ZOE Science & Nutrition

Fermented foods have evolved from a niche health trend into a supermarket staple. Kefir, kimchi, kombucha. Our shelves are now filled with products rich in beneficial bacteria.

But with so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to begin.

Today, Professor Tim Spector shares simple, practical ways to incorporate fermented foods into your daily meals. He’ll also show why fermenting at home is much easier than most people think, taking us inside his fridge to demonstrate how to make four of his favourite homemade ferments.

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar

Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra  

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

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

Episode transcripts are available here.

Can what you eat protect your memory, ease brain fog, and lift your mood?

For a long time, we thought the brain was separate from the rest of the body. It's easy to assume that mood, energy, and memory have little to do with what's on your plate.

But in today's episode, one of the world’s leading experts in nutrition, Professor Tim Spector, explains how your gut health shapes your brain health. From low energy and anxiety today to dementia in later years, he shares what to eat to protect your brain throughout your life. Tim shares nine foods to add to your diet - from mushrooms and eggs to tofu and fermented foods - with easy ways to eat more of them, all drawn from his new book, Good Mood Food.

By the end of the episode, you will have learned quick, budget-friendly recipes that support the gut-brain connection and will clearly understand the four principles you need to start boosting brain function today.

What if your tiredness, brain fog, and low mood are linked to the food on your plate? What might change if you ate differently for two weeks?

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar

Build healthy habits. Download the ZOE app today and start your trial for just £2.30 for your first week. 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 Intro

04:24 Why better gut health shows up in your brain first

06:05 Gut-brain connection explained: the vagus nerve is 80% gut to brain

10:30 Is the “chemical imbalance” theory of mental illness wrong?

12:28 What a week of fried chicken does to your brain

15:20 How a gut-friendly diet sends calming signals to your brain

17:17 How inflammation and blood sugar spikes damage brain cells

19:33 Does type 2 diabetes really triple dementia risk?

23:03 SMILES trial: can a gut-friendly diet ease depression?

26:06 How many plants should you eat per week? 30 or 40?

28:22 Why ultra-processed food is bad for your brain:t’s not just additives

29:56 Can intermittent fasting lift your mood?

32:44 Always tired? Why it might be a brain signal

36:19 Healthy comfort food: mac and cheese, fish and chips

39:16 Are mushrooms linked to 25% lower dementia risk?

42:18 Are eggs good for brain health? How many a week is OK?

44:03 Best omega-3 foods for brain health: the SMASH fish rule

46:27 Is tofu good for your brain? How to cook it in 30 seconds

49:52 Do herbs and spices help your brain? What we know so far

52:10 Is your brain really made of fat? Why nuts and seeds matter

54:29 Do you need to soak beans and lentils for hours?

56:41 Don’t pour away chickpea water: egg white swap

58:52 Does heating fermented foods kill the benefits? Postbiotics explained

1:00:17 Where to start for better mood and brain health: try this for 2 weeks

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

The ZOE METHOD study, ZOE (2024)

Daily30: Does it work?, ZOE (2026)

ZOE’s Fermented Food study, ZOE (2025)

The ‘SMILES’ trial, BMC Med (2017)

Type 2 Diabetes and Dementia, J Int Neuropsychol Soc (2004)

The Big IF Study, ZOE (2023)

Mushroom Consumption and Dementia, J Am Geriatr Soc (2017)

Egg Consumption and Brain Function, Nutrients (2024)

Tofu Consumption and Reduced Cancer Risk, Nutrients (2024)

Unlocking Saffron’s Potential in Brain Health⁠, Cureus (2025)

Episode transcripts are available here.

Sleep. It’s a bizarre process when you think about it. We lie down, close our eyes, and before we know it, we’re waking up the next morning with a head full of hazy dreams.

Because of its mysterious nature, sleep has long been surrounded by all kinds of strange ideas and theories about what might help or harm it. From cheese causing nightmares to turkey making you sleepy.

So today I’m joined by sleep expert Dr Sophie Bostock to separate fact from fiction. She’ll debunk common sleep myths and share simple, practical tips you can use tonight to improve your sleep.

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar

Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra  

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

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

Episode transcripts are available here.

How do you build muscle and stay strong as you age?

For most of us, muscle loss starts in our 30s. It’s easy to think that you can combat this and stay strong into old age by strength training and eating plenty of protein.

Exercise and macros matter, but scientists are uncovering another important piece of the puzzle - a direct connection between your gut health and healthy ageing. It could change how we think about staying strong as we get older.

In today's episode, Professor Claire Steves - a world-leading expert in ageing and health - and Professor Tim Spector explore the gut-muscle axis - how your gut microbiome influences your muscle health. They explain why maximum protein doesn't mean maximum muscle, how gut bacteria ‘talk’ to muscle tissue, and why an unhealthy gut can make muscles resistant to growth.

For listeners looking for simple ways to support their muscles today, this episode includes practical advice you can easily fit into your routine. Claire and Tim share quick daily habits and explain how to get your protein from diverse plant sources.

Could changing what you feed your gut microbes today be the key to keeping your body strong for decades to come?

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar

Build healthy habits. Download the ZOE app today and start your trial for just £2.30 for your first week. 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 Intro

04:08 Why muscle matters for healthy aging, not just the gym

06:37 The hidden organ: how your muscles talk to your body

10:35 Why it gets harder to keep muscle as you age

11:37 Can you have a 20-year-old's muscles at 70?

13:29 Can muscle loss increase your risk of cancer?

15:51 Why skinny doesn't mean healthy

17:40 What is sarcopenia?

20:52 How 4 days of bed rest can shrink your muscles

23:31 Gut-muscle axis: how gut bacteria talk to your muscles

23:53 Why protein stops working as you age

26:11 Can improving your gut health build stronger muscles?

28:57 Can strength training change your gut microbiome?

30:57 Can the Mediterranean diet make your legs stronger?

34:01 The diet trial that improved muscle and bones, no gym

34:55 Is there a magic gut bug for building muscle?

39:38 Intermittent fasting: should you exercise before breakfast?

44:43 Can too much protein weaken your muscles?

46:32 How much protein do you really need per day?

49:20 The best protein foods to feed your gut and muscles

52:26 Carnivore diet: what meat and shakes do to your gut

53:46 Strength training, cardio or balance: what do you need?

56:04 The easy 2-minute toothbrush habit for better muscle health

57:21 Key takeaways: muscles, microbes, and the protein myth26:11 Can improving your gut health build stronger muscles?

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

Master Cyclist Study, King’s College London (2018)

Physical Activity and Reduced Cancer Risk, Nat Rev Cancer (2008)

Bed Rest and Muscle Loss, Diabetes (2016)

Microbiome Interventions and Inflammation, Cureus (2025)

The Gut Microbiome and Muscle Strength, BMC Geriatr (2021)

Resistance Training Reshapes the Gut Microbiome, Sports Med Open (2026)

The Mediterranean Diet and Muscle Strength, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice (2025)

Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Muscle Mass, J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle (2024)

Mitochondrial Properties in Skeletal Muscle Fiber⁠, Cells (2023)

Episode transcripts are available here.

Every one of us runs on a biological rhythm - a finely tuned system that controls when we feel alert, when we feel tired, and even how we process food.

But here’s the problem: modern life doesn’t always respect this rhythm. Late nights, early alarms, and irregular meals put many of us out of sync with our own biology.

I’m joined by Professor Debra Skene to explain why this mismatch matters, and how you can transform your health by aligning your lifestyle with your internal ticker.

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar

Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra  

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

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

Episode transcripts are available here.