In a Nutshell: The Plant-Based Health Professionals UK Podcast

Clare Day and Daisy Lund
  • 4.8 (21)
  • NUTRITION

This podcast is hosted by NHS GP's, Dr Clare Day and Dr Daisy Lund who will take you through all things health and plant based. They are both experienced clinicians with an interest in plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine, and a passion to share nutritional education with colleagues and the general public. But they don't do this alone. Episodes have interviews with experts within the field of plant-based nutrition, bringing the most up to date evidence-based information in an accessible way, all while sharing tips and recipes on plant-based eating to improve your health and wellbeing.

  1. From controversy to clarity: the truth on soya, with Dr Mark Messina

    2D AGO

    From controversy to clarity: the truth on soya, with Dr Mark Messina

    From fears around hormone disruption, thyroid health, breast cancer, fertility, and even feminising effects in men, soy has been surrounded by controversy for many years. Yet at the same time, populations consuming soy regularly tend to have lower rates of chronic disease and longer life expectancy. So what does the totality of the scientific evidence actually say? To answer that question we’re joined by Dr Mark Messina, one of the world’s leading researchers on soya foods and health.  Dr Messina is Director of Nutrition Science and Research at the Soy Nutrition Institute (SNI) Global. He has dedicated his career to studying the health effects of soya foods and has published over 125 articles and book chapters over his three decades of work in the field. In this deep dive we will distinguish the scientific evidence from pervasive online misconceptions and examine what the current research indicates about soya's effects on cardiovascular health, cancer risk, endocrine function, and well being. To contact Dr Messina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-messina-985ba642/ To read more about Dr Messina's research papers: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Messina-Mark-2 And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today. If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below: https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health;  with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see. Discover evidence-based approaches to transform hospital meals in our upcoming Global Healthy Hospital Network webinar. Join us on 4 March 2026, 16:00 GMT to explore practical strategies to make hospital meals healthier for patients and staff while reducing environmental impact. This session is designed for healthcare professionals seeking actionable, evidence-based ways to transform hospital food environments. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-rnYGLwqQ9-ZQPh-P1cfPw The Global Healthy Hospital Food Network is a collaborative initiative led by PAN International, Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, ProVeg International, and Greener by Default.

    1h 6m

  2. FEB 11 · BONUS

    Does your cancer doctor know what you should eat?

    In this week's nugget, Plant-Based Health Professionals' founder, Dr Shireen Kassam takes us through two recently published papers exploring what oncologists may and may not know about diet and cancer, the reasons for this, and what they tell their patients. Kassam S, Kassam Z, Nemirovsky D, et al. Oncologists Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Providing Dietary Guidance to Patients With Cancer. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2026;0(0). doi:10.1177/15598276251414349 Patel A, Kassam S, Shah UA. Food for Thought: Addressing a Research Gap for Dietary Trials in Hematologic Malignancies. Blood Cancer Discov. 2025 Sep 3;6(5):406-411. doi: 10.1158/2643-3230.BCD-25-0141. PMID: 40778663; PMCID: PMC12405862. And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today. If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below: https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health; with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

    22 min
  3. Autoimmune disease: food as a first defence, with Karen Lee

    FEB 4

    Autoimmune disease: food as a first defence, with Karen Lee

    This week on the podcast we speak with nutritionist, author, and retired ITU nurse, Karen Lee. Karen shares her journey of following a whole-food plant-based diet to help manage her symptoms of the autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis. We cover the research showing how whole-food, plant-based dietary patterns may help reduce systemic inflammation, improve gut microbiome diversity, and improve symptoms relevant to many autoimmune diseases. To find out more and connect with Karen:https://thesensitivefoodiekitchen.com/ To buy Karen's latest book:https://www.hammersmithbooks.co.uk/product/healing-from-the-inside-out/ Published case study discussed:https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15598276221141403 PBHP Fact Sheet on MS:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/MS-factsheet-210519.pdf To find out more on OMS:https://overcomingms.org/ Clare's vegan omelette recipe: 300g silken tofu 140g firm tofu  3tbsp gram flour 2 tbsp tapioca flour 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed in 2tbsp water 1/2 tsp turmeric  Good pinch of Kala namak (if available) Ground pepper Dash of plant milk if the mixture is a bit stiff Oil of your choice for frying (optional) Filling of your choice e.g vegan cheese, mushrooms, spring onions, kimchi! Blend together the silken tofu, gram flour, tapioca flour, flaxseed, turmeric, Kala namak and pepper. Crumble in the firm tofu and give it a final mix. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan. Add the mixture and give the pan a wobble to level it out. Adjust the hob heat so that you can see a bit of steam coming from the pan but it shouldn't be bubbling too vigorously. It will take up to about 20 minutes for the omelette to fully set. When it is starting to look set you can add the filling to the top to start heating through, or melting if it's vegan cheese. Just before serving, fold over the omelette in the pan, then you can slide it onto a plate and decorate with fresh herbs or chopped spring onions. And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today. If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below: https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health;  with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

    56 min

  4. JAN 28

    Avoiding any unnecessary upset: bacterial pathogens and meat

    In this week's nugget, we explore some of the knowns and  unknowns when it comes to eating farmed animals who may carry bacteria known to cause disease in humans. The spotlight is on  helicobacter pylori, campylobacter jejuni, and e.coli. You might think twice about what you store in the freezer or throw on a barbeque.  The Ingest podcast: https://www.pcsg.org.uk/podcast/h-pylori/ Almagro-Martínez, C., Alenda-Botella, A. & Botella-Juan, L. Systematic review on the zoonotic potential of Helicobacter pylori. Discov Public Health 22, 432 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00834-w Quaglia NC, Dambrosio A. Helicobacter pylori: A foodborne pathogen? World J Gastroenterol. 2018 Aug 21;24(31):3472-3487. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i31.3472. PMID: 30131654; PMCID: PMC6102504.Aziz M, Park DE, Quinlivan V, Dimopoulos EA, Wang Y, Sung EH, Roberts ALS, Nyaboe A, Davis MF, Casey JA, Caballero JD, Nachman KE, Takhar HS, Aanensen DM, Parkhill J, Tartof SY, Liu CM, Price LB, .2025.Zoonotic Escherichia coli and urinary tract infections in Southern California. mBio16:e01428-25.https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01428-25 https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/report-into-the-sources-of-human-campylobacter-infection-published-0 Harmful impacts of microplastic pollution on poultry and biodegradation techniques using microorganisms for consumer health protection: A review https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579124010344?via%3Dihub And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today. If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below: https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health;  with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

    12 min

  5. JAN 21

    Moving medics forward, with Dr Michael Klaper

    This week we are thrilled to be speaking with Dr Michael Klaper, M.D. Dr Klaper is an experienced physician, educator, and author who has spent decades advocating for a preventive approach to healthcare grounded in healthy, whole-food, plant-based diets. Through the non-profit organisation Moving Medicine Forward, Dr Klaper’s current work centres on integrating nutrition and lifestyle education into medical training, empowering future doctors to use diet to prevent and reverse chronic diseases, aiming for a more holistic healthcare system. If you’re interested in the future of medicine, climate and health, preventive healthcare, or medical education reform, this episode offers a powerful and thought-provoking perspective on how clinicians can help build a healthier, more sustainable world. To find out more and connect with Dr Klaper:  https://www.movingmedforward.org/ The books recommended in this episode:  http://comfortablyunaware.com/ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58788258-food-is-climate Meet Dr Klaper at VCO26:  https://www.vegancampout.co.uk/ And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today. If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below: https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health;  with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

    44 min

  6. JAN 14 · BONUS

    Sharing is caring: how a whole food plant-based diet reversed my symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, with Kate Dunbar

    This week's bonus episode completes our two-parter on psoriasis, as we hear from PBHP member, Kate Dunbar, who prior to the adoption of a whole food plant-based diet was significantly affected by the disease. She has gone on to run marathons, and is the creative master behind many of PBHP's factsheets.Her story is an inspiration to anyone suffering from an autoimmune disease who may have been told diet and lifestyle don't matter. Her experience has even been written up as a case study.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34366737/ Kate is always very generous with sharing her time and passion regarding the healing powers of food. You can follow her on Instagram @kate.dunbar, find her on Facebook, or email her,  kate-dunbar@hotmail.com  And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today. If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below: https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health;  with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

    51 min

  7. JAN 7

    Feeding the skin from within: food choices to support psoriasis, with Dr Thivi Maruthappu

    We are so excited to be back In The Nutshell as we kick off season six with dual qualified NHS Consultant Dermatologist and nutritionist Dr Thivi Maruthappu. We cover the inflammatory condition, psoriasis, and find out why it is considered a systemic condition, and how it links to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic health. Dr Thivi outlines the potential mechanisms through which diet and lifestyle influence systemic inflammation, immune pathways, and the gut microbiome. We take a closer look at the APPLE study (Asking People with Psoriasis about Lifestyle and Eating), co-led by Dr Thivi and researchers at King’s College London, exploring how overall diet quality relates to psoriasis severity, and how dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods are associated with better outcomes, providing important data that lifestyle and dietary assessments have a key role to play alongside standard clinical care. To access the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39973353/ Zanesco S, Maruthappu T, Griffiths CEM, Dalrymple KV, Gibson R, Hall WL. Associations between diet quality indices and psoriasis severity: results from the Asking People with Psoriasis about Lifestyle and Eating (APPLE) cross-sectional study. British Journal of Nutrition (2025) To connect with Dr Thivi: https://drthivi.com/ To buy Dr Thivi's book: https://drthivi.com/skinfood-your-4-step-solution-healthy-happy-skin/ The Made in Hackney book discussed : https://madeinhackney.org/buy-our-new-cookbook-we-cook-plants-%F0%9F%8C%B1/ And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today. If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below: https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health;  with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

    43 min

  8. 12/17/2025 · BONUS

    Tempeh stuffing balls and beyond: plant-based Christmas, with Vanessa Sturman

    Vanessa Sturman, food coach, is back to guide us on a flexible approach to Christmas plant-based food. She discusses how to enjoy food and celebrate Christmas without feeling like you've lost touch with healthy whole food plant-based eating for the coming year. Those tempeh stuffing balls... https://theveganlarder.com/vegan-christmas-tempeh-sausage-stuffing-balls/#recipe Contact Vanessa: https://www.vanessasturman.com/ Instagram: @vanessaforhealth And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today. If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below: https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health;  with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

    26 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

This podcast is hosted by NHS GP's, Dr Clare Day and Dr Daisy Lund who will take you through all things health and plant based. They are both experienced clinicians with an interest in plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine, and a passion to share nutritional education with colleagues and the general public. But they don't do this alone. Episodes have interviews with experts within the field of plant-based nutrition, bringing the most up to date evidence-based information in an accessible way, all while sharing tips and recipes on plant-based eating to improve your health and wellbeing.

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