so interesting is it's almost like we're so addicted to that fast pace and having that connectivity and being productive or doing

something all the time that we don't know how to feel bored anymore. I worry about the future generations because people that obviously you and I fell into our line of work in a very organic way and we're very blessed to have the time without phones, you know, growing up to a certain degree. But I do worry about my children, I think, oh my goodness, those that aspire to be content creators because then their whole life is spent on these platforms and with data like this coming out that it ages you and it affects your mental health, it's just not good, is it? I mean, this is study of one and as anecdotal as it comes, this is not a good, randomised control trial. But last night I was feeling so overwhelmed. I was in, I'm going to be

honest, I was in the worst mood I have been in since, oh yeah, I was in a foul mood. Things just weren't working out. I was frustrated. You've got a big to do list at the moment. There was a lot going on. Matt was absolutely exhausted. He got into bed really early. And I sat down since on like, I think about three hours basically on my phone. I achieved nothing. I had so much to do. Or I could have relaxed and watch something enjoyable or read my book, called my mom, gone for a walk. I could have done all manner of things. I didn't. I wanted to take away and I sat down says and I doom doom scrolled for three hours basically and I ended up on all sorts of things that terrified me.

Yes. On all sorts of like just. All sorts of things. Watch videos of like sharks. The news comes up and you don't want to see it. I know. Oh my gosh and how common drowning is. Oh yes I saw that too with the kid drowning in the pool. It was so unhealthy.

Oh. I went to bed in an even worse mood. Yes. Feeling even so unhealthy. I went to bed in an even worse mood, feeling even more anxious. Anyway, I say this because it's just so normal and so human. And I think it's just such an interesting example. As I said, that's not a randomized controlled trial, but that is very much an anecdotal party of one. But we all do it. And I think when you look at data like this, it's just even more compelling evidence that it's not probably possible for most of us to delete the internet from our phones, but we just need to reassess our association.

It's like TJ said, it's a procrastination from the tasks that need to be done because it gives you a kind of weird dopamine response, even if it's bad news. And that is the problem we've all got to face. But it does move us on to a really lovely headline, Ella. Headline two, do you want to go into that one? Okay this is a brilliant headline packed with wisdom, everything I need in my life at the moment and the headline, this comes from the Times, it was the importance and hidden wisdom of being alone and as you said in what's coming up in today's show it's by Deepak Chopra but basically I think we were both really inspired by his piece entitled The Importance and Hidden Wisdom of Doing Nothing.

It's not really headline health news as such, but it's just a very, very thoughtful reflection on in a moment where I think so many of us feel overstimulated, our nervous systems feel quite stuck in fight or flight, we're kind of constantly rushing, we're reacting, we're refreshing things. It's just so easy to keep going, keep being busy, keep scrolling, and not actually connect with ourselves as per my anecdote of what I did last night. Which I think is why this article really stood out, and essentially he explores the idea of non-doing. And I hadn't heard the concept in this exact guys before but I loved it. It's essentially

defined as not rest, not meditation, but a deeper kind of stillness, a state of wakeful alertness as he calls it, where you let go of doing, of fixing, of striving and instead you just rest in your own being. So it's not just a break in a busy day or like an add-on, you know wellness add-on like rushing to a yoga class or a spin class, it's like the basis of life in the way that he describes it, where you sit in stillness and actually reconnect with yourself and what's going on in your mind and your body and your emotions. I know what makes that so powerful as well. It's not about zoning out or escaping as such, but it's like tuning back in to presence, to clarity. Because when we got into the studio

today, I was speaking to our producer, Will, and I said, Oh, I'm loving this. This makes me sound very old now, but I'm loving seeing the birds in the garden. I actually said to him, when I have time in the summer I sit and look at the birds and I'm like why am I not doing that now because I feel like I'm too busy to just take a moment to do this non-doing or wakeful alertness. But I look forward to wakeful alertness time I've realised and we've been pulled so far towards busyness and distraction that stillness is actually really uncomfortable. Like Ella said, you know, she was a sat there and I do the same thing. I don't want to be aware of it. I want to distract myself and anxiety, fatigue, poor sleep, burnout, all of it catches up with us. So non-doing isn't a luxury. It's

just the reset our mind and body needs Ella. Exactly. And I think it's so easy to say, oh, I don't have time. But I mean, last night, I could have just skipped some of my shark videos. Yeah, you definitely should have skipped those. Quietly instead. And as you said, it really helps if you can look at nature. And he offers a very simple motivational exercise that we wanted to bring. And he said, you just need to all you need to do. This is a free task that we could probably all do every day is just sit in a quiet place with no distractions. Phone turned off. In my case, I would find it easier if my phone was just away. Yeah, I'll just set it in the corner. Yeah, sit

and do nothing for five minutes. Don't look at your watch. Just estimate or so. As in estimate the time and the real turning point comes when actually this becomes comfortable and not uncomfortable. And it's not because to start with, I think it feels quite forced to sit in silence. I feel like I'd need to set a timer on Alexa for five minutes. Like, I don't know how I feel uncomfortable with you just reading out saying, just estimate the time. I just don't know. We're too wired to be control freaks aren't we? We're too. Yeah, exactly. On the clock.

I think he's saying basically, you know that this is working when you actually enjoy those minutes when you start to see them as a gift and the voice of non-doing starts to reach you. Okay, because this sounds hard, I think we need to do it. So I think we should both try and do it so we can report back on an episode in a week or two. Because could you sit in stillness for five minutes? No phone, no distractions. I mean, would you just feel an urge to reach for it or do something? I'd probably go do housework, Ella. I'd probably go in the washroom and start doing more washing. I think I'd struggle, interestingly, in lockdown,

not just during this episode into like some kind of therapy session. I feel like it is, interestingly, in lockdown. Not just during this episode into some kind of therapies. I feel like it is every week for us anyway. But in lockdown, it had been a very busy decade or so between launching the business and lots of things happening in our personal life. My parents got divorced, my mother-in-law died, I got pregnant, Sky was born, all while we built the business. So we kind of been living in like a times 30 mode. I was not taking my five minutes of wakeful alertness, that is for sure. You were looking for Ashwagandha. Yeah, I was looking for any kind of crack.

Who could blame you? Look at what you were going through. And I was meant to be on this massive book tour and then lockdown came, it was cancelled and I had to sit still basically and had a huge amount of time really in my day because all of the things I was meant to be doing at work were cancelled. And I realised this state of kind of constant anxiety that I'd been living in, I'd been having really intrusive thoughts and wasn't in a particularly good headspace. And I signed up to do this mindfulness based stress reduction course. And I actually signed up to do this mindfulness based stress reduction course. And I actually signed up to do it because I was trying to finish my 500 hours of yoga teacher training

because I thought I've got to keep going, going, going. That was so my state of being. And it completely changed my life. It was extraordinary. It got to the point, I think it was an eight week course, and by then we were doing almost two hours of meditation a day. And this meditation was this, it was silence. There wasn't guided, it was literally sitting and just being with yourself. And to start with, oh my God, it was so uncomfortable. I've never felt more itchy or desperate to do something. And then the teacher who was absolutely phenomenal was giving us these little tasks to do at the beginning.

Like, take something you do habitually and don't take your phone. And one of my joys in lockdown was there was a coffee shop, let's say like a four or five minute walk from our house, that was lovely, and I would go and get takeaway coffee. And I started doing it without my phone. And her point was like, actually do it mindfully, like engage in your senses how does the

pavement feel under your feet what can you smell what can you hear what can you actually see and stop being distracted and just be where you are anyway it was absolutely the most amazing eight weeks and obviously it's like mindful eating but for you for your body it was amazing Matt was like oh you're l2.0. I was just this calm. So I really tuned in for, and it lasted a while for that wakeful alertness. And as I said, it was deeply uncomfortable to start with, but actually it was really profound in the end.

And really profound. That's so inspiring. I need to get back to it quite clearly. I know, but I just don't know how, I think you have to pick a time in your life and that was your time to experiment in that specific area. I just think everyone needs to start with the five minutes and definitely aim for that. That's a good goal, Ella. And we also came

across just to lead on nicely a feature in the telegraph that actually said, well, how your poor posture could be shortening your life. And it may be kind of looked twice because it highlights how you just said, for instance, you were slouching in your chair before we started and posture isn't just about aesthetics. you know, it can actually have serious health implications. But I think when we're kids, you know, you see the children at home, they've got like perfect posture. And as we age, when do we lose it? We just don't sit straight because we get tired. I know I'm quite envious of my children straight back.

Me too. Me too. They just sit there and they look so perfect and poised and it's not even a hard thing to do. I know. They were making us play schools the other day and the little one was shouting at Matt. She was like, Daddy, crisscross applesauce, which is what they call crossing your legs like sitting on the floor for some reason and straight back, Daddy. I can't do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is going to break all my bones. But exactly as you said, I can't. I can't do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This has been a break all my bones.

But exactly as you said, I think interestingly, posture and back strength, we talked about it as one of the kind of trends of this year was back strength and thinking about posture and poise. And it was more from an aesthetic perspective in terms of being touted as a 2025 wellness trend. But as you said, the interesting point here was that actually it's not just about looks looks and I think we probably all agree, you know, a straight back does look lovely. But actually poor posture can lead to a range of health issues, including back and neck pain, reduced lung capacity and even digestive problems. And over time, this can contribute

to more severe conditions like cardiovascular disease and decreased life expectancy. I know. It's also, I think maybe an element of privilege comes into this discussion as well. Because I remember my grandma, you know, was a very working class background. But she in World War Two would let the trains come in in midnight for all the soldiers. Her job, she was only a teenager and she would walk by herself to the station. She would do all that. She started to talk about these strange small places she was made to sit within the station and the amount of workload she was doing and things she was

carrying. And sadly, she passed away many years ago now, but she kind of had a hunchback and she couldn't sit up straight. And when she'd walk around the house, you know, you see it a lot, don't you, with the elderly that kind of hunched over forwards. And I think a lot of it does come down to the job role you've had, the ability or time to go and exercise, look after yourself because our lifestyles have just got more sedentary. So even though we know more than my grandma did back then, and we're not faced with a war in this country, we're very blessed not to at the moment because it's not an easy world. But poor posture, it's a tech neck,

they're calling it, hello, it's a phenomenal tech neck. I can't even take it seriously when I'm saying it. And it's more prevalent now and it can lead to chronic discomfort. And I do sit there on the tube. And I'm really conscious if I look at my phone, that I'm just staring down. I do think of my nan a lot and I try and push my head up and lift up my phone. I know tech neck, it's coming for us all. I've certainly got it and my posture is appalling. I've noticed all three of us. I'm like slouched to the side of the chair.

I imagine you guys have done the same. Apparently it's the muscles in your back. You know that diamond area, is it your trapeze or something at the back of, don't quote me on that guys, biology, cannot remember. There's like a diamond and you're meant to work out the diamond in between your two bones on your back. You know, the ones you move like a bird

when you move your shoulders. Scalpula, is it scapula? Yeah, you're scapula. Yeah, you're no, you're the yoga guru. She'll know. I've just been desperately trying to fix my posture. Yeah, yeah. Anyway, exactly.

So yeah, exercises really help, obviously avoid slouching, but I think strengthening your core and those back muscles is so powerful. Stretch regularly. Be mindful of your posture as you're going throughout the day, particularly when you're on your phone. Use ergonomic furniture when possible and stay active. It definitely is a powerful reminder that we can change something here. So this isn't doom and gloom. This is about, hang on, let's take five minutes to ourselves, just practice it, and let's try and sit up straight. But they go together because Tech Neck's all about

leaning forward to your phone. So put your phone away. In my case, stop watching videos of sharks. Oh, hello, by the thing, I bought the phone box that goes by the door, and I have to say, we've lapsed out of it again, and I need to get my husband back into it because I'm like put your phone in the phone box and it doesn't always happen.

I need a phone box. There are very few things that you can be certain of in life. But you can always be sure the Sun will rise each morning. You can bet your bottom dollar that you'll always need air to breathe and water to drink. And of course you can rest assured that with Public Mobile's 5G subscription phone plans, you'll pay the same thing every month. With all of the mysteries that life has to offer, a few certainties can really go a long way. Subscribe today for the peace of mind you've been searching for.

Public Mobile. Different is calling. today and get more with North America's number one sportsbook. Please play responsibly. 19 plus and physically located in Ontario. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or the gambling of someone close to you, please contact Connects Ontario 1866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. Okay guys, the next one's really fun. Drinking champagne could reduce risk of sudden cardiac arrest. This was one of the most surprising headlines I've seen so far. Rhee, what is going on here? Okay, so this was sent to me by a friend who also listens to The Wilder Scoop X and she said, oh my goodness, does this mean I can drink more champagne? And I straight away was like, well, obviously not. It's just a headline.

So I had a look into it and Ella and I had a look at this for the brief. So The Guardian piece ran a title and this is what it was called. Drinking champagne reduces risk of sudden cardiac arrest. So it's not your typical health tip. The story comes from a new study led by Fudan University and published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. So research was taken from over 500,000 UK biobank, Ella. There's our biobank. Biobank data again. That's Ella's mom in the biobank.

Welcome, Ella. Yeah. But the participants explored how like has she been drinking a lot of champagne Ella? Oh she doesn't like champagne. She can't have been. She probably opted out. Yeah she must have opted out this one. Opted out this one. So participants had to explore how lifestyle factors influence sudden cardiac arrest which is basically a condition when your heart stops without warning and survival rates sadly are really low with this sort of thing. Exactly. So the team in this case looked at 56 modifiable risk factors, which included everything you can think of things like diet, alcohol, sleep, mental health, loneliness,

financial stress, and the impact was huge. If the population's worst third of lifestyle related factors were improved, 40% of sudden cardiac arrest could be prevented. And if you improve the bottom two thirds of those risk factors, then the number jumps up to 63%. Now, I remember at Roehampton University, a researcher coming in and telling us she was researching bubbles, she said, you know, basically champagne and Prosecco. And sadly, they hadn't found anything that equates to what they'd been finding in red

wine. And everyone was really disappointed in the lecture theatre, I remember it so clearly. But the surprise comes from this with a potential cardioprotective effect from moderate consumption of champagne and white wine. I mean I wonder what moderate consumption of champagne is quite expensive habit to have. Red wine has long been linked as we know to heart health because of antioxidants but I just want to caveat this and say the studies on red wine is often with a meal, it's in a Mediterranean setting. I don't mean every night after you get back from work cracking open a bottle of booze

because that's definitely not what we're suggesting here. But it does suggest that other types of wine might offer similar benefits to the red wine in small amounts. So please, small amounts. Remember the headline Ella raised a week ago that said that any drop of alcohol increases your risk of breast cancer. So we have to really look at these headlines

of a pinch of salt. Absolutely. And we've talked about this before, that obviously we're all kind of like desperate to validate our own preferences and habits. And so it's why we always say, you always see the headlines being like, coffee's so good for you, red wine's so good for you, for you dark chocolate so good for you because these are the sorts of things

we all love generally love exactly there's a collective enjoyment for so as you said everyone's kind of looking for make these foods good for us that's what bex was doing she sent the artists to me like please tell me this is actually a decent headline and unsurprisingly health experts have been quick to remind us as part of this conversation not to get too carried away. Sorry, Bex. The British Heart Foundation, for example, stressed that alcohol is still a known risk factor in other areas and that the real focus should be on the lifestyle as a whole.

Movement, blood pressure, stress, sleep, food, that's what really protects your heart. And to this point of actually, it's really easy and fun to be distracted by the champagne element of this data. But actually, the much more interesting bit is when you're looking at these modifiable risk factors. So the things that we can modify in our life within reason, like loneliness, I mean, it's not easy, but trying to have that more face to face contact, like our diet, like our sleep, like our mental wellbeing, our tech neck, doing what we can to improve these factors. Actually, if you

improve two thirds of those factors, the prevention rate for Custard and Cardiac Arrest jumps up to 63%. So enormous. So champagne is just one of those very small parts of it. But actually, it's just another really great example when you get behind the headline of the fact that just making those small changes in your lifestyle, in your diet are so profound. Exactly. And if you are going to drink, perhaps at a special occasion or something, you're having a drink instead of opting for a different spirit or alcohol. Perhaps do you have that little glass of champagne if you want to.

Exactly. And enjoy it. You know what? We were talking about this the other day. How frustrating things like guilty pleasures are because in our society, Exactly. And enjoy it. You know what, we were talking about this the other day, how frustrating things that guilty pleasures are because in our society we have such a strange and warped relationship often with diet culture and with food that we stop enjoying that glass of champagne and the chocolate cake because we're like, oh, it's not good for us. But if you're going to have it, enjoy it. Even the matcha because it's a plastic cup, Ella. I've got now, I buy my hot drink even in a keep cup I've got that's plastic at home. And I think, oh, it's all just plastic, isn't it?

I don't have my glass keep cup to hand. I know. Now it's another guilty pleasure. But you know what? It's an oxymoron. If it's a pleasure, it can't make you feel guilty. So make those things pleasures, guys, and then balance them with lots of things

that nourish you all round. Okay, Rhee, let's move into what's trending in wellness. There is so much to talk about here. I've got here that you have something to play me and that has a language warning. I know that trigger warning for language here, but I just had to play this as an example of what's going on in the world. I'm in Marks and Spencer's at the moment and oh my god I've got a f***ing rage, okay. I'll tell you why. All I want to do is get something to eat, yeah. Picked up this first

of all, rapeseed oil. Okay, next one, hang on. I thought oh, this looks good. Naked catsu chicken. But guess what? F***ing rapeseed oil in that as well. Don't be fooled, don't be fooled by all of these looking nice and healthy. Yeah? Because every f***ing one has got f***ing rapeseed oil. I'm not even fussy, I'm not even a fussy eater. I would literally eat f***ing anything. I just don't want to be poisoned with great seed oil and seed oils and everything. Everyone do me a favour and tag Marks and Spencer's in this video and just ask them, let's ask them why the are there seed oils in absolutely everything? It makes no sense. Funnily enough, that video pops up on my algorithm as well. And I think what's so interesting

is it's got over 5000 comments, and it's got 1.5 million views at the moment, it's going viral. And it's just such an interesting example of this information that's not correct going viral and creating this huge amount of confusion. You can see it in part of this 5,000 comments that people say, because I think there has been a pretty widespread level of information through our podcasts and all sorts of other podcasts and headlines over the last few months. Actually, this whole seed oil debate is nonsense. There's no evidence for it as we've talked about. You don't need to be worried about it. Raped seed oil is actually really beneficial for your health, especially cold pressed. But you then see videos like that online and it's so overwhelming. You don't need to be worried about it. Rapsy doll is actually really beneficial for your health, especially cold pressed. But you then see videos like that online and it's so overwhelming you don't know what

to believe. It's the way you get these influencers or marketeers that walk through the supermarket. I mean, supermarkets must be getting security to crack down on it now, but they're so compelling in the way they use the F word, they're swearing, you know, Eddie Abu's another one that walks through the supermarket tonic house, all of them with such conviction about what they're saying and what they're saying is just misinformed. It goes back to the book I recommend to the beginning, The Irrational Ape. It's human beings that are just trying to get some attention. And the only way they can think to get attention is to be angry, is to express

these emotions and to put fear into people And I don't like it Ella. I don't like it at all. We just need good vibes today. I need good vibes today So okay, I've got some weird vibes. Let's laugh do it. I'm not sure I'm gonna call the next bit good vibes Okay, I have been honest an odd deep dive This is just odd. And I think, look, misinformation, bizarre information, it's rife in today's world. And as we've talked about so many times, the more extreme, the bigger the pickup.

And it's as simple as that. You can't PR a carrot and a lentil in the same way. You can PR screaming, shouting, ranting, or something that's pretty novel. In this case, that's eating raw testicles. Not human, I hate to add. Staking kidney pies bad enough for people I don't understand. Okay, so there is a new show, it's just come out, a documentary on Netflix and it's called The Liver King.

With Brian Johnson. Brian Johnson, but don't be confused listeners because we talked about another Brian Johnson a couple of months ago, who's our friend who spends a couple of million dollars a year anti-aging. This is not the same Brian Johnson. They're both Americans of a similar age, but they're our friend with who's doing two million a year, I say friend in inverted commas, just to clarify, on his anti-aging protocol. He's with a Y. This is Brian Johnson with an I. And he is better known online as the liver king. He has built an enormous, enormous following. So he's got 6.1 million followers on TikTok. Some of his views have been viewed like 45

million times. In one clip I was watching yesterday, he's literally sprinkling bone marrow crumbs on a chocolate mousse. In another, he's eating, like digging into raw testicles on camera. It doesn't flinch, I flinch. They do smell, by the way, because you've got millions of neurons inside a testicle. Sorry, I'm just going in because I remember university looking at testicles and things and they do smell. Yeah, it's like I'm a celeb get me out of here. They obviously have these like horrible challenges where you have to eat disgusting things and it's like just doing that for fun in this case.

And the documentary follows his rise. And interestingly, the dramatic fallout that came afterwards because it was revealed he basically has it's not a six pack. It's like a 60 pack. I mean, he is just a solid muscle. I would say, look, Kim Muppet is pretty interesting stuff, but he was secretly spending $11,000 a month estimated on steroids.

So he was there claiming his physique came from raw organs and heavy lifting, but actually he's spending tens of thousands of dollars on steroids. But you know what, your physique can come from just eating a keto carnivore diet. It just doesn't mean you're healthy looking, a certain aesthetic, but that is shocking. The misinformation, the lies essentially.

Either way, it's just not healthy. The lack of fiber, all of it, Ella, for online success is just such a lie. It's extraordinary. He had a very compelling story. So essentially the origin story, I'm gonna say it's pretty classic wellness story in the sense of gets ill, looks for solution, very much my story as well. So I can't judge in that in any shape or form. But back in 2013, him and his wife,

and she is apparently known as the liver queen. So we've got the liver royal family here. They had two young sons called Rad Ikal and Striker with a Y. And those boys were constantly unwell with some quite severe allergies. And he was desperate to help them, which obviously is something we would all relate to. He turned to ancestral living. That's what he calls it. And that was eating raw liver, bone broth, no processed foods at all, and a lifestyle built around what he calls the nine tenants. So that sleep, eat, move, shield from Wi-Fi. We're going to talk about that in an extra scoop because I think Wi-Fi, EMF, et cetera, is something people are concerned about at

the moment. Connect by walking barefoot, fight, I'm not sure about that one, and bond. I think with boys, just, I mean, I'm not sure about it either, but there's testosterone surges they go through and they just want to like wrestle each other. I have two young boys and it's just yeah, but I'm sorry. This supposedly cured his kids is what they're saying. Now, obviously, if you cut out all ultra processed foods, and they're not going to be having things that could cause allergies or intolerances or

flare ups, because you're literally just eating the protein, of course, the symptoms are going to go away. I mean, that's a no-brainer, but it doesn't mean that diet is healthy for them long term. That's what's so scary. So apparently, the liver king also launched a supplement line, but he built a multi-million pound empire. Yeah. And then he denied using steroids

until some leaked emails proved otherwise. And essentially, the documentary, it's quite interesting. He admits it all. He talks about all sorts of different things and how his perception of risk was really warped. He had made drugs in his apartment beforehand, ran scams, all sorts of sort of wild things. And I think, I guess there's two parts of it that recently I wanted to bring up. One, there is this trend at the moment and the Times actually had an article a few days ago and like why is my feed filled with people eating raw meat? And there's about 15,000 videos on TikTok at the moment tagged hashtag raw meat.

It's really dangerous. There's another influencer with three million followers shared a video making what he called raw liver cereal. So it's like raw liver with milk, blueberries and maple syrup. Oh my gosh. And there are, this is part of my deep dive, there were quite a lot of people online and these videos, again, surprise, surprise, get enormous number of views because it's fascinating versus peeling a carrot with a point a minute ago. But they'll get food poisoning.

Well that's the thing, obviously it carries, it does carry a real risk, but there is this big trend of raw meat and I know like steak tartare has always been a popular dish. It's not like no one's ever eaten raw meat, but eating raw organs. Yeah, but it's treated, isn't it? Steak tartare. I think what's so risky here is the bacteria that's found when things aren't cooked. But equally, I just think if your whole diet is going to be full of meat, you have to be okay with the ethics behind that. You have to be aware that you're cutting out all the other food groups and we know that having a balanced plate with food groups has different health outcomes including a longer lifespan if you

get enough fiber and all these sorts of things. I mean your gut microbiome is going to be dying a slow death if you just eat meat. So yes you will see these amazing results and different feelings because you've got such low carbohydrate intake, you'll get very lean very quickly. And that's what a lot of these influences do. Like, oh, look at my six pack. Oh, yeah, it says, yeah, that it was basically because of his abs, right? And all the other stuff and the products and the supplements. And then I know I'll just take a fiber supplement because I'm not eating it.

You just can't replace the benefits from a whole diet. And I find this all really shocking. And I'm really sorry if anyone listening has also fallen victim to this because it makes me feel, this makes me feel sad rather than angry. Yeah. And I think it's also this, well, I guess there's two other things for me, which is that one, I think I can't quite believe they're the same name, Brian Johnson, but I think it shows this is another example of Netflix documentaries or similar streaming platforms are not being made about day-to-day simple wellness,

about your five minutes off your phone, about your hot girl walk on your lunch break, about connecting with your friends over a healthy meal, about how to make a delicious orzo and chimichurri dinner. It's extreme. And so again, it goes back to, to me, this real danger of consistently associating wellness with extreme,

and it makes people so put off this industry at a time where we so desperately need to change our eating habits and our lifestyles. And that really concerns me. But the second is, it's just another example of how please don't believe anything you ever see online, essentially, because the only way to get cut through in the algorithm today is to be extreme

and to spark debate. Ultimately, it's really the only way to get cut through. Yeah. Look like me, eat like me, what I eat in a day or extreme diets. You need to have something that ignites a passion that sparks a huge comment section essentially. And it has to have a level of controversy or curiosity to it. That's why cottage cheese bread did so well because everyone was like, oh, cottage cheese in a bread. It wasn't very controversial, but it's still a God and intrigue element, hasn't it? And the fact that this then wasn't even real, as in it's to your point,

obviously cutting out all ultra processed foods can really improve your health, which is probably why they saw some of these benefits, but you're negating all sorts of other health benefits by, for example, not having your 30 plants a week. But you're also selling a lie because you don't look like that because of your diet. You look like that from taking a huge amount of steroids. So what's the moral implications? Is he having to pay people back that he took money from with his business for this lie? Like, what's the outcome? I doubt it. I highly doubt I have to pay people back that he took money from with his business for this lie? Like what's the outcome?

Can I watch it? I doubt it. I highly doubt I have to pay the money back. Wow. So he lied to everyone, took their money and made the carnival diet really successful. And look at it now. And also there was another guy that followed a carnival diet that was really big on Twitter at the time.

And then he came out and had to have all those heart operations and things and came out saying it's because of the diet he was following. But at the time he was so successful, he just kept plowing forward. It's really worrying. And Ella, a complete different trend. Let's move on to mushrooms. Yes, and we don't eat mushrooms like portobello

or chestnut kind of mushrooms, much as I love those. Again, guys, put those in your orzo. Creamy mushrooms. A mushroom, a creamy mushroom orzo is a 10 out of 10 dinner. Lots of thyme, garlic, phenomenal. I love a bit of white wine with mushroom if you're cooking it in a risotto. That is really delicious.

It is so good, isn't it? They're one of the best ingredients, but we're actually not talking about those kinds of mushrooms. We're talking about more powdered mushrooms here, like functional mushrooms, we're thinking reishi, chaga, lion's mane, cordyceps, which are having such a moment, particularly mushroom coffee. And I know lots of you guys have asked

us to talk about this. I'm going to say this is quite surprising, but the global mushroom drinks market size was worth around $4.7 billion in 2023. And it's predicted to grow to around seven just over seven and a half billion dollars by 2032. It's having a boom I mean mushroom drinks are not actually that niche in that sense. No and I actually remember when I was working with Ronnie O'Sullivan a few pre-COVID actually and we were writing our book together his dad had gone into Chaga mushrooms and I remember him coming up to me saying, Ree do you want to get on these drinks with me? I was like, what do you mean mushroom drinks? And that's the first

time I think I'd heard of it. So these mushroom drinks are functional beverages which are definitely having a moment in the wellness landscape at the moment. They're made from extracts or powders of what we call medicinal mushrooms. And Ella listed a few off there. You've got the reishi, the lion's mane, cordyceps, shiitake. These mushrooms have been used for centuries, guys, in traditional medicine. So particularly in Asian cultures, there's a lot of history there and tradition that's based around them. And they've got lots of, you know, supposed health benefits.

So modern mushroom drinks often combine those extracts with other natural ingredients like herbs, spices, we've discussed adaptogens before, all those sorts of things to create beverages that promote, I guess, health claims that people love to stick on a pack or a drink like, oh, it's going to give you more energy. This one drink is going to help you focus or support your immune system. Please run if it says boost your immune system. That's not an authorized claim. But these drinks come in various forms Ella. So you've probably seen a lot of the ready to go ones, right? Yeah, exactly. You've got like sparkling drinks and but there's what I'm seeing loads

with the moment of the powders. In coffee? For coffees, exactly. That I think. Or hot chocolate. Exactly. And they're really expensive. I mean, they are really, really expensive. But I know that there is quite a lot of research starting to come out that actually they can be beneficial. But obviously with these things, the problem is, as always, what's the source? Because sometimes the amount in what you're getting, because it is so expensive, is so low, that it won't have the

effect. But give us a breakdown of them all. So let's start with Reishi. Okay. And also remember these ultra processed foods. So actually, powdering down the mushroom, you're probably better off eating a variety of food to get benefits that you'll get from this anyway in a small dose. And then often artificial sweeteners are added for taste. So be a bit wary of that. So Reishi is known as the mushroom of immortality Ella. Perhaps this is our anti-aging benefit. Apparently it's revered for calming properties and the ability to support the immune system and potential to improve sleep quality. And then the Chaga one that Ronnie's dad

very kindly pointed me in the direction of is very rich in antioxidants which I think is a valid claim and it's often used to combat oxidative stress And that's something that we all get naturally day to day anyway support skin health and then here comes the claim that comes with it Boost immunity which is not a valid claim. You do not want to be boosting your immune system. That's actually quite dangerous But there's so many L.O. and I think have you heard of lion's mane? quite dangerous but there's so many Ella and I think have you heard of Lions Main? Yeah I have to say there's a yoga studio that is absolutely phenomenal it's called Love Supreme Projects it's the best yoga studio I've ever been to in London. Where is it? It's kind of north Notting Hill basically and it's absolutely phenomenal the most amazing teachers it's really special but opposite

it is a cafe that does all of these sorts of drinks. And I have to say, like every now and again, I go and who knows if it's a placebo what but must say I feel really good when I drink them. Do you know what the first ever TV interview I did back in 2000, it was a BBC World in 2014 or 15 and it was on mushrooms, guanadera and Lucien or something. I can't even remember what it was called right now. It was a new mushroom and it hit the headlines. guanidurum lucium or something. I can't even remember what it was called right now. It was a new mushroom and it hit the headlines. I remember being asked to speak about it.

But lion's mane in this instance does have some research, but it definitely doesn't miraculously improve your memory, focus or mental clarity. But why not? I mean, I don't think there's any harming having these things in small amounts. Cordyceps, however, athletes sometimes use them to enhance performance.

So I'm wondering in terms of endurance athletes and things where that's going to go. And then we've got shiitake, which is known for immune boosting again, which you've got to be careful of supporting your immune system, I'd say, and for heart health. So overall, I don't think mushrooms are a bad thing, Ella. But you've got to remember that, let's take

the shiitake one as an example of supporting your immune system. It's shown to have promise here. One study demonstrated that consuming these mushrooms daily for four weeks did lead to a significant reduction in C-reactive protein, and that's CRP levels are markers that you'll often find if you're in a hospital. If you've just had a baby, they'll check those before you're released all sorts of things like that. It's a marker of inflammation.

It is exactly and I think that could be really helpful and then we've got data on gut health of course because essentially if you're eating a mushroom that's a good prebiotic but I will question here the data is it done on the drinks or is it done on the mushrooms themselves? Because once you turn a mushroom into an ultra processed food and you're grinding it down, you're going to get different variable amounts of prebiotics and fiber than you would get when you just consume it fresh. Absolutely. And again, you've got some studies, for example, on lion's mane that could protect against some neurological damage, potentially help manage conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. So I would say as a kind of overall sweeping statement, there is some really interesting,

promising, but small, relatively scale studies on the fact that actually medicinal mushrooms could have powerful effects on our health. But the big word of warning is A, it's in quite early stages of research. This is not huge studies on large swathes of the population. But B, just be really conscious where you're buying them because I think with quite a lot of these powders, the amount that's actually in the coffee that you end up drinking is so low. And the additives in it are so high to get it to taste nice. Because you know, grounded down a mushroom in a drink isn't going to taste very palatable.

That's why it's in hot chocolates and things. And remember, yeah, these studies are in the labs and in animal studies often we don't have a lot of humans. And what I will say, because I used to think you could do this as a child, please don't go and pick the mushrooms in the woods because they can be toxic. And I remember going to pick a mushroom I'd seen in the woods. And you know what, my kids do it if we're going on a nature walk or something and they see mushrooms like fungi growing off a tree.

It's really hard to tell which ones, unless you're an expert, are edible. Yeah, I think that's the real question. It's not quite a London problem you're going to get, you know, seeing mushrooms growing on this other way. But if you're in the country like I am, definitely don't. I would just say buy them. And if you see the ones that say enriched with vitamin D, that's an added bonus because they've been specifically

grown to get a bit more sunlight because mushrooms grow in the shade naturally, but they can absorb vitamin D if they're placed in direct sunlight. So you've got to be really careful about that and then you've got to place them with the girls up so the brown bits underneath, you know, the flaky bits have got to absorb the sunshine. Ooh, love that. Let's cook with mushrooms. Let's cook with mushrooms. Let's cook with mushrooms. Let's make chimichurri mushroom also.

Do you know, I'm gutted because my eldest is really off mushrooms, but my youngest is obsessed because I think the texture is quite slimy. And I think they're better when you blitz them and put them in things. Like a mushroom ragu kind of thing. Mushroom, walnut, lentil, ragu. That's one of my favourite recipes. Oh, with walnuts. There we go, guys. Get the walnuts in there. Yeah, very good for your brain.

So a really good listening question that we've got is, first of all, so many people also gave us running tips. I forgot to say thank you runners, because someone here said, basically, when you start running, and so many of you said this, you don't have to just run. It is normal to walk and run. I'm inspired by that. I did actually once try the Couch to 5K app, which helps you start to run. Lots of people said that.

And it was exactly that. It was run a little bit, walk a little bit. So I think I'm gonna have to take that back out. I love that. And then we've got an amazing listener question here that says, thank you very much. I've got a few random questions, please. But the first ones, I'd love examples of full-day

meals that help us get everything we need. So she says, I know Ella loves a cheer pudding, but that's what she said here. Ella loves a cheer pudding. But she says, I feel like I need literal examples. So I continue on once I have it clear in my mind. Also wondering if we can get all our nutrients from food rather than supplements. And I'll just say yes to that quickly in most cases you can. Ella give us... Buy your vitamin D. And of course vitamin D and omega-3 if you don't eat oily fish. Thousand percent. Ella please give us an exact example of your

cheer pudding. Of our cheer pudding? Yeah give us a precise one. Okay the cheer pudding is I would do two tablespoons of chia seeds, two tablespoons of oats, two tablespoons of yogurt, then pour in enough milk to cover it and mix it all up together. Let that sit for even half an hour, but you can let it sit overnight. When you come to eat it, you'll probably want to add a little bit more milk. You can use any milk that you like, plant, normal, whatever works, same with the yogurt.

You might want to add a squeeze of honey or a drop of maple and then some nut butter on the top and you are golden. But I found like she also wants some other ideas for lunch, for dinner, kind of a whole day. She said, yeah, give us an example of like a day of meals. What are you going to make for dinner tonight? So for me today, because I'm getting back later today, it's probably definitely going to be I've got some rice that was left cooked that I cooked yesterday. So I just fry it off in the pan with peas and whatever I've got in.

I've got loads of tomatoes because I'm doing some work with amazing tomato companies. So my fridge is full of all these rainbow tomatoes from the Isle of Wight, Ella. So I'm going to do a tomato, pea, rice, probably add some sardines because the kids love sardines and I know they're getting Omega 3. That's it. I just fry it all off in the pan. I love that. What I made on the weekend that I will use for tonight as an example, pesto pasta is my children's favorite meal and we all really like it. But again, in the interest of my fun game of getting 30 plants a week, I'm always thinking of different things I could do.

I love rocket or arugula for our American friends in pesto. I think it adds such nice flavour and again that's an ingredient that my children would never eat but they love the pesto with it in. I also added edamame to the pesto so it's a base of cashews and pine nuts and then we've got edamame, loads and loads of basil, lemon, garlic and rocket, loads and loads of olive oil. Blitz that up and then I will do that with pasta. I will fry up some tofu as well and then my daughter loves parmesan, she will drown herself in parmesan and that will be our easy family meal tonight. I love that. Parmesan is fermented as well guys, so it's actually a cheese that could

be really good for your gut health. So yeah, that will be like a five, ten minute win. Yeah, win, win, win. Guys, thank you for your questions. Please, please keep them coming in. Literally, we do read them, every single one on the Spotify remarks and on Apple as well. And then the live show is coming in a matter of weeks. So we're actually having a meeting today to prep, aren't we? I know, it's gonna be amazing.

There's almost no tickets left of 900 tickets, which is absolutely extraordinary. But anyway, guys, thank you for listening. Thank you for being here. Please do click follow, leave us a review, a question, a rating, share it on social media, send it to your colleague, your cousin, your aunt, whoever. Help us spread the word about the Wellness Scoop because goodness me, we just love this job.