The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast7 Feb 2024

#233 Processed food, sugar, spices and British Colonial History with Sathnam Sanghera

Sathnam Sanghera’s journalism has covered far reaching topics including racism, homophobia and even pianos in train stations which he bizarrely doesn't like. But when he decided to turn his attention to Empire and Britain’s colonial history, the backlash he received from the public and even some historians was fierce and unnerving. In fact, Sathnam has received abuse online, ridicule and even death threats.

As a person of Indian heritage with their roots in the divided provinces of Punjab and Bengal, I thought I knew a lot about British history. But I didn’t realise how little I knew until I read Empireland and watched some of Sathnam’s incredible documentaries on Channel 4.

Today we tell the story of British Imperialism through the lens of food. Spices, Sugar, Potatoes, Cauliflower and even processed food. These are all ingredients I thought I knew about! But when you dig a little deeper you can uncover just how incredible our past is and what we can learn from.

As we negotiate a new relationship with the wider world, it’s never been more important to understand the nuance of our national history. At no point in todays discussion do we refer to Empire as either good or bad. Like the weather or our relationship with our immediate family, it’s complicated. I also think the medium of social media is the wrong place to have these discussions that require compassion instead of judgement as we wrestle with uncomfortable and sometimes brutal historical truths.

I hope todays discussion will enable you to cherish food in a new light that appreciates its complicated past, as well as how grateful we should be for the variety and selection that adorns our market shelves.

Sathnam Sanghera was born to Punjabi immigrant parents in Wolverhampton in 1976. He entered the education system unable to speak English but went on to graduate from Christ's College, Cambridge with a first class degree in English Language and Literature. He has been shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards twice, for his memoir The Boy With The Topknot and his novel Marriage Material. Empireland has been longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, was named a Book of the Year at the National Book Awards of 2022, and inspired both the Channel 4 series Empire State of Mind and Sanghera's children's book about the British empire Stolen History.

🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here

📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free

You can download The Doctor’s Kitchen app for free to get access to all of our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs and new recipes added every month. We’ve had some amazing feedback so far and we have new features being added all the time - check it out with a 14 day free trial too.

Do check out this week’s “Eat, Listen, Read” newsletter, that you can subscribe to on our website - where I send you a recipe to cook as well as some mindfully curated media to help you have a healthier, happier week.

🥗 Join the newsletter and 7 day meal plan

📷 Follow on Instagram

🐦 Tweet me

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(427)

5 foods to lose fat, regulate your appetite and improve your metabolism without counting calories | Dr Federica Amati

What’s the healthiest way to lose weight and keep it off without counting calories?On paper, it sounds simple. But in a modern world of ultra-processed foods, clever marketing and disrupted hunger sig...

1 Jul 1h 27min

4 ways to ease bloating, constipation and improve your gut health beyond diet | Dr Rabia Topan

SHOW NOTESThis episode is for anyone dealing with constipation, bloating, reflux, abdominal pain or IBS.And really, anyone who wants to protect their gut, reduce stress and feel better overall.When we...

17 Jun 1h 21min

Think clearer and feel calmer with these 7 food strategies from neuroscientist Dr Miguel Toribio-Mateas

What we eat, and how we eat, can have a profound effect on our brain health, even influencing depression, anxiety and ADHD.Today, we’re unpacking simple food strategies that can support your nervous s...

3 Jun 1h 22min

7 Health benefits of fibremaxxing and how to build a high fibre diet | Dr Karan Rajan

I’m seeing fibre maxxing everywhere right now. And I think it might be one of the few trends actually worth paying attention to.But as always, it’s not that simple.This episode is a deep dive into fib...

20 Mai 1h 5min

What to do when you feel overwhelmed and can't switch off | Dr Julie Smith

In this episode, we're building an emotional toolkit for something a lot of us are dealing with: overwhelm.That feeling of too much coming at you at once. The pressure to get everything right with you...

6 Mai 1h 18min

5 gut health habits to improve acne, eczema and skin health | Farzanah Nasser

If there are five people in a room with eczema, they’re probably all dealing with it for completely different reasons.And that’s something we don’t talk about enough.Eczema, acne, psoriasis… these are...

22 Apr 1h 16min

Can ayurveda improve your health with food, herbs and daily routines? | Dr Vijay Murthy

There’s a fascinating ancient system of medicine called Ayurveda, originating in India over 3,000 years ago, that has helped millions of people tune into their bodies through simple food, daily rhythm...

8 Apr 2h 11min

7 Habits a neuroscientist swears by to keep your mind sharp at any age | Dr Tommy Wood

One of the biggest myths about brain health is that decline is inevitable as we get older. That at some point our memory fades, our thinking slows down, and there’s not much we can do about it.My gues...

25 Mar 1h 58min