One Health Tweak a Week Podcast

Ben Jones MD PhD
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One straightforward, science-backed tip for a longer, healthier life—direct from an MD PhD to you each week. benjonesmdphd.substack.com

  1. Eating Decently but Belly Fat Won’t Shift? Check Your Snacks

    5D AGO

    Eating Decently but Belly Fat Won’t Shift? Check Your Snacks

    If you’re eating pretty well, avoiding sugar-sweetened drinks, and your belt still feels tighter than it should, this episode is for you. In last month’s belly-fat episode, we asked listeners to upgrade just one ultra-processed eating occasion. More than half chose their snacks. That made me curious - and when I dug into the data, it made sense. For many adults, snacks now provide around a quarter of daily calories, and a disproportionate share of added sugar, saturated fat, and ultra-processed food. In other words, your “just a biscuit” moments might be doing more damage than your meals. In this episode, we’ll look at why snacks are such a powerful lever for visceral fat and metabolic health, including a brain-imaging study where eight weeks of high-fat, high-sugar snacking actually changed how people’s reward circuits responded to rich foods. We’ll talk through the big danger zones - the late-morning or mid-afternoon slump and the after-dinner treat - and why the underlying need (hunger, tiredness, or reward) matters. Then we’ll get practical. We’ll walk you through a two-minute snack audit, simple design rules for a “waist-friendlier” snack, and a menu of options that still feel like real treats. We’ll finish with a 7-day “snack upgrade” experiment designed to be small, realistic, and surprisingly powerful. Science-backed advice, simple steps, real results. Subscribe to One Health Tweak a Week today and take the guesswork out of healthy living. Get full access to One Health Tweak a Week at benjonesmdphd.substack.com/subscribe

    14 min
  2. Could Your Daily Rhythms Be Undermining Your Health?

    FEB 7

    Could Your Daily Rhythms Be Undermining Your Health?

    In this episode of One Health Tweak a Week, we zoom out from individual habits - bedtime, breakfast, evening screens - and look at the bigger system they all feed into: your body’s internal clock. We’ll walk you through what circadian rhythms are, why you have one master clock in the brain and lots of local clocks in organs like the liver and gut, and why health isn’t just about what you do but when you do it. We’ll look at large studies showing that people with fragmented, irregular 24-hour routines have higher risks of dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, anxiety and even early death, even when their total sleep time looks “fine”. We’ll touch on shift work, social jetlag, and why midlife is when circadian misalignment really starts to bite. Then we bring it back to something practical: a simple way to sketch your own 24-hour rhythm so you can see where your life and your body clock are currently out of sync. No perfection, no overhaul - just observation. If you’re someone who already cares about sleep, diet and exercise, this episode will help you connect those dots into one overlooked pillar: living in better rhythm with your body clock. Science-backed advice, simple steps, real results. Subscribe to One Health Tweak a Week today and take the guesswork out of healthy living. Get full access to One Health Tweak a Week at benjonesmdphd.substack.com/subscribe

    16 min
  3. Are You Eating Enough Fruit to Age in Good Health?

    JAN 31

    Are You Eating Enough Fruit to Age in Good Health?

    We’ve been told to eat our five a day for as long as we can remember - but what does the evidence actually say? And how much fruit do you really need to see measurable health benefits? In this episode of One Health Tweak a Week, we look at three decades of data from over 100,000 adults to uncover the surprisingly strong link between whole fruit intake and healthy ageing. We’ll cover why fruit topped the leaderboard in a major study of people who reached age 70 free from major disease or disability - and what makes whole fruit different from juice, smoothies, or added sugars. You’ll learn: * Why 200 grams / 7oz a day (about a double handful) seems to be the sweet spot * How fruit is linked to lower risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and dementia * How to make fruit a daily habit - even if you’re more biscuit than berries * And why your fruit bowl might be judging you (just a little) This isn’t about superfoods or expensive berries. Just one tweak - easy to measure, easier to keep. Science-backed advice, simple steps, real results. Subscribe to One Health Tweak a Week today and take the guesswork out of healthy living. Get full access to One Health Tweak a Week at benjonesmdphd.substack.com/subscribe

    18 min
  4. Can Small Tweaks in Sleep, Exercise and Diet Really Move the Needle?

    JAN 24

    Can Small Tweaks in Sleep, Exercise and Diet Really Move the Needle?

    If you’ve ever thought, “I’m already doing quite a lot… surely the only way to get healthier is to overhaul everything,” this episode is for you. This week, we dig into a new Lancet analysis of nearly 59,000 adults that asks a deceptively simple question: what happens when you make small, combined improvements in sleep, movement, and diet - instead of trying to perfect just one? You’ll hear how higher SPAN scores (Sleep, Physical Activity and Nutrition) were linked with extra years of total and disease-free life, why the steepest gains appear at the bottom of the curve, and what that means if you - or someone you care about - are starting from a less-than-ideal baseline. We’ll walk through concrete examples from the study: * How 5 extra minutes of sleep, 2 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous movement, and ½ cup of veg a day mapped to about one extra year of life, and * How slightly bigger but still realistic changes were associated with around five extra years. We’ll also talk about sweet spots for sleep and activity (yes, more is not always better), why doing “a little in two lanes beats doing a lot in one”, and how this paper quietly validates the whole One Health Tweak a Week approach. If you’re ready to choose one or two tiny, stackable tweaks this week, press play. If you’d like to see the graphs and scoring criteria so you can see where you are on the SPAN scale, head over to the newsletter version of this podcast. You’ll find it here. The One Health Tweak a Week newsletter has now been read over 100,000 times. Subscribe to get it in your inbox every Saturday. Science-backed advice, simple steps, real results. Subscribe to One Health Tweak a Week today and take the guesswork out of healthy living. Get full access to One Health Tweak a Week at benjonesmdphd.substack.com/subscribe

    15 min
  5. Is the High-Protein Hype Helping Your Health - or Harming It?

    JAN 17

    Is the High-Protein Hype Helping Your Health - or Harming It?

    This week on the One Health Tweak a Week podcast, we’re wading into the high-protein craze. Everywhere you look there’s another “protein” label – bars, cereals, puddings, even water. You’re told more protein will help you build muscle, burn fat, and age well. At the same time, you may have heard whispers that too much could be harmful. So are high-protein foods actually helping your health – or just helping someone sell more ultra-processed snacks? In this episode, I walk through why protein has become the wellness world’s favourite nutrient and Big Food’s favourite health halo, and who is actually likely to be getting too much versus too little. We’ll talk about how “high protein” can act as a Trojan horse for additives and refined starches, and why chasing 150 g a day can distract from basics like plants, movement, sleep, and, in later life, getting enough protein in real meals. Then we land on this week’s tweak: dropping just one high-protein junk food a day and swapping it for real food (or nothing at all). It’s a calm, doable reset – especially if your trolley has quietly filled up with “protein” everything. Science-backed advice, simple steps, real results. Subscribe to One Health Tweak a Week today and take the guesswork out of healthy living. Get full access to One Health Tweak a Week at benjonesmdphd.substack.com/subscribe

    16 min

  6. JAN 10

    Start Tackling Belly Fat: 7-Day Ultra-Processed Food Experiment

    This week on One Health Tweak a Week, we’re talking about belly fat that isn’t just cosmetic - the visceral kind packed around your organs. You can have a “healthy” weight on paper and still be quietly accumulating fat in the wrong place. Visceral fat sits deep in the abdomen and chest, wrapped around organs like the liver, intestines, pancreas and even the heart - and it’s strongly linked with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, abnormal blood fats, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease and more. The frustrating part? Your waist can worsen while the bathroom scales behave. The encouraging part? You don’t need a full lifestyle overhaul to start shifting things. In this episode, I’ll explain why your waistline is a better “metabolic vital sign” than weight alone - and why ultra-processed foods are a high-leverage first place to start. Then we’ll run a simple 7-day experiment: identify your most ultra-processed eating occasion (often breakfast or snacks), and upgrade just that one meal for a week. No calorie counting. No perfection. Just a repeatable swap you can actually stick to - plus the friction-killers that stop this kind of change dying after two days. If you want 2026 to be the year your waistband eases up - and your long-term health gets stronger with each small shift - start here. If you’d like the printable or interactive tracker that accompanies this episode, you can download it from this week’s newsletter: Start Tackling Belly Fat: 7-Day Ultra-Processed Food Experiment I’ve also built an interactive tool that will ask you a few questions, then do all the hard work for you. You’ll just need your height and waist measurements. You can access it here. Science-backed advice, simple steps, real results. Subscribe to One Health Tweak a Week today and take the guesswork out of healthy living. Get full access to One Health Tweak a Week at benjonesmdphd.substack.com/subscribe

    15 min
  7. One Year In: A One Health Tweak A Week Check-In

    JAN 3

    One Year In: A One Health Tweak A Week Check-In

    This week’s episode is a New Year check-in - a little different from the usual “here’s one tweak” format. Over the past year, One Health Tweak a Week has grown into a lively, health-literate community: curious, sceptical of fads, and far more interested in what actually moves the dial than what’s merely trendy. Looking back at comments and polls, a few patterns stood out. You loved the calm, practical food rules that make everyday decisions feel simpler. But some sticking points remain stubbornly common - especially sleep (waking in the night) and long stretches of sitting, even among people who walk regularly. The bigger lesson is one most of us already know: information isn’t the main problem. The gap is implementation - the space between “that’s a good idea” and “this is what I do now”. So in 2026, the focus shifts slightly: less new information for its own sake, more help with follow-through. In this episode, you’ll hear the small change I’m making, plus a simple three-prompt mini exercise you can use to turn one good intention into something that’s actually easier to do this week. If you want the trackers/checklists/tools we’re building, they’ll live in the newsletter. Sign up below. Science-backed advice, simple steps, real results. Subscribe to One Health Tweak a Week today and take the guesswork out of healthy living. Links to this year’s most popular posts as mentioned in the podcast: * Ignore the Noise: The Simple Eating Rules That Save Lives * The Only Food List You’ll Ever Need for Healthy Ageing? * Eat Carbs, Age Better: What 47,000 Women Taught Us * The Gut-Friendly Carb Linked to Longer Life Get full access to One Health Tweak a Week at benjonesmdphd.substack.com/subscribe

    9 min
  8. My Year of Trying to Act on My Own Health Tweaks

    12/27/2025

    My Year of Trying to Act on My Own Health Tweaks

    After eleven months of sending out weekly “health tweaks”, I did the slightly uncomfortable thing: I looked back and asked what actually changed in my own life. This is a Christmas special, and it’s not a lecture. It’s a behind-the-scenes, mildly embarrassing report card on what happened when evidence-backed ideas met real life: deadlines, preferences, and the strange power of the bakery section in Marks & Spencer. You’ll hear about the tweaks that genuinely stuck (including my new hard rule on microwaving food in plastic, and how that accidentally turned me into a “jar person”), the ones that half-worked (hello, 18°C office), and the ones I still routinely lose to my own habits (late nights, anyone?). There are also cameos from: tins of mackerel, a demoted oven, and matcha - which I drink standing up in the kitchen like I’m taking antibiotics, followed immediately by a square of dark chocolate as compensation. If you’ve ever read health advice thinking “yes… and yet”, this one’s for you. It’s a reminder that the work isn’t knowing; it’s designing a life where the sensible option is also the easy one. Get full access to One Health Tweak a Week at benjonesmdphd.substack.com/subscribe

    14 min
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One straightforward, science-backed tip for a longer, healthier life—direct from an MD PhD to you each week. benjonesmdphd.substack.com

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