The Wellness Scoop - Scrolling Less, Moving More & Tips for Everyday Health

Episode Date: February 9, 2026

This week on The Wellness Scoop, we’re talking about why variety in movement matters for long-term health, what new data is telling us about the rise in bowel cancer among younger adults, and why so many of us are starting to question how screens shape our time, attention and wellbeing. We break down large new studies showing that mixing up how you move, even in small amounts, is linked to a lower risk of early death, and why the benefits level off long before extremes. We then explore new data on bowel cancer in under-50s, looking at alcohol intake, ultra-processed foods, red and processed meat, fibre and physical activity, and what the evidence consistently shows helps reduce risk without fear or all-or-nothing thinking. We also dig into research showing that scrolling is the most common but least enjoyable way we spend our free time, and what people actually find more rewarding instead. Finally, we explore the growing return to analogue living, from craft hobbies and physical books to analogue bags and low-tech swaps, and why this shift may be less about nostalgia and more about reclaiming attention in an increasingly digital world. Send your questions for our weekly Q&A to [e-mail]. Check out Ella's new Substack HERE Order your copy of Ella's new book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quick Wins: Healthy Cooking for Busy Lives⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pre-order your copy of Rhi's upcoming book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fibre Formula⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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CBC News. to the Wellness Scoop, your twice weekly now dose of health and wellness inspiration. And as always, we're here as your host. I'm LML's. And I'm Rihanna Lambert and after a decade in the wellness industry, we know how overwhelming and confusing health advice can be. And that's why we're here with our podcast to cut through the noise and make healthy living, simple, fun and personal. As always, okay, Ree, what are we going to talk about today? Right, everybody. We are mixing it up. So why mixing up how you move matters more than doing one perfect workout what new data reveals about bowel cancer risk in younger adults then how alcohol ultra-processed food and fiber-shaped long-term gut

health why scrolling is the least enjoyable way we spend our free time and then the return to analog living from craft hobbies to analog bags and simple ways to scroll less move better and support everyday health, Ella. So how has your week been? It's been great. I have started my breathwork teacher training, which is very exciting. The course is either sort of six months or a whole year and haven't quite decided yet if I'll just see the first six months or the whole year. But it's really fun. It's nice these things also to hold you account, to account to like keep up a personal practice. And as you know, I'm all in my anti-phone calming down era. And I started a substack very spontaneously at the weekend, which was quite exciting. But I feel very, very needed.

I think it's such a nice outlet to have and in a way that's healthier than scrolling. That's what I think is good about it. Yeah, I think there's something, which is obviously why we love this show, and thank you guys for listening to us every week. To me, it's much more meaningful to be able to share something that's a bit longer form, that has a bit more substance, that can have a bit more nuance. I think I often look at social media and I think what does sharing like a single snap of anything in my day do for anybody anymore? I'm just not sure it's necessarily wildly constructive or helpful. So there's something about being able to share and also feel like you can share a bit more openly and honestly, I mean, I wrote the kind of first piece for it over the weekend. And, you know,

I think obviously I've made a lot of changes in my life over the last two years. I mean, I mean, I've made a lot of changes in my life over the last two years. I mean, we sold our business, we moved our life, we've kind of completely, yeah, I guess done a total recalibration and it was all because actually the reality was what looked brilliant from the outside. And that was technically brilliant, like completely burnt us out. And it was just nice to be able to talk about it in a way that feels more honest and open and personal. And I certainly would just never feel comfortable to do that on social media. I think it's very brave, actually. I was thinking about it because LMS re-say, just so you know, I'm doing this. And I'm like, that's so exciting. And I think

it's a really, really good move for you, just as a friend to say that to you. But I think it's really brave to be personal anywhere online these days. And to write it down and substack again, I'm in awe because to be vulnerable takes a lot of courage. I think people need to know that because I think we've become desensitized to how much people share online. And actually, to share anything personal about your life, takes a bit of gut, seller. So yeah, well, done. Obviously, I'm already there. Oh, well, thank you. Well, if anyone wants to read it, I can pop the link in the show notes. But otherwise, if you just go to Substack and look up LMLs, it's that. She'll be there. Amri, what about you, being recording your audio book I saw? Do you know,

I have something quite pressured every day this week coming up. And audio book recording, I love it because I suddenly get inspired again. You know, when you've written a book, and especially for me, I feel in educational pieces, because what I love about writing is that I get a chance to spread a lot of knowledge. And of course there's 60 recipes at the back. But for me, every time I read it, I was like, oh yeah, I found that study. How amazing is that? That went in. And I was reading again from the fiber formula, the next book, it's out in March, an excerpt that said, you know, women react to stress greater than men. And it has a bigger impact on our gut health than men that measure at the same level. Really? Yeah. And I was reading these things back from the book.

So sorry, just to check. So stress is more detrimental on the gut health to women and the microbiome. of women than it is on men. Yeah, and that's what I wrote for a section in the book. I was looking at gender differences. I know. And then why Fiber plays such a key role. And I'm actually gearing up for a big talk in Parliament this Wednesday that I'm giving on this subject.

And I know I'll wait until next week to discuss Fiber. She's so nonchalant, guys, honestly. It's unreal. She's like, it's just not a big deal. I'm just giving a speech in Parliament. It's not a big deal. It actually is quite a big deal. And you should be very proud of yourself.

But you know, I'll freak out about it. otherwise. You know how you feel when you go into... It's not a big deal. No, it's not a big deal, Ella. It's just a normal everyday part of my life. I was going to give a little shout out for my parsnip from broccoli. Just a little thing I did this week, which normally is an extra scoop conversation, but I know we've discussed it before just to change the subject off me slightly onto food. The broccoli stalks, they taste so great when you roast them. I mean, wow. Oh, interesting. It's so sweet compared to like the... On a tender stem or a chunky guy. A chunky, like, I buy the chunky one because the kids prefer that.

tender stem. Yes, my kids don't really like tender stem. I think it's because you get so much more stalk. But actually, when you roast in the tray, I put everything in, roast potatoes, roast broccoli, stalk pieces, absolutely delicious. And then I've got a recipe I'm going to save for the extra scoop. I've got Parmesan Parsnips out of. Oh, guys, come on Thursday for Parmesan. Passnips. I know. I know. I decided to hear about those. Are they crispy? Really crispy on the outside and then inside soft. Oh, and where did you put the parmesan? Do you know what? I'm just going to tell you now. Okay. So it's an old Delia Smith recipe.

And my mom taught it to me when I was like a teenager. I actually left home really young. I left home at 14, which is crazy young. And I remember this being one of the things I used to do with my mom before I left. And we'd steam the parsnip. So boil them, then steam, put the lid on once you've boiled them and drain the water out. So you keep them hot. Meanwhile, in a bowl, you put your flour, pinch of pepper, and you grate a load of

parmesan cheese. You mix it together. And my kids love doing this with me. And then you get with a fork, each parsnip out, and you roll it in the parmesan, put it on your bacon tray, and then you roast it. That sounds amazing. It's delicious. But presumably as well, you could do it for carrots.

So, no, sadly not. Because carrots don't have like a soft, mushy texture, they're not thick enough. It's like biting into a cheesy parmesan roast potato, but with parsnips and the delicious sweetness that comes out. So, yeah, I know. I can't take credit because it's gilier. it and find Delia Smith's Parmesan recipe? Probably. Yeah, you can probably Google it and find it. Okay, we'll put a link. We'll find it for you guys. Oh my gosh, we're going to dig that out.

That must be a 1980s recipe because my mom taught that to me. She was amazing how she taught the nation to cook. I totally, totally agree. And really actually quickly, before we move on to the health headlines of this week, I've got here in the notes that you have got for our listeners, a very helpful way of looking at new fatty supplements and things they might be being marketed online. So a friend, I'll give her a little shout out. Bex messaged me about a supplement she saw at the weekend. It was another gut health supplement. Fiber. We did say it was coming. They're going to be everywhere. Fiber is everywhere. Everywhere. Who'd have known when I was writing the fiber formula? It was not everywhere. You're a transeter. Am I? Am I just stupid? Because I don't know if it's sexy yet. So let's see. But she messaged me and I get this a lot with friends asking what do I think about things. And I just said the simple analogy that explains it all, especially for things like NAD. And the that we've spoken up before, and Add Plus, if your engine is not working, and I tried to say, look, there's an issue with your gut here. And if you haven't fixed the engine, it's like putting petrol in a car with an engine that doesn't work. It's still not going to run. You can add all the fibre supplements you want to your gut. But if it's stress, hormonal, leaky gut, if there's something underlying, a condition, something that's not been sorted, you're just putting a plaster

on it or adding more issues and overloading your body's engine. And this happens a lot with supplements. The same with NAD plus. We don't fully understand the mechanisms in the cells, the energy burners, the mitochondria. And until the whole system is fixed, you can't just add extra of the end product. I love that. Because it just doesn't make sense. And I just thought, thank you for reminding me.

I just thought, what a great analogy to remind people. I don't in clinic. Why not share it here? Yeah, it's really helpful. It's like if something's fundamentally got an issue. I don't want to see it's broken. It's a bit. it might be a bit kind of extreme,

but something has a fundamental issue. You've got to go to the root cause. If you keep just adding on top of it, it's kind of just pouring. You're actually putting more hard work, you're giving your body more hard work to try and excrete what you're adding rather than thinking about what we discuss here,

those lifestyle five pillars now, because we're on the scoop's number five. You know, if we focus really on our own physiological state and our mental health, a lot of the issues also would subside and the fibre, of course. Okay, health headlines that matter. If you're new guys, welcome to the show.

Every week we go through what's been in the media and we break down the biggest health stories that have been making news for you so you know what matters and what doesn't, what to ignore and what to bring into your life. Very, very quick one for you for this week. Do you remember last week we were talking about reading and you were sharing some information on it? So I looked up the stats and it's really shocking.

Actually, interestingly, the Times is doing a big, campaign on getting the nation reading so they had quite a lot on this but according to the national literacy trust around one in eight children and young people between five and eighteen and the UK do not have a book of their own at home and secondary school heads have also been reporting that many children are arriving in year seven so that's around 12 isn't it still in the early stages of learning to read with the issue affecting up to 150,000 children each year in England and then there's a lot of primary school teachers saying children are arriving for reception so that's kind of four, turning five in the UK.

And children are trying to tap books and swipe books. They don't really understand that a book isn't tapable or swipable, and it's not an iPad. It breaks my heart a little bit. I understand times are tough, though. It's no judgment on parents. I do feel that we have to raise awareness about it so we can help everybody improve this statistic because it's sad, isn't it?

It breaks my heart. Yeah, no, it really, really is. Interestingly, actually, I was reading something the other day that was saying that reading is, there's so many reasons that's a shame that we're reading less as a society. Obviously, you know, like all these things, there's nuance to it. But one of the things they were saying that's something that's maybe overlooked is actually reading can be a really beautiful way to discover empathy. Because it's one of the things I love reading. I've just finished this book called The Wedding People. I saw I've actually ordered it now because I need some.

Best book I reckon I've read in a couple of years. Really? It's like funny, but then it has depth to it. It's easy to read, but it's chunky. It's honestly, I can't tell you how much I loved it. But it's interesting because I spend it, I'm such an overthinker, as you know, and I spend a lot of time wondering, like, is this normal? Is that normal?

And the thing about reading is you get in other people's, I know it's fiction oftentimes, but you're still, you know, real-life experiences form those fictional characters. And it's interesting to be in other people's brains and go through their life stories. And you do develop huge empathy for these characters. And I think as a child, I have a really core memory of my parents were divorcing. I was about 14 or something just before quite personal day today on a podcast. But I remember just growing up with the Harry Potter books. And in the summer holidays, I would lock myself away in the spare room in the house and I would read and I wouldn't resurface. I would spend a whole day and I would

finish the Harry Potter books. And for me, it was a safe space. It was like a complete and utter, I think that's why I love fantasy so much because I think it takes you away. Totally. And as a child to read, it's something that I think every child just deserves. It's like this sort of world that every child deserves the right to access because I think it offers, like you said, empathy, so much about the world and a very safe space to go to in your head that's not your own. Yeah, I totally agree.

Okay, we digress. We could talk about books for a long long time. Okay, totally different topic to books. Headline one, a nice positive one for a Monday morning. Why doing a mix of exercise can be the key to longer life. This came from the BBC and it was that people who enjoy a variety of physical activities are likely to have a lower risk of early death according to new data. Ella, when it comes to these sorts of headlines,

I get very excited because I think, yes, something everybody can actually do. It's really, really positive, Ella, because exercise is something that doesn't have to cost the earth. And if you do a variety of different types of exercises like we're about to discuss now, It's really beneficial and that can be just climbing the stairs or gardening at home or doing, you know, walking up the escalator at the tube in the morning. So they tracked around 111,373 men and women, to be precise, in the US. And it was over a 30 year period. And they found those that did a big variety were 19% less likely to die during the study period. And those that focused on just one type of exercise had much less benefit. Yeah, had way less benefit.

And actually, splitting the numbers, it's really interesting. So the final analysis said 70,000 women and 40,000 men. So it gives the findings, you know, such weight. We've got a huge sample size here. And found these benefits. And I think it's really important that we look at everyday movement. And we don't just focus on, I mean, I do love my one gym session a week. But around that, I suppose, you know, I'm lifting up the kids or I'm walking into work every day.

It's really important that we look at it. Yeah, it really is. And interestingly, what they found as well is the benefit of variety of exercise held, even when overall activity levels were taken into account. So the people who were doing just as much exercise, but one type of exercise, so just Pilates, say, or just weightlifting. Yeah, exactly. Didn't get the same benefit as the people who did one weightlifting,

some gardening, walking the dog, a variety of different things that affected their different muscles, different cardiovascular health, etc. So even though they could do it for the exact same number of minutes, hours each week, the people who were doing a variety had huge amount more benefit. So it's not just about doing exercise, but mixing it up in this case, which is so interesting. And it's really good for heart health. And when we talk about exercise, like I said, it could be household things, but I think here they were probably looking at things like, you know, a mix of tennis or swimming and all sorts of different things. And the data was collected from 1986 onwards. So you've got that amazing long-term, you know,

search pattern to follow, which is gold for scientists to have such a long, large sample size and long-term data, which is a bit of the dream. But the people that took part in the widest mix obviously consistently did best. But this is also because their risk of heart disease lowered, their risk of lung disease, other types of cancers and other causes. And I just think if we looked at our health as an overall system in our body rather than just I'm exercising for weight loss, which I honestly think still is why most people are probably driven to try a new type of exercise, unless you're a wellness scooper and you know that it's about happiness and longevity. But it's the other habits that come alongside it.

Because once you start working out or once you start engaging in healthy behaviours, other things follow through, don't they Ella? Exactly that. So the people who exercise more were less likely to smoke, more likely to maintain a lower body weight, eat more healthily and be more socially active, which is so interesting because obviously, as we know, exercise sits with a, a broader pattern of healthy behaviours and doesn't act in isolation.

Exercise alone doesn't help you. But as you said, the people who did the broadest mix of exercise had between the 13 and 41% lower risk of cancer, heart disease, lung disease and other causes of mortality than people doing a narrow range of exercise, which is absolutely crazy. And I think what's also actually, I find this all super inspiring and reassuring because, as you said, there's two parts than that. First of all, there's a leveling off point in here, so it's really important to just reiterate. The gains came from consistent movement, from using your body in different ways.

What they did not see is that continuing to exercise more and more and more and more and more helped. Exactly. So it's totally did not help. There was a leveling off point. The effect basically leveled off completely once you've done 20 hours of exercise. And I don't mean 20 hours lifting weights. I mean 20 hours. Across the week.

Across the week. Hovering, cleaning, going to the shops, walking around the supermarket. Exactly. Walking into the office up and down an escalator, 20 hours of moving your body.

I don't know if I do do 20 hours at all. I was about to say something so embarrassing, which is how many hours is that a day? I know, I know. But it's like just shy of three hours a day. Yeah. I don't know if I do do that some days. But I bet you do across the week.

Yeah. I will be this week because I'm in London every day. but when I don't commute into town, I'm less active. Yeah. I do find dogs, my dogs are very helpful for that. Dog walkers, you definitely have an advantage of it. Yeah, but you shouldn't read this or listen to this and feel you need to go to the gym for like nine hours. You absolutely don't.

This is about keeping moving. And then I think the second part, that's the good news is, first of all, you don't need to be exercising forever more. And second of all, what we're talking about with exercises we keep saying is like moving your body. It's not Barry's boot camp every day. day. Thank goodness. Oh my gosh, I know. I'm looking for all reassurance that we don't need to do that every day. But it's a double headline kind of week actually for this one and the next one, because interestingly, there was another study published which sort of really reinforces the same message. This one was in the Lancet. That was analysing data from around 135,000 people

in the UK, Norway, Sweden and the US. And what they found there was that just doing a 10-minute stroll each day can cut the risk of dying early by around 15%. I mean, so what? What, What we're talking about here is like teeny, tiny, every single day habit. That study was looking at people in their 50s and 60s, and those people were wearing pedometers to measure their exercise. And even an extra five minutes of movement a day. So nothing was associated with a 10% reduction in early death across the population. It's amazing.

Even cutting sitting time by just 30 minutes a day was linked to 5% reduction in deaths. I just think we sit. We can't help it because our jobs are now so tech-heavy or you sit at a computer. We are a sitting nation. We are, but we're also a nation. I feel like we're quite dogmatic these days. And I think it's so easy to be like, oh, what's the point of just doing five minutes? Because you see people doing all sorts of intense things.

It's like, this is such a nice reminder. There is so much point in doing five minutes. You know, literally if you've got five minute break between meetings. That walk around the block. Totally walk around the block. It sounds like nothing. It really help your health. And it's so achievable.

Yeah. Do you know what that made me feel so much better at the world? weekend I did that again. My husband took the kids to play football and I was like right I haven't got out the house. I either do the washing. I was trying to pick what I do. You know, you have to divide and conquer. Do I do the washing? Do I hoover? Do I cook? And I was like, no, I'm going for five minute walk around the block first. And it made a difference actually. So little win. Totally. It really does, doesn't it? And actually, interestingly, on that, the Times ran a piece that was looking at a study that was published in E-clinical medicine, but this was looking at small combined

lifestyle changes and it found that among people with the least healthy lifestyles, a modest dose of just an extra five minutes of sleep a day, two more minutes of exercise and half an extra portion of vegetables was associated with around one extra year of life expectancy. There you go. It's the five pillars of health again. It's just trying to get little wins in. There's no supplement or cure that's going to help enhance your life more than doing that. No. So if you do one thing today, just literally find a five minute break. Get up. Go around the block. just do 10 squats while your tea boils. I mean, literally just don't forget tiny adds up.

It's so funny. It's just do 10 squats or your teeth reminds me. I had to do this filming. I'll release it on social media scene with my friend Lovina and she made me do like press-ups in the kitchen. I was dying on camera Ella like when I put the bake in the oven I was making the mac and greens from my new book and I was having to do press-ups.

Oh my goodness. Am I not good at that? Oh, my God. Anyway, my husband always does it? Does he literally? She's not a big exercise. but he'll always do like two minutes before brushing his teeth or something. He's so good at that.

Apparently we should stand on one leg. That's the new thing. I keep seeing. Like a flamingo. Yeah, basically. Everyone needs help with something. If investing is your something, we get it. Cooperators' financial representatives are here to help with genuine advice that puts

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With Amex platinum, $400 in annual credits for travel and dining means you not only satisfy your travel bug, but your taste buds too. That's the powerful backing of Amex. Conditions apply. I'm so excited to tell you about my brand new cookbook, Quick Wins. healthy cooking for busy lives. I wrote this one to make healthy cooking just simple when life is busy. So you'll find fridge sappers, one pound wonders and batch cooks that you can turn into two easy meals. Plus we have eight weeks of delicious meal plans to complete with shopping lists. So all the thinking's been done for you.

Every recipe also gives you plant points to help you eat more plants. You can get your 30 plants a week. It'll all help you feel great and just make healthy cooking feel effortless again. So Quick Wins is out now wherever you get your books. Okay, headline number two is not quite so uplifting, if we're honest. It's difficult and we have two headlines together here because they're all touching on the same thing they happen to come out in the same week, which is the rise of bowel cancer. Now, I'm sure lots of you saw this news, big news, that colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death among people under 50 in the US, according to a study published in the journal of the American Medicinal. Association we have obviously seen in this country and across the world this enormous rise in colorectal cancels over the last few years, particularly in young people. And colorecto

cancer death rates in this age group have increased by around 1% a year every year since 2005, while overall cancer death rates in people under 50 have fallen by 44% since 1990s. So it's the only one that's increasing and of the five most common causes of cancer-related deaths in this age group, colorectal cancer is the only one where deaths have risen. So it's really concerning, as they said, we've seen people much, much younger, 20s, 30s, 40s, the level of diagnosis and these age ranges has been climbing for decades now. This has been in the news a lot over the last few years because obviously researchers are urgently looking at what's happened. And interestingly, or for want to a better use of a word, researchers had projected.

a few years ago that bowel cancer would become the leading cause of cancer deaths in under 50s by 2030. Obviously it's 2026, so that's happened four years earlier than it was meant to, which again just shows the rate of which this is changing and is obviously super, super, super concerning. That report in JAMA analyzed the US mortality data from 1990 to 2023 across the five deadliest cancers affecting men and women under 50. It was quite shocking to see it was in the headlines everywhere last week, that in the US now it's the number one leading cancer is now about cancer and that changed as of two weeks ago at the time we're recording this podcast. It was announced. So it's incredibly shocking and concerning, but also a huge indication of the times. I think particularly, I know that everyone's talking about fibre now, thank goodness, but there is no surprise when you look at the correlation of what we've just discussed, activity levels, ultra-processed food. in people's diets. It's just no surprise to me that we've gone down and down and down and down in fiber intake

and whole foods in general. And crazy trends have taken over, ketogenic diets, all sorts of things that are not good for our gut and actually also contribute here. I just wanted to give a little shout out to the Balbabe Fund. Deborah James was a huge advocate of that before she passed and it's an incredible charity. but she was very young and I think to see colorectal cancer move in the opposite direction to other major cancers just suggests that

something has shifted in the underlying risk environment for younger generations and I personally suspect heavily that it's not a fluke here that it's correlated to the food environment yet scientists are being extremely cautious to speak out about that link and I think there's a huge food industry role here yeah of course and of course not every case is lifestyle related There's obviously predispositions and things, but it is interesting. We've obviously had a lot of headlines about research coming up, showing our lifestyle,

having an impact on this. And the same time this came out, there was a study that showed that alcohol is linked to higher bowel cancer risks. So I think that adds quite another layer to this conversation. So that study analyzed data from around 88,000 adults and found that drinking 14 or more alcoholic drinks a week, roughly more than two glasses of wine a day. Because 14 sounds like a lot. Sounds like a huge number.

But actually two glasses of wine a day. Which is interesting because I find those sorts of behaviours are dying out. It was definitely a generational thing to have a bottle of wine every evening. Definitely. Anyway, so the 14 or more alcoholic drinks a week was associated with the 25% higher risk of bowel cancer. And risk increased with cumulative alcohol exposure across adulthood, particularly when higher intake began earlier in life. So this isn't about kind of one-off binge drinking,

but just regular long-term patterns that I think lots of people would consider quite normal. Particularly here in the UK, we do have a problem with, well, binge drinking culture and drinking in general. I do think it's the northern hemisphere, but then you don't see this pattern echoed in other Scandinavian countries, so it's interesting. But alcohol is already classified as a group one carcinogen, and that means essentially that there's strong evidence that it does contribute and cause cancer in the bowel, essentially. So in our gut area, alcohol is broken down into a... acetylhyde, which is the toxic compound that you'll find discussed everywhere when it links to alcohol and poor health. And that compound damages our DNA and the cells that line our colon,

so in our intestines. And over time, basically, when you have so much alcohol, and because you're damaging your gut, it just increases the cancer risk as well. It's a direct link to bowel cancer, of course. We're damaging our gut health while we're drinking. And that link, actually, Ella, is definitely not spoken about and I know that we've painted the picture very strongly on the Wilders' Group with ultra-processed foods like red and processed meat on here.

That's a link that is, I think people are becoming a bit more aware of. We've seen headlines. Oh yeah, we have. Interestingly, do you remember last year we talked about that there was another study when the World Cancer Research Fund came out and actually said

the global guidelines should be to advise women to consider giving up alcohol entirely and that was to reduce breast cancer risk. So that guidance, yeah, as I said, came from the World Cancer Research Fund. The review was set by Harvard, and they found that any amount of alcohol increased risk of breast cancer with one glass of wine, a day linked to a 5% higher risk in premenopausal women

and a 9% higher risk in postmenopausal women. And interestingly, that study, the reason I wanted to remind you of it, was that it highlighted that nearly 80% of European women were unaware of this link. Now that was talking about breast cancer, but I would say the same would go with bowel cancer probably. I think we know that alcohol, isn't a health food obviously.

But I think we think of it more as like it doesn't make us feel well the next day and then we crave like a big fry-up. Maybe more than having a kind of longer-term damage to things outside of our liver. Yeah, and under the perception of a hangover is almost like a kind of entering into society. I feel like we are looking at everything

in a very backward way. Actually, it's your body crying out for help. It's trying to process and detoxify and get it through your liver and excrete it And very sadly, it's one of those silent things that creeps up over time, liver damage. Do you know on the point of, what did you just, how did you phrase that, sort of the weirdness of the world, that is kind of just the dark mirror type type. So I've always said to my children, you choose if you want to be a vegetarian or not, it's not.

I don't personally think it's right to, as they get older, dictate to them that they must do something. Obviously, it's really important to me that they understand, like, how to cook and where it's from. you know, balance and feeding their gut bugs and we talk loads about their gut bugs and all the rest of it anyway. But if they don't want to be a vegetarian, that's their choice and they should have autonomy in my opinion. Anyways, so one of my girls has decided, I don't think I want to be a vegetarian all the time.

And I had this very dystopian moment last week where I, you know, she told her teacher and I said, yeah, that's true. It's completely her decision. And her teacher said, but she's told me that you don't really want her having ham. And I had this just really interesting moment where I was writing back and I was like, yes, I don't really want her having ham because ham is a group one carcinogen.

And I just thought, wait a second, that's just like back. I know. Patrick, how am I here? I know. Sending an email saying, please don't give my child, Omra P, a class one carcinogen in a school environment. Like, this is so weird. It was just, it was something about it that was like, as I said, it just felt dystopian. to this point of like how odd our food system is,

like why am I advocating for a six-year-old in this way? I'm so glad you shared that. It does really hit home, and it reminds me of looking at the timeline of food, and I know you're very aware of this, but back, and this is all in my new book, the Fiber Formula, looking at the 1900s to 1950s, meat wasn't the staple part every single day of our diets.

It was like a luxury. We just would have it once or twice a week or something, and then suddenly it became a daily item when convenience food came in, it because access to meat was cheaper, therefore processed foods increases, the process meats, the sausages and the rise in all of it. And now it is dystopian because it's almost accepted as an everyday item that people have without consequence, especially the process meets. And for us to even say that now, oh, I fear the judgment. I'm not trying to say to anybody

that you have to choose this way, but you need to know, I think to make an informed decision, we have to educate on this. And it is, wild that it's seen as the norm. I cannot get over how society has shifted so much in the last 50 years that that is a norm. I know. As I said, I wrote this email and as I sat there, I was like looking out the train window thinking, like, I honestly think this is like one of the weirdest things I've ever had to do. Like how on earth are we at a place where these have been, yeah, group one carcinogens. To me, it's the birthday parties. There's always ham sandwiches. And I feel like I must be an alien parent or something because I'm sat there thinking.

How do people not know? And then it's not my place to go, I would dare not tell the host of the birthday party. That is badding me. Yeah, like, by the way, you're serving ham sandwiches. How could you? I mean, I don't want to be that horrible person, once in a, you know, moderation. But it's normal for them. And that will be an everyday item.

Exactly. And interestingly, actually, resend me a WhatsApp with a link to in the telegraph, wasn't it, an interview where the scientists who had, back in 2015, classified these processes, meats, bacon, ham sausages, etc. One, carcinogens. They were back in the newspapers pushing the government saying, why aren't we educating on this? Why aren't

we putting warnings on this? Why do people not know? Because the estimate is that eating 50 grams a day, that's about two slices of bacon or a single sausage, increases bowel cancer risk by around 15% because these foods cause increase inflammation and leads to the formation of carcinogenic. Carcinogenic

compounds in the gut. So when the intake is regular, it's a problem. I just don't think if parents knew they would do it every day in that way. The messaging has to get out there. Which is what they were arguing for. But also the problem is how we classify carcinogens. So there's a risk scale and that we classify them as a probable risk of cancer and there's no definitive, obvious, you know, it's in the same category as smoking. And obviously we know smoking has really strong evidence towards it. And we still, I think, need a lot more research in the process meat department for people to take it more seriously. I think if we just end on just reminding everybody that, you know,

We need to campaign about this, you know, nitrates and other additives that are used in processed meats just are not good with our bowel health and therefore link them to bowel cancer. So just reduce them, have things in moderation. Yeah. Anyway, we don't want to have this episode leave you feeling terrified. I think what basically, if we add up the evidence it shows is that increased ultra-processed foods is not good for bowel cancer risk. Same with alcohol, same with red and processed meat. So we want to be limiting. I don't mean cutting out forever more, but limiting, reducing UPF intake where you can, less alcohol

and many fewer occasions of eating red and processed meats. But on the flip side, no, you can do that. If you just ate white pasta for the rest of time, you wouldn't get the benefit. You've got to decrease those and massively increase fibre, your veg, your beans, your whole grains, your food, your food, your fruit. It's really, really important. And there's some little ways. What I love about this podcast is you'll get little tips and tricks.

Like, you know, if you do love your white bread, just freeze it first and then reheat it. And then you get more resistant starch, which is a fibre that's good for your short chain fatty acids in your gut. And there are ways of educating around food that can be fun and creative. But of course, most of the time, we need to eat more whole foods. Okay, headline number three, we'll make this one short and snappy. But this is nuts. So officially scrolling is our most first. frequent pastime.

Like, are we talking about Black Mirror? I can't. I can't. How is that a hobby now? It's bizarre. Yeah, well, there were a lot of news reports being like, we cannot classify doom scrolling as our hobbies. But it is with the younger generations. I see it on Instagram, the little trends.

I can't wait for Friday night. I just sit down and my pyjamas on my phone. Well, there was that trend of rotting where you sit in your bed and just like... Brain rot. Yeah. But, okay, so it's our favourite, but it's the least enjoyable. So there was a new study that looked at the best and worst leisure activities. we do for enjoyment. Obviously we've been talking a lot recently about screen time, social media

use and obviously this is not just us then having this issue because as I said it's the people in Britain's least enjoyable way to spend their free time yet it's the activity we return to time and time and time again. What's the phrase gluttony for punishment or what's it go? It's so true. And this was done by psychologists at the University of Sussex and they were looking at 21 common pastimes and yeah, as I said, social media ranked highest for frequency and lowest for enjoyment. I mean, it makes sense and you look at how, I guess, scrolling works on our brain. Because like Ella said last week, you know, you've got to remember how clever these people are that have designed social media and tech. You know, it's built around small, unpredictable dopamine hits that we experience.

You know, there's a new post, a notification, it keeps us hooked, it keeps us engaged. Even when we're not really liking what we see, it's like a reward loop that can drive, well, it is compulsive. It's compulsive doom scrolling. And then you're followed by feeling really anxious and flat. I also describe it like a kind of headache. You kind of have this dull aching kind of like you're not awake in the morning. But then in return pushes us back to needing more of it, the stimulation. I mean, when I started looking at my social media use,

I started to realize like it was that need for constant stimulation that with this constant dopamine loop. Because you just pick up your phone, you don't realize why you're doing it. I mean, it would just be things like we sit in a restaurant say, my husband would get out and be like, I need the look. He goes to the low. Well, he's gone three minutes. Pick up your phone.

I pick up your phone. Me too. What's this wrong with you? It's like I'm scared to be alone, sat by myself about looking at a screen. I do it on the train. 100%. I get scared. I'm like, oh, my phone.

He's like, I'm going to get the pepper. And I pick up my phone. He's walked from one end to the kitchen to other. And I'm just, that way, actually, it was the pepper moment where I thought, why do you have to always be stimulated? It's like everyone takes their phone to the loo because you can't even do a wee without stimulation. And, you know, you watch a great show with your phone. It's like, we can't let our brains be quiet.

That to me is really defining when the TV is on and you find it hard to watch without your phone. I've actually conquered that now and I'm really proud of myself. Thanks to the Wellness Scoop to be able to sit and watch something and enjoy it, but I'm really working on my hobby. It just shows how it does. I think it's really important to highlight how you're not alone to be addicted and it's so normal. But actually the top five hobbies were playing for enjoyment. Sorry, we're listening to music, playing a musical instrument, reading books, crafting, hobbies, like pottery and things and volunteering.

But it's like we just get lazy, basically, because these things are so addictive. And so we don't do that because the easy option is to pick up your phone. Very good headline to discover. The study was led by Robin Banerjee, who's a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Sussex. And he said that the findings also highlight the value of being intentional with our leisure time. So choosing activities that are emotionally rewarding and socially enriching. I'm definitely doing that, Ella. I'm singing way more than I've ever done just for me.

Do you know what? It's Disney cheese and I could not care less. Oh, Disney cheese is so good. Because it just makes you happy. So find something everyone is it reading the books, baking the sourdough, going out for a walk, just all the things we discuss on here. Let's try and break our phone addiction. Yeah, but it also reminds me of just to close up our headlines today.

It actually, to me, really circles back to the first headline. line like that we underestimate what five minutes of walking, a walk around the block, a walk to get a coffee between meetings, we'll do for our health and our mental well-being. And it's huge, actually. And we get so much from a short period of time, way more than we think when we think of what's not worth it. And I think it's the same with our hobbies. Like, you might only have 15 minutes on the train, on the tube, whatever it is. But actually, you could watch 15 minutes of a show you love or listen to a podcast that makes you laugh or something silly or call a friend or, you know, or spend 10 minutes having an ice.

long shower and using a body scrub or whatever it is. But it's so easy not to do those things, but goodness me you feel better. And they don't need to be like big things, time consuming things. I think it's just a reminder to try and invest in the things that make you happy, even if it's just five minutes, 10 minutes, teeny, teeny blocks of your day. And it leads us on really nicely to what's trending and wellness today, Ella, because we have the return to analog. Yeah, this is everywhere. And it felt like the right week to talk about it, given the digital focus. Perfect week. And, you know, I've got my landline phone arriving now. Have you? Yeah.

Oh, my gosh. We had loads of emails to guys on your email address. Oh, shall I link it? Shall I get it? I'll put it up. Next week, tell us everything about your landline phone. I will. My friend Jenny, actually, do you know what, I'll save it for Thursday. I'm going to save the landline phone to Thursday episode because I don't have a landline. I accidentally ordered the wrong one first time. You have to get the one that hooks to the phone. Fine. Yes. I'll describe on Thursday. Let's go into the fact in 2026, it's the year of analog. Oh my gosh, yeah. I mean, when I was looking at this, the number of headlines was nuts, like CNN, crafting sores as people push back against AI and digital overload, dazed. It's 2026 the year of analog, the Guardian, the writer, the analogue bag, fashion's answer to doom scrolling. Psychology today. Analog hobbies are the new self-care. Forbes. 2026 is the year of analog living. What comes next. I mean, this is literally just everywhere. It's my dream. Drawing more like drawing. I just love drawing. Oh my gosh, I love colouring. I love it when the girls have colouring books. Yeah, and they don't want to use it and I do it instead.

I love colouring books. I'm even into their sticker books. Yes. Yes. Like put a dress on Cinderella. Yeah, I've got a pepper pig dress-up book at the moment. It's quite good, yeah, the unicorns. Yeah, I absolutely love it.

Puzzles, the whole shebang. It's funny, we were talking about it with Will. I produced just when we, before we started recording, that it does feel like this shift is in the air, which is really exciting. Anyway, it's interesting to see it literally everywhere. But essentially, I think what people are talking about, here with this analog revival or analog wellness, digital minimalism, so many different ways to say the same thing. It seems like genuinely this cultural shift where there's a rebalancing of

technology and people are trying to create these much more offline experiences because I think we're increasingly realizing that we need to regain focus, reduce anxiety and like find more connection, meaning purpose. They've coined it a fidgetal life. I love that. Me too. too. Move towards a fidgetal life. Because at its core, the trend is a quiet pushback, isn't it, against the algorithm, which we Ella and I often speak about, and we were speaking as well before we came on, where I just, we both just felt so disillusioned, I feel a little bit. But after years of convenience, first design, infinite choice, and constant stimulation, people are reacting to what's been described as the claustrophobia of abundance.

That phrase is so epic. That is so true. It's interesting. I've been reading this book called The Brain at Rest, why doing nothing can change your life. It's written by a neuroscientist. It was I think it was Waterston's book of the month in January, and I started reading it. Anyway, I'm only halfway through. But this guy is just talking about all this research that shows our brains desperately need rest. Like they thrive and our creativity, our intelligence, our problem solving really comes to the service when you give your brain downtime. And he's talking about learning to be able to take 20 minutes,

minutes maybe you're on your train home or while you're having a bath or something. That's a challenge. Just stare out the window. No stimulation. Yeah, the bath thing. That's my next challenge because I can't, I normally work in the bath, do emails in the bath. I sit with my phone on the side. Yeah.

How would I just sit there? Well, I've been trying it. Yeah. How's it going? So since I started reading his book and I realized that I can't even wait 30 seconds about stimulation. Or while I'm getting ready in the morning, I'll listen to a podcast. For example, if I'm doing it.

it after the school run. And I realized I can't, I'm just always needing stimulation. I'll go for a walk. I'll call someone. It's like, oh, I do that on a walk. Sometimes it's so nice, but sometimes I realize it's because I'm silence as alien. I like the birds now at spring. I have to say that's help me. Yeah. I do like listening to birds on. It is so nice. But it was really interesting. I'll bring more of the stats next week if anyone's interested, but it was really interesting looking at the science behind the brain needing time of not being stimulated. Yeah, there's a strong desire, I think, for tangibility. So things like vinyl records, film cameras, print books, notebooks. I've got a notebook in my handbag. Yeah, because what I then found was I genuinely was trying to write notes on various different bits and pieces. Maybe it's something I read for the podcast or something else. And what I found myself doing is I'd always pick up my phone to write it on notes. But then because my phone was in my hand, I'd check my emails or whatever it was. I don't know how people learn at university today because I still, writing books, you do the same Ella. We both use notepads because things do not go in my head. I cannot learn or retain information when I've been staring at a screen in the same way.

I even struggle reading our podcast briefs sometimes off my phone rather than paper. I do. My brain just doesn't enjoy it in the same way. But these hobbies take time and attention and they reward patience rather than speed. That's what's so important because the content that I think that we own is also really important. Yeah, it really is. Anyway, so I think if anyone's called to there, someone to be part of this trend, which I would say is such a positive trend.

I think some tips is like start small, you know, probably throwing your phone in the river isn't the answer. But if there's a little swap, so maybe on your lunch break today, have your lunch and don't look at technology. Please don't look at your screen because for really bad for your digestion. Mindful eating is really important for your guts. Yeah. Or if you have a bath, maybe try and have a quiet bath or read a book in the bath,

listen to music in the bath. I might start with a book. It's just getting your hands wet and then, you know, holding the book. I'm definitely going to try that switch. Yeah. Are you using alarm clock instead of your phone so you don't begin with notifications? Yeah, easier said than done that one, I think. But if you've got a good one and you're in the, it's a habit, you've got to set that habit. Yeah, set timers and then replace scrolling with a physical habit, which I think is what we've been talking about. Choose hobbies that absorb your attention, baking, knitting, journaling, gardening, drawing, things where you can't

use tech, have some tech-free areas, remove some non-essential apps. from your phone, introduce friction where it helps, and carry an analog bag. There was so much about analog bags. I know that was in the top title from, what outlet was it that labeled it? Guardian, I think. The Guardian, yeah.

Fogue was talking about it, so it was everywhere. I didn't know what it was, so if anyone doesn't either. Basically, it's, I think you could put it in your handbag. I don't know, it has to be a separate bag, but I was imagining like a tote bag and it's filled with, literally like what I'd bring for my children to entertain them in a restaurant. And what we used to bring, when I went to uni,

I had an analog bag. Exactly. So you'd have like knitting in it, say that was your hobby. Well, maybe I wouldn't then. Maybe. Or like a Sudoku book or a book that you're reading. I used to do Suducoe when I worked at the other. I love Sudoku. Oh my goodness. It was my saving grace when I was bored between shows. It's too. But it's true. So it's like if you have a book with you, you're much more likely to then pick it up on the tube, on the train while you're waiting for something.

That is true. And I think paperback books are gods for this because when I order hardbacks are quite heavy in your bag. You want a lightbook. Lightbook for your analogue bag. Ella, fantastic trend, I think, to discuss. Let's watch the space because I feel like we're all going down that route. And if anyone wants to join Ella on Substack or me on my re-unfiltered page on Insta. Come for a bit more personal. We will big up analogue free.

Yeah, exactly. And as we said, there's time and a place for our phones. But I think this intentionality of the way that we live, be that reclaiming our lunch break, literally 15 minutes. But children reading more. let's just get more books. Totally. Your evenings. We're not talking about huge periods of time, but I think it adds up and actually if you say you don't look at your phone first thing in the morning, you reclaim your lunch break and have 15 minutes of something you enjoy, you do something lovely before bed, read a book, take a bath, something that's not your screen. I think as those

habits start to add up, actually you start to feel really different and it's not going to happen in 24 hours but over the course of a month of two months you might just start feeling calmer because ultimately there's so many things that affect our mental health but we know doom scrolling not exercising not eating well none of that that's all detrimental to our day to say mental health and that is a fact and so ultimately if we want to feel good we've got to start being a bit more intentional with the little habits that add up and we're in this together everybody so don't worry we struggle too we're not saints with this at all. I think we're all going to try together to do this. So thank you so much for listening to the Wellness Scoop today. Yeah, and let's know how you're getting on and what your

thoughts are on this topic. And we cannot wait to see you on Thursday. And we have our new email address, which is, oh yeah, drum roll, hello at wellness hyphen scoop.com. We've had so many emails, which is amazing. We have got so much to talk about on Thursday. There's some interesting topics about, again, following on from this conversation on kind of alcohol and process meets, etc and defining disordered eating and how you get that healthy balance between reducing those

and not becoming obsessed things on flaxseeds and chia seeds we've got iodine we've got all sorts of things lots again about oils and saturated fats coconut oil and where that sits in all of it

rapeseed oil popping up again so yeah loads and loads and loads to get into on Thursday thank you for being here bye guys