The Wellness Scoop - "The 14 Foods to Eat Every Week" & the £2,000 Wellness Trap

Episode Date: June 23, 2025

This week, we’re diving into the foods that could help you live longer — and the wellness habits that might be doing more harm than good. We start with the science behind the 14 foods linked to better brain, gut, and heart health. From oats and olive oil to beetroot, berries and black tea, this is one list that’s actually worth paying attention to — backed by major new research from Harvard and the World Cancer Research Fund. Then we get into the wellness trend that’s costing Gen Z nearly £2,000 a year — with most people admitting the products don’t even work. We break down what’s behind the spending spike, which supplements are trending, and why more than half of buyers feel misled. Elsewhere in the episode, we unpack the growing concern around forever chemicals in beer, the banned food additive still showing up in thousands of snacks, and the viral “Dubai chocolate” just recalled by the FSA. We also answer your listener question on soy and hormones — what’s fact, what’s myth, and what the science really says. Recommendations: Ginny and Georgia on Netflix The 30 Plan a book about gut health by friend of the show, Catherine Rabess Breast milk jewellery - Rhi had hers made at Mothers Love Jewellery ⁠The Unprocessed Plate by Rhiannon Lambert Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to The Wellness Scoop, your weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration. 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. So that's why we created this podcast to cut through the noise and make healthier living simple, fun and personal. And guys, after five months, we've had two and a quarter million lessons. Is that what it is? Yeah!

Oh my gosh! That's amazing! How amazing is that? So that's a shock to me everyone because I don't look at the numbers, Ella looks at the numbers and reports back to me. Two and a quarter! Two and a quarter million in five months on the nose. That's amazing!

So thank you guys for tuning in. Honestly, we're so grateful because that is definitely money more than we expected. And we just love doing this. It's a highlight of my week. I know we're set, but like, God, I look forward to it. I mean, after meeting so many of you at the live show, which first of all, wow, Ella, I did nearly cry on stage. I had to stop.

We only just walked on. Me too. And then we just saw all those people in front of us and we had Beyonce playing who ran the world, girls. I really, yeah, had to hold it together. Me too. I thought, oh no, this is just the start of the show. We have to get through two hours.

Let's do this. But no, you were all so kind. And as always, the comments, the feedback, your inspiration for the show. We get so much from you, so thank you. You know, it was so fun, my favourite part about the show, I mean so many favourite parts, but was we said it when we were doing the show, but every week we and I sit here and we're like, oh, I wish we could hear your answers to this.

Like how many of you struggle with X, how many of you struggle with Y, how many of you do X, Y or Z? And it was so nice to be able to ask the audience in real time and kind of just gauge that what we were thinking, what we were worried about, what we were seeing was the same as them. Yeah, 100%. There's nothing quite like it. You know how people that do theatre all the time say you can't beat a live audience or even the emotions in the room, I could feel the energy. We had a moment where we had a, what would you call it Ella, like a non-doing mindfulness section. Yeah, a bit of very gentle breath work and gratitude.

From Cordelia and I was sat there thinking I'm never going to be able to do this in front of all these people in this room, like close my eyes and sit there. But everybody else was doing the same thing and I genuinely felt the energy in the room, like a reiki moment. It was amazing, although my sister was like, yeah I kept opening my eyes to check if you two were doing it too. Okay, I knew people would do that. I actually nearly fell asleep so I was very emerged in the experience. Me too. So anyway everyone that came, thank you so much. I think as Risa, there's nothing

better than being actually in a community of people. Although this is amazing, you are talking into a void to some extent. So that's why we just love your feedback. So please keep it coming. So we don't feel we're talking into a void. But Ree, what are we talking about in today's show? Okay, so today we've got the 14 foods that we should all be eating each week. Why school lunches are still packed with processed meat and what that means for our children's health.

Then we've got plastic particles found in beer so the microplastic conversation continues. And the banned additive that's still turning up in thousands of snacks. Should we actually be wearing sunscreen? TikTok says no Ella but we've got thoughts on this. Is soy bad for our hormones or just another wellness myth? And why Gen Z are now spending nearly $2,000 a year on wellness? Rhee, what have you been up to this week? This is a big week for you. It's book launch week. Yeah, it's a very overwhelming busy week. I feel like we've just come from live show, which thank you to everyone that brought copies of the book. What was really surreal Ella was seeing something that isn't out until, well it would have been out Thursday

when you guys listen now in people's hands. People are making the recipes already and that is a really strange feeling. But I think the best bit of advice or rather feedback, I should say on the book was that somebody that read it said I wasn't expecting to actually learn something new about ultra processed foods and to reassure me. So that's been my week. It's a busy week. How about you? It's a strange feeling, isn't it? A book because it's years of work and then suddenly it's out there in the world. And it's a kind of very vulnerable moment, I think, waiting for feedback as well in terms of this whole you write into a void you speak into avoid and suddenly it's like gosh I really want to hear what people think but it is amazing to go out and buy it guys, ultra process play.

Thank you and Ella what about you? Busy week because you're also finishing up yours and I remember that feeling the deadlines looming but you want it to be the best bit of work you've ever done and you know you're up against the clock. The deadline is looming I feel like I've talked about this for months now, but it has consumed my life for months now. But yes, the final, final push for my recipe book is happening as we speak. But we are so nearly there and I cannot wait.

But there are so many recipes in there, I'm like, oh, I've got to keep making that one. Apparently we'll have seven recipes. Again, curious what our audience think, but that is the average number of recipes that people in the UK make. And you might switch out a veg, so you've got like a stir fry recipe, come back to you time and time again, and you'd use like edamame one day and peas and other, you know, veggies to that extent.

And I think I sometimes go through those habits too. And when I'm recipe testing, I start eating so many more things, like I made a marinated fennel salad yesterday. Yeah. I never eat marinated fennel. And I was like, why not? This is delish. Loads and loads of lime, quite tangy, crunchy with avocado. Oh, it was 10. I am completely with you. I definitely have recipes I roll out on repeat.

And when you came in, actually, Ella shared something she'd been testing for the book that she had for lunch. And I was like, yeah, I'm going to try and do that at home. It's like the orzo craze you got me on. Completely obsessed. I think all our listeners are obsessed with orzo. Ella, do you have any recommendations for our listeners this week? I have none.

Okay. Okay, I have a few. Maybe marinate some panel. No, I was like, you know what, I'm not going to make it up. I've been so busy. I haven't kind of done, seen, watched anything of particular note to be honest. So yeah, please compensate for my lack of. That's okay. That's okay. I think we all have those weeks completely where we feel that way. So my first one is you gave some amazing TV show wrecks last week and I have started watching the one with the guy from Mad Men. Your friends and neighbors. Yeah. Really, really good. I wasn't expecting him to go and do that. Anyway, I'm only like two episodes in. Mine is Ginny and Georgia.

I love Ginny and Georgia. Have you seen it? Nobody's always served to me as you might like this on Netflix. I really recommend watching it on Netflix because now you'll have like two series to go back to. Really good, really addictive. And the actress that plays Ginny and Georgia, they are captivating. But the stories, there's quite a lot of triggering storylines of what they go through. It's basically about a single mother and the adversities of life she's thrown into and her background. It's 10 out of 10 for me, really good. Okay, I need that. The second one might come across as a bit odd. But, you know, I've wanted to mention

this before and I didn't want it to come out in the wrong way. But I had this one bag of breast milk in the freezer from, well, past its sell by date and it was sitting there and I thought, why am I not throwing this out? It's this weird emotional attachment, but I'm not the only one because I came across an Instagram page called Marva's Love Jewellery and full disclosure, I'm paying for this myself, but I want to give her a shout out. And she makes breast milk jewellery, Ella. A momentum. Yeah, a momentum. So I'm doing that. That's my second recommendation if anyone's a sentimental softie like me. And the third, of course, my book, The Unprocessed Plate. But if you want to learn

more about 30 plants specifically, we had Kath on before Catherine Rebelle. She's a dietician from the Retrition Clinic and we had her on for our gut health episode? Yeah, that's right. Bloating. Yes, bloating exactly and what's normal? Yeah, go back and listen to that on the Extra Scoop because we've had a lot of feedback about the bloating episode recently on Spotify but she's got a book called The 30 Plan and it's a paperback and it's quite a good size so it fits into your bag and it's really good

for travel. They're my recommendations. Those were so good. I'm sorry guys for my absinthe. Next week I will bring some good recommendations, but we have bought you guys good headlines. If you are new to the show, this is the section where we talk about the biggest health stories that are making news. So Rhee, what have we got on the agenda for the health headlines that matter this week?

It's so huge. I mean, the latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey is out. That is big, Erla. OK, so we'll go through this. I haven't gone through this yet. Having looked today, but I thought I'm going to take a bit longer, condense the information and put it into next week's episode for you all. But every few years we have an update on what the UK is doing. That's where we get the stats like how many of you are not eating your fibre day or how many of you consume a certain amount of fibre and it spans across

the age range all the way up from infancy teenagers to adulthood. And it gives us the basic UK nutrition lowdown. So it's just been released from 2000 and I think it's 2019 to 2023. Have you got any top line headlines for us on that report before we go into it in depth next week? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, when it comes to looking at the national diet, the nutrition survey that we have, people are already starting to say, fibre is more important now. And finally, we're seeing a shift Ella.

Also it links to the cancer rates that we've had, the increased cancer rates. And there's more lobbying coming from action on sugar, action on salt, because this data coming out shows how much sugar we are over consuming in this country. Basically, how many ultra processed foods I would say we're over consuming versus whole foods. And the data that's coming out is only getting bigger and bigger the gap each year. That was my question is, is this new data section from 2019 to 2023 worse than the previous data section?

Sadly, it looks so, everybody, but I will dissect further. Okay, I'm on tender hooks for next week. I know, it's gonna be good. But Ella, do you remember your date Dubai chocolate-esque trend that you mentioned? Yes, Dubai chocolate has been one of the trends of 2025 so far, hasn't it? Now, we have a bit of news here on the Dubai chocolate has been one of the trends of 2025 so far has now now We have a bit of news here on the Dubai chocolate trend. So the FSA that's the food standards agency

I think it was yesterday at the time of recording this or maybe two days ago They've issued a warning Ella because potential health risks now opposed by rogue imports of Dubai chocolate I know it's not funny because there's some obviously Particularly the referencing allergens and things is it can be very very serious. So know it's not funny because there's some obviously particularly the referencing elegance and things is it can be very very serious so that's obviously not funny but I think it to me there is that part aside something just funny and like how extreme we are when it comes to trends and how much how viral they go and how obsessed we become then we need counterfeit versions of chocolate bars because we've all gone so

delali for a pistachio in chocolate. So basically in 2021 it was created by Sarah Hamouda. She became an overnight sensation. She's from Dubai and she really started this whole viral trend I think. But what's happening is obviously without the proper English labeling like Ella mentioned, the allergens and the extra additives that are included. You can't see what's in the product. And what's worse, Ella, is some of these additives are banned and they've been found in a lot of these kind of counterfeit Dubai bars that people are buying online. So the FSA is having to collaborate with local councils to remove these non-compliant products from shelves and basically push it out there to the consumer.

I know, it's specifically for advising consumers to purchase only from trusted UK retailers. I know there's parts of it that's absolutely not funny, there's nothing funny about allergies, but there is just something funny about like our herd mentality and how we have to all jump on something and we've become so obsessed with something like this that we have to make counterfeit versions. It's completely mad. We have one more pick up actually because I think one of the things

I found interesting we said at the top of the show was being with the audience live on Saturday was so amazing to say we're worried about this, are you worried about this? And the most unanimous bit of feedback we got was about microplastics and about environmental toxins. And in that case, we were talking about a headline referring to a toxicity in tampons and glyphosate levels 40 times higher than the legal limit of water, which is absolutely shocking in and of itself. But interestingly, Ray and I on a personal level talk quite a lot about how actually this is the one bit I think of health and wellness that we are both quite concerned about at the moment. It comes into our lives every single day and how do you know what the right household care products etc etc and not trying to ruin your

life with it but also be very aware of it. And this was just another thing that came up it feels like this is such a huge topic of conversation at the moment and I'm actually not a beer drinker I hate beer. Me too I've always hated the smell but I'm from Wiltshire where they're cider drinkers. And I grew up with a lot of that. I think cider is delicious. Yeah, see people love it. But this was just one more thing on these Forever Chemicals, these PFAs, which just seem to be turning up everywhere. And this was actually a US study. And they tested 23 different beers, including Craft Brews, some really big domestic brands,

and a few different international labels. And all but one, so 22 of the beers tested had detectable levels of PFAs, so these forever chemicals in them, and some even exceeded drinking water safety limits, interestingly. And so just to remind you, your PFAs, they're a class of about 15,000 chemical compounds, most often used to make products water-stain, grease-resistant. And they've been linked to cancer, birth defects, high cholesterol, kidney disease, decreased immunity, and a whole range of other serious health problems. And the reason they're called forever chemicals, they don't naturally break down the environment. It's heavy, isn't it?

And obviously take all of those conditions linked to a pinch of salt. It's always an increased risk or a correlation but it is something we should I think we should be talking about so I'm glad we've got it here to discuss because the study found that beers brewed in areas with contaminated water so we're talking over in the States North Carolina's Cape Fear River Basin, Michigan's Kalamazoo County they had the highest levels Ella but there's a bit of hope too, because two international brands, one from Mexico and the Netherlands, showed low or no detectable PFAS. So perhaps it is just about the sourcing and where we're making it.

But that's, I think, why I feel concerned about Forever Chemicals, microplastics and these environmental toxins at the moment personally. And I don't mean it in a fear mongering way. I just just think as I said, I think almost 100% of our audience were nervous about it too. I know you are because how on earth is anybody meant to know? You know, you're shopping, you're in your Tesco, your Sainsbury's, your Walmart, wherever it is that you shop and you've got a whole wall of products and like how are you meant to know that this beer has levels of PFA is higher than is safe in water and which ones have none?

Like at the moment, these sorts of things don't have to be labelled. They're not regulated in this way. I would also add that I don't think most people going for beer are actually interested in reading that type of thing either. So it's a big general statement for me to make. I realise that's sweeping and there will be some people, but I think when you're going to buy an alcoholic drink or beverage, it's usually-

Health isn't top of mind. Health isn't the top of the list. So that's why people perhaps aren't saying they need regulating or sticking labels on. It's so backward, isn't it? But it just feels like it's now everywhere, these different environmental toxins, and it's just very, I find it's the one thing that I find really frightening, like when I look at diet

and lifestyle and exercise, I'm like, great, I can do a good job of looking after myself, my family, and actually with this, like I don't wanna go and live in a cave by myself and shut myself away from the environment, but I am just conscious of the level of exposure I think we're all getting is probably higher than we think, and I find it quite concerning. I'm with you, but this was published in the Guardian guys

And I think you know we just need to be aware of it It's almost like tap water is an interesting comparison to make because I was always told at university You don't need to worry English tap water is great But now we know that it's one of the lowest quality tap waters we have in Europe So even though it is safe to consume perhaps we need to be looking at water filters. This isn't, I don't want to fear mongering on this. Do you use one? I do now because of the plastics.

I have Dr. German Newman recommended a Berkey. Yeah, I have that one. It's huge. Like I got the big one because I didn't want to have to keep filling it up when you've got kids. Oh my gosh, like constantly filling up and they can kind of help themselves to the little tap funnel bit. But I got that one after doing lots of different research but now there's so many brands I'm really interested in the one that Bear Grylls said

that you just attach to your tap. I might not up my new house. Yeah I might get something like that but I don't want to tell everybody it's still better to drink water than not to drink water and hey it's not going to make us sick like it can do in other countries so we are lucky guys. Yeah exactly it's that medium grand isn't it like if we become scared of water then that's health anxiety gone mad so it's so difficult to navigate but I think it's probably worth saying that we both find that difficult to navigate too even though this is our industry. Okay this is actually technically our first headline technically those were pickups and

then bland. Okay Ruth the 14 foods you should eat every week. Let me just ask you before we talk about this headline, how do you feel about headlines like this? Like a definitive thing to be like, these are the 14 foods to eat. Yeah, but I just look at them and know that's not true. So for me, I've got a trained eye to it. So for me, it's almost like I had that feature

in the Telegraph came up that said, what the nutritionist bans in her fridge or something. And you know, it's click bait and the person that writes the article doesn't write the headlines. And it's very hard to get headline retracted. But I think people are more interested in all. So there's a positive aspect, isn't there? People might think, oh, I want to see what these foods are. Maybe I'll give them a try. But then there's the health anxiety of these are the only foods I can ever eat. And then there's what about all the other foods? There's hundreds of vegetables out there. Or I don't like one of those foods. And also we know we need, for example, 30 different

plants a week and diversity is king when it comes to gut health. So let's talk about these 14. So this came from an article in the Times and actually there's loads of evidence behind lots of things they included but it did open with some new research that came out of Harvard that I think was really worth noting today and it was just again it's more of the same but it was showing that a more diverse diet so thinking fruits, veg, whole grains, healthy fats, nuts, legumes, a little bit of fish and some dairy like yogurt is linked to a higher chance of reaching old age in good physical cognitive and mental health and then meanwhile a study of 450,000 so huge cohort of people in nine different countries found those eating the most varied diets had a 23% lower risk of

developing gastrointestinal cancers according to research supported by the World Cancer Research Fund and published in the European Journal of Cancer. So interesting framing of things. Basically just back to how important your Mediterranean style diet is. I mean yeah it's a good thing to phrase isn't it because I think it depends on how we use those lists like we said as an inspiration because you don't want them to create rigid rules but I would argue this is always an eternal ongoing debate in the world of nutrition. Is that there's a fine line between an emotional relationship with food and inspiration and harm.

The line is so thin and it's so difficult to tread in the right way and to tread in the right way to write or contribute to these type of articles or conduct this research. You have to be aware of the fact that there's so many different opinions to what you're doing and that everything is so nuanced and that's what makes nutritional science so hard. But I will say, you know, it doesn't mean beetroot is better than carrots.

It's just a review, Ella. Do you wanna go through some of those 14 foods? I think so. I think it's a fun game, right? Okay. And I wanna hear what you think about each one. So the first one. Ella's fun game. Guys, you know I'm a good fun game. Organized fun is, right. Okay. And I want to hear what you think about each one. So the first one. Ella's fun game. Guys, you know I'm a good fun game.

Organized fun is my cup of tea. I'm a really cool person. No, she is really. You really want to be my friend. Okay, right. First up, bananas. As we know, now the nation's favorite. Rich in potassium, magnesium and fiber, Ella.

So we put them on our list? Yeah. But we had our stat about bananas. I think bananas are an amazing staple and research suggests that if you add more potassium rich foods to your diet, you have a greater positive impact on your blood pressure and that's even better than just cutting the salt in your diet. So potassium is good. Okay, love it. So what's the next one on the list? Packed with beta-glucan, which we know is a soluble type of fiber that's linked to heart health, cardiovascular disease, helping with blood sugar management. There's so many elements,

our gut microbiome. But Ella, there is a hierarchy of oats. Do you want to share with which one you probably want to go for? Yes. Before we go into the hierarchy of oats, though, I want to note one thing, which I think is the ultimate example of why we do the show and why nutrition is so complicated. Because here's the times in this instance, publishing the definitive 14 foods you should eat every week. And then you go on TikTok and it's like, if you eat porridge for breakfast,

you will be so fat and so unhealthy and you will die because your blood sugar will be as high as eating 87 Mars bars. I'm being facetious, But that is the impression. And it's like, people go online and they're like, Oh, it's a terrible porridge is terrible. I'm going to die if I have a sweet break. Crazy. And then you have the time saying the 14 foods you see every week, tick them off. Oh, and no wonder that people are so confused and what an earth to eat. So just to debunk this, you're on the times aside here, tick facts, right? Yeah.

Oh my gosh, major tick. I'm so done with fear mongering on food, Ella. So far, banana and oats, I mean, I think I'm going to love nearly every item on this list to be honest, because they should all be part of a balanced diet. But the oat stuff is mad because actually they like have a lower glycemic load if they are the whole oat. It's when they're kind of ground down into like a ready-brek or something that they release a bit more quickly but even then ready-breks are way better option than frosties. Totally I mean I make so that was the hierarchy

of oats by the way. So the kind of jumbo steel-cut oats the top end of your hierarchy but to your point oats are still great. We often make in the morning like easy little oaty pancakes. So great, really the girls eat a lot of that when I make that preschool and actually make a little batch of it and things go again. Super fun. I love patch cooking and I know when I was fun. But in that case you're grinding them down, but it's great. It's great. And then next up we've got beetroot, which in the world- Do you like beetroot?

Do you know I only like it in a juice. I love beetroot in a juice. I love beetroot but it has to be with carrot and ginger or something, the traditional vibe. I agree. Do you put it in recipes? My mum loves beetroot so I feel like she's really pushed hard on beetroot. I would say if you really roast it so genuinely as soft and tender, the problem is I think to be genuinely kind of soft and tender and to get that little bit of sweetness coming out. Even a medium sized beetroot you're roasting for over an

hour. It's quite a lot of work for a beetroot. It is. And then the ones you buy that are pre-packaged. I know my kids eat that and they would love that, but I still don't like that either. No, I'm not as obsessed with it. But if you do roast it and then you blend it, for example, into like white bean miso hummus, that can be really delicious. I then quite like if you slice it, roast it really well and you can slice it, let it cool.

This is a long recipe for what you're getting, but slice it really, really thinly. And then you can do like a cider, vinegar, maple, kind of vinaigrette type thing. And you do it so it almost like looking like carpaccio with lots of rocket. Can be delicious. I don't hate beetroot, but I think it can be a bit off.

I'm with you. And also you can make Barbie pasta with it. Cause when that trend came out in the Barbie movie, if you blend it with cheese, you get a pink cheese, which is pretty cool. Tell us why we should all be persuaded to try Barbie pasta or beetroot carpaccio or something. Sure, I think I even put a beetroot tray bake in the book.

No, sports nutrition. This is all from the sports nutrition world. It's about ability to perform well with nitrates and blood vessels. Basically, your circulation and your health in a review of over 2600 participants found that beetroot was found to boost muscular endurance and sprint power. So genuinely athletes do take shots of beetroot in amongst their training schedule, something we do all the time in the nutrition clinic. And a Penn State study found that daily beetroot juice helped middle-aged women maintain vascular health and reduce heart disease risk. I mean, that's

pretty big. But remember, so many other factors could have been within that study, but basically beetroot's a win-win. It just stains your teeth. And your hands. And your hands. And your wooden chopping board.

And it takes over an hour to roast. But nice, let's make some beetroot. But that's why it's a convenience in the pack, right? Okay, let's move on from beetroot. Ella, black tea, go for it. Black tea, yes, I am, I'm not a big tea. I'm sorry, I'm so on a tangent today. I did the same last week, so sorry guys.

I'll be focused next week. But my challenge when I see these articles, right, and I'm seeing it, I'm just going through my own mind right now, is I see, oh, black tea's number four on the list, I should really be having black tea. I don't like black tea at all, and then you suddenly feel like you're failing

because you're being told definitively, these are 14 things to eat, and you don't like black tea at all. And then you suddenly feel like you're failing because you're being told definitively these are 14 things to eat and you don't like some of them. And do you know what I mean? And I really worry about that, that people feel like, oh, I'm not doing a good job. So I'm not going to try. I mean, we've had headlines just to give you guys an idea. We'll whiz through them actually. So as we could be all day, I think if we go through each one individually, but coffee could easily be on this list. And it not. Green tea could be on this list and it's not. That all these foods that are praised should be on this list and they're not. In fact, when I look at the overall,

I'll let you read them out in a minute, Ella, but there's so many amazing vegetables. Even broccoli isn't on this list. That was my question for you. The end is what's missing. Okay, so black tea, I think the big headline here was there was a 24 year study that involved over 85,000 people. So again, really meaningful

data and it was suggesting that flavonoid rich foods of which black tea is one may support healthier aging, can reduce inflammation and support gut health. But to your point, so does green tea. Yeah, it's the L-theanine in the tea. It's like this amazing amino acid or amino acid and also the link with GABA response in our brain. There's so many areas with tea, it's almost a form of fermentation as well and the way things are brewed and created and made. I could go on forever about tea. But so enjoy your cuppa.

Enjoy your cuppa if you like it. I'm with you though Ella, I don't like black tea. I, as you know, am a green tea drinker. Me neither. We've got next on the list, we've got, we can group these ones because they're maybe not as exciting. We've got nuts, we've got oranges, we've got apples and we've got white button mushrooms. I would say with these, I like that they're just like normal everyday items. I think mushrooms by the way, highly underrated. I love mushrooms. Me too. The taste, the texture and they're so good in plant-based dishes. But we do have one amazing

fact, Higgs, I think people think of them as really bland but they offer antioxidant protection and studies have shown that even 18 grams daily can cut cancer risk by 45 percent. I know there was a trial at a place called City of Hope and they found that white button mushroom supplements, this was supplements for the whole food, may slow prostate cancer spread which is pretty extraordinary. Oranges again, this is mad, a Harvard study suggested that an orange a day could reduce depression risk by 20%. Nuts we know, obviously high in fiber, mega threes, polyphenols. We saw our University of Reading trial that we talked about a while ago that showed that 50 grams of walnuts at breakfast can improve

brain function in the day. And apples, participants who up their flavonoid intake, and apples are really rich in flavonoids, by three servings a a day had up to 15% lower risk of mental and physical decline. I love that. A fun little fact about apples, they all have different gut bugs that are good for your gut depending on where you pick them from, which country, the type of skin color and they all live just kind of like below the skin, a lot of the nutrition in apples to get. So please don't peel them if you can keep skin on. Anyway, Ella, this list goes on. We've got amazing yogurt, olive oil, eggs, beans, pulses, berries and like I said last week guys dark chocolate is on the list.

I'm so happy to see dark chocolate in the list. If people now go out and buy a load of the wrong type of dark chocolate this is the problem with this article as well it does say steer towards 70% or higher but I know the studies say 85% or higher most of the time so that may not be a good move for some people to just have more dark chocolate. Interesting on the yogurt one, the world's oldest woman reportedly credited yogurt for her long life and a study of 150,000 people linked to or more weekly servings to lower colorectal cancer risk. One of the things I often think as well when I read this list

is like if you think about it, as we said, lots of these are just like normal everyday items and apple and orange, a couple of almonds. But when you put it together, the power of these little everyday food choices is huge in terms of your health. And so I think it's just that reminder that actually just adding a portion of chickpeas to your dinner tonight or making the effort to cut up some apple slices with your breakfast, you know, it's okay to have toast, but put some apple on the side sort of thing. We all need the reminder Ella because even us, you know, I find myself I get stuck in a rut we all do which is why I think listening to podcasts like this and going oh yeah the

walnut so yes the yogurt I will keep going. I totally agree but Ria I was really curious of that 14 what else would you add to the list of like really try and eat this? I mean I'd add nearly everything that's fruit and veg. But if I had to pick one thing, I find it interesting when they say oranges, because kiwis actually contain more vitamin C than oranges per portion, and they're linked to improve digestive health. So even hospitals now are referring to two kiwis to ease constipation, which is amazing.

There's actually a 2012 study that was published about kiwis and it said that just two a day improve bowel function and reduce constipation in adults. It's like an amazing natural digestive aid. And then I do bread Ella. Nice, tell us why you'd have bread. I love that. I don't think people would expect you to have chosen that one. No, I know. I just think because it's something that's achievable. I think everybody likes bread. You can mostly tailor it to every dietary requirement. Often they're fortified, which suits all different

backgrounds and choices for nutrition. It's such an easy way. I mean, you can make, in the book, I've got recipes, I'm sure you have two out of the most amazing fresh bread that does not take an actual baker to make. And you can add whatever you want to it, the seeds, the fruit, the nuts. I even did like a strawberry and chocolate cottage cheese loaf, you know, when it was whatever you want to it. The seeds, the fruit, the nuts. I even did like a strawberry and chocolate cottage cheese loaf, you know, when it was trending. I did it when strawberries came into season a month ago and it was so good, but I was eating something that tasted amazing.

That's like comfort food. That's good for my gut. I also think bread's just like, I know it's obvious, but I think people don't, oh, it's not that healthy, but actually like it's also the most amazing base. Like chuck on whatever you've got. And you can make it healthier. This was made with oats predominantly, so it wasn't just white flour.

You do have to pick a good loaf and there is a way of doing that. Maybe we should do a bread episode. Yeah, let us know if that would be helpful. We can do the hierarchy of bread. Yeah. Okay, headline two, a little bit more serious, will you talk us through it? Oh, I know. And you know, I'm relieved it was a headline. When I saw it, I was pleasantly surprised but I knew the emotive response it would get. So schools and in inverted commas

must expel ham from canteens due to bowel cancer risk. Now the Food Foundation has blamed the meaty menus found in schools for preventing basically children from eating meals rich in plants and fiber. And I think the question everyone wanted to know is should schools stop serving I suppose those sausage rolls and ham sandwiches because this increased risk and the analysis they had was based on NHS dietary surveys and this is from thousands of people, Ella. More than a third, so 36% of the meat eaten by children, this is quite shocking, is processed or ultra processed. It's far too high. Things like ham, sausages, chicken nuggets. And by

the way, the chicken isn't linked to increased cancerous, but it's the processed form of the chicken, which isn't great. And then children are also eating proportionately more processed meat than adults now. And I think that's because it's commonly found in school lunches. And then the second highest ranking was sausages with sausage rolls then coming in fifth. So the World Cancer Research Fund, Ella, have backed these findings. They've basically said, you know, we agree with this. We need to be talking

about the risks of processed and high quantities of red meat and the report basically calls for government intervention to set policies up. Yeah, I mean, it is quite shocking when you when you kind of just step back from it that like the first, second and fifth most commonly eaten meat by children in this country are widely acknowledged by the World Health Organization to be carcinogenic. I think if you needed one pretty sobering fact that sums up the absolutely atrocious nature of nutrition in our country, it is that. Because really that is absolutely appalling. And I know this isn't political. No, we're not being political.

But it really is abysmal. Like how on earth have we got to a state where the first, second and fifth most common eaten meats are things that are acknowledged by the World Health Organization to be carcinogenic? That is quite frankly absurd. And it's because it's more available, it's everywhere, it's a socialized norm and it's cheaper. But I mean I think if you put it as starkly as that, literally as we were just saying,

three of the top five are classes of carcinogen by the World Health Organization. If you actually stamp that in the aisle where those things are sold or on the menu, I don't think people would be eating them but the information just isn't available widely enough. I don't believe to people. It's not clear enough. It's all deeply confusing. It's really not helped by having things like the carnivore diet trending. And I don't say that with any bias, like, doesn't matter if I'm veggie or not veggie. The problem to me is that you're then kind of really okaying a diet based solely on meat, which is just fundamentally unhealthy for an average person. Anyway, I don't want to be all soapboxy about it, but it really, really to me, it's

like kind of criminal that just successive governments have got to a point that we have such little intervention with nutrition and that that's the case. It's just wrong. And that's training people from their earliest days to think that that's normal. Dr. Panagiotou Mitro from the World Cancer Research Fund, Ella, she said, the evidence is clear. Eating high amounts of red meat and any amount of processed meat are both causes of colorectal cancer and they recommend no more than three portions of red meat per week, ideally none of it to be processed. I think the problem also comes from the traditions and the values we have of how we create a meal. Like we said, in restaurants, they build a meal around...

Meat and two veg. Yeah, meat and two veg. And they're trained to cook meat and decorate around it with chorizo and always extra, very flavoursome cured meats, which are full of flavour, but actually they are processed and they're not good for our health. But when most parents are in a rush and they're thinking, what am I going to buy for the week? They probably do just buy a thing of ham, think, oh, that's the protein done. Boom, kids will eat that. And it isn't even crossed their mind that

it's not a healthful item because they think it's protein. Therefore they think it's healthy because the protein halo is that all protein is healthy. You know, to be a conspiracy theorist. Sorry, here we go again. No, but I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist. I just want to clarify that to the listeners. But also, you do then trust it. It's like, OK, well, if the state is creating these menus for children, they wouldn't be putting foods

that are classed as carcinogens so commonly on the menu. Do you understand me? And so obviously, you're going to trust that. It's insane. But this I thought was interesting was, this was picked up absolutely everywhere. And other newspapers do too, but I just noted the one on the Times.

They were running a live poll alongside the article. And it asked, should processed meats be removed from school lunch menus? Now, obviously the Times is a certain demographic of readers, like I totally appreciate that. It is absolutely not representative of an entire country, of course it's not but 73% of people have clicked yes which is a very strong public mandate.

It is strong it just reinforces how important it is to shift the system but you know we can't expect individuals to make better choices when healthier options are hard to find it's the same when you look at nursery schools or if there's so many hoops to jump through to get changes. And there's so many different age ranges and demographics and preferences to deal with. The problem is most people don't know it's carcinogenic. And I think, like you said, if there were signs like there are on packs of cigarettes, that this is a risk because it's in the same category as cigarettes,

it should have a packet. Do you know what? I'll tell you something. I know we're not meant to be political, but I'll tell you something cool, which is that my mother-in-law helped bring in all that labelling on cigarettes. Did she? She did. Your family is so entrepreneurial.

It's quite cool. When she was working in government. So it's hard for me not to be political. Yeah. OK, headline number three. Yeah. Okay. Headline number three, this, oh, I feel like we're being depressing today guys. We'll make this harder. Okay.

This is from the Guardian and it's food additive titanium dioxide likely has more toxic effects than thought a new study finds. And I think obviously reason you book is all about ultra processed food. Ultra processed food conversations are everywhere at the moment. And I think we've talked about this, we're talking about red dye number three and all these other things. This is such an ever changing conversation. And I think, again, like I remember when I changed my diet, saying I'm really trying

to eat a natural diet, people were so confused by it. And the science it feels like is now iterating by the day in terms of actually understanding that these foods really aren't very good for us. So Rhee, will you talk us through what this one in particular, titanium dioxide, what that's about? Yeah, 100%. Now, I don't want to scare people and this is actually from the US. So it was a new study that came out from the Jyakshin Nanhu University and it suggested that titanium dioxide's nanoparticles are commonly used as food additives and they basically brighten whites, they enhance the colour in the food

but they now maybe, and they write it in such a passive way, they might be more harmful than previously thought. I always find it fascinating when these things come up and these nanoparticles are found in up to 11,000 US food products, especially the ones that children eat. So you've got candies and snacks like the classic, we all love M&Ms, chips ahoy, which are crisps over here in the UK. And the study found, Ella, that they disrupt hormonal signals in the gut, impair glucose regulation and may contribute to obesity type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. So while we need more research, always, you cannot deny that some additives should not be in our food. And we now know better. And I think if you are someone that's trying to limit your ultra processed food, again,

I'm not a conspiracy theorist or on a soapbox, but I think this is just increasing evidence that like, that's not the wrong thing to do. And I think in an environment where it is kind of almost counterculture to try and eat in a way that is much more natural, and not want to have lots of these foods in our diets, it does show that that is not a silly thing to do. Like you're not mad to want to do that. And I think I'm sure lots of people will be saying, oh, well, you mentioned the US, what about the European Union? What about the UK? So technically, despite these findings, the US FDA does still deem titanium dioxide safer consumption, obviously, there's a lot happening in the world of health regulation in the US at the moment, maybe that will change. But the European Union did ban this in use in food products in 2022 after

other studies indicated potential neurotoxic, immunotoxic and genotoxic effects. And it is interesting to remember when I came back from the US and I was saying to you products that are like an M&M or like a ketchup, for example, that you'd think are the same in the two countries, their ingredient decks are really, really very different. It's wild how different it can be. And obviously we talk a lot about not wanting to fear Munger and using the word toxic and there's a lot of toxic in that particular statement we just made. But that is something that's grounded in research, in fact, and it's not someone walking down the supermarket saying everything's toxic for you. And also, this is probably

in very large quantities of exhuming these nanoparticles. It's not just having one M&M is toxic. They're saying if you have like a jumbo bag in the States, it's not good for your health because of the amount of additives they've got within it, which I'd like to think most people knew. But again, the fact it's banned in the EU kind of says a lot. I think as you said, though, it comes back to an eye. You mentioned earlier in the show actually, it's like trying to tread the right middle ground. And I think that's something I have always found a little bit hard in my career,

because to the point of the fact there is so much evidence to show that actually your kind of standard Western diet is very, very bad, not just for your physical health, but your mental health. If that's the core of what you eat, that's the kind of majority of it. But equally, you don't want to make people feel guilty, you don't want to fear monger, and we want to encourage really positive

change. And equally, it's not about what you do every now and again. And I think that's the message I've always found really difficult is really enthusiastically encouraging like a fundamental shift in our diet. But really trying to caveat with that nuance that like to your point one M&M isn't going to do anything That's not where the problem sits the problem is not sitting with the occasional Mars bar the occasional bag of M&Ms That's not the issue. The issue is the fact that it's now kind of 55 to 80 percent of our calories and we're struggling so much to get the fresh food That's where the problem sits the problem doesn't sit So if anyone I don't want anyone to have health anxiety and think,

oh, if I have an M&M, that's really bad for me. Just like drinking a glass of tap water is really bad for me. That's not the case. And it does push industry to reformulate. Like Skittles recently announced plans to eliminate the additives from its products. So companies are listening, which is really, really interesting. But I must add as well, this research was on mice. And most scientists will say, look, if it's done on animals, it can't conclusively be true in humans. But I don't think it's research you can ignore.

Ethical things aside from testing on mice, I have my own things on that. But honestly, fascinating, Ella. I think it leads us really nicely onto what's trending in wellness. We have one big trend this week and then a little another side note from me. This is absolutely mind boggling. I sent it to you last night. I couldn't figure out if it was a headline or if it was a trend and I think it's a bit of both. So it's sitting in the right place. I think probably in our show today.

When Ella said she sent it last night she literally did send it last night and then she's like oh quickly quickly I was on the train she said I just need to put this in the brief today. I had to talk about it and the headline ran the £200 a month wellness habit is it worth it and basically new data just came out literally yesterday revealing that Gen Z and Millennials in the UK are now spending nearly £200 a month on wellness products. That's obviously over £2,000 a year, and specifically that's things like protein shakes, clear skin supplements, collagen powders, immunity tablets.

And according to the survey, 74% of 18-28 year olds have bought wellness products. So huge, absolutely huge. It's vast. But they bought those products purely because they saw them on social media. So 74% of 18 to 28 year olds are buying wellness products solely because they saw them on social media. And interestingly, as we often talk about with a lot of these things, aren't quite what they live up to be.

It's very hard to live up to the hype of some of these marketing claims. Half of those people later said they felt misled by what they bought, which is absolutely extraordinary. 93% of the respondents agreed that the internet and social media have created an obsession with wellness, health and beauty, fueling a pressure to buy more, try more and constantly optimize ourselves. And it was the same for men, right? More for men, which again, you remember we talked about this recently, men doing more Botox than women, which is very not what I expected.

Men are spending more than women on these so-called miracle cures, an average of £199 a month, and it's £169 for women. Do you know, a new paper by our friend, Dr. David Robert Grimes, who's been on our Extra Scoop has analyzed all the collagen supplements on the market and gone into depth. Wow. I mean how robust the data actually is and what it says and I am going to get him to

do us a voice note on it because yeah, I'm not going to give any spoilers. But it goes to show. Okay, tell me next week. Tell you next week. But what a profitable industry. Ella, I've got something to give you for our next trend. So first, a little card to say thank you for supporting me. And Ella's going to actually interview me for my book launch tonight, guys. It can't wait. And there's some beauty. Right. So this is my, I wear this every day. This is my

favourite lip gloss, but it's SPF 50. So you get the theme we're moving on to, which is so, so demanded for. And this is almost like a moisturiser, but it's SPF 50. And it's what is it? Ultraviolet, the brand of guys, if anyone wants to know. Not sponsored, just saying it's my favourite products. Thank you so much. Oh my God, it's just what I need. I was walking down the street today and I didn't have any sun cream on and it's so boiling. I had a hat most of the day. I feel with the heat wave at the moment so when we're recording to anyone listening abroad the UK is having this insane weather. Yes I

know we've had a very nice summer. We really really have and we know we've heard from you but we have seen a lot this question of is sun cream toxic is everywhere. You have people like Nora Smith making their own sun cream on the internet. And so I think we just wanted to kind of deep dive into this for our trend today, set the record straight. I mean, I think, again, it shows to me a little bit like maybe the internet is wild. Now, I'm not saying there aren't certain ingredients and certain brands of sun cream that may be challenging as per this conversation that we just had in terms of certain additives etc that doesn't just apply to food that applies to skincare and products you'd have in

your home as well. But the idea that as a general rule SPF is a terrible idea I find really concerning. Me too because every dermatologist I've ever spoken to and I'm talking consultants really really well educated people have always said it's actually the best thing to do in all weathers. And they say it's better for aging, anti-aging to have sun cream as well, Ella, because of sun damage than Botox and all these other treatments. And even you can get the rays, so the UVA rays are the ones that cause DNA damage, Ella, the aging, the pigmentation, the wrinkles. Remember to check sun creams that they have UVA and UVB, but those rays go through clouds, they go through glass, they go through your car window.

You don't realize how exposed we are, even in a great country most of the time, like the island of the UK. Yeah, it's absolutely extraordinary, isn't it? Okay, so, Rhee, tell us a bit about what is going on here. Why, what's the concern about sun cream? Okay, so I think most people are saying it's toxic and the whole chemical equals bad thing. Well, lots of social, lots of people on social media are saying it's toxic.

Yeah, no experts are saying it's toxic, just so you know, and if someone is pretending or masquerading as an expert, I think that's a pretty clear red flag. But you know, everything is chemical and I actually did a post on Instagram about this today. It's really confusing because yes you don't want ascorbic acid in a powder form in your cupboard because there's no point that's just a supplement of vitamin C you wouldn't cook with that but it doesn't mean ascorbic acid is dangerous because it is just vitamin C. So the word chemical is confusing but mineral song screens aren't inherently safer or more natural either because they're also made in labs and I think that's what's so confusing for people because mineral SPFs,

you know, we have to be honest, there's no such thing as a truly invisible zinc or titanium dioxide like we mentioned before formula, especially on deeper skin tones. So those are white powders and some are formulated better than others. But I think what we really, really need to know here is that thanks to ingredients like zinc being anti-inflammatory, it means that, you know, it's good for sensitive skin and inflamed skin. And we have to remember that sun cream has to sit on so many different skin types that it's like an art to formulate it. Yeah, no, I totally, totally agree.

And I think it's, it is just incredibly confusing. And I think there's people rubbing beef tallow on their face for some perfect protection. Can you imagine the smell? Yeah. I mean, I feel like people used to tan with just like olive oil on their skin, didn't they? Yeah, they just lie there. My dad told me a story when he was younger, how he was very fair skinned like I am, and they'd go to the beach with his mates that would just tan and he would blister and burn and he'd try and hide himself in a towel because there was no sun cream. You just had to put up with it. It was like it was I know isn't that heartbreaking. It really sticks with me today and it does make me very sad. But I want to go on to the DIY TikTok thing because unless you're a chemist formulating in a lab, just don't do it because your skin

and your future self are definitely, I think, going to thank you. There's no one clean way of making a sunscreen. It's just not possible because we're trying to create something out of chemicals that's going to shade us. And no matter how many tomatoes you eat, I know there's a link with lycopene and the antioxidant in tomatoes that's apparently beneficial for sun protection. But if you have fair skin like me, you will just burn. No tomatoes are going to save you. Which is absolutely terrible for your health. Really bad for your health.

Can lead to skin cancer. And, you know, my dad's actually had to have a few things removed because of that. And I think it's something that is quite a dangerous trend. I don't understand how it's allowed. I totally agree. I totally agree. So yes, while we're in a heat trend. I don't understand how it's allowed. I totally agree. I totally agree. So yes, while we're in a heat wave, please don't worry. I think it was like we talked about tap water,

like all of this, you know, life is a balance, but goodness me, the balance is on the side of wearing sun cream. I always end up burning my lips because I forget to cover my lips, which is why I bought you a lip gloss with SPF. Cause then you feel like you look a bit glam, but you're protecting your lips cause it hurts when you button your lips.

Guys I'm going to look so glam this week. I know. I know she's going to go to my book launch wearing her lippy tonight. I am. Okay, we've got our listeners question to finish the show and I thought this was such a great question and something I bet lots of other people are confused about as well. I feel like this isn't an old myth, like this has been lingering for a feel like this isn't an old myth, like this has been lingering for a while, this isn't a new one. And this has been said, I love the podcast when confused about soy. Lots of people claim soy yogurts and tofu and soy products are bad for me because of the hormones.

It just doesn't go away, does it? No, this has been lingering a long time, hasn't it? I mean, yes. I was at university many years ago now doing my nutrition undergrad and I chose to do an essay on soy because I believed soy was bad for you because I'd read everywhere about the interaction with hormones. So let me give you a few statistics and stats. The phytoestrogens in soy, like the antioxidants, the isoflavones are actually really beneficial for you. And I think the biggest myth is man boobs and soy like that's well and cancer. There was a there was a kind of I think a fear I think this would have been 10 15 years ago that eating soy

increased risk of cancer but in fact is actually the opposite. It lowers it and what's so interesting also for health is that over in Asia where they consume a lot of soy they have lower rates of osteopenia as well and osteoporosis massively so and they don't really consume much dairy which is interesting They consume a lot of soy. They have lower rates of osteopenia as well and osteoporosis, massively so. And they don't really consume much dairy, which is interesting because a lot of people link bone health to dairy consumption. But they consume a lot of soy. There's so many factors and their symptoms and reporting of menopausal symptoms are also lower in Asia than they are in the UK. But men's testosterone levels are not affected by these isoflavones.

And in two 2021 papers, it showed thatya is as effective as building muscle as whey products. There's always that debate Ella. And it helps control hot flashes or hot flashes in America. Wow. And as we said, I think it's also really important to say that soya foods and drinks are safe for breast cancer patients. They do not increase the risk. And there were, I think, just a few too many headlines a while ago now that created a real sense of fear around it And it's just not based on any current evidence whatsoever. You know, it's worse in Spain So I remember sitting on this global research panel and I was represented in the UK I think I remember telling you about it at the beginning and they said it's such a problem the misinformation on soy because they produce

Quite a lot over in Spain, but it does not disrupt your endocrine system, guys. It's good news and nutrition health professionals around 80% are witnessing a growing interest in soy from patients and people that they advise. What tofu sales? I'm telling you, they are through the roof. Really? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow. Oh my gosh, tofu is flying off the shelves. I really try with tofu. Like I personally do have it and my little one loves it when I roast it in the oven.

But it's just not something I think in our culture we know what to do with. Like we said last week, you have to marinate it and all sorts of things. Yeah, you get it out of it. If you're buying it in a cardboard packer, which is obviously like the number one brand in the UK, tofu. And it's this white block with some water around it, sort of a bit squishy. And you're just like, what do I do with it? What do I do with it? I would say two tips for cooking tofu. First of all, if you really can try

and press as much water out as possible, that does make all the difference in the world. And you can just, the best thing to do would be to cut it up, either you're gonna do it in little cubes or in slices, whatever you're gonna do. Pop some kitchen towel or a tea towel underneath it, pop the tofu on top of it, put another tea towel or kitchen roll on top and then put something like a cookbook, the ultra-processed plate for example, but put a book or a couple of books or something

a little bit heavy on the top and you can even leave it just five minutes but that will press out so much of the water. Then what you want to do get a really nice hot pan. You wanna fry it with some sesame oil or olive oil until it's nice and golden, crispy. Keep turning it over. But then the trick is to add the marinade at the end. Because if you put it in the bottom, sometimes if you don't have the world's best non-stick pan, it can get a bit gluey and clumpy and stuck to the bottom.

Whereas what you wanna do is get your tofu golden and then make your little marinade in a separate bowl and pour it over when the pan's really hot and it go poof and sizzle. And just then the liquid will evaporate and it goes nice and sticky over the tofu. That's how you make tofu really good. Do you want my favourite tofu recipe is ever? I did it in the book and it's sweet and sour tofu because I don't eat meat anymore and I missed sweet and sour chicken growing up. So we did sweet and sour tofu and it's so good! Yum!

So good but you have to do what Ella just said, if you don't get the moisture out and you don't really, I sometimes put the paper towels all around it and then just squish it. Exactly, you want to get that water out. But then it can be really delicious. Love it Ella. Okay guys, let's cook some tofu. Have a great week!

Have a great week, cook some tofu. And keep commenting any questions. I really do get them from Spotify reviews and the Apple reviews. It's so easy to pick out questions from there. And we are working on the substat this summer, so any suggestions, let us know. Amazing guys, have a great week. Thank you as always for being here.