The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast

You can download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free to get access to all of our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs and new recipes added every month. We’ve had some amazing feedback so far and we have new features being added all the time - check it out with a 14 day free trial too.

Do check out this week’s “Eat, Listen, Read” newsletter, that you can subscribe to on our website - where I send you a recipe to cook as well as some mindfully curated media to help you have a healthier, happier week.

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Apr 12, 2023

00:39:02

Dr Chi-Chi Ekhator is a GP in London and probably one of the most motivating people I’ve ever met. You’re in for an absolute treat today, especially if you’re a passionate medic with a penchant for nutritional medicine like me, because this doctor is making some huge waves.

Chi-Chi is also a GP Appraiser for NHS England and Vice Chair of Ascension Trust, an organisation known for initiatives that seek to help the vulnerable in society. And leads the AT Beacon Project, a health initiative of Ascension Trust working on the ground in the heart of neighbourhoods to address health inequalities.

We met up at one of their health and wellbeing hubs in the inner city estate of Brixton, but they also operate out of social supermarkets, barber shops, churches and wherever you find vulnerable people that they can help to live healthier, flourishing lives.

As we were in the middle of an outreach clinic you’ll hear some activity during todays recording and if you want to see it in action, check it out on YouTube!

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We would love to get your feedback on the subject matter of these episodes - please do let me know on our social media pages (Instagram, Facebook & Twitter) what you think,and give us a 5* rating on your podcast player if you enjoyed today’s episode.

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Apr 05, 2023

01:35:03

There is biochemical beauty hidden within the colors, shapes, and diversity of the fruits and vegetables that line our grocery aisles and I hope after listening to today's podcast you’ll be inspired to explore even more of them!

Dr. William Li is back on the podcast, you will have heard myself and William on previous episodes where we explored the world of food as medicine. By eating foods that you already enjoy, like tomatoes, blueberries, sourdough bread, and dark chocolate your body activates its five health defense systems to fight cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative autoimmune diseases, and other debilitating conditions.

In William’s latest book, Eat to Beat Your Diet, Dr. Li introduces the surprising new science of weight loss, revealing healthy body fat can help you lose weight.

Today we talk about:

Reframing fat, and why fat is essential for life
Fat’s role in insulation, hormone production, fuel and thermogenesis
The mechanism of how the bioactives in foods improve metabolism
The foods that help with these actions from fruits, vegetables, spices and more
Plus William’s research led approach to food

Remember you can watch the podcast on YouTube if you want to see Dr Li’s show and tell, plus subscribe to the channel whilst you\re there!

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Mar 29, 2023

01:26:50

There are a few problems with therapy. It’s often hard to access, it can be costly, it’s hard to find the time to engage with a therapist and there is still, of course, a huge stigma around it.

But we know that it is a scientifically proven method of improving mental wellness. It improves brain chemistry and can reprogram neuropathways to help a person function in more helpful ways.

And that’s why I love the premise of Owen O’Kane’s latest book “How to be your own Therapist”. Teaching you the key fundamentals of therapy and how to apply these to your own life, alongside targeted tasks that only take 10 minutes a day.

All these techniques are steeped in a range tools including CBT, CFT, mindfulness, IP therapy, EMDR which why I absolutely trust and value Owen’s work so much.

Owen O’Kane, psychotherapist and former NHS Clinical Lead has been on the podcast before. We talked about where he grew up in Northern Ireland during 'The Troubles,' the perfect training ground for understanding the anxious mind due to the conflict and fear that existed in the region. He’s also a former palliative care nurse. Owen heard first-hand the biggest regrets people have on their death beds and as a result, learnt about the stresses and worries we shouldn't hold onto.

Today we also talk about:

Psychological flexibility

Not allowing your happiness to be so cheap

Micro injections of intention and introspection

Therapy is less about Indulgence and more about courageousness

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Mar 22, 2023

01:20:06

It was an absolute pleasure to host Thomasina Miers on the podcast today. Entrepreneur, cook, TV personality, activist, writer and so much more. There isn’t much that this incredible person can’t do.

Like many of us, she learnt to cook at her mothers side and after attempting to forge a career in advertising, journalism, digital consultancy, she followed her heart and went to cookery school.

Fast forward a few years, after travelling the world, she went on to win Masterchef and create Wahaca inspired by the food markets of Mexico during her trips.

Tommi cares deeply about where our food comes from, how it is grown, supports the soil, biodiversity and the planet and believes everyone should have access to good ingredients.

I learnt so much more about Tommi and we chat about:

The importance of soil
How the Chefs in Schools charity is changing what our children eat
How Groove Armada sold his record rights and started an organic farm
Why the ancient Mayan civilisation disappeared

Remember you can check out Tommi’s incredible book “Meat Free Mexican” which has some glorious dishes and her regular column in the Guardian.

All the links to our discussion topics can be found on www.thedoctorskitchen.com/podcasts

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Mar 15, 2023

01:24:51

Thyroid conditions. It’s a subject I’m consistently asked about online and one that really requires some understanding of how interconnected our systems are and how you can’t simply ‘eat for your thyroid’ without appreciating the multiple insults to our thyroid glands from lifestyle factors, drugs, toxins, sleep, stress and our wider environment.

This is a hefty subject but my guest on the podcast today Dr Amy Gajjar is an expert with over 2 decades of experience treating patients and a rich understanding of integrative medicine.

Dr Amy is an Integrative Physician (GP) combining Functional Medicine, Coaching, Yoga and an Ayurvedic Lifestyle. She trained at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London and worked as a GP for several years. In Sydney, she has undergone extensive further training and is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine and a Board-certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician. Her main interests are thyroid disease, gut health and autoimmunity. She has also completed courses in coaching, NLP, ayurvedic lifestyle, meditation and is a certified hatha and kundalini yoga teacher.

Dr Amy believes in taking a holistic approach to patient care, embracing all aspects of health – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

“Slow butterfly; how healing your thyroid transforms everything” is her first book and hopes to empower people living with Hashimoto’s/Hypothyroidism and inspire them to become the best version of themselves.

By the end of this podcast you should be able to understand what the thyroid gland does, how disruption of the gland can manifest in a variety of vague symptoms, what tests to think about, how to take control of your lifestyle to better manage low thyroid conditions with a practitioner.

We talk about:

The spectrum of thyroid conditions

Why poor thyroid health affects your gut, mood, weight, cholesterol, muscles and more

We focus on Hypothyroid conditions and the differential diagnoses to consider

Why conventional tests and treatment lack a focus on the root cause of issues

The biology of thyroid hormone release from the pituitary gland

Why disruption to normal thyroid hormone release leads to ‘hibernation’ symptoms

Stress, Sleep, Movement, Toxins, Nutrition and Herbs

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Mar 08, 2023

01:06:39

Today I welcome Dr Saliha Mahmood onto the podcast, winner of masterchef in 2017,NHS gastroenterologist and author of 3 cookbooks including the latest “The Kitchen Prescription” which is out at the end of March.

The more diversely we eat, the lower our risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and the more enhanced our immunity. Saliha and I chat about how we put this into practice on a day to day basis, both with patients and our own personal lives.

Saliha has a real passion for gastronomy that she pairs with an incredible empathic approach to gastroenterology and I really think it comes across in our chat today.

We talk about:

Functional Gut Disorders
How Saliha approaches food in clinical practice
The spectrum of gut disorders
The beauty of cooking
How to increase diversity in kids meals to improve gut health

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Mar 01, 2023

01:09:11

Shoots, sprouts, microgreens, saladgreens, grasses, activated nuts it’s a confusing business! But I have Doug Evans on the podcast today, the sprout man himself, to talk us through how powerful and easy sprouting your own can be!

Doug Evans is an early pioneer in the natural food industry. In 2002 he co-founded Organic Avenue, one of the first exclusively plant-based retail chains in the country. Doug has quite the idyllic lifestyle in the Mojave Desert on a permaculture hot springs oasis. Revolutionising gardening and growing your own food right in your kitchen in an affordable and accessible way is going to be a gamechanger for a lot of you and if you haven’t sprouted, and you have my first cookbook, I actually talk about sprouting and how to sprout broccoli and mung beans! But for the definitive guide, do check out Doug’s “The Sprout Book” to learn how to grow and eat the most nutritious food on the planet.

https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/sulforaphane

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Links:

Broccoli sprouts on weight

Inflammation and Broccoli sprouts

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Feb 22, 2023

01:44:10

Today on the podcast I have Dr Sally Moorcroft and we’re talking about Herbal medicine, also called phytotherapy, which refers to using a plant's seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes.

Dr Sally embarked on a medical career almost many years ago but her experience in hospital medicine, coupled with her travels to France and Australia that introduced herbal medicine, led her to complementary therapy which she’s practiced for almost 2 decaded.

Today we talk about a range of things on a subject I’m not terribly familiar with

The history of herbal medicine

The overlap with native america, ayurvedic and traditional chinese medicine

How we extract the products from plants

What adaptogens are and how to use them

Anti-inflammatory herbs

Resources for people interested in medical herbs, how to source quality products and potential drug interactions

And we also workshop some cases like patients with gastritis or high cholesterol and how Dr Sally would approach them

If you’re new to things like slippery elm, marshmallow root, devil’s claw, rhodiola and boswelia (like me!) I think you’ll find this episode useful and I’m certainly going to dive into the resources that Sally recommended!

uk.com/">Dr Sally Moorcroft is an award winning integrative and functional medicine doctor, she has a life long interest and passion in food as medicine and leads a team of doctors, nutritionists and practitioners. She has a BSc (Hons) in Herbal Medicine and is currently completing IFM certification. She has also trained in medical acupuncture, TCM and is passionate about using a personalised, holistic and root cause approach. Her special interest is women's health, especially menopause, perimenopause, endometriosis and PCOS; and the gut microbiome.

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Feb 15, 2023

01:17:09

My guest today has been on multiple journeys. Picking himself up after his athletics dream was crushed. Overcoming and managing a significant speech impediment. Finding joy, balance and his passion in helping others achieve a pain free life.

James Davies, author of “Body”, is the founder and CEO of Rising Health, which he started 10 years ago and his clients include David Beckham, Kylie Minogue, Philip Schofield, Mo Farah among many others. He has worked globally with professional athletes ranging from Olympic champions, premiership footballers, NFL and rugby union players, as well as A-List actors like Eva Mendes. He is the sought after therapist and even served the Great Britain team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

But rather than being trained as a physiotherapist, like most practitioners are who work for national teams, James actually trained at the British School of Osteopathy. He studied Massage and Sports injuries at the London School of Massage, Tecar Therapy in Italy, Tok Sen in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and is a noted authority on laser therapy, dry needling, acupuncture and cupping.

As a performance therapist and athletics coach, James is able to integrate a range of therapies including, massage, biomechanics and functional and structural applications. He developed the ethos of relieve, restore and perform based on his own personal experience as a young athlete, and his experience working with elite athletes.

This is a really cool conversation for me to have, I loved chatting with James, I learnt a lot from his new book ‘Body’, the language of pain, finding joy in movement and I loved how the majority of what we talked about came down to finding balance and creating a stress free life. Enjoy!