We set out to test a bold question:
Can you transform your health in just 6 short weeks, using science-led nutrition?
We invited Sarah, Rob, and Lucy to take part in the experiment, each with very different lives and all dealing with low energy, poor sleep, and feeling not quite themselves.
There was no calorie counting or restrictive diets. Just changing how they eat to support their gut health, guided by ZOE’s world-leading scientists @tim.spector , @drsarahberry , and @dr.fede.amati .
We measured their health at the start and at the end of the 6 weeks, and documented everything in between.
In this experiment, there were no retakes and no controlled lab settings.
Just real life, with work, family, stress, holidays, and everything that makes changing your habits and improving your diet challenging.
Staying true to the science, we committed to sharing the results, no matter what happened.
So, did it work?
Watch The Gut Health Challenge on YouTube now, the link’s in our bio. 🎬
We can’t wait to hear what you think.
Today, we launch the next generation of ZOE in the UK.
After 8 years of running the world’s largest nutrition science study and listening to our members, we’re launching a brand-new ZOE App and Gut Health Test.
For the first time, you don’t need a test to join ZOE.
And if you do choose to test, you’ll unlock new insights from our Gut Microbiome Test.
From sequencing over 300,000 microbiomes, we’ve identified clusters of gut microbes linked to heart health, inflammation, blood sugar, and fat distribution. This makes it easier than ever to understand your gut health and take action to improve it.
Our App has also been rebuilt from the ground up. With mindful eating at its heart, we’ve created AI-powered tools powered by our microbiome database and the world’s largest nutrition study.
At ZOE, we take complex science and make it useful in your everyday life.
This is the next step in our mission to improve the health of millions, and we can’t wait for you to try it.
Comment ZIGGIE now and join us in the gut health revolution.💛
I wanted to share a personal story that sits at the heart of my upcoming cookbook, Good Mood Food.
My mother now has dementia and lives in a care home. She no longer recognises me. I know many of you will understand just how devastating a loved one living with dementia can be.
Witnessing her decline over the last decade has made me determined to better understand how everyday choices, including what we eat, might support brain health earlier in life.
We now know that the gut and brain are in constant conversation, and that what we eat can influence how we feel, as well as aspects of brain function over time.
At @zoe , one of the most consistent things we see in our research is that when people begin to eat a more varied, plant-rich diet, many report noticeable improvements in their mood and energy.
The idea for Good Mood Food grew from these insights.
Inside, you’ll find over 100 recipes designed to be both uplifting and nourishing; food that supports your gut, your brain, and how you feel day to day.
From some of my most comforting favourites to brighter, more vibrant dishes, these are recipes to cook, share, and come back. Delicious meals to boost your gut microbes, your tastebuds, and your mood.
I really hope you enjoy them.
1/3 of adults now have seasonal allergies like hayfever. Food allergies now affect 1 in 20 children, and can be life threatening.
Food intolerances and allergies were once vanishingly rare, but within a single generation, they have exploded. And 200 years ago, seasonal allergies were completely unknown.
So what’s changed, and why are they rising so rapidly?
@dradamfox is one of the world’s leading allergy experts and Professor at King’s College London. He received an OBE for his contribution to reshaping medical approaches to allergies.
In this week’s episode, we unravel:
• Why allergies have risen so dramatically
• The difference between allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities
• What’s happening inside your body during a reaction to pollen, peanuts or gluten
• How to reduce your symptoms
• And new approaches that can actually cure allergies
By the end of this episode, you’ll understand why allergies are increasing, what’s driving them, and how to reduce your symptoms.
Click the link in our bio to listen now or search ‘ZOE Science & Nutrition’ wherever you listen to podcasts.
Who says hummus has to be made with chickpeas? 🫘
This roasted carrot and kidney bean dip is creamy, colorful, and packed with plants to support your gut health.
Roasted carrots are full of natural sweetness along with prebiotic fibers and beta-carotene, which support gut and immune health. Kidney beans add fiber and resistant starch, key fuels for beneficial gut microbes that produce compounds linked to better metabolic health.
Garlic provides additional prebiotic compounds to help your gut microbes thrive, while tahini and extra virgin olive oil add healthy fats that support the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients.
And if you want to take your fibermaxxing to the next level, top it off with ZOE Daily30; our whole food gut health supplement designed by ZOE scientists with over 30 plants, now available in the UK, US, Germany and Ireland. 🇩🇪 🇮🇪 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 More countries coming soon!
Find the full recipe in our bio.
What’s your take, is it still hummus if there isn't a chickpea in sight?
I’m very excited to finally share the cover of my new cookbook, Good Mood Food, and take you behind the scenes of our shoot.
Being the taste-tester for all of these wonderful dishes is a tough job, but somebody has to do it!
Along with @dr.fede.amati , @kathryn_bruton , and a talented bunch of chefs, we shot over 100 recipes for my upcoming cookbook, with plenty of time to eat along the way.
The idea behind the book is very personal to me, and grounded in the latest science. Food that genuinely lifts your mood; not just because it’s delicious, but because it supports your gut microbes which we now know play a key role in how we feel.
These recipes are designed to bring real pleasure to the table while also nourishing your gut and brain health. You’ll find plenty of plants, fibre, fermented foods, and healthy fats throughout.
From comforting pastas to simple sweet treats, feast-worthy showstoppers, energising lunches, a perfect pavlova, and my favourite (and very nostalgic) fish pie, this is truly Good Mood Food.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these recipes. The link to pre-order is in my bio, or you can search ‘Good Mood Food cookbook’.
As always, thank you so much for your support.
@dr.fede.amati and I hopped into the ice bath at @richroll ’s cold plunge setup at @eudemoniasummit , all in the name of science.
Cold water immersion has been around for centuries, and many people swear by it. But when you look closely at the current research, the picture is more nuanced.
There is some reasonably good evidence that cold water can help with recovery after exercise, particularly reducing muscle soreness. Beyond that, things become less clear.
You’ll often hear claims about boosting the immune system, reducing inflammation, improving mood, or even aiding weight loss. In most cases, the evidence is limited, mixed, or difficult to interpret.
For example, cold exposure does trigger a short-term stress response, which might help the body adapt over time. But we don’t yet know what the optimal “dose” is, or whether frequent exposure is beneficial or potentially counterproductive.
Mental health is another interesting area. Some studies suggest benefits, but it’s very difficult to separate the effects of the cold itself from everything that comes with it such as being outdoors, exercising, and often doing it with others.
The same applies to weight loss. There are plausible biological mechanisms, such as activation of brown fat, but in practice, studies don’t show consistent reductions in body weight.
That said, if you enjoy it and it makes you feel good, that’s what matters. And if you do try it, do it safely: ease yourself in, keep it brief, and never go alone.
I’d be interested to hear, is cold plunging something you’ve experimented with?
We’ve been taught to see symptoms like a runny nose, a fever or a cough as signs that something has gone wrong, and our body is letting us down.
But are these symptoms a problem to be treated, or part of the solution?
Dr Giulia Enders is a world-renowned gastroenterologist and the bestselling author of Gut, which sold over eight million copies and helped the world discover the concept of gut health.
She’s finally written another book and today we explore a very different way of thinking about your immune system: not as something to “boost” or fight, but something to keep in balance.
In this week’s episode, we uncover:
• Why “boosting” your immune system can backfire
• Why common symptoms may actually help you recover
• When it makes sense to treat symptoms , and when it might not
• And the three everyday habits that help keep it in balance
By the end of this episode, you’ll understand how to support your immune system, rather than work against it.
Click the link in our bio to listen now, or search ‘ZOE Science & Nutrition’ wherever you listen to podcasts. 🎧
Follow @zoe for tips to improve your gut health. 🌱
For those moments when you have no time to cook, these creamy miso tahini beans are a store cupboard superstar.
They’re ready in less than 10 minutes and are packed full of plant-protein to keep you full and fiber to nourish your gut microbes.
Make sure you SAVE this recipe for the next time you want something nourishing and delicious with minimal effort.
All the details for how to make it are in the comments below.👇
Let us know, what kind of recipes would you like more of?
The term ‘ultra-processed food’ has become a bit of a catch-all, but not all highly processed foods are the same.
When you look more closely at the science, the picture is more nuanced. Some processed foods are clearly linked to poorer metabolic health. They tend to be energy-dense, rapidly absorbed, and often contain additives that may affect the gut microbiome. Others, despite being processed, do not show the same effects and can be part of a healthy diet.
So rather than asking “is this ultra-processed or not?”, a better question is “how might this particular food impact my long-term health?”
That is the thinking behind the Ultra Processed Food Scanner in the @zoe app. For those of you who are new here, I am the scientific co-founder of the gut health science company @zoe .
The UPF Food Scanner automatically identifies high risk processed foods and distinguishes them from lower risk options, based on factors like energy density, how quickly the food is absorbed, and the types of additives used. This helps explain why two gluten-free breads that look similar on the shelf can have very different effects on your body.
Understanding the underlying science, rather than relying on marketing terms, gives you a much more practical way to make decisions that support your gut and long-term health.
You can explore the ZOE app via the link in @zoe ’s bio. And if you are interested in learning more, you can also watch my series What Not To Eat on @channel4 .
What does the latest research tell us about weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro?
Over the past few years, these drugs have gone from niche medical treatments to global headlines. For some, they are life-changing; reducing hunger, ending cravings, and delivering dramatic weight loss.
But what happens when you stop taking them? How sustainable are the results? And how much do we really know about their long-term effects?
This week, we’re joined by Dr Ania Jastreboff, Director of the Yale Obesity Research Center, practising physician, and one of the leading researchers in GLP-1 therapies. She’s authored multiple papers in the New England Journal of Medicine analysing GLP-1s in clinical trials, including new drugs not yet available for prescription.
Together, we explore:
* What GLP-1 drugs are and how they influence appetite, hunger, and blood sugar
* Why they can lead to significant weight loss
* What happens when treatment stops, and why weight regain can occur
* The latest research on next-generation drugs like retatrutide
* Known side effects and the key unanswered questions
By the end of the episode, you’ll have a clearer, evidence-based understanding of how these drugs work, and what we know so far about their benefits and risks.
Listen now via the link in our bio, and let us know your thoughts on GLP-1s in the comments.
UK healthy life expectancy has fallen by 2 years in the last decade, so why is this happening?
A major new analysis shows that healthy life expectancy in the UK has dropped to just over 60 years for both men and women.
That means many people are now spending more of
their lives in poor health, often well before retirement.
What is striking is that overall life expectancy has remained broadly stable. So this is not simply about people dying earlier. It is about people becoming unwell earlier, particularly
during their working years.
We are also seeing widening inequalities. In some of the most deprived areas, people can expect to become unwell nearly 20 years earlier than those in the most affluent parts of the
country.
This is not inevitable. Other countries have not seen the same decline.
This reflects a combination of factors, but diet, lifestyle, chronic inflammation, metabolic health, and the environments we live in all play a role. For example, 40% of cancers are preventable and are linked to bad diet and alcohol, as well as smoking.
If we want to reverse this trend, we need to focus far more on prevention, and that starts long before someone becomes ill.
