#86 Nutrition Science Series (Part 1 of 3) Why Everything About Nutrition Could Be Wrong with Professor Tim Spector
27th Jan 2021
Is everything we have been told about nutrition wrong? And have we questioned prevailing dietary dogma enough? Are we asking the right questions in nutrition science and if not, how do we rectify it?
Professor Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at Kings College London and honorary consultant Physician at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospitals is my guest this week and we dive into these questions and more.
He is the lead researcher behind the world’s biggest citizen science health project – the Covid Symptom study app. This free tool has been used by more than 4 million people in the UK, US, and Sweden. The app identified new symptoms of the disease and risk factors as well as monitoring its progress to warn health authorities.
He has published four popular books- including the best-selling Diet Myth and more recently, Spoon-Fed, a Sunday Times bestseller that I think is absolutely fantastic.
On the show today we talk about:
- Why the calorie in calorie out dogma is entirely flawed
- Why salt may not be the prime suspect
- The approach to pesticides we should take
- Artificially sweetened beverages
- Practical suggestions for how to live healthier
- What the future of personalised nutrition could hold
Episode guests
TIM SPECTOR, MD, is Professor of Epidemiology at King’s College London. He is the bestselling author of The Diet Myth, Spoon-Fed and Food for Life and co- founder of ZOE, the science and nutrition company. With a focus on cutting-edge science and honoured with an OBE for his impactful work in fighting Covid-19, Tim stands at the forefront of his field. The original pioneer of microbiome research, he is among the top 100 most cited scientists in the world.
Tim started cooking at a young age, enjoying his mother Juno’s lasagne at home and learning to cook Wiener schnitzel and apple strudel as a teenager working in an Austrian kitchen (all of which have inspired recipes in this book).
It was only when he had a mini stroke in his fifties that he was inspired to improve his own health outcomes by focusing his scientific research on the groundbreaking area of nutrition and the gut microbiome.
He then set about applying his cutting-edge scientific findings in his own kitchen. Tim’s wife Veronique and his children have, at times, been alarmed by the growing family of (sometimes explosive) ferments in their kitchen and fridge, but are increasingly impressed by his enthusiasm and creativity in the kitchen. They have even been known to ask for seconds and leftovers of ‘Juno’s lasagne’. Tim lives in London with his wife.
References/sources
- Access over 800 research backed recipes
- Personalise food for your unique health needs
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- #268 - 6 Strategies to make healthy eating easy for life with Professor Tim Spector
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- #263 How to heal your gut, support your microbes and what gut supplements to steer clear of with Colorectal Surgeon Dr James Kinross
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- #250 Health Statistics Everyone Should Know with Dr Rupy Aujla
- #240 Why Fasting, Meal Timing and Real Food Matters with Dr Sarah Berry, PhD RNutr & Chief Scientist at ZOE
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