Stronger Minds

This episode is all about microbes. Specifically, the ones in your gut that we are discovering play important roles in supporting your overall health, including your brain and mental health. But there is a lot of noise out there, and a lot of grand claims being made. In this episode I want to help you cut through the noise and make sense of this fascinating but complex area of research and to know, when it comes to gut health, where you should be spending your time and money.Newsletter sign upKefir How ToA probiotic I use and trust*How to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is all about Ozempic or, more specifically, the GLP-1 receptor agonist medications that have, far beyond their original medical use, taken the dieting and weight loss world like an absolute hurricane and now clinical trials are recruiting children aged 6-18. In the episode I give a very brief outline of their physical targets and actions, but really I want to talk about the psychology of these drugs and to speculate on what they might mean for body sovereignty and how we relate to weight loss and bodies of different sizes in the future.Instagram post for this episode.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is part two of the brain health Q&A and I’ll be covering binge eating and the links between stress and dementia.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Q&A episode, I answer your questions including:Does sugar cause anxiety symptoms?What does magnesium do for the brain?What foods support brain healthNewsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The concept of Love languages, the five ways we give and receive love, is hugely popular, spawning thousands of posts and articles where people confidently proclaim what their or their spouses primary love languages are. But is it real? In this episode I look at the science - and pseudoscience - behind Love Languages and ask when will there be justice for Ann? Instagram post for this episode.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hyper independence is described as a trauma-related response that includes behaviours like a fear of relying on others and a reluctance to ask for help even when it is needed. But...says who? Where's the evidence? And what are the harms?Instagram post for this episode.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I describe the phenomenon of regret: the different types of regret, how it is generated in the brain, what our biggest regrets are, and how to reduce the amount of regret you experience in the future.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a growing ideological chasm between the men and women of Gen Z, which is unlike anything we have seen before. What's behind it, what are the implications for society. And what has Joe Rogan got to do with it?RefsKing's College Survey https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/assets/emerging-tensions.pdfChange Research Survey https://changeresearch.com/post/young-women-are-more-liberal-than-young-men/Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this short episode I share some thoughts on understanding and managing a particularly harmful aspect of envy.Newsletter sign upHow to Build a Healthy Brain*Unprocessed: What Your Diet is Doing to Your Brain*Patreon*Affiliate linksSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the November 2020 book clubSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the October 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the September 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the September 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the July 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the May 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the April 2020 book club.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audio from the March 2020 Book Club.P.s. The transition you hear 10 minutes in is my microphone, not your device!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Good relationships are one of the most important resources for psychological resilience. But toxic relationships can do real harm and seriously undermine mental wellbeing. In this first of two episodes I want to talk about a particularly unhealthy and unhelpful type of friendship: The Frenemy - someone with whom you are friendly or consider a friend but who does not have your best interests at heart. In this episode, my guest, Emmie Harrison-West describes the shocking end of her relationship with her best friend at university and the effects it has had on her.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The evidence of improved behaviour and academic outcomes for children with access to breakfast clubs, of reduced violence with improved nutrition in prison populations, as well as other research from around the world on nutrition, brain and behaviour, is well-established.But we’re still no closer to answering on key question. Why aren’t we doing anything with this information? In this final episode I speak to legal experts to try understand why the UK government and judicial system has failed to integrate biological research into sentencing guidelines.ContributorsProf. Nicola Padfield QC - Professor of Criminal and Penal Justice, University of Cambridge. Life Fellow, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.Fabio Tartarini – Chartered Psychologist and Ph.D. Candidate - Prisons Research Centre, University of Cambridge.Luis Navarro – Restaurateur, consultant to prison kitchens in association with Learning Together prison education programme.John Samuels QC FRSA – Retired judge, former Chairman of the Criminal Sub-committee of the UK Council of Circuit Judges, former Chair of the Prisoners’ Education Trust.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we move away, temporarily, from the prison studies to consider other research being conducted around the world showing the profound effects of nutrition on behaviour and mental health including decision-making and protection from stress and PTSD.ContributorsProf. Dr. Soyoung Park - Head of department of Decision Neuroscience & Nutrition and Joint professor of Charité – University Hospital Berlin and the German Institute of Human NutritionProf. Julia Rucklidge - the Director of the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Group at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2002, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showed that nutritional supplementation could reduce violence in prison by 37%. This study has since been replicated in prison populations in the UK, The Netherlands and Singapore. So why, when violence in UK prisons, including assaults on staff, is at an all time high are we not using this cheap, low-risk, accessible intervention? In this episode I speak to scientists behind this inexplicably ignored research.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode examines the evidence that shows a beneficial effect of nutrition on childhood behavioural disorders, and the surprising and worrying link between hunger and school exclusions.ContributorsDr. Alex Richardson - Founder Director of Food and Behaviour Research, Research Associate, Dept of  Physiology, Anatomy Genetics, University of OxfordCarmel McConnell MBE - Activist and Founder of Magic BreakfastSarah Dove - Strategic Director Phoenix Education Consultancy. President of PRUsAPSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2019 acts of self-harm and violence in prisons across England and Wales hit an all time high. There were nearly 60,000 acts of self harm, over 34,000 assaults, and more than 10,000 assaults on staff. There is something going very, very wrong in the prison system.But what if I told that there is already a scientifically proven way of reducing violence in prison by 30%? At current rates that could mean 20,000 fewer acts of self harm, 11,000 fewer assaults, 3000 fewer assaults on staff and perhaps 100 fewer deaths. And what if I told you that the evidence for this cheap, low-risk intervention has been available for nearly 20 years. Wouldn’t you want to know why this treatment wasn’t being used?Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to Build a Healthy Brain - I realised that while those of you who follow on Instagram will know where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to I hadn’t officially announced it on the podcast. So, in case you didn’t know I have spent the last year writing a book all about taking care of your brain and I thought I would give you a quick audio overview of it.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the audio recording of the February 2020 book club. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this session of the Thinking Space Book Club the featured book is Lost Connections by Johann Hari and in the discussion I give an overview of the biopsychosocial model of depression, The Serotonin Hypothesis, the difference between the colloquial ego and the analytical ego, how trauma can become lodged in the body and outline my manifesto for improving GP assessments.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s clinic question comes in the form of a podcast because I had a lot to say. In my reply I discuss the difference between acceptance and tolerance, the necessary additional features of true acceptance and round off with some thinking exercises for you to try. I hope this is helpful for some of you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is the long-awaited Q&A with specialist performance and eating disorder dietitian Renee McGregor. Renee is the UK’s leading expert in Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and is on the European Taskforce for Orthorexia. She has managed the nutrition for athletes at the the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics and the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and she is currently working with the Scottish Ballet.In this episode she answers a wide range of questions submitted by you. Everything from how important body fat percentage is for athletic performance, tips on challenging eating disorder beliefs and how to maintain hormonal health during training for sport. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Food and Mood - The October book was Brain Changer by Prof. Felice. Jacka. Felice was kind enough to give some of her time at the end of a very successful ISNPR conference and joins me for a live Q&A where she answered some audience questions. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Timeless advice on the art of living well (Penguin)On the Shortness of Life is a moral essay written by Seneca the Younger, a Roman Stoic philosopher. The philosopher brings up many Stoic principles on the nature of time, namely that people waste much of it in meaningless pursuits. According to the essay, nature gives people enough time to do what is really important and the individual must allot it properly. In general, time is best used by living in the present moment in pursuit of the intentional, purposeful life. (Wikipedia)Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is in response to some recent news headlines describing some of the nutrients important for brain health that people could potentially be missing on a diet low in animal foods. I had quite a few questions come in about this and thought it would be good to do a Q&A episode to try to address some of your concerns.I was very grateful to be joined for this episode by Sophie Medlin. Sophie is a consultant dietitian with expertise in colorectal health, and former lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at Kings College London. She is a passionate advocate for evidence-based nutrition and works with the media to promote safe and accurate nutritional information.You can find Sophie online at citydietitians.co.uk and she is @sophiedietitian on Instagram and Facebook.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

90 Seconds to a Life you Love by Joan I. Rosenberg“Sadness, shame, helplessness, anger, embarrassment, disappointment, frustration, and vulnerability. In 30 years as a practicing psychologist, Dr. Joan Rosenberg has found that what most often blocks people from success and feeling capable in life is the inability to experience, move through, and handle these 8 unpleasant feelings. Knowing how to deal with intense, overwhelming, or uncomfortable feelings is essential to building confidence, emotional strength, and resilience. Yet when we distract or disconnect from these feelings, we move away from confidence, health, and our desired pursuits, ultimately undermining our ability to fully realize our ambitions.”Audio from the August 2019 book club sessionSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a little different as it is the audio recording of the latest book club session. For those who don’t know I have an online book club called Thinking Space where we look at the psychological themes of a range of books.This month’s book was Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller. The synopsis says: Attached guides readers in determining what attachment style they and their mate (or potential mate) follow, offering a road map for building stronger, more fulfilling connections with the people they love.” Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anger is one of the most misunderstood and disparaged emotions. It is seen as a sign of immaturity or a lack of control, with people often confusing the emotional experience of anger with the physical act of violence. However, they are not the same thing. More than that, anger can be a driving force for tremendous good.In this episode I explain the psychological function of anger, how to recognise it, how to tolerate it and how to make the most of it.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the second follow-up to the Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder episode. In this episode I talk to mental health blogger Bryan. Bryan started tweeting and vlogging about BPD after he noticed that it was rare to see men talking about the diagnosis. In this conversation he sheds light on some aspects of the invalidating environment characteristic of the later development of BPD and describes how his symptoms can impact his relationships. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a follow-up to the Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder episode. In this episode I talk to Rosie from Talking About BPDRosie is a blogger, writer and artist. Her blog, Talking About BPD, shares the details of her life with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Rosie hopes that through sharing her thoughts, feelings & ideas, she can help change perceptions of this much stigmatised and often misunderstood mental health condition. She has an MSc in Medical Humanities, is a qualified primary school teacher and currently works in psychosocial support services in a charity. Rosie’s next big project is to write a book based on her blog and she won’t stop talking about her BPD until all people with this condition are treated with respect, compassion and understanding.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I want to talk about a mental health disorder that I think is poorly understood and can leave sufferers mischaracterised as deliberately manipulative or attention seeking. This misrepresentation of the illness drives hostility and stigma and can make people experiencing these symptoms reluctant to come forward and ask for help they are entitled to. I will be talking about Borderline Personality disorder, which in the UK is also known as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, and in the two accompanying episodes I speak to two people who are living with this diagnosis so that you can benefit from hearing them tell their own stories.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest is Professor Felice Jacka. Felice is a Psychiatric Epidemiologist working in the new field of Nutritional Psychiatry, which she helped to establish. Her PhD was the first to examine the impact of overall dietary intake (as opposed to individual foods or supplements) on mental health risk and she lead the SMILES trial, a ground-breaking randomised controlled trial using dietary improvement as a treatment for depression. In the episode Felice gives a behind the scenes look at what it was like conducting that research and the reaction from the international science community, and helps shed some light on some nutrition myths.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is just a quick to give you the heads up on some changes that you may have noticed around here. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heather is a scientist, educator, and author. She earned her PhD in Biology from the University of Michigan, where she earned the university’s top honor for her dissertation. On top of that she has a B.A. in Anthropology, which is the study of human societies and behaviour. She has researched the evolution of social systems across a range of organisms, including humans, and her book, Antipode, is based on her experiences in Madagascar while studying the sex lives of poison frogs.In 2017, she resigned from her tenured professorship at The Evergreen State College, where for fifteen years she provided undergraduates an evolutionary toolkit with which to understand what it is to be human, and how to be critical, engaged citizens of the world. She designed courses that prioritized the scientific method, and pushed students outside of their own certainty and comfort zones. And this is most of what we get in to – the relationship between safety and risk, the growing attack on science, and how to improve your critical thinking skills.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I Break Bread with Molly Smith and Juno Mac. Juno and Molly are sex workers and activists who campaign for the safety and labour rights of sex workers. They are the authors of Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers Rights.I was keen to speak to Molly and Juno because I think, maybe now more than ever, there is a need to have thoughtful conversations about difficult or contentious issues, that aren’t just about soundbites and picking sides. We need to be able to understand the nuance and complexities of people’s arguments if we are going to engage with them honestly. They are not advocating that sex work is great work and should be included on the national curriculum. What they are saying is that it exists, and that it is inherently dangerous work that it is made more dangerous by the legal system that surrounds it. They are asking that people – society and the government – recognise their basic human right to safety whilst at the same time we work towards a society where prostitution isn’t necessary as a means of survival for the most vulnerable people at the very fringes of society. I think it is an important discussion and I am grateful that they made the time to talk to me. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This topic is one that 95% of you said that you struggled with so hopefully you’ll get something useful out of it. I'm talking about self-sabotage, what it is and a few of the reasons that it comes about including anxiety and low self-esteem, fear of disappointment and loss, and passive aggression.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I am Breaking Bread with MiMi Aye.MiMi is British-born to Burmese parents, and has spent her whole life soaking up Burmese food, language, and culture through endless trips to see family and friends in Burma aka Myanmar.She is a passionate advocate for Burmese cuisine, the founder of supper club and online community, Burmese Food and Beyond, and author of NOODLE! 100 Great Recipes. Her next book, MANDALAY: Burmese Food & Beyond is out in June 2019 and contains nearly 100 simple but authentic recipes revealing the secrets of the Burmese kitchen.This is a real foodies’ episode. MiMi describes many of the key foods of Burmese culture, their preparation and symbolism. She shares her meaningful food in a story about prawn curry that brought us both to tears, as well as the legends of the illegal prawn procurement and the take of an unwanted edible gift from a military dictator. This episode was really a crash course in the traditions of the Burmese dinner table and cultural food practices, and it was absolutely fascinating. I hope you enjoy sitting around the table with Mimi Aye.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode follows the podcast on Self, False Self and People Pleasing. I received so many comments and questions after that episode went out that I thought it would be helpful to do a separate episode where I could answer your questions and go in to more depth on some aspects of the theory. So thank you to everyone who submitted your questions and if you haven’t listened to the previous episode I recommend listening to that first as I do refer back to it. I hope you find it helpful.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a special episode featuring a panel discussion on the state of diversity, racism and cultural representation in the food industry. The catalyst for this discussion was a series of incidents that took place in July 2018. Members of London’s South East Asian and food communities criticised a series of racist videos and social media posts from White British chef, Shaun Beagley. After initial requests for them to be taken down were not actioned the content was brought to the attention of one of his employers, Andy Oliver, Chef Proprietor of Som Saa, a successful London restaurant specialising in Thai food. It then became apparent that Andy and other prominent London food personalities were already aware of some of this content and, in some cases, had endorsed it.What followed was a huge amount of anger, confusion and disappointment at how people who were preparing and profiting from the food of South East Asia could at the same time be so denigrating of the culture and the people. This incident also raised other concerns about how the food and culture of minority groups is used and represented in London and the food industry in general.Following this, Adam Coghlan, the editor of the Eater London food website hosted a panel discussion on the events and the issues it raised. I was invited to be a member of that panel along with identity theorist Anna Sulan Masing, food and culture writer Jonathan Nunn, and chefs Asma Khan, of Darjeeling Express and Andy Oliver of Som Saa. The event was not recorded on the night but the panel reconvened at my London office for this special episode.The hope is that these events can be the start of meaningful change and improvement in the treatment and representation of the minority people and cuisines on which so much of the success of the food industry is based. Please join this conversation by adding your thoughts, sharing this podcast and raising these issues when you see them.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this episode I want to talk to you about something that I think is incredibly common but that you might not be entirely familiar with. I want to talk to you about a psychological concept called the False Self and how it relates to the more well-known phenomenon of People Pleasing. I'll introduce the concept of the self and how it develops, the conditions that lead to the development and reliance on a false self and what the implications are for mental health and wellbeing. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I am Breaking Bread with Caribbean cook, author and presenter Shivi Ramoutar. For this episode I joined Shivi at her home which gave me the opportunity to twist her arm and get her to share some of her wonderful classical piano playing, which you can hear at the top of the episode. And on the theme of music we discuss how, as a black musician starting her music career, she was pigeonholed into performing RnB even though that was not her personal style of music.In the rest of the episode Shivi shares some very funny stories about her family’s addiction to the hottest homemade chilli sauce,she retells the story of her disastrous first round of MasterChef and explains why she was the WORST. LAWYER. EVER.Super multi-talented, warm and such a funny, deadpan story teller. I hope enjoy this conversation even half as much as I did.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I am Breaking Bread with Ryan Riley. Ryan is a food writer and stylist and the founder of Life Kitchen, a charity he launched in memory of his mother, Krista, who died of cancer. About 50% of people who undertake chemotherapy experience changes in taste that can take away the pleasure in eating. Life Kitchen designs recipes and runs cookery classes to help guests enjoy food again.In this episode Ryan describes how he set up Life Kitchen, what his mum would have thought of the endeavour and shares some very touching anecdotes about his close relationship with his best friend.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I am breaking bread with Anna Pancaldi. Anna is a singer-songwriter from glorious Essex who is being tipped as a rising star in the music world. Though still very early in her career she has toured in Europe and the US, and starred in a campaign for Levis, for which she also wrote the song. I first met Anna at the launch of a charity recipe book that I had written a recipe for and where she was performing. I was so moved by her voice and have been a fan ever since so I am really happy that she agreed to be my guest on the show.In this warm and touching conversation Anna talks about the early roots of her musical career including getting started and her long battle to overcome stage fright. She also discusses what depression is like for her and how song-writing is her way of processing difficult and painful emotions. She also tells me the hilarious story of her worst ever gig and how she recovered from it.Anna is so open and funny and I am sure you will love not just her voice but her too. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/strongerminds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.