Think weight loss is all about eating less and moving more? Think again. In this episode, Prof. Giles Yeo reveals why calorie counting isn’t just inaccurate—it could actually make weight management harder. He explains why the popular “calories in, calories out” method doesn’t add up and explores how factors like genetics, brain signals, and gut health play a major role in shaping our weight.

Giles Yeo is a Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology at the University of Cambridge and Honorary President of the British Dietetic Association. His research focuses on the influence of genes on feeding behaviour and body weight. Giles is also the author of ‘Gene Eating’ and ‘Why Calories Don’t Count’.

Giles shares the surprising impact of ultra-processed foods on how we process calories and why losing weight often feels like a battle against our own biology. With decades of research in his back pocket, Giles shares science-backed advice to help you break free from yo-yo dieting, read calorie labels smarter, and embrace a more balanced, plant-rich diet for long-term health.

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Timecodes

01:17 The quickfire round on weight myths

02:05 The biggest weight loss myth revealed

03:07 What are calories, really?

04:08 Burning poop: a bizarre calorie experiment

08:05 The woman who invented calorie counting

11:41 How calories became a diet obsession

15:00 Why calorie counting doesn’t work

18:56 Why food quality matters more

20:05 The blindspot of calorie labels

23:13 We eat food, not calories

27:02 Stress eating vs. stress starving

31:00 Why we always have room for dessert

38:22 How your gut controls your hunger

45:17 Why pizza makes your brain light up

49:41 Ultra-processed foods hijack your appetite

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Mentioned in today's episode

Long-term weight-loss maintenance: a meta-analysis of US studies, 2001, published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

How dieting might make some fatter: modeling weight cycling toward obesity from a perspective of body composition autoregulation, 2020, published in International Journal of Obesity

Weight-loss outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of weight-loss clinical trials with a minimum 1-year follow-up, 2007, published in Journal of the American Dietetic Association

Diet or Exercise Interventions vs Combined Behavioral Weight Management Programs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Direct Comparisons, 2014, published in Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Diet, exercise or diet with exercise: comparing the effectiveness of treatment options for weight-loss and changes in fitness for adults (18–65 years old) who are overfat, or obese; systematic review and meta-analysis, 2015, published in Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders 

Is regular exercise an effective strategy for weight loss maintenance?, 2019, Physiology & Behavior

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

A lot of things change as we age. Our dress sense, our taste in music and importantly our body. The truth is your body is not the same as it was 20 or even 10 years ago. 

So why should your diet be?

Dr Federica Amati is here to explain why our nutrition needs change as we enter later life and how we can adjust our diet to support this.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30+

📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:

The Food For Life Cookbook by Prof. Tim Spector

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Free resources from ZOE:

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition 

Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here

Listen to the full episode here

Belly fat is more than just stubborn weight – it plays a complex role in our health, interacting with the immune system and gut bacteria. But could gut microbes hold the key to understanding and managing belly fat?

In this episode, Dr. Suzanne Devkota, Director of the Microbiome Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai, shares groundbreaking findings on how gut bacteria interact with belly fat. Tim Spector, professor of epidemiology and scientific co-founder at ZOE, also joins the conversation to explain how the diversity of your gut bacteria affects weight and overall health.

Together, our guests share surprising ways the microbiome influences fat storage and offer practical tips for supporting gut health.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 The risks of internal fat

01:45 Quickfire questions

03:12 What is belly fat?

04:30 How dangerous is internal fat?

05:44 How our body uses belly fat

16:20 Groundbreaking study on gut bacteria

21:05 These gut bacteria live in your fat tissue

24:50 Gut health and your immune system

31:58 Why microbes are essential to survive

38:30 Why gut health starts at birth

46:40 The importance of sampling your gut microbes

50:50 Two changes you can make right now

53:02 Easy fermented eating tips

55:10 Why not all pickles are fermented

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Mentioned in today's episode

Translocation of Viable Gut Microbiota to Mesenteric Adipose Drives Formation of Creeping Fat in Humans (2020), published in Cell

Our extended microbiome: The human-relevant metabolites and biology of fermented foods (2024), published in Cell Metabolism

Effects of a personalized nutrition program on cardiometabolic health: a randomized controlled trial (2024), published in Nature

Heritable components of the human fecal microbiome are associated with visceral fat (2016) published in Genome Biology

Dissecting the role of the gut microbiota and diet on visceral fat mass accumulation (2019), published in Scientific Reports

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Many believe that dementia is inevitable, something solely determined by our DNA. But this isn’t the case. In reality, lifestyle choices play the most significant role in determining if we develop this disease.

So, what changes can you make today to reduce your chance of getting dementia tomorrow?

Dr. Claire Steves joins us to share simple steps that will protect your brain for years to come.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30+

📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:

The Food For Life Cookbook by Prof. Tim Spector

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Free resources from ZOE:

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition 

Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here

Listen to the full episode here

Forget crash diets this January. In this episode, we discuss simple, effective ways to eat well and truly enjoy food in 2025.

Today, Prof. Tim Spector and Prof. Sarah Berry join us to share seven essential strategies to help you improve your health this year. Based on the latest science that’s come out over the last 365 days, they bust common food myths, highlight the importance of quality over quantity, and show how the joy of eating can go hand in hand with good health.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+

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Timecodes

00:00 What's your nutrition goal for 2025?

03:08 This choice matters most for your health

05:20 Changes that could add 10 years to your life

12:30 Tip 1: Reduce intake of these foods

21:20 Tip 2: Try eating at these times

30:50 Tip 3: Stop counting calories

41:39 Tip 4: Change drink habits

48:15 Tip 5: Eat more plants

55:48 Tip 6: Are you getting enough protein?

59:07 Tip 7: Start eating these healthy snacks

01:03:50 Add these foods to your plate

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Mentioned in today's episode

Ultra-processed foods cause weight gain and increased energy intake associated with reduced chewing frequency: A randomized, open-label, crossover study, (2024) published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism

Counting hours or calories? Metabolic regulatory role of time-restricted eating in adults with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis, (2024) published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 

Changes in food preferences and ingestive behaviors after glucagon-like peptide-1 analog treatment: techniques and opportunities (2024), published in International Journal of Obesity 

The potential effects of chlorogenic acid, the main phenolic components in coffee, on health: a comprehensive review of the literature (2017), published in European Journal of Nutrition 

Differential peripheral immune signatures elicited by vegan versus ketogenic diets in humans (2024), published in Nature Medicine

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

In the second part of our 2024 recap, we take another look back at more of the best nuggets of wisdom from ZOE Science & Nutrition this year.

In this jam-packed episode, we’ll hear how your second brain affects your mood, why fasting doesn’t actually have to be difficult, and how to prevent the disease you probably don’t know much about - but can lead to hospital time. 

As you consider your New Year’s Resolutions and new habits, this episode will ready you with some great ideas. Why not share with a friend whose also trying to make positive change?

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 Introduction

01:08 Should you try fasting?

10:30 Eat more mushrooms

15:40 The power of spices

27:10 Your second brain

35:10 How to prevent osteoporosis

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Enjoy the full episodes here 👇

• Intermittent fasting | Spotify or Apple
• Mushrooms | Spotify or Apple
• Spices | Spotify or Apple
• Gut health | Spotify or Apple
• Osteoporosis | Spotify or Apple

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Let’s take a look back at our best episodes of 2024. We had an incredible lineup of guests this year who shared a huge range of actionable tips on improving your nutrition and gut health. 

A lot of what we learned might surprise you. Like the beverage you’re probably drinking every day that we thought was bad for us? Turns out it can actually be super beneficial. Or that what counts as a plant is actually so much more than just fruit and veg. Not forgetting the topic we’ve shattered the taboo on - which made our celebrity guest emotional. 

You’ll finish this episode equipped to tackle your post-Christmas slump and feel energised to build new habits with ZOE in 2025. 

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 Introduction

01:41 Build healthy food habits

08:15 Eat more plants with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

17:20 Reduce dementia risk

21:20 Is coffee healthy?

24:40 Why you need more olive oil

33:30 Our special guest!

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Enjoy the full episodes here 👇

• Habits with James Clear | Spotify or Apple
• Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Spotify or Apple
• Dementia | Spotify or Apple
• Coffee | Spotify or Apple
• Olive oil | Spotify or Apple
• Davina McCall | Spotify or Apple

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Navigating the twists and turns of menopause can be a challenge. Hormone fluctuations bring about significant changes in your body - including how it responds to exercise.

So, how can you adjust your workout routine to best support your body through this change?

Exercise physiologist Dr. Stacy Sims tells us how we can optimise fitness during this unique stage of life.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30+

📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:

The Food For Life Cookbook by Prof. Tim Spector

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Free resources from ZOE:

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition 

Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here

Listen to the full episode here

Artificial sweeteners are everywhere. They hide in cereal, salad dressing – even in health foods. But are they really a guilt-free way to satisfy your sweet tooth? Or is it naive to think that – because they’re zero calorie – they’re free of consequence?

New research shows there is a consequence. And it could be massive. Artificial sweeteners may disrupt the delicate balance of bacteria that live in your gut. You could see ripple effects like chronic disease, weight gain and a weakened ability to process real sugar.

Today’s guest is at the forefront of this research. For the last decade, Dr Eran Elinav led breakthroughs on the science behind popular sweeteners. He leads The Institute for Microbiome Research at the Weizmann Institute of Science. He’s published over 100 publications in leading scientific journals. And his lab is on the cutting-edge of gut microbiome research. 

We’re also joined today by Tim Spector. Tim is one of the world’s top 100 most-cited scientists, a professor of epidemiology, and my scientific Co-Founder at ZOE. 

You’ll finish today’s episode knowing what's in your sweetener, how it’s affecting you, and where to turn to satisfy your sweet tooth.   

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes:

00:00 The truth about artificial sweeteners

01:49 Quick fire questions

04:03 Tim's self-experiment

07:40 What is an artificial sweetener?

09:47 Examples of popular sweeteners

10:45 Detrimental effects of sugar on your health

13:11 Sugar's impact on gut health

16:30 Which factors affect the gut microbiome?

18:44 Full Fat Coke vs Diet Coke

21:05 Do diet drinks help weight loss?

26:00 Calorie restriction diets

28:01 Sweeteners and diabetes risk

35:50 Why your microbiome is a chemical factory

42:15 Not all sweeteners are created equal

49:00 The WHO's view on sweeteners

52:30 Practical advice on chemicals in food

55:05 How to transition off sweet drinks

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Mentioned in today's episode

Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota (2023), published in Nature

Personalized microbiome-driven effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on human glucose tolerance (2022), published in Cell

Acute and two-week effects of neotame, stevia rebaudioside M and sucrose-sweetened biscuits on postprandial appetite and endocrine response in adults with overweight/obesity-a randomised crossover trial from the SWEET consortium (2024), published in EBioMedicine

The contentious relationship artificial sweeteners and cardiovascular health (2023), published in The Egyptian Journal of Internal Medicine

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Are you ever intimidated by spices? Unsure what spice to add to which meal? If so, you might be missing out on some incredible health benefits! Spices are packed full of polyphenols which means they offer our body something really unique. Oh, and they taste great too.

So how can we introduce more spices into our meals?

Kanchan Koya is here to share the science of spices and show us how easy it is to make them a staple of our cooking.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member a zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30+

📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:

The Food For Life Cookbook by Prof. Tim Spector

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Free resources from ZOE:

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition 

Gut Guide - for a healthier microbiome in weeks

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here

Listen to the full episode here

Most women will recognize one or two symptoms of menopause - the infamous hot flashes or weight gain. But there’s also brittle nails, tingling in your hands and changes to your taste buds. In fact, there are more than 50 symptoms of menopause. 

Today’s guest, Tamsen Fadal, found out she was in menopause while on live TV. Tamsen is an Emmy award winning journalist and executive producer of the documentary “The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause”. She’s got a new book titled “How to Menopause”.

Tamsen is joined by Dr. Sarah Berry. Sarah runs the world’s largest study on nutrition and menopause here at ZOE. She developed a free tool called the MenoScale calculator that helps you track your symptoms so you can find relief. Sarah is a world leader in large-scale human nutritional studies, associate professor in nutrition at King’s College London and Chief Scientist at ZOE. 

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 34 symptoms of menopause

01:50 Quick fire questions

03:48 A scary moment on live TV

07:25 Feeling shame in menopause

08:20 What’s happening to your hormones? 

12:40 12 months without a period

14:01 How long do symptoms last?

15:31 New science on symptoms

24:40 How estrogen changes fat distribution

29:10 Gut microbiome and menopause

36:00 Menopause symptoms in the workplace

48:18 Easy menopause food hacks

51:50 Brand new symptom tracker

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Mentioned in today's episode

ZOE Studies on Menopause: abstracts

Menopause: Introducing a new way to understand your experience

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.